shevette925

@@Meandhim I am trying to decide between the Tropical promise package and the Ocean Pearl package. We are probably going to have about 80-90 guest total so the renewal package probably wouldn't work with what we need. Im still confused what I should do about photos. Im trying to decide if I should stick to looking at vendors based in the DR or flying someone from the states. I think we are gonna have to cut cost by cutting out the cocktail hour to make it work. I also am opposed to having to pay hundreds of dollars for one hour of an open bar when all my guest can go to one of the bars on resort for free. Its crazy how much money they try to squeeze out of you! Hope you ladies had a happy Thanksgiving!

@@Kerrierf Thanks so much for that link. Yeah, I agree, I am not very impressed by that vendor so we may have to just pay the extra money to get the pictures that we want. Unfortunately we don't have any guest who are photographers.

Hey ladies, So sorry I have been MIA for so long. Things have been very busy but we have been very productive. I found a dress and we have about 60 confirmed guest at this point which is amazing. All of my friends think I am crazy because we have been doing things so early lol. We are also doing a symbolic ceremony like @@Meandhim. Where I am stuck right now is the photographer. What are you guys doing? it is 500 dollars to have an outside vendor to come to the hotel which is crazy! but it is one of the few things that we are okay with paying a bit more for. Is there a website for the hotel photographer? @@Mels84, the big day is coming up soon. Can't wait to hear how it goes for you.

Anybody have any tips on how to get sparklers in the DR?

Finally got the confirmation for our date, yay! And our website is halfway done. I'll probably have it up and running on in the next two weeks and hopefully will have save the dates out soon after! For my hair, I have a friend who is invited who had done my hair in the past, so I told her if she comes she can do my hair and my bridesmaid's hair. Hopefully, that way I will have someone I trust to do my hair and can avoid the outside vendor fees. For makeup, I'll probably have a trial done in the states, take some pictures and bring the pictures to the spa to have them replicate it in the spa. I considered hiring an outside makeup artist, but apparently there is a $500 outside vendor fee, sheesh! Oh I, recently found out that one of my co-workers recently honeymooned at GPPC! She said it was wonderful. She didn't have her wedding there, but said it was a great resort and that we made a great choice. I'm going to try to get some pictures from her. What have you decided hair and make up? How is planning going? I know we can't be the only 2015 GPPC brides out there?!? haha Cheers

My colors are orange, green, and blush pink so the "tropical paradise" and "Ocean Pearl" packages fit really nicely with what I have in mind. I haven't made a final decision yet. I am trying to figure out if they will allow me to tweak some of the flowers so that it matches a little more what I had in mind. I'm not a very crafty person, so I'm not committing to making anything from home and bringing it with me. I'm sure they will make sure to up-charge me for any changes that I want made, lol. We are planning on having about 100 guests, probably more, so a semi private dinner is out of the question. So right now I am thinking about having a private dinner on the beach and then the private beach party (hopefully in the same location). That way we will have about 5 hours to do all of the traditional reception things and have enough time to dance and celebrate. If that works out, everything will be finished around 11 and the older folks can head to bed and I'm sure the people still wanting to party can have time to go out. That is what I ideally have in my head, but I am still waiting to hear back from the WC to hear what all of my options are.

I totally agree with what everyone has stated above. Its your day and not your sister's or mother's or whoever. Do what makes you and your FI happy. At the end of the day, it's your wedding and you will cherish the memories for many years to come. To help ease the discomfort of some of your guest you can always include safety/health tips on your wedding website or your welcome bag. Make it very innocuous with general tips like using sunscreen, staying within well lit areas, don't venture off resort without a buddy, don't swim after eating, the location of the embassy, etc. Things that are helpful and can be applied anywhere and that wont increase anxiety levels. And @@TAkathy gave really great information that you can pass along to your sister. And then let your family make the decision that is comfortable for them and don't dwell on it. And if it seems that a lot of family cant make it, you can always have an at home reception or BBQ or just send them a post card from Mexico . Good luck to you

Wow @@Kerrierf Congratulations! You've gotten a ton of stuff done. Thats' really great. I'm feeling a bit stalled with my planet. Still waiting to hear about confirmation on our date before I can make my save the dates. I am a assuming the hotel WC is catching up on work since she was out of the office last week. Hopefully I will hear something this week. Have you decided on which package you will be using?

This was the exact question I had when I woke up this morning. 3 hours seems really short and I don't want to rush speeches and cake cutting and first dances, so Im leaning towards paying the extra money to have a private beach party. Plus, a lot of my guest will be in the older age range. They definitely love to party and dance, but I don't think they will appreciate the club atmosphere. I'm just imagining my poor grandmother in a loud club, lol

Hey @@Kerrierf, Thanks for starting the group! I will def post any questions or tips that I can come up with here. After a mini-panic attack and being talked off the ledge by my Travel agent, decided to stick with my original plans at GPP. Just waiting to get confirmation of our date. My TA said that the hotels are pretty busy with summer wedding season right now, so not to be alarmed if they take a bit of time responding to request. Cheers!

Hello ladies, Stumbled upon this site yesterday and immediately became addicted. Everything that you all have posted so far has been very helpful to me. I am just starting my planning for my wedding on November 7th 2015. We just decided to go with Grand Palladium Bavaro because the wedding sites looked beautiful and they accommodate catholic ceremonies, but now after reading some of your all experiences, I'm wondering if we made the right decision. Gah! We are using a travel agency/wedding planning service who specializes in destination weddings and so far they have been fantastic, so I am hoping that will eliminate some of the communication issues that you ladies have experienced. After reading this, I am considering having the ceremony at the resort and reception off site. FYI, I was also asked to pay 300 dollar deposit to hold the date, but have not paid it yet since they have yet to confirm their availability. So I think I have some wiggle room there, but Im pretty locked in on staying at the resort since we already placed our deposit in for room blocking. So glad I stumbled upon this site. I will definitely be back with questions and any information that may be helpful to the group. P.s. Shout out to all the 2015 brides! Woot Woot!