Reign14

So you combined your invites and STDs and are just sending out one item, or will you send them out at different times? I'm still trying to figure out my strategy. As of now I think I will send STDs 13 months in advance and invites 6-8 months in advance. And I'm planning to set the RSVP deadline 3-4 months in advance. Still deciding. Suggestions are welcomed! Wedding is in Punta Cana in April of 2014, by the way.

I read through this ENTIRE thread (crazy, I know) and saw a couple of answers. One person said they had 88 guests in Bar Higuey, 11 tables with 8 chairs at each table. Another person said they had b/w 8 and 9 people at each table. I'm thinking they probably set the tables according to how many guests you have and spread the tables and chairs out enough to make your reception look full and not sparse. Hope that helps.

Hi Curls, I know your wedding just happened! Be sure to let us know how it went. I am loving reading all the reviews and seeing pictures of how everything turned out to get ideas. I'm sure it was beautiful. Look forward to your update!

I meant "now that I have time" up above. That's awesome that your STDs are done! I hope I can say the same thing in about a month! I haven't been in touch with the WCs yet... I will probably do that soon though. Is it true that that won't let you book the date more than a year in advance? Should I reach out this early anyway? Yes...I am loving the BBPD thread! The ladies are so helpful.

Thanks! The above post was for you

Yup, we know it'll be April 12, 2014 in Punta Cana and have picked the resort....Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe. I hear the white sand in Cancun is gorgeous. I'm shooting for getting STDs out a year in advance too, and plan to get a TA very soon! I haven't been to many islands or resorts so I'm no good for giving recommendations except to say that if you do it in Punta Cana make sure the resort's on Bavaro Beach. Happy planning!

Hi trivera5521, Thank you for the info! I do plan to have my reception in Bar Higuey and had no idea it was on the adults only side. That is good to know. I assume they let the children in for the receptions at least. I couldn't believe it was $200 cheaper...per person! And sounds like they get access to more things so that's a big pro. Glad they have the trolley. Great overview disazaja, thank you so much. Between you and trivera5521's responses, I feel like I can visualize everything! Good to know that the adult rooms are nice. I'm leaning toward thinking that it will be fine for some of my guests to stay on the adult side. I'd like everyone to be together, but honestly if it's just as nice and means that they can access pretty much everything AND save some money, I'm all for it. Plus I do realize that this will be their vacation as well so I want to take their needs into account, not just mine. It's great that you both got to do a site visit. I'm opting not to do one and just going by the judgement of you ladies and any other reviews I read online. For the money me and my fiance would spend on a site visit, we can be paying for our wedding bands or our deposit! This is really helpful, though.

Hi MissJali, We are getting married at the same resort..you're a little over a month before me I'm also a grad student and am on break until Feb. Not that I have time, I got the planning bug, since I don't have class or studying to do!

Hi Kpounder...this statement is me to the T ---> "My fiancé and i have been engaged for 10 months, and are planning a destination wedding April 2014." Congrats! When's your date?

Hi KerriAnn5, I know I'm a few months late but just wanted to mention that I stayed at the Dreams Punta Cana and I would not recommend a wedding there. It's not bad or anything, it's just not great. There are more beautiful resorts, and the beach isn't the greatest. The beach has a lot of debris and the sand isn't soft, the water isn't clear, and there are a lot of rocks in the water so you can't go out very far. I can't speak to the wedding services...they could very well be awesome. But when I recommend DR, I always recommend hotels in Bavaro beach because the sand is close to white, the water is clear blue, and there are also a lot more water activities available there. If you already went on your site visit, I'm sure I'll read it somewhere in the thread. If not, let us know how it goes!

Hi carajoe08 I'm in NJ too. What were the prices for beach venues in NJ? I know it's expensive here so I didn't even bother looking at venues in NJ. I thought about the Poconos though, and found some decent prices.

Hi disazaja, Thanks for the response! So Barcelo Bavaro Beach is the adult only side, and Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe is the side that include kids....OK. A few other questions for anyone that knows... 1. I read somewhere in this thread that the rooms on the adult side are not as nice as the rooms on the other side. And I think I read that they were being renovated, so maybe they're nicer now? Anyone know if the rooms on the adult side are better now?? I do see that the hotel used to be several hotels and they were merged. Looks like the Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe was built in 2010 so it's new. Is Barcelo Bavaro Beach the older hotel that's maybe been there for a while? 2. I also read that the adult side is further away from everything. One poster on here described it as boring, and another poster described it as nice and relaxing. I'm sure it's a matter of preference, but I'm really trying to get a sense of what the adult side is really like. Is it isolated from the main resort to the point where it's inconvenient? Is it older? Is it dull and boring? Or is it peaceful and relaxing? The reason I'd like to know is because I noticed when looking up prices that the adult side (Barcelo Bavaro Beach) is about $200 cheaper per person. If it's really nice, I'd like to be able to tell my guests that they can stay there...or perhaps have all of my guests without kids to stay there. 3. I have read two different things regarding whether guests staying on the adult side actually have access to everything on the Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe side. Can anyone clarify this? Is there limited access, or can the folks from the adult side roam freely throughout the entire resort? Thanks!

That review was like reading a wonderfully detailed romance novel. Loved it! Thanks for writing it and congrats on such a beautiful wedding experience.

WTRunner Awesome review and FB pics. Blown away...thank you so much. Is it too intrusive to ask how much everything ended up costing...ballpark? I'm tempted to throw it all in there...full day photographer, DJ with MC, etc. Also, did you see a need to do a cocktail hour before the ceremony, or in b/w ceremony in reception? Doesn't look like you did.

Excited to find this blog. Getting married in April of 2014 (shooting for Sat the 12th), and I think we're going to go with this resort. All of your comments and pictures are making me very optimistic about it! Only thing I wonder about is the kids at the resort. It seems to be a very family oriented place, and while I don't mind kids...I don't want there to be a ton of kids running around the resort since the majority of my guests will be adults. Can anyone comment on this? Looking forward to many more posts!