mariel12

Thanks for this info! I still think its ridiculous and it doesnt make me feel better lol but i guess at least I know that it was stated in writing somehow and my fault for missing it if it was on my version of the contract. I think at this point I'm just gonna suck it up and do it anyway. The highest package for the outside photographer HDC is $1550 and it includes 300 small prints, 30 medium & 5 larger ones. It also brings DVD with 550 pictures to print/use at your leisure, online access and a few other things. The resort photographer highest package as per the email they sent me was $1950 and it only had like 300 photos in a cd. So in the end it would be like paying $500-600 extra instead of the $1K which of course I would still rather save but at this point we've invested so much into making sure everything is as smooth as possible that its like why not. We dont wanna skimp on the most important thing we will have after the wedding. And it's not to say that theres anything wrong with Arrecife - I would actually love to hear anyone else's experience that has used them and what they thought they got for the money the spent. But i rather pay for peace of mind which is what I have with the outside photog as our cousins used them 2 yrs ago for their wedding. And their pictures were one of the main reasons we chose to have our wedding a destination wedding - we just fell in love with them. I just feel like i really like their style and ability to capture the little details. I havent made any deposits yet but Im 90% sure we will end up going w/ outside photog just because they offer more at the end of the day for the money. As for the florist - I do lovee flowers but ive always found it insane how much they charge for such simple arrangements. And being that we chose ours for outside (beach) we made used of lots of lanterns which we are bringing with us and just using my bouquet and my sisters' for the flowers as centerpieces too. It definitely is a pain cuz we are bringing quite a few things with us - and as i write this i still havent packed and im wondering hoping everything will fit! lol but i do like that i have more of an idea of how everything will look and the stuff im planning to bring back with us and used them for an informal graden/pool party or gathering for those who werent able to attend. So cheaper cost and i get to double use the stuff and keep them for the future. Once i figure out how to bring there and back all in one piece ill be one full happy camper I hope you find a happy medium with the flowers arrangements (oh also one tip that our cousin used they got BEAUTIFUL fake flowers - you really couldnt even tell they were becuase they were good quality - which they brought from here and she used them for her bridesmaids as small bouquets and then for table centerpieces. They looked great. So thats another option maybe.

Past and future brides: does anyone know where in the contract or in the paperwork is it stated the terms for bringing an outside photographer? I know I've heard that you could avoid the $1000 fee by booking them a 3 night stay, but as I spoke with one of the planners they said they no longer honor that and it is only the $1000 fee. Im not sure if this is true or they just wanted to push even more for their in house photog and would like to confirm since at the time when we booked our wedding you could book the 3 nights and i feel they should honor that. Please help as we are leaving this wk and would like to find the info to back it up before we leave. THANK YOU!

Hi Samilynn, As I was considering my choices, I also had narrowed it down to those two hotels. My deciding factor was that i have already stayed at the Hard Rock in the states and although they're not totally the same i feel like the Hard Rock has more of that American feel to it where as the PPC has more of an 'island' feel to it that feels more natural and relaxing for a getaway. Not sure if I could explain it right. But I think it all depends what you're looking for. Hard Rock seems more luxe and elaborate and i also heard the property is huge. PPC is a little more private, simple & relaxing but they still carter great service to you and the property is amazing. I dont think you could go wrong either way they're both top of the line!

Hi past & future brides! I wanted to get some ideas for our OOT bags for our June wedding which is coming up upon us quicker than we thought! We're so excited! What essential items and fun things did you guys include or are thinking of including in them and what did your guests think of them? Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! XO

Hi Ladies! I have a couple of questions that i'm hoping some of you former brides could help me with! Has anyone used or rented a photobooth for their wedding reception? If so, what company did you use and how was your experience with them? Price estimate? Also, if you have used HDC or any other photog outside the hotel's, to avoid the $1000 fee, did you have to get them a room for 3 nights or just for 1 night? And if so, did you only have to get a room for the main photog or for his entire team? My wedding is June 14th of this year and i know i still have time (5 months) to sort out the details but as the day approaches i have more and more questions that id like to know sooner rather than later Hope to hear from you ladies soon! As always thanks so much in advance!! xo

Do any of you ladies know which resorts or other hotels are adjacent to PPC? Or maybe one or two hotels down the beach of PPC? I would like to offer people who might be on a tighter budget some other options that would still be somewhat convenient and so that we could all still meet by the beach? Did anyone do the same? Thanks in advanced!

Thank you for the info sexycebuana! The website is such a great idea! And yours looks awesome! Thnx!

Has any one of you used a photo booth or would anyone know of a good company for it down there? Thnx!

Hey sexycebuana! So to go with the HDC - are you gonna have to do the $1000 fee extra for using an outside photographer. I really want to use them too but not sure if Im willing to risk it...

sorry i also forgot to ask too: how far in advance did you guys find it helpful to set the RSVP date for? thnx!

hi ladies! I'm just about ready to send out invites for our wedding of june 14, 2013. i was wondering if there were any information, fun travel tips, etc that you guys included in your invites which the guests found particularly helpful or cool to have? the design i chose is a suite that includes the regular invite, rsvp card, travel tips card & accommodations or reception dinner menu options card. i just feel like there's so many additional cards! lol. so i wanted to gather your opinions. should i just stick with the regular invite & rsvp card this early on which will be send out to everyone and then wait for the replies and send add'l cards to those who have confirmed attendance. or should i just do everything at once and get it done with? i like having the add'l cards included i love that it gives the invites a bit more of a formal feel to it. it's just a bit more tricky knowing what to include or what not to include this early on since we havent finalized our itinerary for the wedding & the events yet. thank you for your help as always! xo

so glad that everything worked out for you and the entire party! and thank you for sharing and for all the detailed information! cant wait to see pictures!

Also, what is a reasonable & gracious compensation for the travel agent? I'm kind of kicking myself in the behind for not having asked that question from the get go and now I feel it'd be awkward to bring it up since she's already helped a lot. But since I've never done this before planning anything through a travel agent I am completely clueless as to how to go about it and how do they even get paid or what is a good thank you gift or good tip. Thnx again!

Hi ladies! Thank you all for all the updates and great info on here! I feel like its been the greatest help in trying to stay calm and have faith in the process in spite of all the unavoidable stress! I also had a question and was wondering if anyone had the same dilemma. I'm trying to decide whether to book a group rate with a travel agent (a friend of ours) or to have everyone book it individually through the website or call centers. Pros of everyone booking it individually: the rate is better (by $10) but better nonetheless which I found strange that they wouldn't give the wedding group a better rate than individual online booking. Also they have an offer where they give you free VIP band that gives you access to Royal services areas, free internet access, among other amenities. Also when booking individually, people would pay once they get there vs having to deal with ppl giving deposits ahead of time. The cons is that if anything goes wrong - misplaced reservations, etc - its gonna be a nightmare not having any one specific person to help me through it. With the travel agent, the rates we got were a bit more expensive as mentioned before & there's no offer for access to any VIP amenities. But if anything were to go wrong at least I would have the peace of mind of having that one person that could help me sort things out. Which route did you ladies take & what did you find was the most helpful? Our group size we're expecting to be around 40-50 guests. Did any of you had VIP access for your guests? Did you find that it was necessary or that it made a difference in your vacation? We went in July for a site inspection and had the Royal Service so we just loved it and just wanna offer our guests the best stay possible & make sure that they would enjoy themselves. Thank you in advance for your help and input!

lmazz729, thnx for the answer. i was reading a bit more about it and i think it wouldnt apply anyway towards my date. i'm assuming that your daughter got married within the promotional dates for which the entice me package was available (ex. jan 4-feb 29, sept 1-oct 31 & dec 1-dec 22). as i looked thru the packages info, my date - june 14th - doesnt fall between those dates so i dont think it would apply. right? thnx for the info anyway perhaps theres another bride to be that could take advantage of it!

thnx ladies for the info! reading all the posts is so helpful and is so great to know i'm not alone with all the questions and unavoidable stress! lmazz729 you mentioned about requesting the entice me option - im also choosing the chill out chic package too. i was under the impression that the entice me option had to be requested before setting/choosing your wedding date. if you've already chosen it how would that work if they were to change the date? could you elaborate on that? thnx!

I also did the Love at First Sight just last month in July. I had the same experience as maridr2012. when we arrived our names were in the royal service list so we got upgraded there. and we did have the appt set w/ one of the WC who showed us around the resort gave us some info on the places as we visited them and explained to us where the buffet vs plated dinners, areas to have ceremony, reception, etc... we only got the champagne bottle when we called for it and never got the fruit place. but honestly i didnt really read the love at first sight thing that well so i wasnt even aware that we were supposed to have one upon arrival in the room. and since we were royal service there were other things (delish desserts & rum bottle & stocked minibar) already there upon arrival so we didnt miss the other things. also the butler would get us whatever else we wanted upon request. we did go as part of our vacationing and the main thing we wanted to see was the resort and the areas to have ceremony, reception and see how everything looked like. so overall no sweat. the one thing i wish i wouldve known about was the food tasting. looking back i wouldve loved to have tried everything personally before choosing a menu. but im sure it'll be fine and all will work out well!

Hi CDC150! Your pics are beautiful and I'm glad your wedding came out perfect! Thnx for sharing! I saw that you used photo souvenirs as your photographer and not arrecife. Did you have to pay the extra $1000 fee for using an outside photographer or how did you get around it. I would love to use HDC but I'm not sure I'm willing to pay an extra $1000 on top of everything else which I find this fee to be ridiculously high to begin with. Any help greatly appreciated! Thnx!