1BeachBride

I have my jewelry but not my dress. Ha ! I know what I want though. I'm just checking options to get the best deal. Lots of choices.

etsy has some really cool finds. Prices range so you're sure to find something.

very nice

Uggh! I wish I had more posts to open files.

That would be nice. Bringing extra things like table numbers seems like a lot.

Boy, I've been signed up but just started commenting.I have a ways to go...Wonder if I'll get to see pics before my wedding arrives. LOL

Entirely shells is nice but very heavy. I too like the wired shells combined with flowers. My opinion is that the flowers give it a softer more elegant touch. It combines the beach and tropical destination.

I've found a dress that I love. Found knock off for under $200. This seems to good to be true. I must have the tulle fabric for the softness of the gown. I'm really skeptical about getting the knock off. What if it gets lost in shipping? David's Bridal has the gown I want for $950. I don't want to spend that for a 15 minute ceremony. I'm changing into something else for my reception.

Beautiful but I want to use something else instead of pearls.

Very pretty! I had a difficult time getting the wires together so I opted to use foam to hold seashells. I like yours though.

@@Meandhim I feel the same way... but since the ceremony is so short, I was going to carry it anyway. Until last week, I decided to make my own bouquet. I'm doing a seashell bouquet. Pricewise it's cheaper than their bouquets or if I bought silk flowers that look real. Seashell bouquets are ridiculously high on etsy considering the cost of materials to make them. It's not too difficult to do and I'll have an original piece that I can keep forever. I intend to post pics of everything from beginning to end once I get a second to breathe. @@jaj1230 The OOT bags are on my nerves because I keep seeing items to add to them. Other half is so annoyed... We will do as other people have suggested. Buy a suitcase from thrift store to pack OOT items and leave it in DR. Bag will be empty so no sense in bringing extra luggage back. You should meet with your girls before hand and have them give you your money for services up front. No way I'd take on the burden of that bill. I'm sure they would understand.

Hi. I booked my date a year in advance by directly contacting the hotel as you are doing. Then I contacted Travel Agents to get group rates after the fact. I too had narrowed down the search- 3 hotels in fact, just in case I had problems. I had one hotel that never returned any of my 4 emails so I crossed them off the list. Have you tried calling the hotel's wedding planner? I actually had to called and I spoke briefly to her. I got my date booked and she emailed me necessary info afterwards. It's extreme but if you really want that spot, you may have to do that first. As I was told, wedding planners are not sitting at a desk all day and are on the grounds a lot of the time. A phone call will get their attention as they receive many emails daily. Then you should email as this is the best way to correspond with them. Once I spoke with her about my date, I have had no problems with email correspondence since. Good Luck & Congrats!

Congratulations! Your wedding was absolutely amazing! Everything turned out beautifully and all of your effort in planning was worth it. The details made it your own.

@@Meandhim It seems like a long way off but the time will fly by so quickly and before you know it, it will be your big day. Thanks for the feedback about the ceremony time! I also went to a destination wedding this past May in Mexico. I was the photographer so I was hot & moving around but focused on the pics, and the heat didn't really bother me too much. However, you're viewpoint as a seated guest is helpful. I did consider our guests and bought paddle fans in my wedding colors that will be on each guest's chair. The breeze will be hot air but it should help a little and the pictures will be bright and colorful. Upon second consideration, 30 minutes is a long time to be sitting in the tropical sun. I can definitely condense some of the extra stuff to make it shorter. I still want a religious reading which my best friend will do. And the sand ceremony as we both have children and are blending our families. (I have sand in our wedding colors too.) I looked online last night to try to find information about the beach buffet a few ladies mentioned but I couldn't find one single thing about it! And I have been corresponding with Carolina on a regular basis the entire time I've been planning. She never mentioned this buffet option. I'm thinking it may be something they no longer do. I will be calling her today to inquire about it so I'll keep you posted. I wonder how the guests were for the beach buffet option. Everything is outside in the heat. I imagine they are quite hot and sticky by the end of the night...Maybe the semiprivate reception in a restaurant isn't so bad. At least you are in shade. Ugghhh! Everytime I think I know what I want, I change my mind. It's difficult to make these decisions from afar.

Hi, I know you posted this years ago but do you still have the loops available? If not, could you tell me where you got them.

Hi ladies! My date is June 21,2014. We are getting married at Grand Palladium Bavaro and have about 50 guests. We will be doing a beach wedding & had decided on the private reception but I don't like the idea of one meal for all. Besides, how are you to decide which restaurant to pick?! :(After reading what others have written about this, I seriously am considering the beach buffet. We were already doing the Beach Bash after dinner as our afterparty. I was planning on doing my own hair and makeup to save money since we are already over budget and I went a little crazy on our OOT bags and other items we have to take with us. I probably went overboard with things but I really wanted to personalize my wedding and give it our touch. We are also adding readings to the ceremony and sand ceremony. 15 minutes seems like such a short amount of time for all the planning, work, and money that has gone into this. <_<I will be finding a way to stretch things out- a half an hour is more ideal. I've become a crafter as I did a lot of DIY things since I began planning this all. Hopefully everything works out and goes as planned! I booked my wedding in June 2013 and prices were not available yet. (It seems they increase every year.) Carolina allowed me to hold the date without any deposit but I wasn't made aware of any prices until later. Didn't care because we knew we wanted the location and had to have that particular date. No money will be payed until we arrive at the resort and sit down with the wedding coordinator to finalize things. That's when payment is due. No deposit was ever required. Good Luck with planning and congrats to you all! I can't wait for my day to arrive!!!

Hi! I just joined and this is my 1st posting. You are really doing a terrific job! Your guests are going to be thrilled. That's so awesome that you can get all those freebees from your job. I'm planning even though my wedding is a ways off. I'm finding that the items for my Welcome Bags add up quickly. And every time I say "Okay, that's it. I'm not adding anything else." I see something else with a beach theme or my colors that I must have for my guests. LOL