Boston Bride 2009

Nikki, I can send you whatever you need. Let me know.

I would love to see your pics the first link didn't work for me. Sounds like you had a stress free time!

Your pictures are gorgeous. You looked stunning. Looks like everyone had a blast dancing.

8phoenix8, Did your wedding go well? I was nervous when you said polar opposite...

You really did an excellent job. It looks beautiful. I bought mine and then took it apart and had the seamstress put it back together because I'm not talented. Yours looks perfect on you...LOVE IT

Nikki, I don't know if you can choose. I worked with Ana at first and then Mercy for the last 3 months. Ana is very good as well. My bouquet was from a picture they sent me. Mercy sent me ton of docs with cakes, buttonaires, flowers, menus, decorations etc. If Lisbeth doesn't send them to you let me know. I didn't meet Lisbeth or work with her so I'm not sure how good she is. I think Lisbeth and Mercy had the same position and Ana is the manager.

Her name is Anna and she is in Washington State

wiweathergirl are you going to Excellence in DR? If so you will NOT be disappointed. The resort is perfect for weddings.

You looked so pretty! Congratulations!!!

Ok girls the review is up...it was 11 pages in Microsoft Word. http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...0/#post1105316

Spa-A+ •Have Amarilys do your hair!!! She did such a great job on my mom’s hair and one of my bridesmaid’s hair. •My hair came out perfect. Exactly what I showed them…Olivia Polermo from the city. •I did not like the hairspray they used on my hair it made it hard. I even brought my own and they only used it at the end. •I liked that they left my hair pinned in curls until after I had my make up done. The curls would have fallen out by the time I made it to the alter. Mercy was a big help finishing my hair after my make up. We had to take out the pins and get all the curls to fall so I didn’t look like Shirley Temple. •We also had mani/spa pedi which was very relaxing. They have limited colors of nail polish. I guess I’m picky so we actually used the color I brought with me for the just in case. •I had my make-up done at the spa when I visited the year before. I didn’t find their techniques to be very sanitary and I didn’t like the make up application itself so I did not have my make up done there for the wedding. My hair My mom’s hair-don’t mind the balloons on her head or Ben’s mom’s head BM’s hair Make-up-Valentina Maddaluno-A++++ •Valentina is a good friend of ours. She is an aesthetician and a make-up artist. It was awesome to have my own make-up person. She came up to our suite and did my make-up and my moms make-up. •She does such a great job and really makes sure everything is just how you like it. For me I like more dramatic make-up but my mom likes very natural. I think we both looked fabulous. •She is very professional even though she is my friend. She takes her job seriously…even though she was still wet from the pool and in her bathing suit  •I bought my make-up at Mac/Nars because I didn’t have time to get to her spa. This make up stayed on the ENTIRE night. Even my eyeliner (the gel eyeliner). Dress/Alterations-A Home •They did such a wonderful job with my alterations. The bridal shop where I had purchased my dress convinced me to buy a size 8 when I normally where a dress size 2-4….awesome right. So I had SERIOUS alterations to my dress and she did a fantastic job. I also made some minor changes to the dress itself and it was perfect. •I had a birdcage veil that I ordered from Etsy. Loved the idea of it but the thing just wasn’t working. So I took the veil apart and Monica had to put it back together. The way they sewed it was perfect and she didn’t charge me for this. •I had my reception dress altered here as well. The reason I gave them an A and not an A+ is because this dress wasn’t taken in where it needed to be and I didn’t have time for them to fix it. It was a one strap dress so I was pulling it up constantly at the reception…even in our video you can see me being announced for the first time and pulling up my dress. Bridesmaid dresses •I have received more compliments on the girls dresses than I can count. The color, the style, and the fabric was perfect for the wedding. •They are dresses that can be worn again •I found this dress totally by chance at a sample sale at Priscilla of Boston. I just say the color sticking out on a rack and then I tried it on myself because I was shopping alone. It was only $50!!! I gave that one to my MOH and the other two did have to order theirs. Groomsmen’s attire •I loved that they were all in suits. I know it was hot as hell but we wanted to have a formal wedding and I think this was one of the things that really made it classy. •I like that Benny picked out a very simple black tie that had some blue undertones…again very classy and simple. •The black was a nice contrast the Tiffany Blue BM dresses, the sand and the water. Helpful Tips •Chair Sashes-they only have certain colors. We thought that something would work but none of the colors were even close. I wish had purchased these here and brought them down with me. They charged $2.50/sash and you can buy them for $1.00 (and sell them after for that matter). It was worth the $ to have them. They added a lot of color to the ceremony and the reception. •We opened a credit card specifically for the wedding. We put everything on it and paid it right away. We earned cash back on all of our purchases (and the card was 0% interest for the year). I also did this on one of my cards that has cash back…we were able to get $300 cash back for gifts. •Paid in Travelers checks-save 3% fee-I did this to save some money as well. Our cards all charge a 3% fee when you buy things outside the US and for what we spent on our wedding that would have been quite a bit of money. Before we left we confirmed the final price and just got Amex travelers checks (which were free for Amex cardholders). •Keep things simple and put your time in money into the little details •Don’t stress about the people who don’t go. You will have so much fun with those who are there that you won’t even think about those we are not. •I recommend putting all of your vendor meetings on the same day. We had meetings everyday up until our wedding. I would have rather had them on the day we got there and then be done with it. •We only sent our invitations (which were very pricey) to people who said they were going or that said they really wanted to go. We did not spend the $ to send them to everyone. We did send everyone really nice STD though. •Our guests really appreciated that we were there to greet them when they arrived. I do wish that I took photos of everyone arriving Ok I think that's it. Happy to answer any questions

Welcome Cocktail-A •We had a private welcome party (the WC totally hooked us up) it was supposed to be at the lobby bar and she got us a private party by the pool. It was so much fun. This is where I surprised my husband with his favorite photographer. I had flown her in to surprise him. He started crying he was so surprised and happy. •Also there was a “Brown out” meaning they lost power. So we were in the dark but had music on our docking station. One of our friends had a flashlight so the bartender said you hold the light I’ll make the drinks. It was so funny. We had a blast…in the dark! Rehearsal Dinner-A •This was a lot of fun. We had it in the courtyard of Agave. •The tables were set up beautifully •The food was perfect. •My one complaint that it was loud and hard for people to here us when we were talking about our wedding party/family. Rick York-A Eastern Dominican Christian Mission •We hired Rick York and he did a great job brining Christian spirituality to our ceremony. This was really important to us. •We really liked the ceremony he wrote for us. •He would have been an A+ but he pronounced my last name wrong, announced our reader as some other name and then corrected himself, and announced us as Mr. and Mrs. Celados…it is Celado. Saxaphone/Pianist-A •This completely set the mood for the ceremony and the music was beautiful. •I wish we could have had a list of what they play and chose the songs but it was very very nice. •I liked that there was a piano player to play the wedding march •Completely worth the money. Ceremony-A •The horse and carriage to the ceremony is so fairytale. We actually fit 5 of us in the carriage. It was a tight squeeze but we made it. •Mercy had set up toole along the bridge which was cute. I didn’t love the toole on the trees but it was good to block off the wedding space…there were a lot of spectators let me tell you. For the rest of the week people would come up to me to tell me how beautiful our wedding was. People even clapped for me at the swim up bar when I came over on the following day. •The chairs were very pretty with the sashes. •I do wish we had more rose petals on the aisle but that was my own fault for not being clear about that. •I’m not sure why but there was only fabric on two of the four posts I would have preferred all 4. •It was very simple and beautiful. Cocktail Hour •I have no idea how this went we were taking pictures the whole time. It looked pretty though •We had it on the beach with our own beach bar. •I did hear that there were a ton of mosquitos •We used our IPod and their speaker. I’m glad we didn’t spend $ on music for this Reception-A++++++++++ •Tables were stunning •Welcome drink-I had asked Mercy to have the bartender make a Blue drink. They made some sort of Margarita which was the perfect color blue, very good and exactly what I wanted. •Details-she did miss a thing. Even to the napkin holders I asked her to put together she took the time to fold over the edge of the ribbon to make sure there was no fraying on them. Everything was absolutely beautiful. •Feel-The Cascade Pool was the perfect location for our party. It is intimate and private. The glow of the lights is romantic and the pool illuminated gave us more blue to go with our theme. We had tons and tons of candles again romantic. The dance floor was the perfect size for our party. I liked having the DJ under the trellace and facing the bar (this was not the typical set up) but I think it worked really well. •Decorations-we brought all of the center pieces and candles with us because I wanted to make sure everything was just how I envisioned it. We kept the centerpieces very simple but we got a lot of compliments on them. •Bar Tender-we met Danielle at the swim up bar and everyone was having a blast with him. He was always dancing and singing so we asked Mercy to have him as our bartender at the wedding. He did such a great job. At one point I went to the bar and there was no one there and I turned around and he was out dancing with my mom. I thought that was hilarious. •Waiters-They gave us so much attention. They were so fun. We had them all out on the dance floor with us. It was great to see Benny dancing salsa with someone who really knew what they were doing (I try but I’m not latin). They were all wonderful and they seemed to have a great time. •FUN-I might be bias but this was the most fun and the most I’ve ever danced at a wedding. No one sat down for even one song. We literally danced for 2 hours straight. The music the dj played was perfect. We didn’t want it to be over at 10. •Food-was very good. I didn’t eat much but it was all very pretty/artistic. I liked that it was a plated dinner and not buffet. I did ask them to get through dinner quickly because we wanted to dance (and because another girl who got married there said dinner to a long time). They moved everything right along. BM’s and my mom jumping in the pool Our table

Sorry double post

Destination Wedding A+++++ This was THE BEST decision we made. We had the time of our life and we and our guests will never forget the time we had there. Everyone had such a great time together and were so thankful that we had a DW. I can’t tell you how many people said thank you for getting married in DR this is awesome. It was the wedding of our dreams AND we paid for it in cash…no debt!!! Travel Agent D+-C- Wedding Destinations and Planning | Destination Weddings .com •This is what I wrote when they asked me for feedback on my experience Positive •She is very friendly and easy to speak to •In the beginning she did a great job contacting our guests and following up with them •In the beginning our guests gave us positive feedback about their conversations with her •She has been able to rebook all of us for the sale price of our hotels which took a lot of work •I do like the website for me to view booked guests. •I like that our guests could pay over time •The best part is our travel has been booked and we are just about set to go. In the end she did get the job done. Negative •I felt like I knew more information than she did most of the time •She accepted flight changes when they broke up a direct flight with out researching the best connections for our guests. •She did not immediately notify guests of their flight changes I actually was the one to tell them when I found out •People called her several times and did not get a return phone call •Some people did not receive invoices until I requested them •Sometimes it takes her several days to answer my questions that I've asked 2 and 3 times •The invoices she sent were not always correct in terms of length of stay (basically typos) and it was not just my invoice, but my brothers and I think 1 other person had the wrong category. •I'm not sure if this was her problem or the package company but it took 3-4 weeks to upgrade our room. She got this done over a week ago and I still haven't heard if our 1 category upgrade was approved from your company. • I haven't found her expertise any different than a regular travel agent. Your website says Specializes Solely in Destination Weddings Read More • I know that DWT contracts out regular travel agent so I'm not sure this is the case for Anna of other agents you use. It also says in read more “Do they focus solely on Destination Weddings, or will you be juggled among their other various corporate travel, group travel, or other non-wedding related clients?” •Isn't this the case for your travel agents who run their own business? Excellence Punta Cana A+++++ •We had an absolutely AMAZINGGGG time at Excellence. Everything was a perfect as you could possibly dream of •The service is impeccable •The food is very good for an AI. There are many options for dinner. I liked that you did not have to have reservations. We walked in to Barcelona one night as a last minute decision with 20 people and they were happy to accommodate us despite the fact that we should have told them ahead of time. •EVERYONE who works there is a so friendly and happy. Everyone says “Hola” or “Buenas Dias” The bartenders are entertaining…singing and dancing all day behind the bar. Many of them are very funny. They just love what they do. •They are focused on service from the moment you get off of your shuttle van. •The grounds are absolutely beautiful. There is just so much color everywhere. There is also a lot of beautiful architecture that we took advantage of with the photographer. •The pools are very nice. The beach is cleaned daily so the sand is perfect. The water is pretty rough but we had a ton of fun. The boys went boogy boarding and kayaking daily. •There are plenty of bars everywhere including right next to the beach. We literally set up shop right next to Café Kafe every day so we could just grab a drink or have the cocktail waiters come to us in our beach chairs. •We loved that this was a smaller resort so that we could all find each other and that it was adults only. •We had a lot of fun at the disco a few nights but we basically brought the party. •This resort puts a lot of attention in the details from your room, to they way they welcome you, the care they put into cleaning your room and the cute little things they make out of the towels. •The last thing I have to say is that my husband worked at the Ritz in Boston for 3 years and his dad at the Park Lane in NYC and they were both floored at how amazing the service and the resort was. Rooms at Excellence •We had an assortment of rooms in our group so I’ve written a little about each. •Master Suite oThis was the room that we were upgraded to. It was so nice. They also allowed us to have this room with Excellence Club privileges because of a mix up at our check in. oIt was the perfect location because it over looked the Cascade Pool where our reception was. We were able to go back to our room, freshen up, and put on our party clothes and then head right down to the reception. We were also able to quickly run back to get more $ to tip the people who helped us…the service was so good we felt it necessary to give them even more. oThe room itself was the perfect set up for us and for Benny on the wedding day. It had a nice sized living room. A bedroom and then two doors in the shower/toilette with the sink and hot tub separate. oThe view of the pool was really nice and it was very quiet. oI believe the price of this room is pretty close the price of the Excellence Club junior suites…I would chose this room a million times over. I personally do not feel the Excellence Club is worth the money. •Excellence Club Honeymoon Suite oMy mom had this room and it is really really nice. It’s basically a smaller version of the Imperial Suite. Definitely worth the $ and has a great view. •Imperial Suite oThis is a room to talk about. My brother had this room for the week. It was bangn!!! It honestly is twice the size of our loft in Boston. It has everything two hot tubs, huge flat screen, 8 person dining room, massage table, kitchen, leather couches, two BR, and a entire room for the shower. The view is amazing. We got ready in his room on the wedding day and it was awesome. •Junior Suites oMost people booked either the Garden View or the Ocean View. They really loved their rooms as well. Everyone was basically in the same area so they all liked that. Wedding Coordinator A++++++++++++++++++ First I have to say that my wedding was perfection because of our WC Mercy Aquino. There is not one thing that I can say went wrong or wasn’t exactly how I wanted it…not one little thing. I am a very difficult person to please when it comes to this stuff because I am a perfectionist and I want everything done a specific way. Mercy didn’t miss a single detail…and I had many many things I asked her to do. She was so sweet and just awesome to work with. •Mercy was very responsive •Emails were very clear and answered all of the questions I had •She called us the Sunday before we left for DR to make sure we had all of our questions answered and that she had everything correct. •Spent an entire day with me reviewing details •Took notes and remembered every single little thing I asked her to do •Details details details •Always wanted to make sure everything was perfect and just how I wanted it •Professional and completely service oriented. She was super sweet. •Executed everything with perfection (coming from a perfectionist) •The entire week ran smoothly and she took care of everything so I didn’t have to worry •She worked very well with all of the vendors (from the resort or not). •The cards she printed for different things were really great. She made menu cards for the reception, the cocktail hour. On the day of the rehearsal everyone was stressing me out with questions about what time do we need to X or Y. So I asked her just to type a list for the bridesmaids and the groomsmen with the times for everything. Within an hour she came back to me with these super cute cards. She had made one set for the BM one set for the GM one specifically for me and one specifically for Benny and a master copy for the photographer. This is just one example of how Mercy went above and beyond. •Benny is Dominican so he and Mercy had a great time and it was very helpful for me to have him there to translate. •Her assistant/intern was awesome. He was just as much of a perfectionist as Mercy. He was also very helpful because he spoke English very well. •She said I will try to do anything you ask even if I know the answer is no I will still try •Got us the private cocktail party and Agave for rehearsal both of which typically don’t happen. She set everything up for both events and made sure we had everything we needed •Showed us room options when they screwed up our check in and made sure it was just what we wanted. Videographer-Video Punt Cana A- Video Punta Cana •Florian is very responsive •You are able to see his work on his website and it is very accurate to what we received •His pricing was a little more than the hotel videographer but totally worth it. •He is able to get you your DVD before you leave DR •The video itself is very nice. The only thing I wish is that the music was done differently. •The cameraman he sent was unobtrusive and let our photographer call the shots. •We paid for 3-4 hour of shooting and he definitely stayed longer and our video was longer than the 20-25 mins we paid for. •Definitely worth the money and I’m thankful my mom convinced me to have this and gave it to us as a gift. Photographer-Corinna Raznikov A++++ Corinna Raznikov Photography raznikov.bigfolioblog.com/ •This was a huge splurge and I’m so glad that I did this. I flew in the photographer that we hired for our engagement pictures to surprise Benny. He had NO idea that I was doing this. He is in love with her work so was absolutely floored when I surprised him. •Corinna’s work is stunning, artistic, uniques, candid, and beautiful. She is truly truly talented. Her work is in so many magazines and everytime I saw it I instantly knew it was hers without even reading who the photographer was. She has her own style. •The whole process was just fantastic. We really fell in love with her after our engagement pictures. She is so easy to work with, she makes you feel comfortable. She can tell when you are tired and will mix things up. •From the moment she got to DR she was shooting because that is what she loves. We only paid for our wedding day but she just captured everything. •Her mother also flew in to shoot with her and she was an absolute doll. She is a travel photographer so I’m sure her pics are going to be just as beautiful. I can’t believe she flew in from Cali for our wedding. •Corinna is so professional but is super sweet about how she approaches your guests. She kept everything moving along without feeling pushy. She kept my BM’s on schedule. •One of the best things she did for me was to create a schedule of the day with details and times. She really padded my schedule so I wasn’t stressed. •Everyone loved working with her and commented on how hard she was working for us. She ran around a lot! •We did not even notice her taking pictures of us a lot of the time. •We felt like she was one of our guests…she was there with us over Thanksgiving so we wanted her to feel as though she was our guest. •I haven’t seen the pics yet but I’m sure they are going to be phenomenal. DJ Mannia A+++++ MANNIA - Audio, Video e Iluminación Profesional DJ Mannia was so so good. We literally danced straight from the time we cut the cake until we were kicked out at 10:00...no one sat down. We brought glow bracelets which were also a huge hit. I liked having an MC and someone to oversee all of the things that were taking place. Flowers-A •The flowers were done exactly as the picture I showed the florist. •We went for very simple bouquets and boutonnieres and I think that this made it more beautiful. •The roses in DR are very heavy so the boutonnieres didn’t stay upright very well. And on the cake they looked a little too big but both were still very nice. •I probably would have paid a little extra $ to have a few more flowers the BM bouquets. I think they had 6 roses. They were beautiful but just a little skinny. •My bouquet was absolutely perfect. Wouldn’t change a thing. This is the picture that I picked This was what mine looked like (I asked for no ivy) Ceremony Flowers Bridal Party Flowers Cake-A- •The cake was very pretty •Was a bit smaller than I thought •Happy we added flowers and another tier to make it more like a wedding cake •We cut the cake and totally forgot to eat it. After the reception ended we realized this and some folks did stay for cake.

The bracelett is from Iridesse which is owned by Tiffany & Co. I believe they have closed the stores and the online site I was really disappointed because they hadbeautiful pearl jewelery. I have two necklaces like the braceletts (the blue and a white one) and a pink bracelett like the blue one...got great deals when they closed the store.

I love your attention to all the details. Everything is really really beautiful and classy.

It's really hard to look past the people who aren't going. Trust me I had many days where I got upset. But truthfully...and I know you might not believe this now because I wouldn't have, you will be having such a blast with the people who are with you that you will not think of those who are not. I PROMISE you will have an amazing time with those people who do come. Next week is going to be a lot better for me with work so I will have a review for you by then.

To tell you the truth I was pissssed and still am. My dad always manages to drop the ball on the most important things in my life. Benny was really great at helping me forget about it though and just focus on all of our friends/family that were going, how wonderful everything was going to be. When we were there I was having so much fun that I didn't really think about it. I think my situation is a little different though because my relationship with my dad has always been strained. The sad part is I was just opening up to him more and making the effort and then this. I'm done...no more. I'm tired of being disappointed. He says that he "had" to go but I can't believe that his employer would say no you can't go to your daughters wedding even though you have had it planned for over a year AND he has been working for the same company for 30 years....don't believe it for one minute. I had an amazing time at my wedding and that is what is most important.

I hear you on this one. My dad was booked and ready to go and two weeks before my wedding my step mom called my husband to tell him that she and my dad weren't going to be able to go because he had to go to Panama for work. Never in my life has my dad traveled for work and then all of a sudden he is going to Panama. We already have a strained relationship and this was a huge blow to what little we have. He has called me several times but I have nothing to say to him...pretty much I think he sucks. I will tell you though I was having so much fun with everyone who was there that I didn't miss him. In the end it was probably better that he didn't go. I'm sure this is not your situation but I know that you too will be having a blast with your best friends and your family. Don't stress about it if it's meant to be it will be.

You absolutely do not need to send him a list of songs. We told him to play top 40 like beyonce, lady gaga, black eyed peas. Some hip hop. Benny told him some merengue/salsa and it was PERFECT. We all go to clubs here in Boston so we are critical of DJ's and everyone raved about how good the music was. The funny thing was Carlos was the last vendor we met with so we were tired of meetings and wanted to get to the beach. We literally spent 15 minutes with him. He did a phenomenal job.

Ok I did the what I would and wouldn't do again...it has a lot that I will include in my review....I'm still working on that. http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...1/index41.html

My dress after pics before the ceremony, beach wedding, and pics on the beach was honestly not that bad. The sand was tan so it was a little dirty but not bad. However I did go in the ocean (not a TTD) but just a few shots and when I can out it was a hot mess. There was so much sand in the hem that I couldn't get out and the tan sand made the bottom brown. A lot of it came off after I let the sand dry and wiped it off but there was still a ton of sand stuck in the hem. I didn't wear the same dress for the reception so I don't know how dirty it was get there.

This was one of my favorite threads so I'm excited to write my thoughts Would do/Keep the same Destination Wedding-This was the best decision we made regarding our wedding Civil Cermony-We had a pretty large civil ceremony (65 people) 6 months before our DW on a private Yacht in Boston. It was a wonderful day and my family and friends were there with us many of whom were not able to come to our DW. Most importantly my grandmother was able to be there and see me get married. She died 4 months later. Excellence Punta Cana-The resort was absolutely amazing from the service to the grounds to the beach and food. Most importantly we have an absolutely amazing wedding coordinator. I am a perfectionist and I thought of every detail possible and she executed it all better than I could have imagined. I'm tough to please and she blew me away. Welcome Cocktail Party-We had a private welcome party (the WC totally hooked us up) it was supposed to be at the lobby bar and she got us a private party by the pool. It was so much fun. This is where I suprised my husband with his favorite photographer. I had flown her in to suprise him. He started crying he was so suprised and happy. Rehersal Dinner-This was a lot of fun. We had it in a beautiful restaraunt. My one complaint that it was loud and hard for people to here us when we were talking about our wedding party/family. The set up and food was perfect though. Dresses-It took me a while to find a dress that looked like a wedding gown but was appropriate for a beach...but when I finally did it was perfect. I only spent $600 which was perfect because I also wanted a reception dress so I didn't die sweating. I am glad that I spent a good amount on $ on alterations to make it perfect. I loved my reception dress. It was a nice flowy silk dress. I got so many compliments on it. I also liked being announced and making an entrance in a new outfit. My husband changed as well. Bridal Party attire-I loved the tiffany blue dresses that I picked out for my bridesmaids-WToo. They looked amazing with a tan and a perfect compliment to the ocean. Hiring a DJ-DJ Mannia was so so good. We literally danced straight from the time we cut the cake until we were kicked out at 10:00...no one sat down. We brought glow bracletts which were also a huge hit. I liked having an MC and somoone to oversee all of the things that were taking place. Hiring a Videographer-I wasn't going to do this at first but my mom really wanted to have a video so she got this for us. I never really thought about it but having a video is great. Video Punta Cana did a great job. Flying in our photographer-This was a HUGE expense but absolutely worth it. I did this as a gift to my husband and a suprise. Corinna Raznikov is just so talented and wonderful. She was worth every single penny I paid for her and a great splurge. Have a Christian Missonary and not a Judge do our ceremony-We hired Rick York and he did a great job brining christina spirtuality to our ceremony. This was really important to us. Writing our own vows-I thought it was wonderful to hear Benny read to me vows he had written. It made it really personal. Bi-lingual ceremony--I loved that Rick York is bi-lingual and able to conduct the entire ceremony in english and spanish so that Benny's mom was able to understand everything. Saxaphone player and pianist for the ceremony-This completely set the mood and was beautiful. Our room at Excellence-We booked a great suite overlooking the pool where our reception was. It was a really nice room (a bit of a splurge) but totally worth it. I even had to fight for it at check in because someone dropped the ball for our upgrade. It was awesome. Spend all the time I did on the details because everything came out PERFECT DIY projects-Here were my projects and I loved doing them and how they came out Save the Date Invitation-partial DIY Programs Poem that went on the table in the napkins Itinierary OOT Bag labels Beach towel for me and MOH Tanks for me and bridesmaids OOT bags-These were a huge hit. We gave really cute polka dot bags a nice beach towel. A full size lotion and spray from Bath and Body works. A cup that said eat drink and be married. A medicine kit, aloe and a thank note/itinerary. It was totally worth spending the money to make them really nice. Timeline for the wedding party/bride/groom/photographer--everyone kept asking what time do I need to this and that on the wedding day. I was already overwhelmed so I asked the WC to work with the photographer and put together a time line for everyone. The WC was just awesome...she made one for the bridesmaids another for the groomsmen one for me and one for benny and a master copy for the photog. She did them on these super cute cards. Wouldn't do/Change Vendor meetings-I wish that I had met with all of them on the same day. For 3 days we had at least one or two meetings a day. I wish I had just done everything the first day I was there and got it over with so I could relax with everyone. Chair Sashes-I wish I had purchased these before hand. My husband kept saying no we have enough stuff to bring down...which was true but we ended up spending $2.50/sash to rent them verses buying them for $1. I loved how they added color to the ceremony. They were really beautiful. Honeymoon-If Benny had known he could tolerate the sun and the beach as well as he did we would have absolutely preferred to stay at Excellence for our honeymoon instead of flying home to Boston and then Costa Rica. I'm not sure I would go to the place we went in CR if I could do it again. But that's another review. I wish I would not have spent so much time getting upset about people not going including my father

I absolutely recommend Excellence. My wedding was so amazing and perfect. It is picturesque and the service is superior. It is on the higher side in terms of price but is completely worth it. Everyone that went wants to plan a trip for next year. They give you so much personalized attention for your wedding and are attentive to the details. We had the master suite that over looked the cascade pool where our reception was...it was really convenient, the room was really really nice, and we were able to change our outfits and then go to the reception. I promise I will write a review when I have more time. There are just so many amazing things to write about. You will not be disappointed. Another suggestion is to plan a long weekend and visit the sites you are considering. My mom and I went to Excellence a year before the wedding to see it. We were so impressed we did not look anywhere else.

We had Carlos at our Nov 27th wedding at Excellence in Punta Cana....he was awesome. We literally did not stop dancing the second we hit the floor. The music was soooo good. People couldn't believe how good he was and we all live in Boston and go to clubs regularly. We gave him a little direction on music and everything he played was right on. We did give him the songs we wanted for the introductions, cake, 1st/last dance. I loved that he set up lights on the dance floor. They also handed out the balloons clowns use and people had a blast making head pieces out of these. They also handed out the glow braceletts I had brought down with me...that was fun too. I 110% recommend DJ Mannia.