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CristalyneAnkit

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  1. Hi Ladies! I'm wondering if any of you found a Pundit in Punta Cana for your weddings?
  2. Hey Everyone, I currently have my wedding booked at the Gran Bahia Principe and am thinking about switching over to the Iberostar instead since I'm having a Hindu wedding and apparently GBP doesn't have a fire permit for outdoors and my ceremony revolves around the fire.I was wondering if anyone could shed some light as to what sort of Vendor Fees I should be expecting if I switch over, does anyone have a picture of the Terrace they get married at, and I noticed the Disco can be rented out along with a Bonfire. Does anyone know if the costs to rent these out and do they also include Bar Service? Let me know please! Thanks so much!
  3. Congrats on your recent wedding Stay cee1! I was wondering, during your ceremony was the wedding planner with you from beginning to end or how does that work? Do they co-ordinate it all for you or just get you started and come back?
  4. Where did you get the horse from???? I'm desperately searching for a Stable or Company that will be able to provide me with a Horse for my Groom as I'm having an Indian wedding and in our tradition the Groom always comes in on a horse. I've emailed and called all the stables I could think of and find online and no one will do it Help Please!!!!!
  5. That's really helpful and I will definitely complain after my wedding to avoid any "mishaps" lol. We've used one of the Agents there before who's been fabulous but she's on MAT leave and not able to really help us much Oh well, it's a good thing I've got everything figured out. Just a matter of actually getting my requests confirmed by the resort. I'm thinking of calling them every single day until they give me yes or no answers lol
  6. Hey STemple, I was quoted $2500 as well but after reading a few of the Brides comments on here I'm going to call them tomorrow and tell them I was told it was $1700 by one of their previous planners (since it's never the same person answering) and make sure they note it down. You're lucky you got the Canapes menu I'm still waiting to receive it! Would you mind posting it on here so I can take a look? If it says Canapes and Cocktails are "included" that would mean they're included would it not! My Fiance and I were talking today and feel like even though it's all inclusive we still have to shell out money to get food and drinks for our day. He did bring up the point that it is fair for the resort to charge the $2,500 fee to privatize an area since it is after all an All inclusive resort where other people are paying for as well and sectioning something off is unfair to them BUT that $2500 isn't really going back to compensate other travellers and I really don't see why we need to pay another $2450 for the Romance Extravaganza Package. If we didn't section things off workers would still be there to bartend and serve food right so what's the difference here???? It's quite frustrating I agree but honestly I feel like no matter what resort you go with you will encounter these little stupid things that make no sense. I'm also using Rashel. Her work is fabulous! At first I was told I would only have to pay for her day pass. Then I was told the Spa might charge me a vendors fee, which hasn't been confirmed yet. Now I THINKKKK I might have found a way to avoid all these vendor fees. If I'm not mistaken everytime I call to speak to someone and mention Don Pablo they tell me it's basically a resort within the resort and is it's own entity. This would kind of make sense why they can't upgrade you there as it's technically a different resort even though it shares the same grounds. Now I read from another Bride she bypassed the fee because she somehow luckily got upgraded with her entire Bridal party to the Don Pablo section! How? I have no clue and I'm dying to figure out the secret as well! BUT because she was with Don Pablo, even though Arrefice chased her for that $800 Photo Fee she said Don Pablo told her that Arrefice isn't an on resort vendor and hence she doesn't have to pay. Another Bride posted a message she got from Arrefice stating the fee was to be paid by the actual Photographer and Videographer, not you. I would assume this applies to all Vendors including Rashel. So if the Vendor doesn't pay them, what are they really going to do about it? I also read another Bride got Rashel in for free no day pass needed and no fees! I think it all has to do with who you speak to and how friendly yet stern you can make yourself come across through the phone if that makes any sense. My plan is to upgrade my Fiancee, I and our Parents to the Don Pablo section. We would technically be guests under Don Pablo, a separate Resort from GBP as they all claim and hence no vendor fees! I'm not planning on telling the planners or resort or Arrefice this and if anyone makes a big deal about it guess what the Vendors will be gone way before anyways! I haven't yet decided on Arrefice or not as I really think their video sucks. If they give me a good deal for my 4 day Wedding though I may go with them for Photos. If I do decide to bring my own guy in he's basically my cousin attending the wedding who happens to be a professional photographer. I'd be paying for his room so to bad so sad for Arrefice if I go that route. As for Rashel, she's a long time family friend who's attending my wedding and yes she is doing my makeup, if anyone decides to have a problem with that on the day of a Brides Wedding they really is a shame on them and really I doubt they'd have the nerve to ruin your day. If they mention later on hey you used someone else you need to pay the vendor fee, well guess what the vendor fees are paid by the vendors and she's no longer here, what are you going to do about it? That's my schematic plan for now lol. They've already screwed up with me enough that if they tell me I need to pay more money for something else, hell I'll buy a ticket fly to Jamaica tomorrow and give them shit in person!
  7. Hmmmm I was told by Vinnette, it's a Trio Band. Maybe since they know I am having an Indian wedding and would want the Steel Pan they told me this to make me pay an additional $400 just to have a Steel Pan player? Lol maybe we should swap you take my Trio I'll take your Steel Pan! Lol. After reading a lot of things on here I think the Planners do their jobs well but like any good business they know their clients and how to up sell a Bride. Best advice is ASK what is included before you make your requests. Be specific with your questions and don't back down until you get a direct yes or no.
  8. Yeah I think it is possibly privately owned cause the saddest part is the owner is the actual one who was taking care of co-ordinating my needs with the resort and clearly she doesn't do a good job at that. We did get another agent on board for the actual bookings after we complained and told them we were going to go elsewhere if they didn't fix things. Even with two people handling our bookings it's a little slow but it is a bit better than before and I am just taking care of the planning of the wedding itself with the Resort themselves which seems to be working out so far. Thanks so much for the suggestion though! Maybe after the whole experience I will send a lovely email or review outlining the poor service I've received thus far. Unless of course they miraculously pull up their socks and start doing their jobs haha
  9. I was also wondering what's included in the decor. I was told it's ribbons that will be draped on the front columns of the Gazebo, chairs with white chair covers IF you request them. Chair ties are an extra $2.50/chair. Some of the packages include your bridal bouquet and boutonniere from Tai Flora who you can email and they will EVENTUALLY send you a catalogue with their bouquets and tell you to choose from #149-164. Everything else is considered an upgrade and unfortunately you have to contact Tai Flora directly to get a quote on what you have in mind. They take forever to get back to you though! If you email the resort planners your ideas they can also look into and get quotes for you from Tai Flora but honestly would probably take even longer to email you back. I'm actually going to start calling everyone to find out what's going on with their emails cause they take way to long to respond but on the phone you get instant answers! There isn't any florals in the decorations really but I was told whatever I get for the ceremony the resort staff will be able to take apart and re-use for the reception, which will be a bonus! Hope that helps. I also attached a picture of what the ceremony setup the resort gives looks like, minus the chair ties. You can choose your own ribbon colours. I found it on Google!
  10. Reallyyyyyyyy! I booked mine at Piscis as well but they told me it would cost $2500 once I pass the 50 person mark. Hmmmmm I definitely need to talk to them about that!
  11. Reallyyyyyyyy! I booked mine at Piscis as well but they told me it would cost $2500 once I pass the 50 person mark. Hmmmmm I definitely need to talk to them about that!
  12. Hey STemple, You're absolutely right Marlin Travel does not specialize in weddings BUT they own Absolute Wedsite which is their wedding division that does specialize in Weddings. It's pretty much structured in the sense that you deal with Absolute Wedsite who will be your wedding planners and they book your flights and rooms through their Mother Company, Marlin Travel and take care of everything else for you like a wedding planner. The only problem is they really don't do much more than booking your ceremony time and in my case didn't even book that correctly! They tell you to deal with them directly instead of the Resort which is a complete waste of any Brides time since nothing actually gets done. Even the agents at Marlin for the flights and rooms haven't gotten back to my guests who emailed and called 3 months ago! I'm equally disappointed in Marlin Travel and Absolute Wedsite as both divisions of the company do not do their jobs as expected. I'm just happy I saw this all well in advance of my wedding and not days before. :S I think the planners at the resort are fabulous and they're much more experienced having 4-5 weddings a day and I strongly urge all Brides to go this route as it's so much more stress-free! I never thought about filing a complaint against Absolute and Marlin, I don't even know where I would complain any suggestions? Thanks for the well wishes!
  13. I also booked the New Package that upgrades the Bride and Groom and the Parents as well. I'm not to worried about that because I'm going with the resorts Romance Extravaganza Package that upgrades us automatically and is a confirmed upgraded room to Don Pablo (If you read some of the fine prints it says subject to availability for some of the packages) so even if Marlin promised something they couldn't keep I've been assured by the hotel that it's included for us and our parents. We had originally asked for Don Pablo for all our guests however and were told Transat owned that section. I honestly just don't trust a thing MarlinTravel says anymore because it's literally been 3 months of requests and planning with them to the point where I thought I had everything all sorted, booked and no worries. I discussed with them the start time, 4 different events, decor, getting a white horse for my Groom as per tradition, food requests, florals, musicality, etc. I literally planned everything with them to find out from the Resort that they didn't even know I was having a Hindu Wedding and nothing was booked not even my Hindu Priest! All they knew was a wedding was taking place on May 24th in the morning slot. Now my time conflicts with another bride and I'm waiting to hear back from the resort if they can accommodate my request to start at 9am instead of their regular 11am start. Vinnette assured me it shouldn't be a problem as they can get staff members in a little earlier but said 10am would be more doable, so now I might have to cut out parts of my ceremony to accommodate MarlinTravels lack of communication. I booked with MarlinTravel only after they told me there was only one spot left in the morning and they assured me I could start at 9am. They promised that to me and didn't even ask the resort before doing so! The same way they promised a Horse, Food, No Vendor Fees, No Day Pass Fees for people, etc. I feel like they promise a lot and don't actually live up to it all. I know a lot of people said Luxe is no better so I'd really suggest people to just use agencies for booking rooms and flights for your guests but honestly when it comes to your wedding don't use the Agents as your planners, use the Resort planners. They're the best resources, even if they're a little slow at emailing you back they make you feel so much more at ease and they can tell you exactly what their policies are and how things really go. I'm so much happier now that I'm dealing directly with the resort. I'm still waiting for confirmation on a lot of my requests but now I feel like it's actually being looked after and things will run smoothly.
  14. CdnBrideJoanne, I completely understand your frustration! I swear it's not even the resort it's Marlin Travel that screwed me up completely! I booked through their wedding division Absolute Wedsite and when I originally booked with Air Canada they said Air Canada doesn't have Don Pablo Rooms it's owned by some other flight company and I'm like 99% sure they said it was TRANSAT!!!!! So to hear they're telling you otherwise just boggles my mind! I couldn't book Don Pablo and instead just booked regular. NOW when I go on Air Canada Vacations I see they do have Don Pablo rooms, when I called to ask the agents they said they just opened those up and they're going to be $70 extra which isn't bad but how do I go back and tell my 22 people who've already booked "Hey guys, guess what Don Pablos open now wanna book for an extra $70?" That's not even the worse yet! Before booking my package through MarlinTravel and Absolute Wedsite we specifically asked if the resort had a 9am slot open for our ceremony since it's an Indian ceremony and takes 2 hrs, plus we're getting the package with the 1 hr appetizers and cocktails. There was a bride already booked in at 1pm that's why. They said yes it is open and we booked. I got ahold of the wedding planners at the resort and wanted to give them a run down of my 4-day celebrations. I got an email back from Vinnette who was very surprised and told me we had to contact her ASAP since my ceremony conflicts with other weddings! I freaked out instantly and we called up our Agent to find out what the heck was going on. They kept telling us "Don't worry it's booked, if anything goes wrong the owner would personally go strangle them blah blah blah." They said don't contact the resort just deal through them and they'll figure everything out. Now for the packages they said we had 3 months for our families and friends to lock in the price they got for us. The only problem was MarlinTravel and Absolute Wedding take forever to respond to people inquiring! My 3 months ended today and they haven't emailed back many of the people who emailed at the beginning! I feel like I'm doing all their work finding out information and sending it to them. I even had to fwd them information on the Henna Artist I found along with other Indian suppliers in Jamaica. You'd think for doing "SOOOOOOOO" many Indian Weddings in Jamaica they'd have all this stuff readily available for Brides but no, instead they're asking me for suppliers and their contact information under the pretense of "Taking care of your wedding" I finally lost my mind last week and decided to call up Gran Bahia and speak to Vinnette. I couldn't get a hold of her and instead spoke to Kalsani who answered the phone and actually also read my long email I sent the night before explaining to no longer deal with anyone from MarlinTravel or AbsoluteWedsite as they are just useless and make things more difficult than needs be. He was super friendly so helpful and really put me at ease. I called again another day and spoke to Vinnette who went over the majority of things with me and I must say I'm so much happier dealing with them direct. I'm using MarlinTravel strictly for the packages and only because they've already booked 22 people and I don't want to confuse my guests. Honestly I found emailing the wedding planners great to have a written copy of what you need, but they honestly take forever to get back to you so I call on top of that. I know it's long distance etc but honestly I'm only getting married once and even though it's a Destination Wedding there's some basic needs I'd like to have happen with no problems. Even if you call and can't get a hold of your planner you can then discuss your needs with whoever answers the phone from the Wedding Dept. because the email goes to every single one of them! It's so helpful because they open your wedding folder and note down everything on it! Don't be afraid to be the annoying bride constantly calling them. I was at first but honestly they are so friendly and helpful and in the end it's much better to be an annoying bride upfront to them than a disgruntled Bride afterwards. Final words from me: ALL BRIDES SHOULD DEAL WITH THE RESORT'S WEDDINGS PLANNERS DIRECT DO NOT BY ANY MEANS TAKE THE WORD OF YOUR AGENTS AS THEY ARE NOT THE ONES WHO WILL BE CO-ORDINATING YOUR WEDDING THE DAY OF! EMAIL AND CALL THEM SO IF YOUR PLANNER IS BUSY DEALING WITH AN ON-SITE WEDDING YOU CAN DISCUSS YOUR NEEDS WITH THE OTHER PLANNERS THAT ARE FREE TO TALK TO YOU.
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