lmazz729

Make sure you get all your arrangements and prices in writing. Check the planner they send you and make changes and adjustments then if you can.

You will have to email a spreadsheet with all the guests to the Romance Team. Have a copy of the list and ask all room numbers after check in. Then have a dinner invite note sent to each room or simply call with the info. We had people arriving from Tuesday to Friday so we had to keep track k of where everyone was.

Just to let you know... if you wait until you get there and go through the restaurant booking in the lobby, you can arrange a reservation for your rehearsal dinner without an extra charge. They give you a set menu with a couple of entree choices and block off a section of the restaurant if there is space. My daughter's wedding was in January 2012 and the resort was full, but we did a seafood dinner in Luna on Thursday and a rehearsal dinner at Terra (steak) on Friday, and the wedding was Saturday. We had 37 people total and no extra charges. Whatever you do it will be fantastic because they do such a great job!

Unfortunately I don't. The photographer had the wedding party, and then my daughter and son-in-law, down on the beach taking pictures. By the time he got back to the gazebo the cocktail hour was almost done and there are only a few pictures of the gazebo and some guests. Sorry...

LoriOlivia, I just looked at the wedding pictures again to make sure that I remembered correctly. The beach was not that crowded, maybe because the ceremony was at 5:30 PM. There was quite a bit of space between the wedding chairs and the rest of the beach chairs with the towels draped over. Just remind the photographer that you don't want other people in the photos if it can be helped. My daughter and son-in-law wanted the ceremony and the reception on the beach, and the guys were all barefoot. The cocktail hour was on the sandy part next to the gazebo and the reception on the sand in front of the Gabi Club.They had a family friend perform the ceremony (which they wrote) and the judge performed the civil ceremony in the Romance Team office later. A friend of the groom was the emcee and the DJ just played the requested music. I have to say that there is probably no way to eliminate the gawkers altogether, no matter where your ceremony takes place. January is high season and the place is packed with people. Having said that, I also want you to know that you will probably be totally focused on the ceremony itself and your friends and family who come to share your day.

LoriOlivia, My daughter's wedding was this past January, the week following New Years. The resort was at full capacity. Her wedding was on the beach in front of the gazebo. As you know, it is right on the corner by the Royal Service beach. The people on that beach do not come over and watch. The wedding party walked through the gazebo and down the steps onto the aisle runner, and towards the water. There were 12 in the wedding party, including the bride and groom, and 25 guests. The canopy was set up 100 feet or so down on the beach. All the usual lounge chairs, palm tree umbrellas and tables were pushed over at least 25 feet to the side of the ceremony site. I know that there were a slight few gawkers, because a couple ended up in the wedding pictures (although Rodrigo from HDC was extremely careful it was sometimes impossible to avoid them) but they were by the water in the back of the canopy. The WCs do a great job of keeping people away, and when there are lots of people on the resort it is less likely that everyone will notice a wedding down at one end. The cocktail hour was on the side of the gazebo and it was wonderfully done. Are you doing a civil ceremony?

Absolutely! What can possibly be more important than marrying the love of your life in a gorgeous tropical Paradise?

SimplenSweet, I'm sure that Miguelina would not let you plan for 50 guests at the Gazebo if they wouldn't fit. The side of the Gazebo is where the cocktail hour was set up for my daughters wedding. I think they had the salmon, and the avocado and shrimp ( which was amazing, and was pretty much gone by the time the bridal party returned from taking the pictures) and I think a tuna one also. They had the Chill Out so only got 3 cold appetizers. The reception was up the beach at the Gabi Club so no one went hungry! I know its getting real close for you, and I wish you a wedding as wonderful as my daughter and son-in-law's. There are always little glitches and problems, but the weddings there are so beautiful and well-managed by the Romance staff that you will forget everything except how beautiful it all is !

SimplenSweet, That photo of the ceremony in back of the gazebo is beautiful but there are only 4 rows of 4 chairs, I think. As far as I remember, the ground slopes down where the photographer taking that shot was standing. Also, the pathway where the trolleys pass is behind that. How many guests do you have? We used that spot where the chairs are in the photo to line up the wedding party and walk through the Gazebo onto the beach. We did have the cocktails on the side portion like in the other photo, that was beautiful. By the way, the food was delicious!

Mariel12, We booked the wedding in January of 2011 through the Miami office. At that time the WC said that she was not sure if the entice me incentive would be available for 2012. It became available and I requested it right before the final payment. I had already changed the package from the Aqua to the Chill Out. If your date is confirmed, make sure you request that option because the website is already advertising it for January 2013. Don't let them tell you "no". As you can see, the management will try to get away with charging for things that other brides haven't paid. We saved $2,000 with the Entice Me.

Elegant Chic, My daughter's wedding was this past January. Everything was on the beach. I had the 2 carry-ons packed with stuff for the wedding, and the aisle runner was zipped into the bag with the wedding dress! I brought the tablecloths and napkins, ribbon for the canopy sides and for the candle centerpieces which were made by Carribean Celebrations, which the resort uses.I brought the serving set and the toasting flutes, a sparkly initial for the cake topper,silk petals for the flower girl and the flower basket, ribbons for the bouquets, and menu cards for the reception tables. My daughter had the Chill Out package, too. Before your final payment (45 days before), request the "Entice Me" incentive. It reduces the basic package price from $3500 to 2975, and the extra person charge from $70 to $60 each ! We were not charged extra to set anything up. Do not let the coordinators in Miami tell you that some things are extra. We did not pay for the sweetheart table for the bride and groom or for the dinner reservations for 35-37 people for the rehearsal dinner. We absolutely loved having everything on the beach. What time is your ceremony? Sunset is a little after 6 (after five there because there is no Daylight SavingsTime). Hope this helps

My daughter was married on the beach at 5:30 PM in January of this year, with the cocktail hour set up next to the gazebo. We all actually walked through the gazebo and out on the aisle runner set up on the sand. I know that there were gawkers, but not too many, because I saw them in some of the proofs. But really, everyone was so focused on the wedding itself, you really don't notice them. It's not like they were right in our faces. The WC does a really good job of keeping the people back. The reception was set up down the beach in front of the Gabi on the sand.(Can you tell my daughter and son-in-law love the beach?) There was a back up plan in case of rain, which was the open terrace on the side of the lobby building. The decision was made the morning of the wedding and it turned out to be a gorgeous, sunny January day!! Whatever you decide, the Romance Team does a fantastic job, and it will be the most fabulous wedding ever! I know that my daughter's wedding was perfect, and a day that she will remember all of her life.

Hi LoriOlivia, My daughter got married this January at PPC. I think that Luna is the only restaurant big enough to accommodate that many people. I suggest you e-mail the Romance Team directly to find out.If you go through the WC in Miami (or wherever) they will quote you something that is probably not accurate. We had a dinner with 35 people at Luna on the evening before the rehearsal. It was fantastic! As to the confirmation, try to call the office directly. I had to place one or two long distance calls to Miami to get a confirmation (usually at 9AM when they open) and to deal with some other issues.

For my daughter's wedding at PPC on January 7th, we had a family friend read the wedding ceremony that the bride and groom prepared, in English. At a later time (it was supposed to be the morning of the wedding) the judge came and did the civil ceremony in the WC office, with just the parents and siblings present. He did the civil ceremony in Spanish. The marriage certificate reflects the date of the English ceremony where everyone was present.

CDC150 We flew on Jet Blue - no first class at all.My daughter's dress got folded over luggage in the overhead! It was fine though, she hung it up in the closet when we got there and it was perfect. I know everything will be wonderful because they all do such a wonderful job. Miguelina is a doll and nothing gets her upset or flustered. You will love her and everyone on the Romance Team, and you will love the resort, too. Have a gorgeous wedding, wish we were going back there, too!

The wedding was on Saturday and Arnaud came to PPC on Tuesday with the photos on a CD for them to take home. The photos were already edited.Some of the most impressive ones were the black and white and sepia edited photos, but I have put almost all of them in an album because they are all so beautiful! We got the Silver Package and there were over 300 pictures on the CD. The pictures were also on the website for 60 days. My daughter and son in law chose the pictures, e-mailed him their choices, and he sent the prints and slideshow by mail from Miami. We were also able to take the CD and print out whatever we wanted from there. I even copied the CD for other family members. As to your question about the Thank You's, they were waiting until after the AHR to send those out.They will use a group photo for those who attended at PPC and another for those who came to the AHR only.

Maridr2012, You are going to be so happy with HDC! I wish now that I had added on another 2 hours - to the beginning and at the end of the wedding day. They were so awesome, and so reasonable, especially compared to what you pay in the States! Definitely have the FI compare the two. I've heard that Arrecife is rude too. I also saw them taking pictures on the beach for a wedding the day after my daughter's. Everyone was very stiff and posed, not at all what my daughter wanted. If you are using the spa for hair and makeup, make sure you leave plenty of time between the appointment and the ceremony. We had a mad rush across the resort in the cart (Elizabeth drives fast !) because the appointment wasn't done until almost 4 and the ceremony was supposed to start at 5. We didn't have the bridal suite and it was still fine. Please let me know if you have any questions. I was so impressed by all the help I received from this forum... I would like to do the same for others.

We sent the paperwork to the state office for the apostille and then to WeDo. Also, the judge keeps the birth certificates and the other paperwork to register the marriage in the Dominican. You won't get them back. We got state copies and had them apostilled by the state office.

Ladies, It's been a really long time since I posted here. We have just done an AHR last Saturday for local guests and some of the ones who were at the actual wedding. We did a modified wedding package in off-season and got a pretty good rate , if anyone is thinking of that.It was very nice, the food was awesome, but it was very loud and the time went by so fast. I have to say that there is absolutely no comparison to the gorgeous destination wedding you will all have at PPC. My daughter's was so beautiful and perfect that I can't even explain it. We had 36 adults, some of whom didn't know each other, and all had an incredible time. Also, Miguelina, Elizabeth and Jessica do such a fantastic job that I couldn't say enough about them. Having said that, I need to say that Miguelina also told us about the free 20 people and the $15 per person charge over that to arrange dinners for the wedding guests. That seemed ridiculous at an all-inclusive! We arrived on Tuesday and on Wednesday made dinner reservations at Luna for Thursday night, 35 people. There was no extra charge for this. We had the back section of the restaurant set up with three long tables and our own servers and menus. Since my daughter and son-in-law chose the seafood buffet for the reception dinner, we did seafood on Thursday, steak at Terra on Friday for the rehearsal dinner (also no extra charges) and the Buffet on the beach at the wedding. As for the photographer: I was not impressed with the photos from Arrecife and also thought that they were terribly overpriced. I heard about HDC through this forum and contacted Arnaud to inquire about his packages. He replied very promptly, was extremely reasonable, and the photos are beautiful, artistic, and worth every penny! We did not have a video, but my daughter got a slideshow CD with music as part of the package. My daughter stayed with the cake that was part of the package. She added blue flowers down the side(an extra $90 for real blue orchids), which looked beautiful with the sparkly initial cake topper.(She also added blue orchids to the rose bouquet that was included). Honestly, there was so much to eat and drink that I don't remember what it tasted like!

Hi cdc150 and maridr2012, I posted this before about the rehearsal dinner. I couldn't understand why we should pay extra for a dinner at an all-inclusive resort when we were already paying extra for the wedding itself. We didn't plan the rehearsal dinner until we got there, and had the woman who made dinner reservations arrange for our party (37 people) for the first seating at dinner - 6 or 6:30. We made the arrangements for dinner Thursday and the rehearsal dinner on Friday, in the afternoon on Wednesday. We were told that we would have a set menu, but the servers gave us the regular menu. Since the wedding reception on Saturday was the Under the Sea buffet, we chose the Terra restaurant for the rehearsal dinner because they had steak.It was delicious and we did not pay anything extra. Hope this helps.

Ladies, My daughter was married on January 7th. She had the legal ceremony performed by the judge, but it ended up being totally separate from the wedding ceremony, which was read by a family friend. There is one judge for all of Punta Cana, so we were told that he most likely wouldn't be there to do the legal part at the time and date of the actual wedding. Our WC told the bride and groom that he could come before, the day of, or after. Initially he was supposed to come the morning of, but was backed up because of a holiday the weekend before. The wedding ceremony took place as planned on Saturday, and the judge didn't come until Monday morning. He did say those exact words (except in Spanish) and the WC translated for them, and they just said "yes" or "I do" in English in the right spots. We were told that the marriage license will be dated January 7th, though, not the 9th when he showed up.My daughter and son-in-law wrote the ceremony and added some things which reflected each of their heritages, andalso the Apache Wedding blessing which begins "Now you shall feel no rain, for you are shelter for each other...". It was in English, and beautiful, and so much more meaningful than a standard civil ceremony.

Dear Sunny, My daughter got married at PPC on January 7th... yes, you have to bring the original birth certificates. The apostille is another verification of authenticity by your state. So, your state of Illinois verifies that your birth certificates are authentic and attaches an "apostille" (it's another paper) directly to it. Find out if your consulate will do this, or you can mail the original and an application and a check (ours cost $10 each) to the Department of State office.You can get married without it, but they won't send you the marriage license without it. Hope that helps, lmazz729

Tomkins, My daughter's hair and makeup were included as part of the wedding package, but I paid $85 each for the bridesmaid and maid of honor. All three were started at 1:30 but the bride's wasn't done until almost 4. A guest did my daughter's makeup, but the other girls did their own. Maridr2012, if you go with the spa, make it early so you have time to get makeup and get dressed. There are only 3 stylists, so book the appointments as early as you can.The spa is over near the Gazebo, but the Reserve is on the other side when you get dressed. Then you have to ride back to the Gazebo for the ceremony. We were late, so Elizabeth was driving very fast, everyone on foot was looking, and I was on the back holding on real tight!! I believe that they usually upgrade the bride and groom to the Reserve, and they are fabulous suites with a jacuzzi bathtub, a living room, dining area and kitchen. There is also a large closet to hang your dress.My daughter brought hers from NYC, to upstate, to JFK and to Punta Cana and hung it in the closet. It looked perfect for the wedding, and didn't even need to be steamed..

Oh, the resort DJ is fine, but we had one of the guests as the emcee.He did a fantastic job. The DJ just played the songs that the bride and groom requested at the right time and the emcee made the announcements.

Marir2012 Romantico will definitely be too small. The entrance is the prettiest of all the restaurants because it has a bridge and evening lights (and 2 pink flamingos!) and it is on the far end of the restaurant complex.It is really cramped and small inside, with tables very close, and I never saw a dance floor. The portions are also very small at dinner and the service was really slow ( even for the Carribean). Luna is not so pretty at the entrance ( right next to the beach at the other end of the restaurant complex) but has a lot more room. We had 35 people at three long tables at the back by the open sides. The food and the service was great and we had a blast! The BBQ is very good I heard, but we had the seafood buffet and it was wonderful. You can do that on a terrace or poolside, as well as the beach.