cnd29

To Past and Future Brides.... Can you please give me ideas on some of the activites you did or plan on doing during the week of your wedding? Like Welcome Party, Ziplining with the group, Post- Wedding Day Brunch..... and etc.

We set up a group snorkel trip thru the resort for the day after the wedding. About half our group went. It left right from the beach on our resort, it was about 3 hours of snorkeling, swimming in a chest-deep inlet and lots of rum and mamajuana! And because we organized the group, the two of us were free! It was a blast! We took home a video...

I suppose ill live with it and just use our pc date too! Or.celebrate all week!

The date your US marriage license is signed and filed has to be a date you are in the US. If you want to legally be married on the date of your PC wedding you'd have to do it their way and go thru all the steps involved. We used a friend who got ordained online and we signed the paperwork and submitted when we got back. The date is different but we can celebrate either or both dates. We probably will just celebrate the date the wedding took place. J ust make sure to tell them you did a ceremony at home on the date you are signing the license with. You're supposed to have an actual legal ceremony in the US also but when it's a friend signing as officiant, they have no way to know...

Hey...we went with Caribbean Emotions for photography and videography! Heard great things about them and great prices :-) On another note, does anyone know if the flowers for bride and bridesmaids bouquets real or fake??

We also used Caribbean Emotions. They were great! The flowers are real and beautiful!

I am also creating our ceremony (symbolic ceremony)...anyone have ideas on sayings, order of ceremony, suggestions etc? I am struggling writing it all! Thanks :-)

There's a full thread on this forum devoted entirely to this. My ceremony script was pieced together from what I found on there... I'd post the link for you but I'm not sure how to do it from my phone. You can look on my profile and find it in my list of previous posts...

How many appetizers are you guys choosing for cocktail hour?

We chose 4, one of each for each of our guests. It was not a lot but it was enough. I'd say if you choose only 2 or 3 apps you may want to consider getting 10-20% more than your # of guests in case some people grab more than one then others may miss out... I was definitely glad we tried everything at the tasting because I think I only got 1 or 2 after we were done with pictures.

Hi Ladies! I Just confirmed my date for the Jellyfish on July 3, 2013! Like you all I am super excited but I have so many questions! I was going to have my ceremony at the hotel... but the only time for the ceremony is 1pm.... which is way too early so I have switched everything over to the Jellyfish! Is anyone getting married at city hall before you go down? My travel agent says its too much paperwork and trouble to do the legal thing down there... any opinions on this? Thanks! Kristine 

We had wanted to do the legal ceremony in the DR and not have to worry about having 2 ceremonies until we looked into the process. We decided for us it wasn't worth the hassle. So, one of our best friends got ordained online and he officiated for us and we signed all the documents when we got back. We just told them we were doing the "official ceremony" at home and our NJ lisence is dated for the day we got back. It was way easier, almost free (as opposed to all the fees for translation and the judge) and we were able to do it all how we wanted.

Congrats! You've made an excellent choice! If you go to my profile page theres an album with some pics of my day. We kept things pretty simple as far as decor. Our colors were purple and blue. Feel free to ask any questions.

hi all, so i am super new to this but it was from this forum that i found out about the jellyfish in the first place so i had to join! my fiance and i got engaged just a few weeks ago and we have always talked about a destination wedding. i have been googling punta cana resorts but just didn't like the feel i got from the large resort weddings. when i found out about the jellyfish i fell in love and e-mailed them right away. we are looking for late 2013 or 2014 wedding date (dates are very flexible, which seems to be helpful since the jellyfish is so popular). i would love to hear more from jellyfish brides and see as many pictures as possible from real brides/weddings. for now the big thing is figuring out date options and then getting a rough estimate for what we have in mind... the biggest thing i'm stumped on is color theme; so if anyone has had their wedding already at the jellyfish i would love to see the colors you chose! thanks everyone 

And after the first look, we we able to take all of our bridal party pictures pre-ceremony, so we could better enjoy our cocktail hour never mind that the boys had already grabbed a beer while the else watched us take our first look pictures! It ended up being such a fun little hour and a half while the bridal party had full reign of the jellyfish, and we all caught up with ecahother!

Private cocktail hour for the bridal party, what a great idea! Wish I'd thought of that ahead of time!!

JF Brides. I need feedback on Caribbean Emotions Photography. Good or not so good?? I've googled Punta Cana wedding photographers, but have only come up with a hand full, and of course the one I LOVED is booked.  Thank you!!!!! Happy planning girls

We used Caribbean Emotions for photography and video. We liked everything we saw or could find online while making our decision and their prices were really good. They were easy to work with, did an awesome job and we had our discs in hand before we left to go home! If you look a few pages back I posted some pics and there are a few in an album on my profile. I'd definitely say they are a solid choice!

Love it!! Everything looks fantastic!!!

Thank you! It was =)

LOVE!!  LOVE!!!  LOVE!!! I really like the way you had the chairs done...  Everything looks sooo pretty!!!

Thank you! Honestly it was all Mayte! I left most of the decor up to her and she did not disappoint!

Everything looks so wonderful!!! I wanted to know did she charge you for the white chairs and for the stage for the ceremony?

It was all a part of the ceremony set up fee, nothing was extra. =)

Going to take advantage of this quiet night at home and share some pics from June 24.  Our photos and video were done by Michael and Pascal of Caribbean Emotions.  They were so great to work with, we couldn't be happier with how everything turned out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite shot:

Hi Ladies, I have a few questions that I would be so grateful to have answered if possible... I would like to have a little candy buffet at our reception.  I was wondering if anyone knows if Mayte has any scoops?  I'm not really sure what I will need to bring, besides candy. For past brides, what cake flavors did you choose?  Will butter cream icing withstand the heat, or is fondant a better option?  Also, during your pre-wedding meeting with Mayte, do you actually get put together a mock table setting to get a idea of what it will look like? I'm also wondering if anyone knows exactly what colors mayte has for tablecloths, decor, etc.  I would like to use more pastel colors in my scheme. 

Just like the other girls said, whatever you want, Mayte will make it happen. If you can find a picture to show her she will do her best to match it. I sent her a pic of a centerpiece and she did it exactly. She has pretty much any color you could need. If you want scoops for your candy, just ask. If she doesn't have them, she'd probably get them. We had chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling (kept it simple) and we did have the buttercream frosting. It looked and tasted great! We also had cupcakes, vanilla ones and chocolate ones with buttercream also. It didn't melt or turn at all and it was pretty hot...

We had our wedding cake and a sweet table (both paid seperate from the dinner) and honestly it was a lot of dessert... Just an FYI... I wish we would have cut the cake a little bit earlier..  We waited to long after dinner and as soon as my husband and I cut the cake everyone went to dance.. by the time Mayte came out with all the slices and placed them on the table a lot of people didn't eat them

We didnt have a separate dessert, didnt seem necessary We had a single tier cake to cut and cupcakes for each of our guests. People just grabbed a cupcake when they wanted them, no waiting for the cake to be cut and served, although the cake was definitely large enough for everyone to have had a piece as well... We didn't really eat it though because we never sat back down at our table. Like Venus said, by the time it was served we were either on the dance floor or parked at the bar! I could really go for some jellyfish drinks! I miss them! Lol My favorites were Coco Loco Blue, the mojitos and passion fruit daquiris! They're so sweet it's almost like extra desserts drinking them anyway!

Cnd29 - THANK YOU so much for answering my questions! Very helpful! re: #2 -We plan on getting there a few days before the wedding.. so we will definitely meet with Mayte prior to the wedding. re: #3 - We are also staying at Dreams Palm Beach ... but I'm anticipating 60+ guests... not sure that I will be able to have a rehearsal dinner that will comfortably accommodate all guests outside of the bridal party.  re: #4 - Eeek! That might be problematic since I'm anticipating 60+ guests, I'll discuss that with her and get that figured out. Thanks for mentioning that to me! Thanks! Vanessa

You're welcome! I'm sure Mayte will either have 2 buses or make 2 trips to accommodate all the people. You're not her first bride with a larger party. I'm sure she has it all taken care of. As far as rehearsal at dreams pb, none of the restaurants can accommodate 60 at once. You can probably get a section of the buffet to make some tables for everyone if you'd like to have all the people there, we just had a table for 18 set up in the buffet for the bridal party and family members and it was perfect. They sat other resort guests away from us too so it was semi-private where we sat. They also put white tablecloths set it up nicely for us. We had a waiter for drinks and anything we needed. If that isn't want you want to do you can pay for a private dinner on the beach for your party but I'm not sure of how much that costs.

1- we wired a 10% deposit. We paid most of the rest in cash (US dollars), and some on credit cards. You can put food and drinks bill on credit, cash for decor, DJ, flowers, cake, etc. She will specify these items in your quote. 2- we arranged a meeting with Mayte at the jellyfish for after we arrived in Punta Cana a couple days before the wedding to go over final details, taste the food and choose cocktails. Are you only arriving down there the day before the wedding? If you have a day or 2 before, try to arrange to meet with her. If you're not getting there til the day before, youll have to do it all by email. Send her pictures and she will do her best to match what you want. My cake was EXACT to the photo, menu cards matched my invitation... She really does a good job trying to give you what you ask for. Send detailed photos in your emails! 3- we stayed at dreams palm beach. It was nearly impossible to get a restaurant accomodation for 18 people so we arranged with the person in charge of the buffet for a table for us all. We had our own waiter for drinks service and people could eat at will. It really worked out well for the dinner that way. Everyone was happy. After dinner we took the wedding party down to a quiet spot on the beach and did our own rehearsal. Our officiant was also a guest so I basically led the rehearsal and just made sure everyone knew what they needed to do. It was fine and everything went smoothly. 4- the bus comfortably fit approx 25, although they said it can hold i think 30, and she sent a separate van for me and the girls in the wedding party which holds 7. We told everyone to meet in the lobby ready to go at 4. The bus was scheduled for 4:15. Everyone was on time. If you know there are people who are habitually late, tell them to meet in the lobby for a drink a half hour before the bus is due and it should be fine. Hope this helps! Anyone have any other questions? Ask away or send me a private message if you want ;-) Happy planning!

Ladies I'm pretty sure there are no updated lists.  Some of the prices have changed, but mostly it seemed just by a dollar or 2.  The best thing to do is use the list you have to estimate, send her your choices and she will give you the actual quote.  You can always make adjustments to your choices once you know the cost.

Hi everyone! Question...does anyone have some photographer names and cobtact information? We were going to have a friend do this but he may not be going anymore so want to get an idea of prices for a professional photograpger down there. Also, in regards to the guest bags (i have no idea what the term is for these??), what are you all putting in them/giving to ur guests? Thanks!!

Same thing happened to me! We had a friend/guest lined up for photos but she didnt end up being able to attend. We used Caribbean Emotions for photography and video. They were awesome to work with, the pics and video were great and between all the ones I priced I felt we got the most for our money with them. They're on the forums here, there is a review page for them and they have a website with their contact info. As far as out of town bags, search the DIY forums. There's tons of threads with ideas! I did a beach bag with a "just in case" kit. Sunscreen, aloe, mini first aid kit, Advil, tums, shout wipes, Purell, tissues...

Lala- we brought cash for the jellyfish and photog (also used Caribbean Emotions) Sdj- you can use Mayte's office to change. There's couches and things in there, it has A/C and you can lock the doors. Ladies, wedding was beautiful! Cannot say enough good things about Mayte, the JF, the food and drinks... Every guest has said they had an amazing time and totally thought we made the right choice by going off resort! As I'm writing this we just watched probably our 15th or so wedding at the resort! lol! I'll give you more details and pics after I get home. Feel free to ask any questions though and I'll answer them when I get a chance =)

Thanks for the post!  And it's good to know that Mayte would prefer to answer questions a few at a time.  I've wondered what is easier for her, so thanks!

Mimi- she said the lengthier emails with a ton of questions could take her an hour or more to respond. She doesn't sit for 10 minutes let alone an hour and each day she receives many emails. So yes, you may have better luck sticking to a couple important questions at a time.

Hey guys! I'm here in Punta Cana enjoying the sunshine! Met with Mayte yesterday and all I can say is Oh. My. God! The food was incredible! The drinks were as well! 2 suggestions my friends, the mojito and the passion fruit daiquiri! But they were all good. And the food! We did a tasting on menu 1 and it was to die for! So happy with our choices! And Mayte is a doll! Soooo sweet! Any fears or nervousness we had about anything are all gone. All I can say is be patient waiting for your response. She has all your emails and all your info. Please don't ask her 100 questions at a time. She has 100 emails a day to answer. Pick a handful of your most important, wait for a response then a few more from the list. She will likely get back to you a little faster that way. She also does take care of people with weddings coming soon first. This time of year it seems like she is doing 5-6 weddings a week so be patient! It will be sooo worth it! My other big piece of advice (that I didn't know), if you have a date and time arranged to meet her, head to your lobby, ask for a cab and go. We tried to contact her to find out if we needed to do that or if she had transport and we ended up getting there late. She had been waiting on our arrival. So just hop a cab and go... Also, a lunchtime meeting is ideal because the restaurant is quiet and you have her full attention! Happy planning! Stay tuned for some more raves next week!

Originally Posted by JennyBenz 

 

Hi ladies! I see Dollar Tree totes are a very hot commodity on here! I keep checking their wesite and can never find them! Is it a product they only offer in their stores? And has anyone found them in the NYC area?

 

Thanks!!

They have not had them online at all.  Gotta keep checking in stores.  Also, check the buy/sell forum on here.  I have seen at least one listing for some there.

I'd like to know the answer to that as well!  We leave Tuesday!!

 

Originally Posted by venus909 

Question for past brides...  Did anyone wire a portion of the money for the final bill to Mayte before traveling?

 

We wired our deposit, but I was considering wiring a portion of the money due so we don't have to travel with so much cash.  Do you think that would be a good idea or not?

Originally Posted by Smithk79 

 

Hello!

I am sorry if this was already discussed, i could not find the information. Does anyone know how far JF is from Dreams Palm Beach or Now Larimar? Also, what bus company and costsmaybe did people use for transportation? Thanls so.much!

I'm staying at Dreams Palm Beach.  Haven't been there yet but I've read/been told its about 15 minutes from the Jellyfish.

 

Transportation is provided by the Jellyfish.  You just have to tell Mayte how many people and she will give you the cost.