Now Larimar - 2015

[WAVA8312]

Hello Now Larimar Brides!

 

We are back from our absolutely wonderful wedding on Dec 19th and have so much to share with you! I probably have way too much information to include in this blog, so if there is something I do not address that you have questions about, please feel free to ask and I will give you any information I can.

 

First of all, let me start by saying that our wedding turned out to be even more perfect than we could have hoped for and we are so glad that we chose to get married at Now Larimar! We could not have asked for a more beautiful day or a more beautiful wedding. The resort is gorgeous and the wedding coordinators are amazing and will make sure that everything turns out perfectly! Whatever concerns I may have had about planning a wedding from a distance at a place I had never been were wiped away once I got to the resort and met with Yeomandry, our wedding coordinator. I would do it all over again if given the chance!

 

To start off with I will give you a little background information about what we had:

• We had 21 guests at our wedding (not including us)
• We had the Divine Wedding Package
• Our ceremony was at the fountain at 4PM
  • The fountain was such a beautiful area and we were definitely glad we picked it. We decided not to spend the $1500 to do the plank across the fountain and we were glad we did not. Walking down the side of the aisle was just as good and you still got to have the pretty fountain going at the same time. We had two standard flower arrangements for the gazebo with white flowers ($100 each). The area is so beautiful, you really don't need too many decorations. Our bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres were also beautiful and just like we wanted. 
• Our cocktail hour was at the fountain at 5PM
  • Cocktail hour was in the grassy garden area right beside the fountain. The appetizers were pretty good, especially the spring rolls and meatballs. The music and the cocktails were also great. We were able to spend 10-15 minutes enjoying the cocktail hour, before we had to go finish our photo session.
• Our reception was at the carnival terrace at 6PM
  • The carnival terrace was a great space and it overlooked the garden and the fountain. During our tour of the sites with the wedding coordinator after our arrival. We made one addition to our wedding planner spreadsheet during this tour. The carnival terrace is on the balcony of the carnival buffet restaurant, which is open for dinner in the evenings, so people could look out the window of the restaurant and see us or we might be able to see them in the background of our pictures, since the sweetheart table was going to be right in front of a set of glass doors. So, we asked about curtains to cover the windows and were a little shocked by the price. The curtains, which came with lights would cost $450, however, it seemed like they would help make the event more private, so we decided to add them. Despite the cost, we were glad we added these in the end. They did what we had hoped and kept the area private and they were also added some nice lighting to the setting and looked great in pictures. So, I would recommend adding these if you plan on having your reception at the carnival terrace, if you can budget it in. At our reception we had the crab cakes, chicken consomme, pear with Chablis sorbets, steak and lobster, and the chocolate Kahlua cake along with our vanilla and lemon wedding cake. All of the food and the wedding cake were very good. It was one of our best meals at the resort! Also the flower centerpieces and cake were beautiful. We gave Yeomandry photos of what we wanted and they delivered. We only had 3 guest tables and a sweetheart table. So we had 3 centerpieces and we used 2 of the bridesmaids' bouquets to decorate our sweetheart table and the other bridesmaids' bouquet and my bouquet to decorate the guestbook table. We also had a bag of rose petals  that they used to decorate all of the tables, which made it look beautiful.
• We booked the resort photographer (WBA Photography) and got the Gold Secrets Photo Package
  • Claudia with WBA Photography was amazing! She was so great to work with and we were so happy with how the photos turned out. We booked the Gold Secrets Photo Package, which included coverage of the bride getting ready, the ceremony, a photo session after the ceremony, and the 1st hour of the reception. In order to get all of our events photographed during our reception, after our introduction we went straight into the first dance, followed by the father-daughter and mother-son dances. Then we cut the cake and threw the bouquet before starting dinner. You can see all of our wedding photos online at https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=D3FD341EAA0EFC54&id=D3FD341EAA0EFC54%21106 (the photos are still finishing uploading to the site right as I am posting this, so if you look at them right after I post this, they may not all come up yet, just fyi).
• We booked the resort DJ for the reception
  • The resort DJ was awesome! We gave him our song selections for our special dances and cake cutting and such and we also gave him a list of some song suggestions and music genres that we liked. They did an amazing job. Each of our selected songs was played at the right time and they even played almost all of our suggested songs, with a ton more songs thrown in that fit perfectly with what we wanted. The played a good mix of slow and fast songs and they seemed to read the crowd pretty well and responded to what songs everyone was dancing to. They even brought out a bunch of long balloons, which were unexpected, but were actually fun and got people moving and dancing. I would definitely recommend the resort DJ and their services.
• We had the saxophonist included in the Divine Package play at our ceremony
  • As the bride, I did not get to hear much of him playing, because we were still getting ready in the bridal suite when he started playing. I did hear from some of the guests that he was quite good though. I got to hear him during my walk down the aisle and during our recessional and was quite happy with our choice.
• We booked the Caribbean music trio for the cocktail hour
  • I thought the Caribbean trio were great and tied in some of the Spanish flair to the wedding. I know someone had asked about whether or not music was necessary at the cocktail hour or if it would be a good place to save some money. My opinion is that it is not necessary if you need to make some cuts to help your budget. I think the atmosphere and the food, drinks and conversation would be enough. If you do have room in your budget I recommend the Caribbean trio, because they added a nice backdrop to the cocktail hour.
• We reserved the bridal suite for the wedding day
  • I thought it was nice to have the bridal suite reserved for the wedding day. It made getting ready and getting our hair and makeup done much easier, because the bridal suite is right off of the salon where they did our hair and makeup. They had champagne and fruit plates in the bridal suite for us and it also made a nice place for pictures. It was also conveniently located near the fountain where the ceremony was, so we did not have to walk very far once we were ready.
• Five of the women in the bridal party and myself got our hair and makeup done at the resort salon
  • I thought the ladies at the salon did a phenomenal job with all of our hair and makeup. We were all quite pleased with the results and I would definitely recommend them. I booked a trial hair/makeup appointment with them a few days before the wedding, to help get an idea about what I wanted and I was definitely glad I did. Although I had a general idea of how I wanted to look on the big day, we were able to play with the hair and makeup a little and get it just right. It also helped speed things up on the actual wedding day because Johanny (the wonderful lady who did my hair and makeup) already knew exactly what I wanted and it took about 45 minutes to do my hair, instead of the 1.5 hours it took during the trial and it even looked better than the first time! So for those reason I would definitely recommend a trial hair and makeup if you have the time and the budget. And the nice thing is that you can get the trial hair and makeup for 50% off (because I was also getting my hair and makeup done as part of the Divine package).
• We brought the following items with us: Ceremony- Fans, programs, and chair sashes; Reception- Escort cards, photobook guest book, framed menu, chair sashes, candles, table numbers and table holders we made out of drift wood from HobbyLobby; we also brought welcome bags for the guests which we hand delivered to them on the day of their arrival and I brought silk robes that I found for the girls and me to get ready in
  • Of the items we brought, the only ones that had a setup fee ($0.75/each) were the candles and the chair sashes. Although they ended up not charging us for the candles (not sure if it was an accidental or intentional oversight) and they even used some our extra chair sashes and tied them around the cocktail hour tables free of charge, which was a nice surprise when we got to the cocktail hour and saw them.
• The week we were there was a lighter week for weddings. I think there were only around 7 others during the time that we were down there, although we only saw a couple in person. It really does not feel like you are just one among many weddings, they are really good about making each wedding feel special! 

 

I feel like I have said a lot and that there is still a lot to say. So, I am just going to stop here and I am happy to answer any questions you ladies have!

this sounds so amazing and eases my mind as I am so torn between the Carnival Terrrace and Garden Pool area. I saw you mention to another bride you had more information on your day, I would be very interested in hearing all the details as well. I am also unable to pull up the link for the photos for some reason.

My wedding is July 24th.  I'll be there from July 21st through July 31st!

@@Dominican2015 my wedding is July 31st too we will be there July 24th!

[kosrae89]

I would be more than happy to send you the word document that I wrote the longer review in. If you send me an email at kosrae89@aol.com, so I have your email address, I can send it to you.

 

Try this link to see the photos. And if it doesn't work, let me know and I will see what I can do.

 

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=D3FD341EAA0EFC54!106&authkey=!AC3JormXkHkoXG0&ithint=folder%2cjpg

 

this sounds so amazing and eases my mind as I am so torn between the Carnival Terrrace and Garden Pool area. I saw you mention to another bride you had more information on your day, I would be very interested in hearing all the details as well. I am also unable to pull up the link for the photos for some reason.

It only took them a couple of days to send us the email with all of the information and the spreadsheet once we paid our deposit. They were always fairly prompt with responding to us, we usually had a response within a day or two. The only time we did not hear from them quickly, was when they had problems with their email and they never got our email. When I emailed them a couple weeks later to make sure they had gotten my last email, they responded immediately, apologizing that they had not received it. So, I would say give them a few days, but if you don't hear something within a week, it wouldn't hurt to email them and make sure they got it.

 

Also, do not stress about your date being booked on the website wedding calendar. Ours wasn't updated until probably 3-4 months before our actual wedding. As long as you have your date confirmed and are working with your coordinator, that's all that really matters.

 

Enjoy the planning process and try not to stress too much! I know it is easier said than done, but in the end everything will be beautiful!
 

I am sure I am being insanely impatient! We paid our deposit last week, and we still haven't heard from the wedding coordinator... from everything I've read, I know they take their time, until closer to your wedding, but I really want the spreadsheet everyone talks about!! anddd my date still isn't booked on the website...

 

again, probably being super impatient-- mainly needed to vent 

[alwalters625]

I am also a member of that group and I think it is a lot nicer now, but I am still cautious. A few months ago they were not being very supportive of on resort brides. One girl wrote in her review that she witnessed a wedding at Now and wanted to cry for the bride as well as something about how she felt so bad for that poor bride that had to get married on resort. It almost Mae me doubt my choices for my wedding and I am glad I had this forum to make me feel better.

[rmg428]

I agree girl! Some people think they are better than a resort wedding, but we know better, and I wouldn't worry. I get great advice and ideas from them. At least they won't want a review from me since I'm on resort

[alwalters625]

I agree girl! Some people think they are better than a resort wedding, but we know better, and I wouldn't worry. I get great advice and ideas from them. At least they won't want a review from me since I'm on resort

They have been way better since all the drama occurred, I think now an on resort wedding review would be accepted. It was bad before though. There was a time period when so many brides were really hurt, upset, or left because of people trashing others choices instead of saying why they preferred their choices.

[TammyWright]

We have a great new promotion for BDW Brides!  Book your wedding with Wright Travel Agency and fly FREE!  See below for more information.

 

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Book 15 rooms or more at selected properties and receive free round trip coach air tickets.

 

Book 3/16/2015-5/31/2015 for travel through 12/31/2016

 

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[Danamarielouise]

Hi all, does anyone know what day of the week the beach party falls / or which days of the week each ala carte is closed? Thks!

[Jariana2010]

I would be more than happy to send you the word document that I wrote the longer review in. If you send me an email at kosrae89@aol.com, so I have your email address, I can send it to you.

 

Try this link to see the photos. And if it doesn't work, let me know and I will see what I can do.

 

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=D3FD341EAA0EFC54!106&authkey=!AC3JormXkHkoXG0&ithint=folder%2cjpg

 

 

It only took them a couple of days to send us the email with all of the information and the spreadsheet once we paid our deposit. They were always fairly prompt with responding to us, we usually had a response within a day or two. The only time we did not hear from them quickly, was when they had problems with their email and they never got our email. When I emailed them a couple weeks later to make sure they had gotten my last email, they responded immediately, apologizing that they had not received it. So, I would say give them a few days, but if you don't hear something within a week, it wouldn't hurt to email them and make sure they got it.

 

Also, do not stress about your date being booked on the website wedding calendar. Ours wasn't updated until probably 3-4 months before our actual wedding. As long as you have your date confirmed and are working with your coordinator, that's all that really matters.

 

Enjoy the planning process and try not to stress too much! I know it is easier said than done, but in the end everything will be beautiful!

 

Hi I could not see your pictures! I would love to see them! Thanks

[kosrae89]

Hi I could not see your pictures! I would love to see them! Thanks

Try going to https://blumneumannweddingpuntacana2014.shutterfly.com/and using the password DominicanRepublic2014 and that should work. If you still can't see them, please let me know.

[Jariana2010]

Try going to https://blumneumannweddingpuntacana2014.shutterfly.com/and using the password DominicanRepublic2014 and that should work. If you still can't see them, please let me know.

Thanks your wedding was beautiful!!!!!!