Punta Cana 2011 Bride--Confused!!

Congrats and welcome to the forum. I'm getting married in Punta Cana in 3 months at the Paradisus Palma Real. There are a tremendous amount of resorts to choose from in that area! We chose our resort because I've stayed there before and feel it is the most beautiful setting for our wedding. That being said I did investigate other resorts including Dreams and the Excellence. Both prices were more affordable, in my opinion but ultimately I decided on the PPR.

Are you expecting children to attend? If so, I wouldn't recommend the Excellence since it's an adult only resort. Dreams seems to be more children friendly. You said you're expecting 100 people to attend. Not sure what your situation is, but be wary. Your wedding is a year away and a lot of people's plans can change. I'm not sure if you should rule a resort out by size if your guests aren't confirmed.

This site has soooo much information! You can literally spend hours on here (I have, more than once) reading posts and finding out more info. Check out the Dominican Republic thread and focus on the resorts that catch your eye. Some brides have also taken a scouting trip to finalize their resort. The extras do add up and that's why the DIY section is awesome! So many brides have posted amazing projects and ideas on here that can save you money. As you get closer to your date you'll probably have a better idea as to how many people are coming and those must have extras. Also, 2 weeks is the typical response time...it's not ideal but you gotta cut the WC some slack because they're usually working on a wedding at the resort. I hope this helps. Good luck and enjoy your planning!!

Hunieduew, you've come to the right place!!! I am sure you will find lots of info here to put your worries to rest!!!

Welcome to the forum!!!

Why not hold it on the beach instaed of the Gazebo? There is no limit to the numbers

Congrats and good luck!!

It may seem confusing at first, but you will get the hang of all this!

Congrats! Welcome to the forum, you'll find tons of great information here!

Stefani--I want it in the Gazebo because I don't want to bother with the sand and wind. I also really like the extra flower arrangements and the decoration of the Gazebo.

Tracy--Thanks for the advice on the guests! We have a list of over 200, so I was assuming 50%, but maybe not even! hmmm...I would love to choose the PPR, but I am scared of how expensive it will be for my guests (I just looked for this coming Aug. 2010 and it is more than 1,500/pp---as opposed to PPC and Dreams which are about 1,100/pp)

I was hoping to find a TA and work with him/her on those details of package pricing. Also, the PPC offers a reception (to rent out a restaurant) with up to 70 guests and open bar for about 5,000 (which I believe is affordable). Do you know if PPR has that option as well?

Yea, we are inviting children (my FH has 8 nieces and nephews and many other children in the family so we feel obligated).

Tracy—Did you choose a package for PPR? I was thinking of just doing the fantasy and then the reception and other things a-la-cart. What do you think?

Congratulations! I completely understand each hotel puts their packages together so differently. Good luck.

Congrats on your recent engagement and good luck making a decision. I'm sure you'll find enough info to help you narrow it down to "the one". Welcome to the forum and happy planning!