Nena Martinez

Yes! I saw their portfolio I just have not received their rates yet. Our photographer in NY, who took handled our engagement photo shoot was amazing and really affordable. I would have loved for him to come to DR but we will have to pay for his flight and resort expenses aside from his package (which are still pretty affordable). I agree, the outside vendor rate is ridiculous! I will most likely have to roll the dice and stick with their own vendors. As long as we do have professional shots we should be fine (as I cross my fingers) If you hear back from Marisol, who handles any deals between PPR and Arrecife can you please let us know? I can't wait to see their rates so I can continue working on my budget. Thanks, Liz

Great Info!! Thanks... My budgets is 10K (for now) lol and so far this is what I have estimated: AQUA ($9,250) **Sit-down Dinner** 24 GUESTS: 5K 40 GUESTS: $1,600 xtra CIVIL CEREMONY: 1K DJ: $700 PHOTOGRAPHY: $700 FLOWERS: $200 CAKE: $50 CHILL OUT CHIC ($7,270) **Buffet Style Dinner** 24 GUESTS: 3,500 40 GUESTS: $1,120 xtra CIVIL CEREMONY: 1K DJ: $700 PHOTOGRAPHY: $700 FLOWERS: $200 CAKE: $50 FANTASY ($4,950) **No dinner** 10 GUESTS: 1,500 40 GUESTS: $1,200 xtra CIVIL CEREMONY: 1K DJ: $700 PHOTOGRAPHY: $700 FLOWERS: $200 CAKE: $50 This is a preliminary idea… I just glanced at wedding budgets 2 min ago and of course… haha THIS IS NOT REALISTIC!!! My grandma is paying for my dress and I may have my fiancé in shorts and not shirt on so we can save money hahaha! jk.

Congrats!!! I am shooting for August 23rd and I would also like an evening wedding. We picked the Chill Out Chic package as well and depending on how many guests we end up and our budget we may upgrade to the Aqua package. I am doing a beach ceremony but I am not sure where the reception will be taking place. I think if you do The Reserve than you can use the Gabby Restaurant?? I've heard great things about it. I have not made up my mind on whether booking The Reserve or not. What are your thoughts? What do you think about the prices? The majority of our guests are families vs single couples. Liz

Are any of you doing a Symbolic Ceremony or Official Ceremony? I kind of want to have only "one wedding moment" LOL!!! Liz

I picked my date today and I will be reserving it tomorrow (we can send a check or use a CC). As far as paying for the rooms, they take CC, wire transfer, cashier check or personal check. Also, 1K is needed to block the first set of rooms. We are currently working with a TA who has been great and will be taking care of all room reservations for our guests. You should ask Lauren to send you the contract docs and the "What is the Next Step?" resource sheet, just so you know what to expect, this put my mind at ease when I got it as I was pretty lost. We also wanted to go for the Aqua package since I would love to have a sit-down dinner!! But I decided to start with the Chill Out Chic until we account for all expenses. You only loose on the sit-down- dinner and number hors d' oeuvres (5 vs 3) but all packages can be customized to your taste based on your budget. I also wanted to do a BBQ Welcome Party for our guests, which we may add to the Chill Out at the end. Best of Luck, Liz

I also had some communication problems at the beginning of my planning. Supposedly b/c they are on their busiest time I the year. However, I am currently working with Marilyn Cairo who has been pretty helpful and has also responded all of my emails on a timely manner. Here is her contact info: [email protected] 305-669-2941 Happy Planning! Liz

I haven't pick mine yet. I originally wanted to do the Aqua package but now I'm hesitating due to the amount I guests that we may have (56). I wanted to do a sit down dinner and the idea if a Welcome BBQ (tailor Made) was pretty exciting as well. However, I may so te Chill Pit Chic so we can save some $. The chill out chic does not comes with a sit-down dinner and it only have 3 our' serves. The good things is that all packages are pretty customizable.

Hello, hope everything is well!! Thank you for offering your help. In fact I do have a few concerns and I was hoping that you can please help me out!! What are your thoughts on Arrecife photography? Do you happen to have a breakdown of their packages so we can look at? Also, what package did you choose? I am between the Chill Out Chic and Aqua. What are your thoughts? Thank you and congrats on your wedding!! Liz

Hey guys! Sorry I was away from this site for a while as this threat wasn't as active. We are in te process of picking our date which will most likely be August 2014. We have recieved the contract already and are in te process of reviewing it. Also, We are currently working with Marylin Cairo who is at the Miami Office, she is pretty good at responding emails on a timely manner, so I would recommend her. We arw also working with Patty Jordan, our TA from Wright T.A.. Additionally, I'm still trying to decide on our wedding package which it is not as critical as we have until 4 months prior the wedding :Dto decide. I am also waiting to hear from Arrecife, the resort's photography vendor regarding packages and costs. If I can help in anything please let me know. Happy planning!! Liz

It's funny I just started typing a long e-mail including all the "Heads Up" for our immediate family and fiends, I just gotta wait until I finalize everything with the resort first before I send it. I'm sorry you are going thru this and hopefully they expedite the process. Who said that doing a DW is a relaxed way to go???? LOL One of the main reason on us deciding on DR is b/c my parents can travel w/o a visa, supposedly they only need a passport (i hope this policies do not change until next year).

Hey guys, Does anyone know who Massiel at PPR is or have worked with her? She went MIA for the last 2 weeks and we have not gotten any responses from the resort either. My TA and I have been e-mailing her and the resort as we would like to finalize our dates for August 2014. Does anyone know who should we be in touch with regarding finalizing our contract or blocking our rooms? Now that we finally decided on the resort, we are already having communication challenges. We are somewhat disappointed as if this is happening now, what could we expect for the days prior our wedding?! (scary) My fiancé and I are already considering re-searching on resorts on DR… (sight). Let's see what happens. Happy Planning to everyone, Liz

OMG that is crazy!! I better tell my dad and everyone else out here to start looking into the passport process! on a side note, LOL to having your mom rob a bank! I am having guests coming from Ecuador, Atl, Fl & NY… let's see how that goes.

We are also looking into the TaIilor Made package as this encompass everything that we are looking for but I am still waiting to see the logistics of it. Probably after seeing them I will change my mind lol. I really don't want to be over budget but after reading the 2013 Forum it seems like it may not be possible.

Thank you Kel123073! It definetely makes a huge difference once you have seen the hotel or even better witnessed a wedding at that venue. We are also from NY and recently moved to OH. We chose PPR because it matches our wedding vision & personality. The majority of the pristine resorts that we looked at were in Mexico and that was not feasible for us. After reading and hearing back from you guys I feel more confortable. We may be doing a Love at FIrst Site trip but we are still waving our options. Thank you- Happy Planning!!

Congrats!!!! I am in the very begining of the process so that will be our very next step. What package did you pick? Best of luck!

Hey guys, I'm glad I am no the only one lol. We just picked the resort on Saturday and we are pretty excited. I am currently working with my TA to see what is our next step. What dates are you guys looking at? and What TA are you guys using? I am looking at August and have sent an unofficial heads up to our immediate family members. Good luck to all! P.S. Sorry! I had sent the wrong smiley lol

Any newbies for 2014 getting a head start?

Thanks engaged1230, my fiancé & I have come to that conclusion. We are also from NY and recently moved to OH. I will definitely speak with my TA on Monday and see what she has to say. Good luck in your planning.When are you getting married? We are on the initial stages of our planning and I am looking forward learning about any prices and details for the wedding packages. As of now we are considering the Tailor Made Romance, we'll see. Best of luck! Liz.

Hello all, Congrats on your upcoming weddings!!! We've been trying to pick a resort and location for the last 6 mos. Now that we finally did choose Paradisus Palma Real for 2014 and let our family members know, we found a terrible review on TripAdvisor (Apr. 26th "Don't stay here!!!!") from a recent bride. I am somewhat hesitant about continuing this route as Dreams Palm Beach was our second-best option based on BDW's site. On a side note, I was the type of person who thought you can never please anyone. Help!! Liz.

Good to know that!!! THANK YOU!!! =) I am a 2014 bride, hoping to reserve my date by this friday!! Happy Planning!!

Does anyone know how many weddings can be held on a daily basis? Thanks, Liz.

Hey brides, I just wanted to share this link with you. Although I have not yet decided on my resort, I was very pleased to find out that Azul Sensatori received the 2013 AAA Four Diamond Award. I figure this would make us feel even more comfortable when choosing Azul Sensatori as a venue for this special day http://www.allinclusiveoutlet.com/c/three-all-inclusive-outlet-resorts-receive-2013-aaa-diamond-awards/ http://www.allinclusiveoutlet.com/c/tag/AAA-Four-Diamond/ Liz.

Hello snorfle1, Thank you very much for the info!!! I am glad to hear that side by side comparison. It is difficult to plan when you have not been to the location. I am leaning towards Azul Sensatori but I am also doing some research on Grand Velas and Fairmont Riviera Maya. I appreciate you taking the time to respond Liz

Hey, Punta Cana was our first option when we first decided on a destination wedding. After waving options, we were led to Mexico but have had little luck with finding a resort. I figure I check back Punta Cana and see if I can find what I am looking for. My first option was the Hard Rock Hotel, however I was strongly discouraged due to its poor service and food quality. Now, I am looking at Dreams Palm Beach and Majestic Elegance Punta Cana. My current wedding advisor did not recommend the Dreams PB (I don't know why yet) but she did not say much about the Majestic Elegance. Has anyone visited any other resorts or have any top picks? Good luck in your planning, Liz

Yep!!! Same here, I am also a 2014 bride!