Bride2B1130

Hi. It's been a while since I've been back on this site but since I was scrolling through I noticed this topic. Just a note to future brides, much of the marriage license will greatly depend on your coordinator as you already know. My husband and I got married in PC in 11/30/13 and we had our license in hand by the end of the year. I will say a huge part of that is the fact that our coordinator Carolina at GPPC was adamant that we scan/ send her preliminary documents BEFORE sending copies via post. Why? Because there were some things that weren't done correctly. She sent us back to the embassy and calling our own states offices a couple of times to make sure everything is perfect. I've heard a few stories about delays, and while that doesn't mean the coordinators were clueless, these folks I know did not have the attn to detail from the coordinator and things were just sent in with a hope and a prayer. It can take up to 6 months but I've heard from those I know they received theirs in hand within 2 months. I thought the process was easy but after reviewing some of the things we had to do the most that caused the headaches were tiny mistakes. Hope this helps any future brides!

We had a seated meal (beef medallions) because we had 20 people.

Hi. I would take a look at the 2013 Grand Palladium Brides and seach Grand Palladium Brides because there is a lot of info and it'll give you some ideas. If you have specific questions please feel free to IM me. Congratulations!! You're going to love it!

Hm, I hope I can answer some of these questions. I just wrote a journal about my experience this past November. Feel free to PM me if you have any additional questions. So lets start with the first one my answers are in blue... 1.How long is the ceremony? (I am doing civil) The Civil Ceremony itself lasts roughly 15 minutes however I asked Carolina about reading some additional words (it was roughly one page of typed print) so that it could get our parents involved AND we could perform a sand ceremony. This was allowed but it could not interrupt (no actions could be in between) the official ceremony. Once that was completed we were allowed to perform additional things to customize it a bit. We were the only wedding that day and had the location for 1 hour 2.What's the max length of song can I have to walk down the aisle? (I have 4 girls to walk in before me) and I am planning on doing one song all the way through up until I walk onto to Gazebo/beach (I don't want it to be my time to walk down the aisle and it stops cuz it's over..lol) I'm not sure of the max length of a song however but I think my song was roughly 3 minutes long. Just make sure you clearly indicate which song is for you and they folks there will take care of it 3.Gazebo or Beach? I'm so confused with which one I want, I originally wanted beach, but I realized the gazebo is more private and I can wear my AWESOME shoes!!! lol (I've actually bought 3 pairs so far) haha.. I'm basically looking for anyone that has the experience and can tell me their story or even someone that is a future bride and has some opinions that might help...tuff tuff decision... Well my wedding was at the Ocean facing gazebo meaning that there was a hard surface. The gazebo can be private but sometimes we brides look fabolous and there are always onlookers. We actually had people stop me on the way to the wedding to ask me about my dress -- I just told them maybe another time. The gazebo does give your pictures a nice 'frame' and the beach has the perfect setting. We ended up taking pictures on the beach after the ceremony but I did not partake in the TTD 4.Pre-wedding: getting hair and make-up? did you have to book in advance (lots in advance) for the hair salon? and how was it? was anyone dissapointed with what they got done? I'm not very good with hair (so i guess it can't be worse then what I could do, right!) and I don't have anyone in the wedding that's good either. What were the costs for getting hair done? So I can also let my bridesmaids/guests know. Also about the make-up...is it really worth it, I'm not super great at that either and I don't like it on heavy, but I would still want something special done, what were your experiences with make-up? and costs? I chose a very easy hairstyle that still took us 4 hours to do. We had to straighten, and pin, and use a bunch of bobby pins but it looked really good. The makeup I think you can do yourself. I went to Sephora and wanted a very natural look. It took me all of 20 minutes to do my makeup but I don't wear makeup anyways so it make take a little longer. I would say do a trial and have them tell you EXACTLY what makeup they used and spend some me time getting your bridesmaids together or friends and 'practice'. I found it to be a great way to talk about my wedding 'stuff' and naturally de-stress. 5.Reception: We are taking the crystal package, but we are thinking of taking the private reception also, we figured since everyone came all that way just for us, we would want something special for them to remember! there is a semi-private dinner included in the crystal package, but then that's it...doesn't feel like a wedding reception you know....we want something where we can still do our first dance, father/daughter dance, throw bouquet/garter, older sisters have to dance by themselves in ugly socks...lol....and just have a great time and dance the night away!! Did anyone do the private reception and didn't think it was worth it? and can I even do all these things at the private reception? What else was included with the private reception? I did the private reception and it was worth every penny. I enjoyed having the private time with my group of 20 people who danced the entire night away. We even had strangers walk in and tried (emphasis on tried) to join but clearly we were having a great time. We had the private reception at Arrecife which turned out to be just fine and everyone loved it. The shoes came off within 20 minutes of dancing and we had a blast. We still talk about it today! You can ABSOLUTELY do everything at the private reception. Every one of those things you mentioned ...I did it. I didn't rush either and everyone understands it's "your time". Private reception includes tables chairs, food, drinks, and a cake. It turned out to be perfect. 5.DECORATIONS???? What's included in the crystal package for decorations at the ceremony AND at the reception? I've read posts of people that brought their own things, I don't mind bringing some of my own, did people have to bring an extra lugguage? I really wouldn't stress about bringing decorations. Carolina saved some petals that I brought and those from my aisle runner to spruce up tables (she really nailed it on that one). Most people do bring extra luggage - I was lucky enough to be allotted 70lbs per bag per person (I fly alot) so I found that it didn't bother me. But I really wouldn't weigh yourself down but if your goal is to give a way things and come back with half then by all means bring it on the plane 6.What is the opinion of everyone that is the best restaurant to book the dinner/reception at? I can't answer this here. They were doing construction at the time I went so dinner options were limited but the option that we got was perfect for us. To give you an idea of how our wedding went and reception take a look at my wedding pics. The resolution was low because HDC took 600 PHOTOS and loading all of them would've been too much time. I would suggest HDC Photo -- ARNAUD is the man. Miljan who works with Arnaud shoot our photos and they're just amazing. PM me if you want to see pictures of the big event. I got pre-ceremony, ceremony, post ceremony and reception photos. You'll want to choose HDC PHOTO after seeing these ) I hope I helped you out. Like I said PM me as it's easier for me to be responsive that way if you have any additional questions. I'm happy to share my experiences!

Interesting you had this situation. I was told from the beginning with a Civil Ceremony it really depends on the judge schedule. We completed all of the paperwork necessary in order for us to get married there and the WC at GPPC reviewed it and said it looked good. Meanwhile we scanned the information and when we got there the judge showed up, we had our wedding, signed our name, got our witnesses and were so thankful everything turned out okay. I'm not sure what else you can do to speed up the time though as that wasn't my experience

*Cross Posting* Well we are back from the wedding! Everything turned out perfectly although I was stressed out the entire time and only realized (once I arrived) that I had nothing to worry about. Carolina and Kenia are the best at what they do and are super professional at making your wedding perfect! Hopefully I cover everything in the review and if I haven't - feel free to shoot me a message. GPPC & Renovations: The biggest thing I 'noticed' were the renovations that were going on at the hotel. They are a bit behind with the building of the new villas but it doesn't really interfere with what you have to do. There were a few restaurants that were closed so we were limited with the choices for the reception but that didn't worry us because everyone enjoyed the dinner (as we saw the empty plates). Crystal Wedding Package & Planning: First things first - do NOT stress out about the planning and coordination. Carolina is very busy and tries her best to respond to each and every response for folks that are interested in having their wedding at the Grand Palladium. Believe it or not, it seems like the word of mouth is spreading fast and she is becoming extremely busy. With that being said, I would utilize the "subject" line of your email to include the date of your wedding and your name(s) so it's easy for her to identify who is sending her messages and the priority of responses. If you're already scheduled to have your wedding there the response times in my experience were MUCH MUCH quicker. As others have stated Carolina knows what she's doing however I needed to re-visit this board to remind myself that everything is under control (and I needed to calm down). We had the Crystal Wedding package and as US Citizens we went ahead with the legal process to get married in the DR. We also decided to get married in the beach facing gazebo which was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Now, when you arrive you will schedule a meeting with Carolina - when that takes place you will see how everything will come together and all of your worries will go away. I hope this post will help future brides to not do what I did and stress out all of the time. Weather : This topic single handedly stressed me out for 72 hours prior to the wedding. The forecast said that there was a 30% chance of rain starting at 4PM (which was the time the wedding started). I was so scared that my big day would be ruined by the rain however, it was a nice cool day with the perfect overcast for photos and other things. There was a little sprinkle while we took photos on the beach but the photographers were able to catch the rainbow so we were really happy about that. For those getting married between Dec - Feb I don't see you having a problem with the rain. Main point is, it's the Caribbean and although the forecast had rain we didn't experience it and it held out. Reception & Food: We had our reception at Arrecife and paid the extra 1K for the private dinner and it was the best decision we made although we had to put out extra money for this. We rented out the entire space although we only had 20 people at the wedding and it was the right idea because of a few things: First Dance Importance & Intimate feel with attentive service. I just couldn't imagine 'sharing' the space with others. The restaurant was set up very nicely and to our likings. We exceeded the 12 person threshold so we all had the same meal and everyone enjoyed it. We had the French & Onion Soup, the Beef Tenderloins, and fruit platter because of the cake Now, everyone enjoyed the food and we enjoyed the service that was provided to us. It was on point. We were having such a good time that there were some people on the resort starting to walk in because they saw what a good time we were having and wanted to join the party! The cake was delicious and MORE than enough for our group and we wanted to give the rest of the cake to the servers and their kids/families. They were great! Everything really went perfect and we couldn't be more happy. DJ Mannia: First, we met with the Mannia group prior to the wedding so they could explain what they have seen, what works best, what doesn't etc. It was perfect because the music is a HUGE deal for just about everybody and certainly my family. DJ Mannia and Elam had the crowd going all night. Our crowd is a energetic crowd anyways and will get up to dance, and will take their shoes off when their feet hurt and are up late into the night dancing. DJ Mannia sent a wedding information in a word document prior to the wedding and we filled it out. Prior to the reception they pulled us aside to confirm the small details which made me feel even better because they were concerned with the little details. I wouldn't have a reception in the DR without DJ Mannia. They've got competitive prices and their reviews speak for themselves HDC Photo: We used HDC Photo and WE LOVE THE WORK THAT THEY HAVE DONE!!! Arnaud and his company are simply the best and I am the type to pay for quality and won't bat an eye when I do. Your photos are your only tangibles from your wedding and you want to capture them as such. I know some people have others in the audience that take "good pictures" but taking "good pictures" and hiring "professionals" is a big difference.We could see that from the experience and the confidence that they had with some of the photos that we are in good hands. I remember doing a few photos and I was thinking "this is a strange position" and guess what?? That photo is my FAVORITE PHOTO. I cannot recommend them enough and I am going to put their services on blast to anyone and everyone that has a wedding or special event in DR. The photos are taken with such precision that it takes me back there once again. We worked with Arnaud (prior to the wedding), Milijan (wedding), & Charly (wedding) for our wedding and they were the best to work with. Those three know there stuff. I am truly amazed and thankful that I hired them to capture my big day. HDC are the best. I'm hoping I'm covering as much as I can about our big day and I'm hoping this will help out a future bride just as this forum has been tremendously helpful to me. *Oh, I just remembered - for Brides getting married at the Gazebo - those cobblestones are spaced far apart so if you're wearing heels and having the camera man there try to look up without falling. We noticed those that didn't have a groomsmen/usher to hold onto were looking down.*

Well we are back from the wedding! Everything turned out perfectly although I was stressed out the entire time and only realized (once I arrived) that I had nothing to worry about. Carolina and Kenia are the best at what they do and are super professional at making your wedding perfect! Hopefully I cover everything in the review and if I haven't - feel free to shoot me a message. GPPC & Renovations: The biggest thing I 'noticed' were the renovations that were going on at the hotel. They are a bit behind with the building of the new villas but it doesn't really interfere with what you have to do. There were a few restaurants that were closed so we were limited with the choices for the reception but that didn't worry us because everyone enjoyed the dinner (as we saw the empty plates). Crystal Wedding Package & Planning: First things first - do NOT stress out about the planning and coordination. Carolina is very busy and tries her best to respond to each and every response for folks that are interested in having their wedding at the Grand Palladium. Believe it or not, it seems like the word of mouth is spreading fast and she is becoming extremely busy. With that being said, I would utilize the "subject" line of your email to include the date of your wedding and your name(s) so it's easy for her to identify who is sending her messages and the priority of responses. If you're already scheduled to have your wedding there the response times in my experience were MUCH MUCH quicker. As others have stated Carolina knows what she's doing however I needed to re-visit this board to remind myself that everything is under control (and I needed to calm down). We had the Crystal Wedding package and as US Citizens we went ahead with the legal process to get married in the DR. We also decided to get married in the beach facing gazebo which was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Now, when you arrive you will schedule a meeting with Carolina - when that takes place you will see how everything will come together and all of your worries will go away. I hope this post will help future brides to not do what I did and stress out all of the time. Weather : This topic single handedly stressed me out for 72 hours prior to the wedding. The forecast said that there was a 30% chance of rain starting at 4PM (which was the time the wedding started). I was so scared that my big day would be ruined by the rain however, it was a nice cool day with the perfect overcast for photos and other things. There was a little sprinkle while we took photos on the beach but the photographers were able to catch the rainbow so we were really happy about that. For those getting married between Dec - Feb I don't see you having a problem with the rain. Main point is, it's the Caribbean and although the forecast had rain we didn't experience it and it held out. Reception & Food: We had our reception at Arrecife and paid the extra 1K for the private dinner and it was the best decision we made although we had to put out extra money for this. We rented out the entire space although we only had 20 people at the wedding and it was the right idea because of a few things: First Dance Importance & Intimate feel with attentive service. I just couldn't imagine 'sharing' the space with others. The restaurant was set up very nicely and to our likings. We exceeded the 12 person threshold so we all had the same meal and everyone enjoyed it. We had the French & Onion Soup, the Beef Tenderloins, and fruit platter because of the cake Now, everyone enjoyed the food and we enjoyed the service that was provided to us. It was on point. We were having such a good time that there were some people on the resort starting to walk in because they saw what a good time we were having and wanted to join the party! The cake was delicious and MORE than enough for our group and we wanted to give the rest of the cake to the servers and their kids/families. They were great! Everything really went perfect and we couldn't be more happy. DJ Mannia: First, we met with the Mannia group prior to the wedding so they could explain what they have seen, what works best, what doesn't etc. It was perfect because the music is a HUGE deal for just about everybody and certainly my family. DJ Mannia and Elam had the crowd going all night. Our crowd is a energetic crowd anyways and will get up to dance, and will take their shoes off when their feet hurt and are up late into the night dancing. DJ Mannia sent a wedding information in a word document prior to the wedding and we filled it out. Prior to the reception they pulled us aside to confirm the small details which made me feel even better because they were concerned with the little details. I wouldn't have a reception in the DR without DJ Mannia. They've got competitive prices and their reviews speak for themselves HDC Photo: We used HDC Photo and WE LOVE THE WORK THAT THEY HAVE DONE!!! Arnaud and his company are simply the best and I am the type to pay for quality and won't bat an eye when I do. Your photos are your only tangibles from your wedding and you want to capture them as such. I know some people have others in the audience that take "good pictures" but taking "good pictures" and hiring "professionals" is a big difference.We could see that from the experience and the confidence that they had with some of the photos that we are in good hands. I remember doing a few photos and I was thinking "this is a strange position" and guess what?? That photo is my FAVORITE PHOTO. I cannot recommend them enough and I am going to put their services on blast to anyone and everyone that has a wedding or special event in DR. The photos are taken with such precision that it takes me back there once again. We worked with Arnaud (prior to the wedding), Milijan (wedding), & Charly (wedding) for our wedding and they were the best to work with. Those three know there stuff. I am truly amazed and thankful that I hired them to capture my big day. HDC are the best. I'm hoping I'm covering as much as I can about our big day and I'm hoping this will help out a future bride just as this forum has been tremendously helpful to me. *Oh, I just remembered - for Brides getting married at the Gazebo - those cobblestones are spaced far apart so if you're wearing heels and having the camera man there try to look up without falling. We noticed those that didn't have a groomsmen/usher to hold onto were looking down.*

Hello! We are actually meeting with our photographers at 10AM on Thursday. Hm, is there another time that works for you. I am actually leaving for the Dominican Republic in about 5 minutes but please feel free to email me. I will PM you.

We are leaving for PC today and we're getting married Saturday! It's been a long time coming and I'm hoping everything goes smoothly (from the flight from Newark all the way to having no rain and a sunny day on Saturday). Thanks for all of your advice and tips and I will let you know how it goes!

My wedding is coming up next Saturday (11/30) and we booked with HDC Photo. Arnaud mentioned that we would be having Miljan and Charly and we will be meeting with them prior to the event. We have heard great things so we're interested in meeting them to get their perspective for the phtotoshoots. I will say I've heard Arnaud and Milan/Miljan's name float around a bit but haven't heard of Charly. Anyone had any experiences with Charly? Thanks in advance.

My wedding is next Saturday (11/30) and we have hired DJ Mannia through our coordinator Carolina. We've heard great things and are looking forward to meeting with you prior to our ceremony on Saturday (hopefully that is possible - instead of doing it right before the reception). It's our first time to DR and we are very excited!!

Your pictures look beautiful!! Thank you so much for posting your review! When you first arrived was everything set up for you at check in? Where did you stay within GPPC? Did you find that the restaurants were packed due to the renovations going on? What are your thoughts on that? I'm leaving for PC in 3 days and am so nervous and feel as if Im forgetting something. Also I know you were mentioning the weather but I can't help to notice that everyday has been showing rain. That's seriously freaking me out. Did you meet with DJ Mannia prior to the reception? We are in the process of bringing An iPod in the event something unfortunate happens. Oh man, this is so stressful. Did you find that once meeting with Carolina everything was smooth and you were able rest and relax. I've got friends that want me to do a tour but I'm not sure I want to leave the premises. Thoughts? Thanks for sharing!!!

Hmmm, interesting. I am hoping and praying that they have more restaurants available when we arrive next week.

Hi eberry!!! Thanks for the information...so you're saying all of the restaurants are open all over the resort? Carolina mentioned that she is changing our private reception dinner location due to the restaurant renovations. She has us at La Uva and I haven't heard too many stellar reviews about the place. Am I missing something? We are having a private reception and I was confused because you're saying the restaurants are open but she is saying that she hopes that the restaurants will be done with renovations and open by the 30th (our wedding day). What am I missing? Has anyone gotten the same response from Carolina?

Just found this on the active thread: Woot Woot!! Another November 2013 Bride here! I am leaving in two weeks and we are getting married at the Grand Palladium Punta Cana on November 30th, 2013!

Hello fellow brides! I will cross post this on the other forum but I was wondering if anyone has any additional information about the renovations that are taking place on the Bavaro side for the restaurants. I'm actually a little worried since ALL of them (from what I've heard have been going through renovations so it means that they may be unavailable in a couple of weeks. Has anyone heard or seen any of the new changes at the resort. Does it create a bottleneck at the other restaurants due to this. Geez, this just makes me that more nervous. Please let me know!

Hello fellow brides! I will cross post this on the other forum but I was wondering if anyone has any additional information about the renovations that are taking place on the Bavaro side for the restaurants. I'm actually a little worried since ALL of them (from what I've heard have been going through renovations so it means that they may be unavailable in a couple of weeks. Has anyone heard or seen any of the new changes at the resort. Does it create a bottleneck at the other restaurants due to this. Geez, this just makes me that more nervous. Please let me know!

Thanks for that info jenmheadrick! The days are winding down as we are only 19 days away from our wedding. We are really trying to decide if we want some of the extra decorations and I'm sure we'll have some last minute questions in the next few days. Thanks for your help!

Sweeeeet!! Thank you so much for that information ndenney! That's very helpful. I'm also trying to get ideas for ceremony/cocktail hour/reception flow. Can anyone speak to their weddings and what went well and what didn't when it comes to this and provide any advice? We are thinking of doing a cocktail hour at Hemingway Bar. Is the bar a big open space or are there areas that can be roped off for wedding guests? Are we able to get our own bartenders? How long should this little meet & greet event be? Any insight would help us out. We are feeling the time crunch 41 daysss...

Hey Everyone! Time is dwindling down and I wanted to see if anyone could help me out when it comes to the private reception. How did Carolina set up the tables if you had the private reception. Were the tables rectangular, circular. I'm trying to envision this but am wondering if any of the past brides can help me out. Thank you!

*Disclaimer: I'm cross posting to get see if I can get a response* I sent out a question to Carolina but haven't got a response. I assume she is busy. Does anyone know the surface from the light post to the gazebo entrance. It looks like brick but I want to be sure before I click the "order" button for my aisle runner! Thank you!

I sent out a question to Carolina but haven't got a response. I assume she is busy. Does anyone know the surface from the light post to the gazebo entrance. It looks like brick but I want to be sure before I click the "order" for my aisle runner! *For past brides* - If you used an aisle runner - what decorations did you use to hold the aisle runner in place?? I'm thinking of something that adds to the beach setting.

We hired DJ Mannia for our private reception - we heard good things about him so we're hoping he lives up to expectations as we've got a groovy crowd.. Now I'm trying to find an aisle runner and then of course I'll have to figure out what I will have to hold it down so it doesn't bunch up and make me trip! How's your wedding planning going? We have 60 odd days and its getting a bit crazy at the moment but we are excited!

I believe we are choosing to have ours at El Bohio if possible for the private reception.

Right the portion above I don't intend on changing. But prior to this reading I'd like to add a little bit of a personal touch and it flows right into the official reading. I'll have to see if Carolina can do this. I'm also wondering if there are any Pastor's in Punta Cana who may be able to do this initial reading and then the judge would perform the rest. The sand ceremony is an added touch prior to the reading and really shouldn't take much time. Hmmm...it would be nice to be able to do that. Now, I have to figure out the order of events, and where to have the cocktail hour... decisions decisions...