1Pris

Hello all! My wedding is fast approaching and I am trying to finish putting all the little details together. I have a question for those who have already had their wedding at Paradisus Punta Cana. Did you have music at the cocktail hour after the ceremony? I am using the audio system for the ceremony but they will charge me to use it for the cocktail hour. I am not sure if I want to spend the money on it (trying to stay in budget) and I dont think I want the domincan trio either. Has anyone gone without music during the cocktail hour? If so, is it really noticable or did you not think it made a difference?

 

Also, has anyone had an event in the Romance Foyer? I am having my rehearsal dinner there. My planner suggested that I use fans? Any advice from those who have had a dinner there?

 

Thank you!

I just came back from our wedding last Sunday! It was everything I had imagined!!!

I had two songs played during the cocktail hour right after the ceremony, only because I had asked the sound guy to play them and he was pretty nice about it. I did notice that right after the ceremony they start to pack up right away so I think he was just being nice but anyway, after two songs that I asked to play then they packed up. The cocktail hour was fine without music. People were talking, drinking and taking pics so it wasn't awkward silent. 

Hello all! My wedding is fast approaching and I am trying to finish putting all the little details together. I have a question for those who have already had their wedding at Paradisus Punta Cana. Did you have music at the cocktail hour after the ceremony? I am using the audio system for the ceremony but they will charge me to use it for the cocktail hour. I am not sure if I want to spend the money on it (trying to stay in budget) and I dont think I want the domincan trio either. Has anyone gone without music during the cocktail hour? If so, is it really noticable or did you not think it made a difference?

 

Also, has anyone had an event in the Romance Foyer? I am having my rehearsal dinner there. My planner suggested that I use fans? Any advice from those who have had a dinner there?

 

Thank you!

I just had my wedding on Sunday Dec 8th and it was everything I had imagined!!!

I had 2 songs played during cocktail hour only because I requested it. I noticed how quick they pack up the sound system after the ceremony so I think he was being nice by allowing my 2 songs to play during cocktail hour. Also, after the songs were finished it was not awkward silent. My guests were eating, talking and taking pictures so it was fine. Don't stress too much about that. 

Yes!! That would be fantastic! What time do you arrive? We get in around 2:30pm. 

At 3:30 Looking forward to meeting you! Any last minute suggestions?

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylieb 
 

Hi! Our wedding is this Saturday, the 7th; Thanks for asking! We are just finishing up last minute details and are anxiously waiting to head out there on Wednesday!! Any last minute tips?!

We leave on Wednesday also! Hopefully we can meet! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by kissta 
 

They did bring a book to the bridal salon, but it looked a little dated. I think that if you don't want to get a trial done up here, you should bring a photo of what you'd like your hair to look like. The girl I got (can't remember her name) was really good, so I wouldn't worry too much! I was really impressed by her!

Thank you for your feedback!! One more thing: did you have the grilled buffet? If so, how was it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by brookesileo 
 

Hi Ladies, 1Pris I have all the same concerns you have, I have no idea if I should do a trial on my hair, do I really want to spend the extra money to do that?  I didn't even think about a rehearsal dinner until now? My package that I choose comes with a free one hour welcome cocktail party per 10 guests that I am having, do you think it would be fine to use that as my rehearsal dinner? Are you using the in house decorations place? I got a quote of 85 plus tax(which their tax rate is crazy expensive, so it comes to 107 per centerpiece). It seems expensive for a centerpiece so basic. But is it worth all the extra headache of bringing down my own centerpieces? What have you decided on?

Krissta, your photos are beautiful, did you use Arrefice? What month did you have your wedding in? Any advice for welcome bags do's and don'ts?

I think I am going to go ahead and get the trial do back at home and take lots of pictures. I agree that the one hour welcome party would be fine for your rehearsal dinner. I only have 20 people in my guest list so I don't feel the need to have a welcome dinner. We are all going to hang out anyway since my guests are immediate family members. 

Also, I am not using the in house decorations. I am bringing my own beautiful silver candle votives with battery tea lights. I am renting vases and just sticking our fresh flower bouquets in them as centerpieces. I will also have the oriental chinese lanterns for my lighting. I think the best advice that I have heard: dont worry too much about details because you are already in a beautiful location. Keep it simple and avoid a headache.  

Also, I am giving my guests a souvenir tote bag with our names and wedding date. I am not spending money to stuff it though. I am bringing a good amount of items as it is and dont want to bring any more than I have to. BTW I ordered my bags from zazzle.com and absolutely love them. This site always has great buys! Good luck with planning! My big day is December 8th and I will definitely come back to review the experience! 

I am glad I could help 1Pris! I know it is very overwhelming, but honestly, everything runs so smoothly and the coordinators are amazing! Everything looked and flowed exactly as I had pictured it and don't know why I ever worried! I went for a trial hair back home and took pictures. I brought these to the bridal suite. The girl who did my hair actually did it better than my hairstylist up here. She speaks very little English, so luckily one of my Bridesmaids speaks Spanish. But if you don't have anyone who speaks Spanish, it is not a problem. I showed her parts of my hair I wanted different and she did it perfectly. They do use a lot of hairspray, which really helped for the humidity. Plus, my hair was up, so it made no difference. Perhaps if you are doing your hair down, you may want to provide your own hairspray as the aerosol one they used had quite a firm hold! But my hair up lasted throughout the entire evening and still looked perfect as I went to bed. I was REALLY pleased with my hair!  

Hi 1Pris!! Yes our days are coming up so fast!!! I am so excited and nervous at the same time!!! I saw you also worked with Theresa, which for me has been extremely helpful! I'm sure you already sent your planner to the resort; have you heard anything back from them? I would really like to plan/confirm my welcome cocktail hour and rehearsal/rehearsal dinner but haven't heard back!! Once that is set it stone, I am sure I will feel much better! Hope everything is going well for you too!

Quote:

Originally Posted by kylieb 
 

Hi! Thank you so much for your review; I am getting married December 7 (just a couple weeks away!) and am certainly getting hit with last minute nerves. It is helpful to read such a positive review, especially regarding the photography since we also have hired Joaquin. You looked absolutely beautiful, FYI

 

 I have a quick question for you: how did you transport your items down to the resort? Did you check them? And did you use boxes, suitcases, or bins? Any advice, from you or anyone else would be REALLY helpful! 

 

Thank you!! 

Our days are almost here!! I'm so excited!! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by kissta 
 

Hello kylieb! Good luck with your upcoming wedding!

We were so unbelievably happy with Joaquin's work - he is truly amazing and was such a pleasure to work with! Our trash the dress pictures are the best and I would recommend it because you are less nervous (they do it 2 days after the wedding). I wore a simple, short white dress as I didn't want to truly trash mine
Thank you for the compliment! I wish I could relive the day. It went by so fast and it was all a blur until we watched the wedding video!

I had 80 people ... which meant I brought down A LOT of stuff for welcome bags. I borrowed 7 family members' carry-ons and our luggage is really big. That's how I brought everything down and we carried our dress and suit onto the plane. Be careful though - the woman who checked my dad's bag said his carry-on was too heavy and actually charged him $105 to check it - oh well!
Anything else you need answered, just let me know. But don't worry - I had such a wonderful experience and you will too! It is so perfect there!
Take care!

Thank you so very much for this review. Its calms my worries about everything. Another question, did you go for a trial hair do? Did you show them what you wanted?

Kylieb, I'm right behind you! December 8th! Soooo excited!!! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayansi08 
 

Hi Ladies!!!

 

I haven't posted in while but wanted to share the following...

 

My husband and I got married last year at PPC on October 27th and it was beautiful! Before deciding on having our wedding at PPC we were considering the Paradisus Cancun. (We had never visited either resort before making our decision)

 

For our 1 year anniversary we used our complementary free nights and went to the Paradisus in Cancun last weekend.

 

I just wanted to let you ladies know that you have all made an AMAZING decision in choosing PPC as your weeding location. The Cancun resort does not compare to PPC!!!

 

I know how nerve wrecking planning a destination wedding is, especially if you aren't able to visit the resort before your wedding. I promise you, you all have made the best decision in having your wedding at PPC!!!

 

I can't remember if I ever posted any pics but here are a few.....

 

Thank you!! It eases my mind to know that we made a great choice! Beautiful pics! 

Any reviews on hair makeup done at the spa at PPC?

I know!! Getting so excited!! We leave next Saturday!! Yours is too 1Pris ... how is all your planning going?

You should ask your Wedding Coordinator if they can provide the water bottles - that would make traveling so much easier. I know you can find awesome labels on Etsy.com to personalize! That would be a great idea! Don't worry. It hit me when I was 2 months out that I had a lot to do. I just took a couple weekends and put it all together. I also have a spreadsheet going of all my guests, how many welcome bags, arrival times, etc. Another helpful tip is that I have put together a "wedding binder" to take down with me. It has all my paid invoices, my romance planner from the resort, and email communication I have had over the year. That way there will be no confusion while I am down there!

Quote:

Originally Posted by EVKnowsitall 
 

 

No worries- I managed to upload all my photos into three albums and they are at the bottom of my signature if you want to see the full spectrum.

 

We had our TTD at a nearby resort- The Majestic Elegance. Our photographer, Phil Steingard, who I found on the threads for Majestic when we were initially looking to get married there, does most of his shoots for brides at that hotel. Our hotel, Paradisus, charged us an outside vendor fee of $1,000 to have him. In order to skirt around it, they have a clause that if  your photographer is booked as a guest for 3 nights, you do not have to pay the fee. The cost to book him a room was $600 so it saved us $400.

 

Anyway- he said he was more comfortable at Majestic because it was his home base, although had we insisted, he would have photographed us at our resort. But I felt like we would already have shots of us at our resort the day of our wedding and I wanted some variety in terms of backdrops. We took a cab to Majestic already dressed in our wedding attire. Here's what the day and the care afterwards looked like:

 

1.) He said to take a shower and come with my hair wet- so even if I didn't want to get in the water, I would look like I had. I hate the way my hair looks wet- but I just followed the pro.

2.) He told me to leave my veil home...which I later regretted.

3.) He told me not to wear my wedding jewelry because he was worried about it- that I didn't budge on. I hate not wearing earrings so I wore them anyway.

4.) We took a cab and our wedding attire but bought a change of clothes for after.

5.) We took our pictures all around the hotel first and then we went to the beach. The shoot was supposed to be an hour- took us almost 4. He kept saying "but I have some beautiful light" and "I just came up with a cool idea" and who can say no to that? We missed our dinner reservation LOL

6.) When we got to the water he said "how wet do you want to get. Like mist wet or wet wet." "Soaking wet all the way" I told him. And then the water hit my dress. I froze in terror and my husband and his best man (who came to assist) caught it on a camera phone that was later stolen at our AHR. According to them- my look was priceless. But once I realized there was no going back- we forged ahead.

7.) My dress weighed a TON ones it was wet and saturated with sand. I could barely move. It was quite comical although not so much when I thought I was being puled by currents.

8.) After the shoot, I walked into a lobby shower of the Majestic (in the bathroom of course) and went under the shower head in my dress. I got out of the dress and put on my alternate outfit.

9.) We put the dress in the trunk of the cab. I think I almost cried. I was worried about it because the taxi driver had a spare tire in the back and I pictured my dress with read marks all the way home.

10.) Back at the hotel- our shower was huge. It had two heads on either side. My husband helped me, each of took a shower head and turned it to the highest setting with a strong stream. We literally hosed down the dress. I went really close with the shower head ion the beaded parts and on the rosettes on the bottom of my train. 

11.) We left the dress in the sower to dry. I checked on it every few hours. 

12.) The next day, the dress was mostly dry, although damp around the train. Even though it was organza, the material under the dress was not. I shook the excess sand off.

13.) My mom told me to spread the dress out. We found an air condition vent on a beam in the hotel room and hung the dress from it. Then we took 4 high back bar stools and placed them in a circle. We fanned out the bottom of the dress over them to dry.

14.) Back in the garment bag it went and back in the overhead compartment for the plane ride back. I left it hanging in my house from a curtain rod. I never took it to the cleaners. I wore it without cleaning it or steaming it to my AHR. LOL my dress dealt with a lot. She's a strong one. For all the abuse she took, she should have been a tattered mess.

15.) Now my dress is in the garment bag in my closet stuck between my husbands clothes and a tupperware bin of christmas decorations. Poor thing.

 

Sorry for the long post- but I wanted to explain. I Trashed my dress on blind faith that it would be ok. I had no back up plan, I just took a chance. And it worked out. But now I know that it can work for other brides too.

 

GO FOR IT!!!!! You won't regret it. I think its cool to trash your actual dress because its like the after. People see you all glammed up on your wedding day and then they see you all sexified and sandy and gritty in the same dress. They get two versions of it and it will save you money because you won't spend money on a second dress.

Thank you for detailed information! I really appreciate how you have walked me through in caring for my dress after the TTD photo shoot! By the way your pictures are amazing! You made a very beautiful bride! 

Pics ordered these babies from zazzle at 50% off! I am so satisfied w them! http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/content/type/61/id/224769/width/350/height/700[/img]

I love this thread! The TTD was my favorite part of our wedding week- right up there with the wedding itself. I thought long and hard about trashing my dress and no one thought I should- including my husband. We both wore custom.  He WOULD NOT trash his actual "james bond" suit. It was navy blue so that made sense because I think the salt water would have stained it. He bought a knock off suit in navy blue that looked similar to his for $120, and in the end, that suit came out perfectly fine anyway. I however, could not find a suitable knock off. My mom refused to let me trash my dress so we didn't tell anyone we were going to. We just did it LOL. I absolutely love my pics there's no way I could just pick one so here are a few of my favorites.  I wore my dress again at my AHR. I'm including a pic of us at our AHR for all the brides worried about trashing their actual dress. I did it with blind faith hoping for the best, but now I'm living proof for all you ladies on the fence about trashing yours because you're worried you'll ruin it. I had an intricately beaded dress with full roses on the bottom and the sand got everywhere. The dress was so heavy I could not move and thought I would be carried out to sea lol. At one point the photographer, my husband, and the best man had to help me up. My husband could barely support me for the picture where he dipped me hahahahahaha. We found this huge log while walking along the beach and it served as the perfect prop It took several takes to master this shot.  The after picture at our AHR- See? Perfectly fine after being "trashed" 

Hey ladies!! I just landed back in Atlanta and my wedding was AMAZING! Can't wait to get settled and fill you all in.

Pelase share!

They do have them. Search natural fans.

Oriental trading had them

I wish there was a photo booth! Is anyone having props for pictures?  and if so where is a good place to get some?

Originally Posted by TishaJules 

 

 

I think we are open to use ANY airlines that give us the best price! LOL. My fiance works for Delta - but even with his perks..it's a little pricey. And i'm not taking any chances with waiting for a seat! I need to buy a ticket to make sure I get there! LOL. I'm going to definitely look into the US Airways thing. Thank you for that Idea! And anything that I can claim on my taxes will definitely help as well!

I would assume that prices are extremely high because booking date and travel date are relatively close. Don't wait any longer girl! Book those tickets! I am getting married in Dec. and I booked in May, so if I were you, I wouldn't wait any longer! 

Also, What is The Reserve? Isn't it the same resort as Paradisus Punta Cana?

Originally Posted by SexyCebuana 

 

Where are you flying from? December was going in to peak season so we decided on November instead. Were the flights/room rates decent?

 

We will be flying from Dallas. The first week of December wasn't too bad for room rates and flights. We wanted to avoid the holiday peak season as well. I just can't wait and if it would of been up to me alone, I would have gotten married 6 months after our engagement! Congrats to you too! Where are you flying from?

Originally Posted by SexyCebuana 

 

My wedding is slowly creeping up and I must say I'm getting pretty EXCITED!!!!

November 19, 2013 is the big day...any lovely brides to be getting married around then too?

So excited indeed! I dream about that day! hehe! I am getting married on December 8th!