JRM426

Yes, they move those lounge chairs outside. I had a few guests relaxing out there during the wedding.

Hi cocoHolly, It cost us $388 to rent their AV equipment (I know, pretty ridiculous). I'm sure you can bring your own. Good luck.

Sorry I should've been more specific...one type of drink but unlimited amount your guests can drink. Yes it was a signature drink. We provided the menu to our WC when we had our meeting.

Hi Curls2013, Best of luck with your planning. Here are some answers. Hope they help: 1) Did anyone that has already been there get a free room upgrade? Julissa did, she got upgraded to a Panoramic Suite..I didn't since I was already in a Panoramic Suite and there were no rooms available...there were 2 major conventions going on the same week I was there. 2) Is the Cocktail hour worth the money or should just have everyone meet at the same bar? The convenience of the cocktail hour is that it's located next to your ceremony so your guests dont have to travel far....but it's really up to you. 3) Did Barcelona deliver welcome packages to rooms for anyone or how did you deliver them? I handed them out since I believe they charge you for this service 4) Does anyone have an example itinerary? Not at the moment...can post once I'm home. 5) We've got 50 people for the rehearsal dinner. Can any restaurants fit us? Yes, I believe Julissa did hers in the Steakhouse and she had 40 guests 6) Is there an actual rehearsal for a beach wedding or no? You can request to have a rehearsal it just might not be the day before the wedding. We couldn't do it until two days before the wedding because of scheduling conflicts. Thanks so much in advance for any answers!

Hi Parrish, I actually extended the reception to 4 hours since we felt 3 might feel like it was too little time. However, we had a fairly large wedding where it took everyone 15-20 minutes to move from one room to the next and took twice as long to feed them all. It really depends on what you're going to be doing during the reception: i.e. entrances...we had his fraternity do a dance, etc etc. We were in Bar Higuey so no dance floor was necessary. The bar we used to hang out at was Bar Caray in the main lobby upstairs on the 2nd floor. It was air conditioned and the only bar that had 'premium' drinks available (some for an extra cost). It's spacious enough to fill all your guests. Good luck.

Ncordero, Your advice was invaluable. Thanks so much. I'm sorry to hear what happened. Stay strong and positive. We're here for you!

Hi Bjeantil, They don't provide tables for the cocktail hour...what they do is leave the ceremony seats in place in case your guests want to sit down while they snack on the hors d'oeuvres. The cocktail hour I believe for the canapes and one drink runs you $14 per person...but this might have changed since I was quoted that price.

Hi ncordero6504, I didn't really see my hubby the day of...he was in our room getting ready with his boys while I was in the spa...he was taken to the venue with the rest of the guests at 4:15p and I wasn't picked up from the spa until after 5pm.... As for the cake...didn't come out exactly as I wanted but they tried. I can't seem to upload the pictures on here but send me a PM and I can email you the difference.

Thanks so much plcama2013! We had 10 tables some with 8 people, some with 9, some with 10...our seating arrangements were all over the place....but 10 centerpieces in all. Good luck with your planning!

Hey disazaja, I actually saw you getting your hair and make-up done...I was the girl falling asleep two seats away as they did my hair! To answer your questions: how many chinese lanterns did you bring with you? Marlene originally told my sister that she needed to bring 70 down to cover the ceiling; she brought 58 and they put up less than half...I think they ran out of time which is why a lot of them didn't end up going up. ow many lighted balls did you get too? I Lighted balls 7 on each side and the resort provides them to you...they were 60 cm each and $21 for each lighted ball. Did you have decorations on the pools around bar higuey? No I did not....I didn't see if they put anything in there either...it's a nice touch though if you decide to decorate the pool did you girls felt that you were rushed on the spa because your weddings were the same day? or it didnt really matter? Not at all, my hair appointment was at 2pm and I needed to be ready by 4p for the photographer....we had all the time in the world and everyone showed up a little late-the photographer and Lianny as well in picking me up...the wedding was supposed to start at 5pm but I think I didn't get there till about 5:20-5:30p.

Hi trivera5521, To answer you questions: The centerpieces that you brought with you were they glass and how much did the resort charge for the flowers that went into them? Yes but the hotel provided the vases and flowers...I didn't bring those with me, $60 each Were all the lanterns the same size, large? Yes, all the same size So you were able to get around the outside vendor fee by just paying for DJ Mannia hotel stay for the night? They didn't stay for the night, I just paid for them as a guest and got them day/night passes. What was the time frame and shipping cost to ship your items prior too? I brought everything with me to the hotel in various suitcases..I didn't ship anything because I don't trust shipping in DR. Did you use Tropical Pictures and any chance you did a video as well? I did but just got the photo package not video....they do make a DVD slideshow with music with the photos you choose if you opt to not have video.

Thanks natalieblev, To answer your questions: JRM did you have any issues bringing food/candy through the airport customs? Did you have to get permission ahead of time? No issues whatsoever and no I didn't get permission. They are so lax with security down there that when we arrived no one took my customs form...I still have it. They are strict about taking things out of the country as opposed to bringing things in. Did you bring your own vases for centerpieces? I have never seen those on pictures before. And I am thinking I may do that. No those centerpieces came from the hotel florists...I just brought a picture and they replicated it. The jars I brought were for the candy table I am wondering the etiquette on tipping your wedding planner? We tipped everyone from the wedding coordinator, the maitre d', the DJ and the photographer...based on how much they earn and dollar difference $100 or more is gracious..but tip at your own discretion. Hope this helps!

Bjeantil: I'm glad we eased your mind...to answer your questions: The fire show was $488 held during the reception while our guests were having dinner. It lasts about 10-15 minutes The cigar roller package we got was La Perla Gold Package: $308 for an hour and 20 cigars BBPD made our centerpieces based on pictures we sent to them, they cost $60 each We did have a cocktail hour after the ceremony which I don't have pictures to since we were taking pictures with the photographer at that time....if a friend forwards me one I'll post it...the cocktail hour is located right next to the gazebo on the right hand side if you're facing it a little towards the back so it doesn't come out in pictures. We also had the trio playing during the cocktail hour to entertain guests while we were away....they were pretty awesome. We rented their AV system for the ceremony, which hooks up to your iPod and played our own music during the actual ceremony. Hope this helps. Johanna

I forgot to add that I had the Tangerine package and had 88 guests including myself and my husband (so weird to write that). They gave us everything in the package, including all the Spa amenities. A few weeks before your wedding you'll get a wedding questionnaire and a spa roster for you to fill out. Once you're there, they'll provide you the times for all your spa appointments. I also got the Spa Bridal Party for my bridesmaids which was some nice time alone with them...I booked that on my own. And one last thing...the resort is super large so prepare yourself to lose your guests. Some I only saw at the wedding.... Johanna

Hi ladies, I haven't posted in FOREVER since I was so busy planning the wedding. I was the other bride that got married the same day as Julissa (who looked beautiful btw). I was also the bride with all the decorations including the suitcase (I have a crazy sister who aspires to be a wedding planner). As Cindy (I believe that is her name) said before, everything comes together so nicely and all the worrying will be for naught. I was originally assigned Marlene as my coordinator and all my correspondence was with her so you can imagine when she tells me a week prior to the wedding that she's reassigning me to Lianny. I almost had a heart attack but in retrospect, it was a blessing in disguise. She was professional and courteous and not to mention very accommodating. She had my file with her and went through it thoroughly. We discussed every detail from how we wanted the decorations to the order of the wedding party coming in. We also had a site visit to the wedding venue (Bar Higuey and Garden Gazebo) to hash out how everything would be decorated. Let's just say that after that meeting, I breathed a sigh of relief. As for the wedding week itself, we had quite a few activities planned that went beautifully. We had a welcome party at the Chill Out Roof, which is well worth it if you're considering it. We also had included in that welcome party, cocktails/canapes and a cigar roller. It was worth getting the cocktails cause the bar is a about a 2 minute walk and people didn't seem to want to walk back and forth. Also, the ladies serving the cocktails were taking drink orders from my guests and bringing it to them. The cigar roller was a hit but I'd advise you do this for an event outside of your wedding since they have an entire demonstration where they give you a history of cigar rolling. Btw, he was a hit! Included in their package is 20 cigars they give out to guests...we had everyone just relaxing and smoking on the rooftop. Our rehearsal dinner was at La Cava (the wine cellar...more like a room with lots of wine) in the steakhouse, which was nice and private. That cost $20 per person regardless of whether or not you're Club Premium. The only caveat is that it holds only 14 people so we had to limit our number of guests. I recommend doing it there and not at the French Restaurant which will run you $35 per person and wasn't as good as the steakhouse. We also had a shopping tour for the ladies courtesy of my family from DR. They got us a charter bus to take the ladies shopping around town while the guys had a golf outing. Lastly, my sister threw me a bachelorette in a private room located on the VIP section of the nightclub. She had the hotel hire a local stripper...which was interesting to say the least. I think we left a bit traumatized but we all had fun. The day of the wedding, all of my ladies from the wedding party got ready at the spa. I had access to the bridal suite but I think that was a matter of logistics since my wedding was taking place an hour earlier than Julissa's. Even though they say they allow only one person, my ladies were walking in and out of the bridal suite the entire time I was there. The guests were given a gathering point and were taken to the convention center by their trolley which was decorated with white balloons. I got there a little late since Lianny was running an errand for my dad. Everything from that point on was seamless. Ah, almost forgot, we added the fire show to the wedding. What an awesome performance...your guests will talk for days! We used Tropical Pictures and they were well worth it! We didnt speak to them the entire year and a half of planning but they come through. During your meeting with the wedding coordinator, they are there to go over your package and they provide you with a checklist of photos that you definitely want taken. My photographer was Malena and she was so freaking awesome. She took amazing pictures...see below. As for some logistics: All of our guests had the beef dish which was OK, not great and the vegetarians had fish (at no extra cost to us) We brought our own decorations including: chinese laterns, fans, bubbles, napkins, menus, place cards, candy, candy jars, souvenirs, parasols etc etc We had an outside DJ who was awesome: DJ Mannia but we counted them as a guest in order to play at our wedding Extras we paid for: lighted balls in the entrance ($21 each); silver tifany chairs: ($5.50 each); flower petals down the aisle ($40). Welcome bags were beach bags that my mom got from DR with a map of the country in front...inside was a survival kit for our guests: water, pepto bismal, advil, hand sanitizer, dominican coffee and for some of them, goodies such as condoms, etc. Also included was the week's itinerary. I will try to answer your questions as best as possible. I know how aggravating all the planning can be but in the end, it's all well worth it. Good luck ladies! Johanna