ChilliPeppa

Hi all Does anyone know anything about the Jewish Pesach Passover? Apparently La Perla is hosting the Jewish celebrations in March/April (sorry I can't remember the exact dates, but you can Google it for dates. They bring in their own chefs apparently for their specialist food and basically take over the hotel according to Trip Advisor. I am seriously worried as the Pesach Passover dates for 2014 coincide with our wedding and honeymoon!! Any comments welcome as I'm worried sick now. Many Thanks Sharon

Haha...now I'm wondering whether the Gabi bridge will be a better location for us to get married at rather than in the gazebo!! So hard to choose without having actually been there! What do you think ladies?? Sharon

Ladybugg I can't even begin to thank you enough for all the info you sent me!! It has really helped me to plan everything...you are a star...thank you!!

Looking forward to your feedback when you get back imnotarunner!! Hope you have a lovely time. I have just emailed Lauren and asked her to change our location from the beach to the gazebo. I'm not sure why, it's just a gut feeling that we will feel a bit odd standing next to people in swimwear getting married, whereas in the gazebo it is more private. I hope I've made the right decision!! Sharon

Thanks so much KK!! I would love to be able to get there before the wedding, but unfortunately the flights cost too much from the UK so it's not an option for us. I keep wondering whether to change the beach location for the wedding to the gazebo instead. We have around 16 to 18 people including 4 children. What do people think? Do you have to pay extra to decorate the gazebo? We have booked the Chill Out Chic package, mainly because we have a few fussy eaters and children in our party, so think a buffet would be better so people can choose what they like to eat. I am so rubbish at decisions and still struggle to visualise it in my mind. Thanks everyone! Sharon

Hi Our date isn't until April 2014 and there will only be around 16 of us including 4 children. We weren't told of there being a maximum number of children to get married in the Gazebo on the La Perla side. Currently we have booked the beach for the wedding and poolside for the reception as we were only given the options of the gazebo, beach or boardwalk for the wedding and ballroom or poolside for the reception. Based on the fact that there won't be many of us and we have booked the Chill Out Package without any extras at this time as I'm not sure how far our budget will stretch, do you think we have chosen the best locations for our wedding and reception or should we change them? All advice and comments will be VERY welcome as I haven't really got a clue what I'm doing! Because we are planning to have a large sit down meal and evening party for all our friends and family when we get back to the UK, I don't think we are going to be able to afford many of the wedding extras on top of the Chill Out Chic package, but all ideas are very welcome. I was worried that the gazebo for the wedding might look a bit plain and boring if we don't pay out more to decorate it? I'm also worried about not being able to wear heels on the beach as I'm only 5ft 2" and my partner is 6ft 3". I worry that we are going to feel a bit silly sat by the pool having our reception with so few of us. Also if we get married on the beach are we going to have people in swimwear walking by and staring. Hopefully my husband to be won't spot a bikini babe on the beach and marry her instead...haha! If anyone can help me as I keep going round in circles I would really appreciate it. With the beach being so short and all the negative press about it I even started to consider changing to a different hotel, but no other hotel seems as nice as the Paradisus La Esmeralda....arghhh..this is hard work and I am rubbish at decisions. Someone please help me! Sharon

Thanks very much KK. Lauren has confirmed that our witnesses can be relatives which is good. She also confirmed that we could have children at the wedding in the gazebo even though it is on the La Perla (adults only) side, but we can't have the reception there. We are thinking of having the wedding ceremony on the beach now at 4pm. Any thoughts/comments anyone please? Thank you Sharon

Ladybugg thank you so much - greatly appreciated!! By the way does anyone know if the 4 witnesses can be relatives ie brother, sister-in-law etc? I can't seem to get a straight answer. I'm also still unsure as to what documentation we need and whether it needs to be translated etc. Many Thanks Sharon

Hi We were told that they have a maximum of two weddings per day there. I can't decide whether to choose the gazebo or the boardwalk for our wedding. The only options we have been given for the reception is poolside or ballroom. As we aren't having large numbers and we will have children with us I guess we will go for poolside, but I'm not sure whether it will a bit odd. Also what are we going to do after the meal? There is no point having a dancefloor with only approx 16 of us including children. What I don't understand is how we can have the gazebo for our wedding which is on the La Perla side, but not our reception. We have children with us so I guess we can have the wedding on the La Perla side, but not the reception. Does anyone know what the food selection is for the buffet if we go for the Chill out Chic package please? Also if we decide on the aqua package then what meal options are available for that too please? All help greatly appreciated. I've studied every single photo I can find and am finding everything stressful and a bit daunting. Also where do we get extras from such as maracas, table flowers etc etc. Do they sort all this out for you before you get there? We live in the UK and won't have much baggage allowance to buy everything here and take it with us. Thanks very much Sharon

Hi Anisha Please could you email the video that you took of the beach. [email protected]. I have also been reading the recent reviews on Trip Advisor and am panicking like mad!! Thank you so much for all your help Jennifer. It really is appreciated. Lauren has emailed me lots of documents to look through today and I will certainly take a look at that Facebook page. I wish I could just relax and not worry so much, but easier said than done! I hope I'm not like this until April 2014 when we go!!! So glad that I found this site and particularly this thread. Thanks so much everyone. Sharon

Hi I am also feeling overwhelmed but have found this thread extremely useful and appreciate all the information provided. I have some questions please: As we have children in our party what location options are available to us for the wedding and also the reception? We will only be having approx 16 guests including children. We want a ceremony that is legal in the UK where we live so have opted for the civil ceremony, however the information from Lauren at the Paradisus La Esmeralda states that the ceremony is done in Spanish and translated into English. Did anyone else have this? Is it a bit odd? I have no idea what time to have our wedding, but we like being outside and aren't really indoors type people so any ideas very welcome. In general ALL advice, comments and photos etc are VERY welcome. I know it is a long way off, but we are looking to book very soon for April 2014. Many Thanks Sharon

Hi I have found this thread extremely useful and interesting, however I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything. We are planning to get married at the Paradisus La Esmeralda in April 2014 and Lauren has emailed me all the details and now I just need to pay the deposit and book. Before we book I really would appreciate any advice, comments or photos etc. Due to the expense of flying from the UK, we are only going to have around 14 guests and are considering having the Chill Out Chic package, but possibly changing the colour theme if this is possible? Do they charge to change the colour theme? Will it look a bit silly having so few guests? We will only have 2 witnessess in our party who aren't family, so will have to find a couple of witnesses and are hoping we meet some nice people at the hotel to invite to be the additional witnesses. We understand that the witnesses cannot be related to either of us. Does this include say a sister in law etc? Can a sister in law be a witness, or are they considered to be family? Where is the best place to get married? We have been offered the choice of beach, boardwalk or garden gazebo with a reception either poolside or ballroom. We will have children in our wedding party and want them to be allowed to be part of everything too. I have no idea which location to choose. I'm starting to find all this a bit stressful and all help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much