Nena Martinez

Thank you angelnjewels!! 😊 Same to you and your future hubby!! I hope to see you in The Nest and The Bump blogs!! Lol Enjoy!

Hello and sorry to all of you who have reached out to me and have not gotten a response! I cancelled my wedding at PPR and switch it to Ecuador next year. Now, we will be taking advantage of our resort credit and having our honeymoon there! I can't wait!!! I hope to see you brides during our stay next August! Happy Planning and REMEMBER: breath, stay positive and enjoy the planning! Xoxo Liz

Quote:Originally Posted by jennifer8913 We have a budget of $10K, and I found a good budget tool on the knot. I really lucked out on my dress, about $500 including the alterations so that def helped out! Hey there! I had a 10K budget but it has gotten way too expensive. We are looking at 18K with taxes (18% way too much), fees, 50 guests, airfare, etc. My gma is paying for my dress which is a huge help! I am even considering changing resorts at this moment. Do you mind sharing, How much is your wedding package costing you and how many guests do you have?

Quote:Originally Posted by Kel123073 Ladies..... we are here and our wedding was yesterday!!! It was everything we had hoped for and more!!! I will post pics and details when we get home for sure....just wanted to let you know Massiel and her team were amazing! The weather was gorgeous! and forget about my hair and makeup! They did exactly what I wanted with my hair and my makeup was stunning.... I did chang e to my own lip color! lol I never never wear anything but nude lol! The food was amazing with the chill out chic buffet and the setting on olympus terrace was breathtaking! DJ was awesome!!! We had a hiccup or two but honestly We just laughed and rolled with it.... so sad the day is over but actually looking forward to relaxing! xoxo kelly Congrats Kelly!!! How exciting... I can't wait to see your pix!! Enjoy every minute

Quote:Originally Posted by futuremrssteen Hi ladies! Excited to see you wedding date got confirmed, Liz! I'm about to send in the contract as soon as my finances lawyer friends check it out. About how long did it take to confirm once you sent it in? Also, Lauren had told me 4pm was the ceremony time available, but I saw you have 6 a so is it either 4 or 6? I honestly might switch the day just to get a letter time since it will be hot hot hot in July lol. Michelle Hey!! Congrats... I am very excited for you! Yes, I am currently booked for August 23rd at 6pm. Our ceremony is at the garden and the reception at the Olympus. Have you checked the photography rates? They are crazzzzzzzy expensive! I may go with the Big Package. I am still considering the videography package... oh boy lots to plan Let me know what are your FA's friends advise Happy Planning, Liz

Hi! I am having second thoughts and getting cold feet LOL! My fiancé and I already put a deposit on a different resort but we are now entertaining DPB (which was our 2nd choice). Can any of you please share a rough budget for your Ultimate and/or Love Packages? I was just looking at the packages and you get way much more in DPB than in other resorts. Also, can you have an official ceremony at DPB or does it have to be symbolic? Any info or PDF's that you may have will be truly appreciated. Thank you, Liz.

Hey chicas!!! Can anyone please send me the Arrecife prices? I seem to have misplaced that doc and prob deleted that e-mail . Thank you

Yep! I second that. Tall centerpieces will go perfect with that location. LOL @ the brochure, I think that is a great idea. I was thinking about posting all that info on my website but having a brochure may be better for guests. Happy Planning, Liz

Sorry! I sent the wrong post and I am not sure how to delete it!

Hello, Congratulations!! I am also getting married next year in Agust 23rd. My fiancé and I looked at various resorts and countries prior deciding on PC. I have not visited the resort myself but this forum is extremely helpful. I chose PPR b/c it matched our wedding vision and also because I have family traveling form South America who will not need a visa. I also have a friend who stayed at the PPR a few years ago and she was in love with the resort and service. Also, I am currently working with a TA who has helped me to narrow down my search, and I will truly recommend doing that if you are in that process. All in all I freaked out when I saw a few bad reviews in Trip Advisor, but I just think that overall the resort has more positive reviews than negative ones. I have the prices for the different packages, etc. PM me your e-mail and I can send them to you. Relax and enjoy your planning. Liz

I love this post! THANK YOU! You couldn't have put it better. I was very concerned when I saw a bad review in Trip Advisor back in January and I remember you putting some ease on my mind, which I truly appreciate!! We have now picked our date for next year and are very excited about the process. We are also pretty laid back and out main focus is having a great time with family and friends. Bes of Luck, Liz

Hello, Congratulations!! I am also getting married next year in Agust 23rd. My fiancé and I looked at various resorts and countries prior deciding on PC. I have not visited the resort myself but this forum is extremely helpful. I chose PPR b/c it matched our wedding vision and also because I have family traveling form South America who will not need a visa. I also have a friend who stayed at the PPR a few years ago and she was in love with the resort and service. Also, I am currently working with a TA who has helped me to narrow down my search, and I will truly recommend doing that if you are in that process. All in all I freaked out when I saw a few bad reviews in Trip Advisor, but I just think that overall the resort has more positive reviews than negative ones. I have the prices for the different packages, etc. PM me your e-mail and I can send them to you. Relax and enjoy your planning. Liz

OMG Congratulations and THANK YOU for sharing!!! Best of Luck.

Hello, congrats to you as well. We are in the begging stages of our planning and I was originally very excited about holding the wedding at the Olympus lol (of course until I asked for the pricing list) but I just received the PDF with all upgrade costs. The Olympus is $18,840 (chill out package, location & fee with taxes included) and it hold 200-450 ppl. Now, I am looking at the Apolo Ballroom ($4,680) and I am entertaining the extra cost; I am just not a big fan of the carpet. The Olympus terrace, which is complimentary, seems to be a pretty nice location as well. Ideally I would like to hold my reception indoors, so who knows…aghh decisions, decisions! Best of Luck, Liz

That is great! Thank you so much. I will check it out tonight. Sometimes I wish I had taken any Photoshop courses or something like that as Paint and Power Point were no help haha. I know what I want, I just wish I can put it together myself. I set up a budget of 500 for my STD's and invitations and hopefully I will stick to it today. Also, I totally agree with you! These forums are extremely helpful. I've learned so much from other brides in these past 6 mos. It has saved me time and $$. Regarding to the wedding site, I created it yesterday at Wedding Wire, I found a few more options regarding backgrounds there. It looks awesome! but I was working on it all day yesterday'; I gotta do a Spanish and English version for everything . I was even thinking about saying my vows in English and have them written down in Spanish for all my Spanish speaking guests. Liz

SOOOO OUR DATE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED!! WE ARE OFFICIALLY GETTING MARRIED ON AUG 23rd at 6 pm!!! YAY!!! I will be working with Jessica, have any of you worked with her? Also, I need to send out my STD's by the end of July but I am having a hard time finding a nice and affordable vendor. Who did yo guys use to design your STD's and Invitations? What kind of information did you include on your STD's? How much of your budget did you allocate for them? I feel like both pieces set up the tone for the wedding and I am trying to have my STD's custom designed as I keep them under a reasonable budget. I am currently reaching out of a few vendors on Etsy but have not decided to pull the trigger with any of them yet. Any thoughts? Also, do you guys have a website? If so, are you guys using The Knot or Wedding Wire? any preferences? Way too many questions…

Aww that's so sweet!!! I was in The Knot and found out that they also have The Nest and The Bump websites!! you should check them out at your leisure. Also, I originally refused to do a buffet-style dinner. For me it was like not wearing a white wedding dress on my wedding day LOL (yeah sound ridiculous and pretty uptight) but of course I changed my mind afterwards . After all, a destination wedding is not a "traditional" wedding due to the location and etiquette that comes with it, so I decided to loosen up a bit haha and put my main focus on our families and us (I hope I remain this positive 60 days prior the wedding day hehe). This may be the first and only time that both families spend together. Liz.

Hey I sent you a PM. Let me know if you get it. Did you decide on your package? How many guests are you having!! Aghhhh BDW needs to come up with an app!! The online version on my phone doesn't work well when typing! Liz

Hey angelnjewels, I hear you!!! Are you doing The Reserve of the Non- Reserve? and which type of rooms are you reserving? Liz,

Congratulations!! Yes, I've heard about Theresa's work ethic; everyone speaks pretty highly about her. I got her contact info as well from one of the brides, I just have not decided to pull the trigger due to her 1k fee, which don't take me wrong may be totally worth it. I heard that she is aware of all the loopholes around PPR/C as she used to work for them or created the packages herself. Question, when you say save money, are you referring to the actual packages of the extras that come with it? Would she find better rates for our guests as well? Enjoy your planning, =) Liz

Quote:Originally Posted by engaged1230 Hi Brides Congrats! Im getting married December of 2013, and I have been working with Theresa C, the wedding planner who is AMAZING!!!!! If anyone wants any info on her please PM me. I have a lot of information and pictures so if anyone needs anything please feel free to PM Congrats engaged1230!!! How exciting!! I just sent out my contract and pymnt to reserve our date Aug 23rd/2014 at 6pm. I am so excited and I just can't wait to get their confirmation so I can start working on my STD's. What package did you choose? Did you block your rooms at The Reserve and Non-Reserve are? and how long are you gusy staying at the Resort for? We still have not decided on out travel dates, but I would like to get there not less than 3 days to take care of any last minute items and ensure that everything is going as planned. =) Happy Planning, Liz

Aww, thank you for sharing your pix!! You can tell that you guys had a blast!! You look gorgeous in your dress. CONGRATULATIONS!!! Liz

Arrecife's Prices: So, I got their packages but for some reason I cannot upload them to the site. If any one you would like to see them just send me a PM with your e-mail address and I will be happy to send it over. I am waiting with all my docs signed next to my PC waiting to hear if my date and time is available lol. HAPPY PLANNING EVERYONE!! LIZ

Quote:Originally Posted by angelnjewels Hey ladies, We have not chosen our package yet. We are waiting until more ppl respond to make a decision. My fiance and i really would like the tailor made package even though it is expensive it's something we have been looking into. our budget is 35-40K but i am hoping it is less than this.... We are working with our travel agent and have been able to block 20 rooms for our friends and family so far. My wedding is going to be on March 22, 2014. Boy am I having a crazy time right now. So far we have about 50ppl who RSVP'd we are waiting for 50 more to respond. We send out our formal invites soon so that will determine which package we get. We went to visit the resort in January and it was lovely. We hit some bumps with the room situation but other than that the resort was very nice and we had a really good time. We were set on having a sit down dinner but recently were told by the romance office that you only get two options served as a "duet" and that is it. Usually we are used to getting three entree's to choose from chicken, fish or steak but not in this case. Therefore we are now thinking of doing the buffet option since it offers more. We have looked at the menus and have decided that these are the best. My fiance and i wanted to have someone to officiate the wedding that spoke both English and Spanish. We are currently speaking to Rick York to see if he is able to officiate our wedding. We hope that all works out. Regarding the photographer we are going with resort photographer Arrecife everything i have heard is great. Good for you!!! We are working on getting our fist home and also planning the wedding.. It's been stressful trying to coordinate both, but here we are yay! Due to my budget, I am really trying to keep it after 60 guests. So far we have around 56 counting with adults and children (ages 0-12). I am sure that towards the end many will not be able to make it lol. I am also officially getting married at the resort, I really want to have a "one and only momment" hehe ofcourse, the 1K is not as exciting but oh well! Is Rick at DR? Do you know if all legal docs are handled by DR? I mean all translations and US certifications? I will definetly need a Bilingual official as well as my immediate family is not Bilingual. My vows will be in English only but I will write them down in Spanish for non-Englilsh speakers guests. OMG just to think about it I get pretty excited, like you said at the end it will be worth it. I also heard back from Arrecife today, the packages are pricey I am considering on bringing our NY photographer from NY, I just gotta run some numbers first and go from there. I would definetly like full shots of the Ceremony and Reception events!! MUY IMPORTANTE I am not sure about the video though, all depends on my program. I would really like the ceremony to be recorded and if in case I go with the ettiquets of the first dance and all of that too (although I heard brides who just assigned that to a specific member of the family and it also worked out pretty good). Liz

Hello, I am so glad I found this thread! We are getting married at Paradisus Palma Real in August 2014. Our budget is 10K, which we are expecting to pay it all off prior our wedding date. Our very first expenses have just started, from outfits for our engagement photo shoot, the photo shoot itself to picking our date and rooms. My very next expense will be the STD's which I am planning on keeping it nice and simple. ENGAGEMENT OUTFITS: $250 NY PHOTO SHOOT: $350 WEDDING DATE RESERVATION: $500 (The package comes up to 5K) 10 ROOMS BLOCK: $1,000 LEGAL CEREMONY: $1,000 SAVE THE DATES: TBD INVITATIONS: $400 (est) XTRA STATIONARY: TBD (Programs, place cards etc) FAVORS: $200 (est) WEDDING BANDS: TBD HIS OUTFIT: TBD AIRFARE: 1200 (est) DJ: $700 CAKE: $50 (extra layer) PHOTOGRAPHY: TBD FLOWERS: TBD I'm sure there will be many items that I have not even think about yet… It has been somewhat difficult for us to decide on a wedding destination as my family is from Ecuador and my fiancé's is from NY and Atl. Nonetheless, I think something important for us to keep in mind is that besides celebrating our marriage and future life together, this may be the only time that BOTH families may spend time together and compromising in certain items may be the only way to get there! HAPPY PLANNING!! Liz