bikegirl

Oh. Now looks like I can post. I am so confused! Did I receive a message in error?

Tammy, you sent me a PM indicating I was banned for two weeks for my comment? I thank you for clarifying regarding the reviews but was that actually neccessary? I did not make an attack on the forum just stated my observation...

Yeah, you're supposed to post it under that Resort in the Resorts & Villas tab. Unfortunately, it seems like the number of reviews seriously dwindled now that they're not just another sub-forum...: ( Too bad.

Hi mushra2011, glad to have you join us on this forum! You're only a month or so after my wedding! I have not posted anything further because the rep I'm dealing with (Teresa Calcos) is on vacation until mid-November because her son is actually getting married at the PPC! Once she's back, she offered to have a call with me to plan the wedding even though it's more than 6 mths away. The reason is....I am expecting about 30-35 guests. 27 are already booked. The new packages are for 24 guests and additional $70-100 every guest after that. According to her, it may be cheaper to go with the Fantasy package and add other things a la carte if I have a number of additional guests. Once we have our call, I will definitely post any info I get. As for group rate...we went with a Toronto destination wedding travel agent. The communication has been subpar but the price is good...better than what I've seen on Expedia, Flight Centre, etc.. We got the quote late May and had to get $200 deposits for min 10 ppl to secure the rate by June. Thought we'd have trouble but we ended up with 27! I would go with the group rate. It's given me headaches....not everyone is taking the exact package offered. Some want upgrades, single rooms, connecting flights, etc.and even with a TA, you'll still end up involved. BUT at least if something happens, the TA can move the entire block. For example, we all put our deposits down but the Saturday flight was booked by a large corporate group so our group was moved to Sunday whereas if everyone booked separately, they'd have to deal with it themselves...

MrsLamb, so excited to hear that you're at the resort right now and are loving it! Makes me feel so much better! It also calms me down to hear that you were able to get everything within budget. YAY! Please take tons and tons of photos and share with us! Hope you're having a wonderful time!

I have to say, Teresa is LIGHTENING FAST! Hi Lindsay, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. I just stepped in and saw your email and thought I would send you a quick response to your question. Allow me to give you "a few examples" of the differences between Top Shelf and National/Local Brands Top shelf Brand Examples (please understand that Ocassionally some are not available due to imported supply) Included will be all selections ( and more) from below + the national brands (and more) Vodka may be - Grey Goose or Absolute or Smirnoff Gin may be- Beefeater or Tanqueray or Gordon’s Rum may be- Bacardi white, Bacardi Gold, Malibu or several others Tequila may be- José Cuervo Cognac may be- Covrvoisier or Remy Martian Whisky may be- Ballentines, JB, Jack Daniels, Johnny Walker Black or Red Wine will be an imported selection of White, Red, Rose and Sparkling wine Beer may be a selection of available American brands Liquors may be a selection of- Cointreau, Drambuie, Southern Comfort,Kahlua,Amaretto,Kahlua, Grappa,Tia Maria, or several others based on supply. National Brand Examples- Most National brands are locally distilled such Brugal Rum-or imported ( not top labels') Blanco Brugal Rum 151 Brugal Rum Añejo Brugal Rum Dorado Brugal Rum Extra Viejo Brugal Barceló Imperial Vodka- may be locally distilled or imported ( not top labels') Tequila National may be locally distilled or imported ( not top labels') Cognac -may be locally distilled or imported ( not top labels') Wine will be house red and house white, sparkling wine will be house. Beer will be Presidente Liquors-may be locally distilled or imported ( not top labels) I emailed her back asking if we can select Chill Out package and just upgrade the liquor portion. If we do upgrade, then how much extra it would be. Want to see if it's worth going with Aqua full out or say with Chill Out and just upgrade the liquor.

^ Do a search for "LED Throwies". I would rather be able to hook up the lanterns that's too much money. LED Throwies are 'wireless' lights easily made with a small battery and small LED bulb. I'm going to bring rope and a bunch of those. I can't seem them saying no since these are self-powered and not a fire hazard but worse case scenario, I'll budget for the extra cost if they won't back down. For the other buffet menus the coordinator sent you, is there an extra cost? Also, do you mind telling me where you got your sashes? I've seen many cheap stores online but the US shipping totally negates the savings. : (

^ I didn't really like the photos of the buffet food in the PPC photo album. Everything looks coated in batter and deep fried or just simple ingredients assembled on a line. But I'm sure it doesn't taste as bad (IMO)as it looks! Lol. We are deciding between Aqua and Chill out but we're leaning more towards Chill Out. I understand there are some differences in the quality of the decor....I understand they bought some new chairs, etc....but it seems the two KEY differences are 1) Food - Chill Out is buffet style and 3 hor d'heurves during cocktail hour whereas Aqua is plated courses and 5 hor d'heurves during cocktail hour. 2) Alcohol - Chill Out is "International Brands" and Aqua is "Premium Top Shelf". I've already written back to Teresa for clarification on International Brands vs. Premium Top Shelf. I will post up her response. : ) **If anyone else has received responses to their questions, can you please post it here, too? Thanks!

ARGH! Hate that you can't edit posts. Anyway, I was going to say the new Aqua package is $5000 plus $100 for every extra guest over 24

Sounds like Aqua will be the highest package available now instead of Chillout. Here is her response: Hi Lindsay, I am thrilled to help you plan your dream wedding. Allow me to explain the differences between 2010 Aqua and 2011 Aqua. For 2011 Aqua We have added diamond white padded tiffany chairs to the reception seating, and removed the covered banquet chairs. We have increased the number of guests to 24 for the basic package. We have added full premium open bar to the cocktail We have added full premium open bar to the reception We have given you the choice of the traditional Aqua Linens or full white setup To privatize a restaurant you are paying a location and close down fee. Enclosed is the following Full open bar, plated or designer buffet, basic ivory linen and china set up, full service staff and bar tending staff, 3 hour privatization of location.

YAYYYY!! I am so so happy I touched base with Teresa. I emailed her at 8:30 last night and already got a response back. And it sounds like she will really work with your budget rather than the other way around. And I like that she gives a reason as to why something is the way it is rather than just saying...it's $XX dollars. It's actually good business sense. Makes me feel a lot better about spending money if I know it's not just a pure cash grab... 1) $25 charge for table clothes. Can you clarify if I am only changing the COLOR of the table clothes, is it still $25 per table? It seems very high for something that does not involve extra labor or cost to the resort. Hi Lindsay, unfortunately the only table linens the resort owns are white or ivory. All colored and textured linens come from our outside supplier. May I suggest to use the resorts table cloth and use a topper in your color for $20 each to be more cost effective. Sometimes its nice to use the white table linen and add your color with chairs bows in your color $3 each... Let me know your thoughts 2) Reception. The package description on the resort website indicates the 3-hour reception is privatized. But Andrea's answer says it is extra cost to privatize. Can you clarify which restaurants are no-cost options for private and which are extra cost? Also, she said if I have 'plated dinner' it must be at Nova, ballroom, or terrace. Is Aqua or Chillout considered plated dinner? Sorry the miss- understanding of this question. The packages include certain areas that are private for your reception, to actually close a restaurant that is open to all guests of the resort there is a privatization fee that includes open bar, service, set up, and full dinner service. Each restaurant based on size has a different fee. many couples choose the fantasy package and then privatize a restaurant as they find this gives them more options for a better price. I have attached the PPC locations for you above 3) Lanterns. Andrea indicated extension cords are extra cost. Can I bring my own or do I have to use yours? We will not allow outside electrical lighting or equipment to be used on the property due to insurance regulations. 4) Centerpieces for reception. Are there any centerpieces included on the reception dinner tables or is it extra cost? There are no centerpieces included with the packages, but we can show you how to create something nice that fits your budget. Thanks Teresa! Also, where are you located? I am office located in Toronto Ontario Canada , but spend most of my time in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica. The Dominican is my second home ( 35 time's in the past 5 years) I know the properties better then most of the people who work there LOLOL I have been with Paradisus Resorts for almost 3 years and have worked on property several time's for 6 week or more stretches during transitions periods of Romance managers. prior to this I worked for another large resort chain in the Caribbean. I just left there 2 weeks ago and will return soon as my son will be married in 4 weeks from now at Paradisus in the DR. Don't worry your in good hands, feel free to ask any questions.. We will make your planning easy and stress free..I will walk you through each step until your wedding day Warmest regards Teresa

^ all the trip booking is done with our local traven agent who does weddings exclusively. all wedding day related things are done directly with the resort and their wedding coordinator. so that includes the ceremony, reception, booking a welcome dinner (if we decide to do it), etc.

^ Have fun!!! I wanted to do it in the fall but I think it may be dead of winter or spring before we leave. I'm just so not physically prepared. Lol.

^ Congrats on 1 year....it's gets more and more exciting with each milestone!!! I received an answer from Jennifer. What a coincidence I just posted about it here. Lol! Ceremony -Chillout is brown and Aqua is blue and ivory. If I choose Chillout and change to another color, is there an extra cost? Yes, it will have an extra cost. The price per table cloth is US$25. Flowers -Package includes 12 ivory roses and matching boutonierre. Are there any other option with NO extra upgrade cost? We are sending you the address of our Picasa album, on the basic bouquet folders you will find more options. The basic bouquets can have roses, gerberas, bird of the paradise, of the color that you prefer. http://picasaweb.google.com/romancebyparadisuspuntacana Dinner/Reception -What locations can we use for the dinner? On our picasa album you are able to see pictures of our locations. -Which locations are included in package and which ones are extra cost? The privatization of the restaurants has an extra cost. If you are going to have a plated dinner it must be in a ball room, at the Nova or convention terrace. -If we use included cake but add some decorations, what is the cost? If we bring own decoration, do you charge to put on cake?No we don’t charge to put your decoration on the cake. -It says only housewine included. How much to get liquor and beer? For Domestic open bar (Domestic vodka, rum, whisky with the mixers) US$12+taxes, per person per hour. A full open bar US$17+taxes, per person per hour. -What is included in the chill-out decor? My colors are blue and brown - is there cost to only change the color of linens? The chill out chic packages includes brown table cloth with circles. If you would like to change the color of your table cloth will be Us$25, per table cloth. -Can I bring my own paper lanterns and centerpieces to decorate the reception area? If we have to make the centerpieces it will have an extra cost. If you are going to bring only the paper lanters it will have an extra cost for the lights extension. Also, I am based in Toronto, Canada. Do you have a local wedding coordinator I can contact? I remember someone mentioned there is one in the US and Canada. Yes, her name is Teresa Calcos, if you would like to contact her this is her e-mail address: [email protected] She will be more than glad to answer your questions. I wrote back this: 1) $25 charge for table clothes. Can you clarify if I am only changing the COLOR of the table clothes, is it still $25 per table? It seems very high for something that does not involve extra labor or cost to the resort. 2) Reception. The package description on the resort website indicates the 3-hour reception is privatized. But Andrea's answer says it is extra cost to privatize. Can you clarify which restaurants are no-cost options for private and which are extra cost? Also, she said if I have 'plated dinner' it must be at Nova, ballroom, or terrace. Is Aqua or Chillout considered plated dinner? 3) Lanterns. Andrea indicated extension cords are extra cost. Can I bring my own or do I have to use yours? 4) Centerpieces for reception. Are there any centerpieces included on the reception dinner tables or is it extra cost?

Can't help you with that exact request but when I checked locally in Toronto, they were like $500-1000 and way out of our budget. I'm planning to bring props such as background drapes, boas, silly glasses, etc. and some polaroid/film cameras so guests can have the photobooth experience.

MrsLamb, thanks for the clarification! That's good to know. I haven't done anything in terms of the ceremony....I've emailed them a bunch of questions, though...of course, that was 4-5 days ago and I haven't received a response. I emailed Jennifer Alvarez. I want to get this in writing from them so I have recourse in case they change their mind when I'm down there. Someone had mentioned before they had a Canadian or US contact for the PPC? Here's the questions I asked: Ceremony -Chillout is brown and Aqua is blue and ivory. If I choose Chillout and change to another color, is there an extra cost? Flowers -Package includes 12 ivory roses and matching boutonierre. Are there any other option with NO extra upgrade cost? Dinner/Reception -What locations can we use for the dinner? -Which locations are included in package and which ones are extra cost? -If we use included cake but add some decorations, what is the cost? If we bring own decoration, do you charge to put on cake? -It says only housewine included. How much to get liquor and beer? -What is included in the chill-out decor? My colors are blue and brown - is there cost to only change the color of linens? -Can I bring my own paper lanterns and centerpieces to decorate the reception area?

Do you mean you want them to wear pants instead or just that you want them to wear a more casual outfit, but still a dress? I still like the idea of the ladies wearing a dress just for that contrast between the guys beach wear and the girls but I think with destination weddings you can definitely go more casual! If it is pants you're thinking of, then I would put them in the same khaki/white shirt outfit as the guys since a different color pants/top combo would stand out too much and distract from the bride (IMO!) but maybe just have the cut a lot more feminine? My FI's sister-in-law wore a pair of fitted lowrise white dress pants and a tailored white vest (nothing underneath as it was an outdoor wedding) and she looks amazing. Maybe a pair of tailored khaki linens in this case?

Beth, I found two "diets" that work for me and worked relatively fast. I'm really bad at following diets which I guess can be a good thing in disguise. I get some of the benefits of the diet (losing weight) while remaining healthy (at least compared to how i usually eat!). The first thing is my modified cabbage soup diet. I use a really simple recipe and make a huge pot of it. I use carrots, cabbage, onion, mushrooms, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of tomatoe paste and chicken stock. Plus salt, pepper, and some herbs like oregano and basil. For a week or two, I will eat as much of this as I feel like, replacing some breakfast, dinner, and snacks with it. I don't ONLY eat this but I replace like half of my diet. The second thing that works is low carb. Seriously, this really really works and can be very healthy. Low carb is NOT no carb. Basically, I will do things like eat deli meat with cream cheese, cucumber and something else wrapped in it rather than say...cookies or other starchy sugary carbs. I will eat egg and back bacon (much leaner!) with coffee for breakfast instead of bread and fruit juice. You honestly don't even notice it after I while.

I'm up for a downtown one, too! : ) There's some nice restaurants around here.

Whew! This has been a crazy week! Finally a little breather... Â MrsLamb, thank you so much for the link to your site visit photos. Seriously, I can't even begin to tell you how much they helped! PPC has not provided a detailed site map...the one they did provide looks like it was made in Microsoft Paint 10 years ago by some kid! Lol. Not only did your photos give me an idea where everything is but I feel a GAZILLION times better with my choice. The resort looks absolutely amazing and much nicer than Dreams, judging by the photos. Dreams was a big contender for me but I'm glad I went with the PPC. Â Any developments on choosing a photog? I agree with Dania. Don't skimp on photography! A good photographer can make people or settings look better than they are, but not the other way around. Plus, photos are forever. 20 years down the line, you'll want to see photos that bring back good memories and no regrets! Â abbs, i would not choose Secrets or Sandals. Those resorts I find are great if you want a ready made wedding with NO customization, if you have unlimited budget, or you're going for your honeymoon. I found that there was too much restriction and extra costs for anything outside the package (heck, even more than the Paradisus chain!) and I was not 100% happy with the packages. However, if I hadn't put my deposit down for the PPC, I'm not sure I wouldn't have gone with the Excellence instead. A friend of mine got married at the Excellence Mayan Riviera and absolutely loved it. Her photos were beautiful. As well, that resort seems to be on par or just a little lower than PPC but more value and flexibility. Â jkweddingday, did you see the link MrsLamb posted with all her site visit photos? Those might help you decide on a ceremony location. Â I really like the Chill Out package but not the colors. Well, I like the colors but they don't fit my scheme. I'm going to email them to see how much that would be. Although I am still wavering on wether to use my free Wish package and just add everything else a la carte. I like the easy of a ready-made package but at the same time, it seems such a waste to forgo a free package and pay full price for another one that has some of the same items as the free. Lol.

Hi MrsLamb, wow, your wedding is coming up so soon! So excited for you! I also really appreciate your 'super winded' response....I think rule on this forum is, the longer the better. Lol! Any bit of detail is helpful to future brides! Â I'm glad to hear that you did a price comparison and that the PPC is still more cost effective than off site. With the price of the Paradisus weddings, sometimes I wonder if we're actually going to save much from a regular wedding. Â Do you have any photos of your site visit back in January? I really wish I could visit this resort! There just doesn't seem to be as much information on it compared to some of the other resorts. I read some reviews that the PPC is more "fun" whereas the PPR is more "classy". For the price difference and our group (half are in their 20s), I thought it'd be better to hold the wedding at PPC and save the PPR for a couples only trip in the future. Â I have some questions for you since you're now in the final stages of planning. Hope you don't mind! Â -Are you finding that you're having to upgrade (and pay more) for items not included in the Chill-Out package? -What made you decided to go with the Chill-Out package? -Aside from the setup, the colors are also different for the packages. Do you have to pay extra if you want the same setup, but different colored linens? For ex: Aqua package....can I simply change from aqua to say....orange? Â Are you upgrading or saying in the regular suites? It's annoying they don't let you credit the price of the free wedding package (for upgrading) towards the higher package. Â I took a look at the photographer's website and wow, she does really great work! My FI was really shocked when I first told him the ball park figure we were looking at. When I first started searching, quotes were coming back $6-12K but we just booked Jared Rey (www.jaredrey.com) and he was more within our budget. I loved how good his first destination shoot looked....granted the bride is absolutely stunning! Â BTW, what are you colors if you're going with brown dots? I have a link to the PPC Picasa album but I can't tell which are heavily upgraded setups and which are just standard options. I which they'd add more details to each image! Â Hope more PPC brides post in here!

Hey ladies, Â I know the two resorts are various similar in terms of wedding packages but I'd like to start a thread just for PPC brides as there is already one for PPR brides and the on-site wedding coordinators and some details are different between the two. Especially since these two resorts have a habit of telling brides different things, I want to avoid confusion on quotes, availability, options, etc. Â To start off, I'm getting married on May 10th, 2011 at PPC at 4:00PM. I decided on the earlier time to ensure we get sunlight. I'm planning on having the ceremony on the beach so the fiance and I will be in Royal Service as it's located closer to the beach. We're expecting around 30-40 guests and they will be spreadout between Reserve, RS, and regular rooms. Â I have not planned anything else yet, though! We have a free Wish package but I'm still not sure if it's worth it to just get the ready-made Aqua package and avoid headache or add items (mainly the reception dinner) a la carte. Also, undecided about where we want the reception dinner. Â How are you ladies doing with your PPC planning? Who have you been working with? Â Â Â

Those are beautiful!!! I bookmarked your thread....my colors are the same and I may just steal your idea. Hehe!

Thanks JerseyBride1981! I was actually thinking of that today - there doesn't seem to be too much difference between the two and I love the idea of being close to the beach, especially when it comes to the wedding and ttd days. I know the resort is quite large so the closer to the beach I am, the better! Â

^ Thanks knacarto! That's great to know as I'd rather have a friend read it. Â Can't wait to read your review! New ones have been sorely missing on BDW since the new forum version came in.