taratoons

nsbride, would you be able to e-mail me the bouquet choices too? My e-mail is taratoons@hotmail.com. Thanks bunches in advance! :0)

Pictures would be wonderful! Please e-mail me at taratoons@hotmail.com. Thanks!

Congratulations lp579! Rain on your wedding day is supposed to be good luck! :0) I'm glad everything went well, can't wait to see photos! Tara

Hey everyone! I'm so happy to see so many brides interested in these awesome resorts! As big of a stressor as it is to make the decision, it's SUCH a nice feeling to have the place booked! I really and truly think it comes down to what matters MOST to you. We debated and debated, but for us, we decided the ceremony and reception were most important, since it's a once in a life time thing. I can always return to other resorts for their beaches. Even when I'm doubting my decision, and wishing I had chosen DPB, I just think back to the goosebumps that I got standing on one of the terraces at DPC! Good luck everyone, and again, any questions, send 'em along. I've been through the ropes with the decision-making, so I know how you're feeling! :0)

Thanks everyone, you've made some very valid points that I'll have to mull over! It's just so anxiety-provoking to me, because I'm such a TERRIBLE decision maker. Even at McDonald's, I have to ask my fiance what I should get, nuggets or a Big Mac, because I'm terrified if I pick one I'll be disappointed that I didn't choose the other! And that's just greasy food, this is my one and only wedding!!!! Minute to minute I swear I'm changing my opinion on the whole thing. Luckily, my parents are saying to go with what I feel is right, take the chance if I want to, or they'd be just as happy with a symbolic ceremony. I don't know though, I REALLY want my wedding kiss to be my first married kiss!!! Anyway, thanks again, and I hope everyone's planning is going well. :0) Cheers!

Hi Ladies! So I'm totally torn between doing a legal or symbolic ceremony. Originally, I thought it would be best to go with symbolic, because it was cheaper, and it would avoid the added stress of translation of documents, etc. Then I decided that it just wouldn't feel right, I want it to be legal and real when they say "you may now kiss the bride." Now, I'm back to unsure again, based on something one of the past brides has told me. When she got married, she was told she had to have her ceremony at 5 pm because that's when the judge would be there (same as me, though I really wanted a 4 pm service). Then it turned out the judge didn't turn up on time, so her wedding coordinator performed the ceremony, and the judge showed up during the reception to have them sign papers, which she said took quite some time. The reception is short enough, in my opinion, and then part of it was taken over by the signing of documents!!!! I e-mailed the wedding coordinator to see if this is common, and she just said that "she's hopefully he'll be there in time, but can't guarantee anything." GREAT. So after all that money to translate documents, all the added stress, and being forced to have the ceremony at a certain time, the guy can be late, resulting in the wedding coordinator performing the ceremony, which is technically then a symbolic ceremony, and he can then just show up, and shorten your reception by taking you away from the party and your guests? Arg, I'm so torn! Should I take the chance? Has anyone else heard of this happening?

Hi! I'm a Dreams Punta Cana bride, getting married in April 2010. I personally have visited the resort, and loved it! Most of the things you mention you're probably going to encounter at most resorts in the Carribean. I've seen ants at several resorts (though not in rooms, necessarily), I've met one of the wedding coordinators (Sharron) who is British and therefore quite easy to communicate with, people always get sick at resorts, I think because they somewhat forget that this is a third world country, and you do have to be careful, and in my opinion, who really cares about the room decor, how much time do you plan on spending in your room!?! In terms of price, a major factor in our decision to go with DPC was the fact that it's a great hotel for an affordable price. We didn't want our guests to be too put out in terms of cost. My fiance works for a Canadian tour operator, and therefore has visited and has inside info about many resorts, and he was all for booking at DPC. I also personally think that 79% of people recommending this hotel is pretty damn good. I bet if you searched the top 10 resorts in Punta Cana (the Iberostar Grand Bavaro which is #1, got 92% recommendation), or anywhere else, for that matter, there would be some bad reviews. It all comes down to personal opinion, and a lot to do with attitude. As hockeymom said, there are definitely some people you just can't please, and sometimes people have a bad experience through no fault of the resort itself, and then their entire trip is ruined by their attitude thereafter, and they see the negative in everything. You also have to pay attention to how many reviews there have been. There were 92 reviews on the Iberostar, but 989 for Dreams Punta Cana. That could be part of the discrepancy. I also agree that people are more likely to write a review of a negative experience, than a positive one. Anyway, as I said, I think attitude is what's going to determine how good a time you have regardless of where you go. I'm obviously a fan of DPC, but it totally depends on what's important to you. I visited Dreams Palm Beach, and I LOVED it as well. If you have any specific questions about the Dreams resorts in Punta Cana, or want some pictures, just let me know!!! Tara

We faced this exact same problem. Neither of us are super close to our extended families, but we knew we couldn't invite one aunt and not the other. So up until the last minute, we were prepared to send the STDs to everyone, and put a blurb on the bottom of the STD to email us if they are 1. very interested in attending, 2. require more information, 3. unable to attend. We assumed most people would say they needed more information, and if they said that or very interested, we'd send them the $7.00 invitation. However, this little blurb would eliminate people who KNOW they cannot come (such as grandparents), and would save us the money at invitation time. However, at the last minute, we decided that this was our day, and since we had hardly talked to several of the people on the "big" list in the last year, and were pretty certain they wouldn't attend anyway (though I agree, be prepared for some people to come who you don't think will!), we decided to just send to our "small" list. These are the people that are closest to us, mostly friends, and immediate family, so we can say it's a more "intimate" gathering. It's a very personal choice. I'm happy with the way we did, because it kind of honours those that have been so close to us, to be invited. Plus, the group we think we're going to get is going to be so much fun, and pretty much already knows each other. :0) I don't think we'll face too much heat from those not invited. Like I said, it's hard to argue when they haven't spoken to us in so long, and it's not like it's an at home wedding, it's going to cost them like $1500 and a week's vacation to go! Good luck with the decision! :0)

We did a luggage tag shaped STD with ribbon on the end as the "tie", set up like an actual luggage tag, with Name: Our Names, Destination: Punta Cana, Date: April 12, 2010. I'm really happy with how they turned out!

Hi! I was always one of those people who said that I'd spend more on photography, and could absolutely NOT justify spending a lot of money on stationery. Then of course I fell in love with a custom invitation designer at a bridal show, and the rest is history. We are spending $3.25 per luggage tag save the date and envelope (we're sending out 50), and $6.95 per boarding pass invite (2 sided), with jacket, envelopes, and post card RSVP. I don't even think it'll end up being as much as I'd thought, because we put some wording on our STDs asking people to let us know if they absolutely CANNOT attend. If they tell us that, we don't need to send them an invitation. I really feel good about the progress and the results so far, so I don't even regret spending the money on it. I think it's pretty important, since it's the first sign your guests have regarding the theme and feel of the wedding. :0) Tara

Best wishes, lp579! Hope everything goes off without a hitch, and that you have a fantastic time! :0)

Thanks ACH2009! That's what I thought, just add on the extra people/higher food package. I got the impression from "private reception" that there was an extra charge to have the reception on a terrace! But now I see. If you had 20 people, and chose the 2nd wedding package and the Silver dinner package that's included with that, it would have been free. Perfect. :0) Thanks!

I'm confused, how much extra is a "private" reception? And are private receptions considered to be those held on the terraces? If so, what is a regular, free, "public" reception? Do they just section off part of the buffet? We were told you couldn't do the reception in the a la carte restaurants...

Thanks for the reassurance, everyone! I feel like things are slowly falling into place, right now I'm just stressed that package prices are still too high, and I would like to set up a group rate soon. :0S We did meet with our photographer last night, she's awesome, just waiting to see the contract. Ebredhawk - Yes, that makes sense, with tax season and all! It must feel good to be continuously scratching things off your wedding "to do" list, eh? Dobauvelt - The engagement party was sooo much fun! We got engaged in February, and had it early June. I really don't think there are any rules regarding when you have it, where you have it, or who holds it, so if you want to have one, you should! Our wedding party simply rented a pavilion at my parents' campground, and about 50 of our closest friends and family came for drinks, games, and a BBQ. It was very low key, but super fun, and anyone staying over could just book a campsite and pitch a tent. We didn't get any gifts, but we asked the wedding party to put that specifically on the E-Vite. We didn't want people to have to spend even MORE, since the people that came are the ones that we expect at the wedding! We did have a poker tournament with a $20 buy-in, and a 50/50, where half of the proceeds of each went to the winner, and the other half to us, and we ended up getting $300 for the wedding fund. Scubadive - A cruise wedding sounds stellar! How many people are you inviting? I've never been on a cruise, but I've definitely heard good things, I'm sure your guests will have a blast! Right now I'm kind of in the creative stages, and trying to think up games or things that we can organize around the resort, to keep people happy. We went to a destination wedding in 2008, and they had games at the reception, poker tournament, sunset cruise. A lot of things planned, and since the groom is now one of our 2 best men, I don't want to copy them! Does anyone have any ideas of a game to play at the reception, or other things that could be organized throughout the week, besides excursions through the resort?

Congrats and welcome home, DreamsBride! Can't wait to read your review and see some pictures. Thanks for the heads up about the traveller's cheques! Cheers!

Hello and congrats to all April 2010 brides!!!! I'm getting married April 12, 2010 at Dreams Punta Cana. I've checked out some of your dresses, they are beautiful! I will, slowly, and over the course of the next couple weeks, hopefully read ALL of the posts on this thread. Unfortunately, I had a wee bit of a panic attack after reading the first couple of pages, and seeing where you guys are at in the planning process. I'm nowhere NEAR where you're all at, so I had to skip to the end, and just introduce myself, for now! I have yet to try on a single wedding dress. :0S The summer has just been too busy! What we have done is: - Took planning trip - Booked date with resort - Picked wedding party - Started wedding website - Viewed the first electronic drafts of our save the dates - Had engagement party - Have lead on photographer and meeting with her tomorrow night That's IT! You all amaze me with your planning and organization skills! Looking forward to following this thread! Cheers! Tara -

Hi guys! Chika - I'm glad to hear good feedback about the terraces! Which one did hold your reception on? I'm torn, I love them all, but I'm leaning toward Bordeaux terrace, EXCEPT that I think you can only have 40 people on it, and we're not sure how many people to expect! :0S Ndinn - We're taking a photographer from home with us (if everything works out, that is. We have a meeting with her tomorrow night!). We met her at a bridal show, and she's never photographed a destination wedding before, but wants the experience for her portfolio. So far, she has maintained that she will do our wedding if we pay for her travel expenses, and $200 for child care services. This is totally fine with us, and about 1/2 of what we budgeted, so we're really hoping it works out! I have read good things about the photographers there as well, but for me, photos are super important (I take over 1000 every trip I'm on!), so I wanted to see the photographer's work, and know her personality. Plus, taking someone with you means that you can work out in the contract for them to photograph more than just the wedding day. For example, if you wanted them to capture a welcome party, rehearsal dinner, excursion, trash the dress, etc.

Hi! I'm pretty sure that no matter what resort you use, or judge/minister, a Dominican ceremony must be performed in Spanish to be legal, and the WC will translate to English. You do NOT have to do your vows in Spanish though. However, if you do the legal ceremony here at home, then just do a symbolic ceremony, the whole thing can be in English. That's what my WC told me, anyway. I agree that I would prefer to do the whole thing legally if people are coming to the ceremony, but with all the stress that would have to be dealt with only 3 months before the wedding, and the possibility of spending $1000, we are debating possibly just doing the legal thing here, then a symbolic ceremony there. No one has to know it's not legal. A legal ceremony also limits the time of your ceremony, since you can't just pick a time, the judge has to tell you when he is available. For some resorts they tend to come early, around 11 am and 12 pm, and others around 6 pm or 7 pm, and neither of these time periods is ideal for me!

Hi Atossato! I just returned from a planning trip in June. We stayed at Dreams Palm Beach, but took a 3 hour trip to Dreams Punta Cana to do a site inspection with the coordinator. As mentioned by bhrd83, I can send you photos if you give me your e-mail (I'm technologically UN-savvy and don't know how to upload to the site!). I'm also happy to answer any questions that you have, if I can. Both resorts are great. We decided on Dreams Punta Cana, but I think I actually liked Dreams Palm Beach resort better. Congrats on the engagement, and good luck with the planning! :0) Tara

Thanks everyone, I'm very excited! It was a tough decision between DPC and DPB, but I just can't get over the terrace reception sites they have there, I got goosebumps when I saw them! Have any of you been there before? Do you have a list of pros and cons at all, or things to look out for? Congrats to everyone getting married at this awesome resort! :0) Tara

Not according to what Melani told me, and showed me. They can't reserve the a la carte restaurants, and they don't have any terraces. For a welcome dinner or rehearsal dinner, she said they could reserve off part of the buffet, but it wouldn't be very private. I have officially confirmed my date with Dreams Punta Cana, but I will keep updated on this thread, as I really did enjoy my time at Dreams Palm Beach, and would love to share any information that people need!

Hi, all! :0) Just wanted to introduce myself, my name is Tara and I've just had my date confirmed for April 12, 2010 at Dreams Punta Cana! Good luck to all those in the planning stages, and to those getting married in the near future, congratulations! Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated! Cheers, Tara

Hi Jdelia, I wasn't a huge fan of the banquet hall at Dreams Palm Beach. I thought it was kind of dark and small feeling, but I wanted an outdoor reception anyway, so I'm probably biased. I've sent you some photos, the 2 of the banquet hall are each side of it, there's a partition in the middle that they can remove to double the size of the room (the partition was up when we visited it). In case of rain with a beach ceremony, they do the ceremony there, in the banquet hall. I'm not sure about the wind, we were watching a movie on the beach one night and it was pretty windy, but it's not like we were getting slapped in the face with sand or anything. I guess it would depend on the time of year, and also what time you held your reception (the receptions have to end by 11pm). I also attached a photo of where the beach ceremony is held. It's on a more quiet side of the beach (the private beach for the Preferred Club), and all the lounge chairs and everything would obviously be removed. The only wedding we saw was a bride and groom only at the gazebo. I've sent a picture, but there's really not that much to see, because they didn't need to do any set-up or anything. Anything else, just let me know! :0) Tara

Welcome, Bhrd83! As I've said previously, I just returned from my site visit to Palm Beach, and I have many pictures, I just don't know how to add them! So if anyone wants pictures of anything in particular, just let me know your address and what you want and I'll send you what I have. Erinsny, during our meeting with Melani, she told us they have 2 weddings per day at Dreams Palm Beach, max. So hopefully you won't have much to worry about. However, I believe the wedding photographers are the same ones that walk around during the day taking pictures of guests with the lizards, parrots and monkey, plus they do appointments for photography sessions for couples, etc. The pictures look really good, but I'm just saying that I don't blame you for being nervous about not actually booking times, in case they have something else they are previously committed to doing during your wedding!

Hey everyone! Vallarta - At Dreams Palm Beach, you can married at the gazebo (which I LOVE) or on the beach. There is also a cute, smaller gazebo made of branches and flowers, but there is not much space there, I don't think you could hole your ceremony there with more than 10 guests. At Dreams Punta Cana, there's the gazebo (bigger than DPB, and has a hideous red carpet that I would have removed), beach (which is pretty windy), and also a terrace on their main lobby that has an opening through which you can see the ocean, in case it rains. For the reception, at DPB your options are the beach reception, or the banquet hall. They have no terraces or anything like that, and neither resort allows you to use the a la carte's privately. At DPC, they have the beach reception, banquet hall, but also 3 beautiful terraces, one of which has a view of the ocean, and I got chills when I saw it. I would love to post photos, but I'm about the worst technological person on Earth, so unless someone can teach me how to do it, I'll have to e-mail each person what they want privately! Sperger - The pools at Dreams Palm Beach are right beside each other. The first one has a shallow area for kids, and is more the "activity" pool, where pool volleyball occurs. The other one is more the "relax" pool, and has the swim up bar in it. If you can look up an aerial photo of Secrets Maroma Beach resort in Mexico, the layout of the pools is pretty much the same. Amygirl - Thanks for the advice. Do you know if that bride who had her music overrided had her wedding ceremony on the beach or the gazebo?