alycamille

Hi everyone!

I got back from my wedding last week & my days are still so crazy. Just wanted to write a quick post to say that the resort is AMAZING & your wedding day will be perfect. Try not to worry too much! I had Elizabeth as my coordinator & she's awesome! I also got Tropical Pictures for my photos, Malena was our photographer & I am so so so happy with how the pictures turned out. I will try to write a full review with pictures very soon. Happy planning!

We leave in 12 days and my coordinator Ramona hasn't been replying for 2 weeks now. I just got an email from Daniela saying that she's on leave. Justttt perfect! I'm hoping everything is still fine once we get down there.

I've been told the resort does not charge a fee for him to officiate. I'm using him myself and asked the same question for my WC.

I asked my WC this earlier this week & she said I have to pay $55 for a day pass for him.    I have Ramona right now while Susana is away. I remember reading before that other brides didn't get charged by the resort for using him...

Hi alycamille - I live in Toronto and got my fake bouquets from a lady who has a booth at a local flea market. Really reasonable pricing and she has a warehouse in Richmond Hill too.

Hey Mellie.

Yea I actually got mine from a lady at Pickering flea market. Did you get yours there also? But they aren't real touch, that's the only thing. I just settled for these as they were much more affordable for us. I'm not sure the material, some are foam or silk I guess? Hopefully they're still nice, I haven't gotten them yet.

On the hunt for this myself. I haven't purchased anything so far but www.afloral.com seems to have what I want. I worry about the shipping charges but they email me different coupons every now and then. So hopefully it will cancel each other out.

 

It makes it a little more expensive since it's shipping to Canada.

Bloom Bridal does really nice real touch flowers but I found them to be about the same cost as getting flowers from the resort.

Tricia, they're based in Ontario also.

Was anyone charged a fee or needed a day pass for Pastor Rick to come to the resort & perform the ceremony for them?

Hi Ladies

Just wondering if anyone could help me with finding a vendor for real touch flowers/bouquets. I know there are plenty on etsy & other sites, but I would feel better about ordering if I know people who had good experiences with them. Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by lalalal1z 
 

Ladies, 

We just came back from our wedding stay at BBPD. Let me tell you. THE BEST WEDDING EVER. Literally, almost every person that came (we had 43 people), said it was the best wedding that they have ever been to. The photographer. AMAZING. We used Tropical Pictures. The whole stay was absolutely amazing and I wish I could do it all over again. 

 

I will say, I was wicked nervous before we left, only because, it's a horrible feeling only talking to the WC through email, but we met with Arise the day after we got to BBPD. We finalized everything that day. Easy. Took an hour at the most. Cake decision. Boom. Photography decision. Boom. Food. Boom. We added the cocktail hour, amazing. It was well worth the money, and we had it right on the beach where we got married. Arise really takes all of the worry off of your shoulders. She really is amazing, and we had absolutely NO issue at all. The only MINOR hiccup was that the judge that married us was a half hour late, which wasn't even a big deal at all, and they just moved the reception time back, so it wasn't affected at all. The professional photos came out AMAZING as well, we had Micelia. Couldn't have asked for a better photographer. I'll post pictures asap, or I can email them to you. And if you want to email me for anything my email is [email protected]

 

There were 3 weddings happening at the same day/same time ish, and you would NOT EVEN KNOW. They take you on the trolley from the ceremony to the reception area. We all WOOOO'd whenever we saw people. Awesome ride. 

 

The food, really good. We got the tomato and goat cheese salad, awesome! The main course was the chicken, I didn't like it too much, but I don't like chicken on the bone. Other people loved it. We got the creme brulee, along with the cake. BOTH AMAZING.  For the cake, we got 3 tiers all different kinds. The first layer we got vanilla cake with strawberry filling, second, vanilla with pineapple filling, and the top was the vanilla with guava filling. ALL AMAZING.

 

The ONLY thing I could say bad about this place is that when we were trying to check out, there was confusion about us paying for the wedding. We paid for it a week before we left the resort at the front desk (they actually charge everything to your room, so you have to pay for it there and not at the wedding department). When we were checking out, they said that money wasn't applied to our room yet, even though we had a receipt. So our only wish is that there was better communication with that kind of stuff. Other than that, it was the best time of our lives and we would definitely recommend this resort.

 

So, ladies. Do NOT WORRY AT ALL. It WILL be the best day of your life.

CONGRATSSS!!! Thanks for the reassurance that everything works out. Was just wondering which part of the beach you had your ceremony/cocktail hour at? Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bjeantil 
 

As promised......

 

Please check out the blog posting of my wedding and trash the dress session at http://mwsphotoblog.com/berlourde-sean-say-i-do-in-dominican-republic/ blog my photographer created. Enjoy.

Beautiful pics!!! Your photog did an amazing job. Purple is also one of my colors so I'm glad to see it looks nice as shashes. Thanks for sharing!

Quote:

Originally Posted by alycamille 
 

 

Hey Trish,

 

My wedding is also in April! And no worries I'm probably the same as you. I've gotten a whole bunch of files from my coordinator in terms of food menus, cakes, flowers, colors, etc... But I haven't chosen anything yet. DJ or photographer probably should be done ahead of time if you were looking for services outside of what the resort provides. I know that there is a wedding questionnaire that needs to be filled out closer to the date with all your selections that you will send to the coordinator. Otherwise, not to worry, we still have lots of time!

Oops I must've been so out of it when I wrote this earlier... Because my wedding is in May not April... LOL sorry about that, but still lots of time

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trish Upshall 
 

ok so i am probably the WORST when it comes to wedding planning! My wedding is still 7months away (April 2014) I have the date booked and ceremony time and reception etc...but haven't booked or discussed anything else with the coordinator.  Which I believe from reading through the past comments, is no longer working there so I emailed the other day and still ahven't heard back.

 

Should I be booking and reserving a dj this far in advance? and with decor etc do I need to let them know colours or does most of this get dealt with once we are there?

 

I am the WORST wedding planner ever!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ps.. Thank goodness for this thread or else i would be even more lost! I love all the pictures and posts from all the past weddings!! Makes me so excited for mine!!

Hey Trish,

My wedding is also in April! And no worries I'm probably the same as you. I've gotten a whole bunch of files from my coordinator in terms of food menus, cakes, flowers, colors, etc... But I haven't chosen anything yet. DJ or photographer probably should be done ahead of time if you were looking for services outside of what the resort provides. I know that there is a wedding questionnaire that needs to be filled out closer to the date with all your selections that you will send to the coordinator. Otherwise, not to worry, we still have lots of time!

Unfortunately we've moved our wedding over to Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe since the rates for our guests were too high...  Hopefully we still get to visit the HRPC, because I love the resort. Nonetheless just wanted to say that Mia was great to work with! Anyone who has her, she's awesome. Good luck!

Originally Posted by llewald 

 

Ladies-

 

Anybody have a different email for a WC?? After Marlene quit, I have yet to hear from anybody and I am starting to get really frustrated. It has been weeks and nobody will respond! Wedding is in Feb, deposit is made, and waiting to hear back!

 

 

The only email I have is [email protected]

MrsD's advice sounds good! But just in case... I have Susana & she uses [email protected] 

Originally Posted by LovelyGemini 

 

 

Of course, this forum is one of the few, if not only resources we bbpd brides have to get info, always willing to share whatever info I can get.

 

Aris told me that conditional on how many guests I end up having, since it's a large group (we're expecting at least 100-120, maybe even 150!) she could allow me to rent the cylinder vase with the mirrored plate at $20 a table. For once, I actually got them to bend a little and all I did was say I'd bring my own flowers LOL. Give it a shot, looks like they're willing to bargain on some stuff. Now let's see what I can do with that darn drapery!

I'd bring flowers too if it saves me from spending $50 per table lol! I have Susana, so I'll try & see what she says for centerpieces. Thanks!

Originally Posted by LovelyGemini 

Hey ladies, so I've been hounding Aris because I refuse to pay $50 for each centerpiece and finally told her I'm willing to bring my own flowers for the centerpiece (I heard they use fake ones anyway!) and the votive candles. She finally told me they can rent a cylinder vase at $15 per table. I'm waiting to hear if this includes the mirrored plate as well, which makes it wayyyy more affordable. She sent me a photo of the cylinder vase and I'm also waiting for her to send me the dimensions of it. Here is the sample photo she sent me. 

 

Also, I found out that the tangerine package table decor allows you to choose one of the following:

1. colored tablecloth

2. white tablecloth with color runner

3. white tablecloth with a topper? not sure what she meant by that, I'm not really a decor expert (LOL) but she attached the following photos:

 

 

Last but not least, she also attached the included centerpiece everyone has talking about, which is not terrible, but I'm more a fan of taller centerpieces. 

Thanks so much for posting this! That centerpiece looks so much better than the old Christmas-like one. I was just wondering if you heard back yet about the mirrored plate also being included with the cylinder rental? Thanks!

Originally Posted by tricia-m 

 

Thanks for the responses ladies.  Since I'm from Canada, my bank is charging me $40.  My travel agent is going to see if the fees are cheaper doing the transaction with them.  I just want to get this out of the way and on to more fun and exciting details.

Hey Tricia,

I'm also from Canada & I used TD bank to send over my wire. I was charged a $30 fee (on top of the currency conversion), I couldn't find a way around it!

Susana finally replied to my emails this morning! I suppose she's back in the office today if any of you ladies are trying to reach her!

Hi ladies,

I'm currently booked at HRPC for Feb 2014, but we are finding rates way too high for our guests. We're flying out of Toronto... Love the resort but pretty sure I'm going to have to switch. Unless I just move to a different month, April or May perhaps? How is everyone finding the rates for next year?

Hey girls,

Just wondering which route you ladies found more cost effective in terms of getting rates. Did you get a group rate from the resort for the rooms alone, and just booked the airfare/transport seperately? Or get a packaged group rate from a tour operator (Sunwing, etc.) for everything bundled together?

I know it highly depends on where you're flying out from, time of year and if there are airline seat sales, but just trying to see which option everyone is finding cheaper. Thanks!

Originally Posted by teena84 

 

 

Hi Alycamille,

 

I don't know how many people can fit the pier (which looks amazing from the pictures they posted up on their facebook page), but I remember from reading somewhere or maybe speaking to Susana, that to have ceremony on the pier, they will charge you extra.  Maybe a couple hundred dollar on top of whatever wedding package you pick, or more.  I could be wrong, but I could've sworn I asked her about this because when I saw those pier pictures, I actually considered changing my garden gazebo ceremony location to the pier.  So just be prepare for that.  Also, you may want to take into consideration for your guests.  Having your ceremony at the pier wouldn't have any shade or shelter for your guests, so they would be in the bright sun for the entire ceremony.  Some people may not mind, but if it's a blazing hot sunny day, it could get uncomfortably sweaty for your guests and your fiance, especially if he's wearing a suit.  I picked the garden gazeo because there's more privacy, so no onlookers from the beach in their speedos taking pictures of you, or ruining your pictures, but also, the gazebo is big enough to hold your guests and provide them with shade.  I went to Jamaica last year for a wedding, and the ceremony was outdoor, no shade or shelter, and they didn't provide any fans for the guests, so we were all drenched in sweat, and all got burnt.  It was pretty digusting.

Hi Teena,

Congrats on your wedding by the way, the surprise dance was so cute!

Yes, I have read on here that it is an extra $500 to have your ceremony on the pier (or also on the rooftop lounge). Like you, I absolutely fell in love with the idea after seeing photos, so I am prepared to pay the price! Well as long as it can accomodate the amount of guests we have haha.

I am also concerned about the hot-ness factor, but I figured that at least out on the pier, you get more of a breeze. I am also considering the garden gazebo, as I love the privacy & intimacy factor. I guess I'll wait on Susana to get back to me to even see if my date is available.

Thanks for your info!

Originally Posted by MissJali 

 

Hi Aly,

 

I looked at the Hard Rock also and hated the outrageous quotes I was getting!!! I am having the ceremony on the pier and Susana told me 55 is the max on the pier. You will not go wrong with your wedding at BBPD. They've done such amazing jobs here. I have not read one review where the girls have regretted their decision in this resort. Welcome!!!

Hello Jali,

I hope your dad is doing much better now! (I read all the posts & remembered that you had postponed your wedding into 2014 because of this)

Yes the Hard Rock looks awesome, some of my family travels there regularly but they are Palace members. The group rates are seriously sooo expensive. We were worried about the rest of our guests having to pay so much or just not being able to afford it. BBPD does not look like we are comprising at all, it is a huge resort with a lot of amenities & I'm so excited! We've decided to push the wedding into April/May of 2014 since we are basically starting to plan all over again at another resort. It is hopefully also cheaper than going in the peak season.

55 on the pier? That seems like a decent amount. All of the pictures I have found online show 3 rows of 5 chairs on each side, so a total of 30. But if she told you 55, I sure hope that is true! I absolutely love the look of the ceremony at the pier, even though I'm guessing the 2014 price for this will go up from the $500 (Let's hope not!)

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Hi ladies! Just want to start off by thanking all of you for your awesome posts. I've literally gone through the entire thread over the last few days & you've all been so helpful! I'm currently booked at the Hard Rock for Feb 2014, but as we find the rates there too high, we began looking into other resorts. This site has helped me so much. I pretty much fell completely in love with the BBPD. (Except of course with the slow responses) As of now, I'm waiting on Susana to reply to see if my date is still available. I'm getting so excited & hoping we'll be able to celebrate our wedding here. Does anyone know how many people fit on the pier for a ceremony? From looking at pictures I'm thinking about 30? Also waiting for Susana on this one. Thanks so much again & I hope I'll be able to plan along with the rest of you!

Does anyone have Mia Mendoza as their Miami contact? I was switched over to her since Joannis was no longer with the company.

My first post! We have finally booked for Feb 2014!!! Does anyone else have Mia Mendoza as their coordinator? I'm guessing she's new to the Miami office since I haven't heard anything about her before.
 

My first post! We have finally booked for February 2014!!! So excited! Does anyone else have Mia Mendoza as their coordinator? I'm guessing that she is new to the Miami office as I haven't heard about her before.