jlarruda

Thank you ladies! It truly was amazing.. and their house DJ does a great job (I emailed Mayte beforehand with songs I wanted and songs during the ceremony/when to play.. he downloaded everything) as soon as dinner ended.. they literally started the partying and did not stop until 10:30PM or so. I'll write my review soon, we still have to make the 24 hour drive back to AL from my parents house which we're doing tomorrow.. but just know you'll have an amazing wedding.. Mayte truly cares for her brides and she is so busy it is insane.

If anyone wants to add me on facebook, feel free.. Jessica Aylward.. just tell me who you are because I don't add random people lol. I haven't added pictures yet but I'm already tagged in a bunch of pictures and the video for our wedding highlight trailer is on there.

just landed tonight and I had to get on here quick to tell you ladies that it was AMAZING.. Mayte is incredible at what she does.. I will post sometime this week.. but rest assured.. you will have an amazing wedding!! (No complaints about Majestic Elegance.. incredible as well!)

- Brides bring sparklers from home.. even though we're not supposed to fly with them.. lol.. lets hope I don't get stuck in customs so I can return and write my review - Welcome cocktail for your guests is free when they arrive at the resort - About 1-2 months before our wedding I changed our menu.. I wanted to have control over the price wise and I thought I could get a better bargain.. also we have a little less than 30 guests.. so Mayte let me pick 3 entrees off of the Jellyfish menu and a salad thats how we're going to do it..plus appetizers during cocktail hour.. see if Mayte will send you the actual Jellyfish menu so you can figure out more options.. Also, as far as drinks.. we have some heavy drinkers and some non drinkers.. after seeing the Jellyfish menu for drinks I decided to stick with the 2 hours of open bar for local.. because some of their drinks can range up to $9 each, so say if a person ordered 4 $9 drinks within 2 hours of open bar.. you'd pay the set price of $20 and not $36. For the Champagne toast, I'm planning on bringing some of the complimentary champagne bottles from the resort when we get there, I asked Mayte if we could bring our own and she said thats fine.

As weddings get closer, I want to say that Mayte spends more time responding to those brides.. I heard from her 3 times yesterday, so rest assured that as it gets closer to your date you will hear more from her. Depending on how big your group is, there is flexibility in the menu and price wise for meals.. its not a set price. I just got my final preinvoice (I'm a freak and making sure I have everything written down with me to take down there.. even though I'm sure it will change a bit when we meet with her and Mayte breaks it down for you in what you can pay by cash and what can be paid by credit. This is our itinerary if anyone is interested: 2:00 Bus picks up Guests at Majestic 2:30 Guests Arrive/Welcome Cocktail (No charge from what I'm told) 3:00 Ceremony 3:30 Champagne toast 4:00 Cocktail hour 5:00 First dance/Bride & Father dance/Groom & Grandmother dance 5:30ish Dinner (drinks during this time is $8 the whole time- includes beer, red & white wine, soft drinks, juices and water) 7:30ish Dancing/Open Bar - we're paying for 2 hours, we may pay for an extra hour I'm thinking.. it would be a last minute thing and see how the night is going 9:30 Cake cutting/Dancing 10/10:30 Leave for the Majestic and whoever wants to continue partying at the disco

I actually bought sparklers around the 4th of July this year and plan on bringing them.. not supposed to fly with them, but I've read thats how brides bring them.. If I get stopped by customs I'll just act like I didn't know.. oops lol. I'll let you know how it goes after my wedding in a couple of weeks.

Sherio, I actually have been in contact with Argenis Guzman Castillo (Email: [email protected]) He is the guest service manager at the ME, I confirmed with him a reservation for our welcome dinner at the buffet area, I read somewhere that they have semi private areas for this there. I actually got his email address from Jordi who works at ME (He replies to emails on the Majestic FB group). He said its confirmed but I am also going to see him at the guest service office when I get there to make sure. Also, he emailed me the activities program, BBQ on the beach is on Wednesdays and Mondays (weather permitting).

I ordered the wedding fingerprint tree from TJLovePrints on Etsy, easy to work with & fast. Their link is: http://www.etsy.com/people/TJLovePrints

26 days until Dominican, 29 days until I say I do.. pretty much everything is done, I just have to do some last minute touches on the OOT bags, get a makeup trial & buy makeup, buy fiance's tie and buy groomsmen/parents gifts. Looks like I need to make a trip to the mall As far as the dj, I made a detailed list of music to play during the ceremony/reception and broke it down to music to play when guests arrive, procession, bridal entrance, sand ceremony, exit, our first dance, cocktail hour, dinner music, dancing music & slow songs..

Yes it is.. we got it from Kays

hey ladies- I just started my "planning thread" if you wanted to check it out: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/76250/jlarrudas-majestic-elegance-jellyfish-restaurant-planning-thread-11-12-11#post_1681994

Please ignore all the misspellings/wrong words.. that's what I get for not spell checking and making a planning thread at 1:00AM

Hey everyone- I figured I would start a planning thread, even if it isn't huge I wanted to give back because I know I loved getting ideas from the planning threads. Pre-Engagement: My fiance, Steve is active in the United States Army and we met each other in March 2008 when he came home from a deployment in Iraq. My best friend was engaged to Steve's best friend so she through him a welcome home party and thats where we met and hit it off. He was stationed at Ft. Bragg so he returned, but we exchanged numbers and talked often.. and we knew there was something there but we were states apart and lost touch after awhile. In December I was celebrating my birthday with friends and he ended up calling his best friend, who spoke with my best friend and she got him to call me.. so there we go again, we start talking a lot again.. but this time I didn't really give him the time of day lol. Anyway, I went on vacation to Europe with my mom in March 2009.. and he would call me when I was there practically everyday, even when he was in the field in the woods training.. so I knew it would turn into something, he asked me to go to a military ball in May.. and after some hesitation, I did and thats how we officially started dating. With a lot of flights back and forth, he got orders to Georgia and I decided to make the move with him since it would be a new start for both of us in a new location so I moved in March 2010. May 2009 Military Ball Engagement: We both knew we'd get engaged, just wanted us to be in a stable time.. so 6 months later when I finally found a job that required a college degree and was salary, I went away for a 3 day training (up until this time, we were together each and everyday) and Steve proposed the day I came home. Something simple, but it was just us two. Engagement Picture My Engagement ring with my bands: Steve's Wedding band: Wedding Planning: Early on, we knew that we wanted to have a destination wedding.. I have a huge family, but they're all in other countries and I knew that they wouldn't be able to come to our wedding.. so easily, we'd have 300+ of friends and family friends at our wedding and that wasn't what we wanted. I drove myself crazy trying to finalize on a resort, and needless to say.. we're staying at the Majestic Elegance in Punta Cana and we're getting married off the resort at the Jellyfish Restaurant. It is exactly what we want, the beauty of a resort and the intimate ceremony and reception off the resort. You only deal with one wedding coordinator from beginning to end, when shes busy it make take a couple of days to hear from her.. but just to give you an example, with about a month left until our wedding.. she just emailed me back twice today and we've been emailing each other practically daily. Shes amazing and it takes a lot to give someone your vision of a wedding and trust them. All of our wedding planning has practically been done back home in Massachusetts.. we've gone home almost every 3 months.. I found my dress there and my dress fittings are there, my bridesmaid dresses, groomsmen suits, everything & everyone is there. Our wedding colors are white with hints of pink & orange. Save the date postcard & magnet: My Dress: Sottero & Midgley- Adorae Jewelry: ordered off of ideeli.com, definetly check them out and ruelala.com for their wedding deals every so often. Sandals: What can I say? I love the destination aspect of it, but I'll still be a blinged out bride Bridesmaids: Dress is from Jasmine in "razzle dazzle" and the rose comes off, the material is cotton chiffon which is really soft and great for a ceremony on the beach. All my girls chose this.. and this is another thing that drove my crazy, dresses online never do the dress justice.. so make sure you go to a salon.. we found this dress at the salon I ordered my bridal dress from. Sandals from payless: And instead of bouquets, the girls will be carrying ivory parasols Guys: Fiance & Groomsmen will be wearing a 3 piece khaki "linen look" suit from JCPenny, which I want to say ended up being $105 total and they will be wearing a pink tie and khaki boat shoes. I decided to "DIY" for the guys boutinerre's: Luggage tag & brochure we mailed out 2 months before the wedding: (amazing vistaprint savings website: http://vistaprint-goddess.weebly.com/sample-email.html free uploads, brochures, hats, tote bags.. just customize and add everything to your bag each time and pay shipping) Can't find a wedding invitation that we sent out for the life of me, thanks to the whole wedding planning in two different states. Heres our wedding program though, its an extra large postcard and on the back side has all our information Another DIY, made bride & groom signs to hang on the back of our chairs Etsy finds: Bridal Hanger Finger print Wedding Tree Details: Bouquet Makeup Hair Ceremony/Reception Details: Jellyfish Restaurant Ceremony: Reception: except in pink/orange I think thats its for now.. OOT bags are in the making

I've read about taking midol.. and thats my plan

Okay, call me crazy.. we're less than 40 days away from our wedding and I keep on going back and forth with having a set menu or letting our guests choose what they want. We have 28 guests (including photographer from home) & meal for the videographer.. so 29 of us total. Just to clarify.. each person for a set menu, gets one entree & one main course with sides.. or, 2 entrees & one main course with sides?

We're flying out next month, direct flight from BOS to Punta Cana.. and theres 26 of us, so I may have to use my "bridezilla" magic and put it in a overhead bin. (Totally kidding with the "bridezilla comment

Sounds like a cute idea, but just remember that resorts already have events planned and its a vacation for your guests also so you don't want to tie them down with too much going on when they may want to plan excursions. I know my guests would look at me funny.. because they just want to relax by the pool/beach & drink.

I actually lucked out because I have bank of america so I didn't have to do a wire transfer or pay anything, I just directly deposited it into their account. If you have a bank of american near you, even if you don't have an account.. see about just directly transferring the money into their account and keep all your information and documentation so you have proof you have transferred the money, I emailed Mayte right after I transferred the money.. it took a while for her to reply but she did and I received confirmation.

We lucked out with our photographer- shes related to our best man, shes never been out of the country so she is so excited and has such a bubbly personality.. we paid $3000 total and that included our engagement pictures on a CD with our rights (she took more than 700 before she edited them), pictures day before our wedding at our welcome dinner, pictures our wedding day- she wrote 8 hours on the contract but has already said she won't be looking at a watch and our trash the dress.. shes on the same flight as all of us and going the same amount of days, so I know she will be snapping pictures all the time since she has never been.

FutureMrsDawson & Liz- I'll be at the club after my wedding at the Jellyfish on Saturday 11/12

We fly in on the 9th, our wedding is on the 12th and we depart on the 16th.

Liz T- I'm getting married on the 12th and the Jellyfish and our group is staying at the ME.. we'll probably run into each other!

Just wanted to let you ladies know that Mayte has been replying to emails almost daily now, updated my preinvoice and transportation is now $6 pp, I guess they had to change companies due to prices going up because of gas. All you November brides.. can't believe how fast its approaching! where are you in your wedding planning? We will have about 28 of us, I keep on going back and forth if we should just let all of our guests order what they want or do a set menu so there are no surprises for us at the end of the night price wise.

Welcome! Check out Majestic Elegance (kids friendly and also have an 18+ section at an extra cost) or their sister resort next door, Majestic Colonial.

Congrats!! same thing happened to me, I went to the bridal salon after they told me they had the dress.. nope, they sold it! I ended up finding a completely different dress