TropicalBride10

I'd also like the organizer sent to me! My email is [email protected]

We're gonna try for Dreams Palm Beach as its a smaller resort and our older guests can't handle the bigger ones. I just hope we can get a great group rate.

Have you seen some of the wedding setups at their Facebook page? A lot of them are really beautiful but I'm not stressed out as we got our date confirmed with Mayte and we won't get a quote from her for a while. I guess it will ultimately come down to cost for us.

The owner of Huracan Cafe got back to me with their wedding brochure which outlines costs for appetizers, menus, and alcohol. If anyone doesn't have it then I can send it but we're still considering the location for our wedding. I'm not gonna make a final decision till I have a quote in hand from both places as prices are very comparable.

Has anyone ever seen a wedding done at the Jellyfish with bamboo chairs? They are a really big part of my theme and I just haven't seen them done, I really hope they aren't expensive.

Congrats to the ladies who have their wedding dates confirmed! Time will fly by

Prompted by curiosity, I am also interested in seeing the copy of the Jellyfish wedding invoice. I'd greatly appreciate it if you could send it to [email protected] Thank you!

Flowers are usually the last thing that Mayte quotes as prices fluctuate. I will tell you that the only thing we want personally is orchids and they are the most expensive flowers in the Dominican Republic so we're budgeting a lot in terms of flowers. She will work with you on suggestions but I think I've read somewhere on this thread that Mayte can do real touch flowers as well, it just really depends on your taste and budget. It's as she's always told me "whatever you want, I will get for you."

And the bank deposit, based on what she told me, is a minimum of $500 but you can deposit however much you want after that. I have also contacted Huracan Cafe several times and they take longer to get back to me than Mayte.

Hahahahahaha, thats definitely the way to inroduce myself. So sorry ladies, my wedding is in 2015, not 2013.

Hi ladies! My fiancé and I are confirmed at the Jellyfish for June 25th, 2013, though we havent't sent in a deposit yet. I've kinda fallen in love with the place since last June but we kept looking elsewhere. We almost settled on Roatan Island, Honduras but after speaking with our guests, we came back to the Jellyfish and we're hoping to stay at Dreams Palm Beach but it depends on cost. I've been conversing with Mayte for a while now and turn around time for emails has never been more than 2 weeks so be patient ladies, she really knows what she's doing. She really wants to give all her brides as much personal time as possible but there only 24 hours in a day and due to her high demand right now, she's just been completely swamped and she has a daughter as well so just trust her. She hasn't failed a single bride yet and I certainly don't expect her to start failing now. Happy Planning!

It was a very tough decision, by the time we'll be married we'll have been engaged for five years so it was so important that we not have to settle for a destination but we actually really fell in love with the Jellyfish before Roatan so it's not a bad substitute.

After a much needed heart-to-heart with my fiance and hearing feedback from my family, we've decided to move our wedding to Jellyfish Restaurant in Punta Cana. It's much closer to the US and flights are cheaper plus we absolutely love it so it just seemed like a good decision. It was hard for us because we completely fell in love with Roatan, it truly is paradise and we're actually considering it for our honeymoon or for a vow renewal but it will always remain dear to our hearts. We're planning on putting down a deposit this fall for our date of June 25, 2015, we couldn't be more excited!! Now just to decide which resort is the most affordable and the best fit for our family. Hopefully we'll have STDs out by January.

Same here! Our entire wedding centers around these flowers.

I wish I was a spokesman for the island because I definitely would! Seriously though, my FI and I just adore the island and we've never even been but you should definitely check it out. West Bay is breathtakingly beautiful and it makes for some awesome snorkeling considering the world's second largest barrier reef lies just off the coast. The people that I've met who've visited the island absolutely love it and the culture of the island. My WC's name is Camilla and she owns and operates her own wedding business called Roatan Events. She has the hookup with all of the vendors on the island and she can literally get you anything you want. Her services are completely free and she works with any budget no matter how small. Her website features several different venues and all of the rental equipment she uses as well as she will always email you back within 24 hours. All of the larger resorts such as the Mayan Princess and Infinity Bay offer all-inclusive plans and every room has a full kitchen. If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact me, I'm happy to help in any way I can! Happy Planning

I don't plan on putting resort info on our STDs, all of that info will come with the invites but if you are set on a country then you shouldn't have a problem sending them out early, it's just a simple heads up so that people are aware that you're planning a destination wedding. Don't stress too much, you still have plenty of time to fully research resorts and really find one that you love instead of having to settle.

Congrats Tonia on your engagement! Most brides will tell you that 12 months out is the norm for destination weddings but I've also known others who send them 1.5 years in advance so it just really just depends on your situation. We haven't put a deposit down yet but my family will definitely need longer than a year to save up so I plan on sending STDs out probably at the first of the year after we have our contract sorted out.

IN LOVE! Congratulations on your wedding and your wife is beautiful! The wedding was simply stunning and all the little details made it that much better. Thank you so much for sharing!

On another note: As I stated above, FI and I are on a limited budget but we're able to have absolutely everything we want including ceremony setup, cocktail hour, plated dinner reception, decor, flowers, entertainment, etc. for 60-80 people on a private island all to ourselves for a budget of 8K. Where are you gonna get that kind of deal here in the US? Be smart, shop around, and remember that the more popular destinations like the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica, etc. aren't always the cheapest. We didn't think we'd be able to have the wedding of our dreams in a unique location but thankfully we found Roatan and an awesome WC who can make it all happen for us.

I think that this a decision that most brides on here have had to contemplate at one point or another but it really depends on what you want and your particular situation. For me, FI and I live in South Florida but his family lives in Puerto Rico and all of mine live in Virginia so they have to travel regardless and going abroad just seemed like the best option for us. We have a very limited budget and we'd rather have a week long vacation with both sides of the family rather than just one day. I mean how many times are you going to have both families in the same place again? Another thing was the fact that we were set on a beach wedding in a tropical setting from the very start and don't get me wrong, South Florida is perfect a beach wedding but the quality of service just wouldn't be worth the amount of money we'd be paying. It was also really important for us to give our guests an experience that is different from other weddings that they've been too and you don't really get much more different than a destination wedding. I'm not sure what type of venue you're looking for but all-inclusive resort weddings can be exceedingly cost effective and "stress-free" but contacting WCs can be very frustrating as they don't always respond back in a timely fashion and the flexibility of their packages is very limited. On the other hand, nontraditional offsite venues can be more expensive but you do have the ability to customize the things you want. My advice, sit down and talk with your family, see how they feel about your decision. Maybe your nearest and dearest may not be able to afford the trip or they may have other concerns but realize that no matter what you choose to do, some family members will protest. Ultimately, do what's best for you and your FI as this is your wedding and you shouldn't have to settle simply because of other people. Happy Planning!

Your story touched my heart Lydia! I'm so happy that everything is working out for you!! Weddings can be expensive and frivolous but all that really matters is having your family around you and you've helped to remind me of that. Thank you so much and I just know that your wedding will be perfect! God has a place and a time for everything, I'm just so happy that after 18 long years, you're finally getting your chance!! Happy Planning Lydia!

Narrowing down a location was by far the largest decision thus far but it's actually kind of fun to scout out potential places, if anything, Marden and I now have new vacation spots that we'd like to visit one day! We've decided to get married in Roatan Island, Honduras for the fact that is affordable, absolutely beautiful, and not your run of the mill wedding location. Some people may say that it's too rustic for a wedding but it was important for us to find a happy medium of a unique and out of the waytropical beach destination preferably with a rain forest, which was why we were directed to Central America, and a location that is still easy to get too and convenient for our guests. Roatan really does have it all from all-inclusive mega resorts to smaller more boutique kind of hotels but I just can't get over how turquoise blue the water is against the white sand. I way I see it, Roatan is an up and coming destination but it still keeps its distinctive Honduran identity, which is important for as the majority of my family has never been out of the US and I wanted them to have an opportunity to experience a culture completely different from their own. As far as weddings, I do have the contact info for my wedding planner from Roatan Events who works her tail off to deliver the best to her brides. One sticking point for us is decor and we're not having to carry a single thing down with us because she has connections to get us anything we want. She has connections to all the venues on the island and be assured from my own experiencethat if you book with her, prices for everything will be cheaper than if you book directly with the hotel. The two main resorts that I can recommend are Infinity Bay, Las Verandas (very new and upscale), and the all-inclusive Mayan Princess which is where we're leaning toward simply for the fact that they do have an adjacent beach club where we could hold our private reception with no worries. I'd love to see more couples give Roatan a chance because I know they'd fall in love, just as we have, but enjoy this phase of the wedding planning as much as you can and trust me, it's never to early to start planning. Marden and I have been engaged since 2011 and we're pushing for 2015 as well so have fun and if you have any questions then please don't hesitate to PM me, I'd be happy to help in any way I can!

Beautiful beautiful beautiful wedding!!! I loved every single aspect and the fact that most of it was DIY makes it that much better! I've found so much inspiration in your planning thread and I want to wish you and your husband a lifetime of happiness. Congratulations!!

I initially sent emails to Tropic Isle Weddings but never heard back and then I started working with Awesome Caribbean Weddings and the wedding planner Michelle usually responds in less than 24 hours. I also started working with a couple of the hotels but they took forever to respond. I highly recommend Awesome Caribbean Weddings though because they do everything in their power to make sure that they fulfill any request you may have. I can PM you their email if you'd like?

Congrats on your marriage!! I LOVED every single aspect of your wedding!