foxytv

Beautiful! More pics, more pics!!! :-)

Refresh my memory about your dress. You are welcome to borrow my veil if you would like to. I absolutely LOVE my veil -- although I know everyone's tastes are different.

Great to see your review, Lisa! It's great how we can be at the same place for our weddings and have different experiences. Everything was great for us as well, but since Tom and I were the only ones in Royal Service, we only used that pool and bar one day. Otherwise we all hung out at the main pool -- and enjoyed its liveliness. We never even took advantage of our butlers either (not until out Palma Real honeymoon). I can't wait to see more pics of the firedancers! How did that work in the restaurant? We saw firedancers on Wednesday, our night of arrival, on the beach in front of the Gabi Beach Bar and they were AMAZING!

Perfect! Glad you got to do a site visit. I'm sure it relieves a lot of anxiety!

We didn't see this problem. I did have a bag that was over-limit on the way back, and they asked if I wanted to try to adjust some things into another bag, which I did with no problems. Sometimes those TripAdvisor people will pick at just anything to rile things up. :-)

Quote: Originally Posted by twinkletoes Oh Tami, forgot to ask, did you have a chance to visit the Jellyfish or the bar on the corner (sorry, cant remember the name)? Oh yes, we went to both! I'll do a new thread about those w/ some pics but tlet me tell you -- Jellyfish was phenomenal -- we ate their twice adn it was by far the most tremendous food on our trip (and as you see in my review, our resort food was great!). Steve's Corner Bar was ssoo much fun. Just laid back but we loved it and went there twice as well! I highly recommend both. You can walk to Jellyfish from Paradisus Palma Real (5 min) and you can walk to Steve's from Paradisus Punta Cana. Both are a $14 cab ride from the other respective resorts.

I went into Hobby Lobby just days before leaving for our DW and wish I had found it before. Some great finds, for sure! Also, not sure if Old Time Pottery is a chain, but it's my new favorite place!

Oh I just loce your pics! It's great to see pics from the same resort b/c I can totally visualize exactly where you were. YOur wedding ceremony location was beautiful. That was my first choice until I set my sights on the gazebo. You are absolutely gorgeous and I love your dress and veil! Photosouvenir did a fabulous job. I can't recall how much you said they charged ... but I think they are the perfect option for Punta Cana weddings!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!! I can't wait to read your review!

Oh I love your pics! More, more, more! YOu guys are the cutest couple and you look stunning in your dress!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by DreaW Where are the pro-pics tami? I'm anxiously awaiting them! I emailed her yesterday to see if I can at least get some Teaser Pro Pics for our AHR (and for BDW of course). Our AHR is this weekend!! She's posted pics from other shoots and weddings both before and after our date, so hopefully we'll have something on the blog soon! I'll keep you posted, of course! I'm chomping at the bit even more than y'all!

I just use blue food coloring (as much or as little depending on the depth of color you want. It's what we use for our weather barometer here at home and the blue color is perfect!

That is sso great Lisa! I hate that we weren't able to bump into you guys before we left for our PPR honeymoon! I just posted my PPC wedding review and I'm so glad that yours was great too! I was worried about rain showers as well (it sprinkled the morning of our wedding, but was clear by 3pm) but I knew the lobby location would be great if we had to move it! I can't wait to see pics from your wedding and reception, chica!!!

Yep, I know of people who it took closer to 9-months. That's why we decided to do the legal stuff here beforehand and a symbolic ceremony in the DR. Good Luck!

All Costco's are going to be different as far as what they carry from region to region ... but as long as they carry wine, you can rest assured that they will have a variety of brands in all wine types, including sparkling. I am a wine distributor and we deal with Costco, so while I don't know what the offerings will be at that particular Costco ... you will definitely get better deals than from the hotel!

Quote: Originally Posted by melody I do have a question though, what was the coordinator's reasoning as to the $6000 invoice discrepancy ? that's quite a difference!!!! ( I think part of it is that I dealt with more than one WC over the course of the planning process ... and some of the emails w/ pricing were from the former WC. However, I requested an invoice for the different things we wanted prior to our arrival, but did not receive it. So, we cut out the digar roller (we were quoted $250 set-up fee plus $8 per cigar) b/c the set-up fee jumped to $450 upon arrival. We nixed the Coconut Aisle leading up to the Gazebo b/c it was a waste of $100 when the gaxebo was so pretty on it's own. The extra 3+ hours for the Mic/Speakers added $300+ to the inital invoice ... and we had requested a 1/2 hour pre and post cocktail reception at the Gazebo ... but again that pricing changed from what we had agreed to over emails. In addition, it was supposed to be a $2500 flat fee for the beach reception, but they had it billed "per person" which had it up to over $4000 ... not including the alcohol. So, I just cut down the number of people who I told her would be attending (didn't vount the kids, said the photogs weren't eating, and any guests who didn't book thru our TA I didn't count). However, in the end we agreed to the original flat fee of $2500 for the reception AND drinks. I hope that's not too confusing. :-( Quote: Originally Posted by twinkletoes Do you mind if I ask how you paid (cash/credit card)? I totally understand if thats TMI. Only reason I am asking is b/c I read somewhere that some coordinators try to get over by charging your credit card extra b/c its in dominican pesos instead of US dollars. And then some brides dont find out until they get home and see their credit card statements. So I am trying to decide how we should pay. I'm not sure I feel comfortable carrying that much cash around. I would absolutely pay w/ credit cards. The exchange rate is easy 1 US$ = 30 RD$, so you can easily calculate to ensure your charges are accurate before signing. Also, one thing I was remiss in mentioning about cash -- DO NOT KEEP LARGE SUMS OF CASH IN YOUR ROOM SAFE!!! Another bride, who was married 2 days before us, told us that they had their laptop, camera and other valuables stolen from their rooms during the ceremony/reception. We were lucky not to have this issue (we locked any valuables inside a small suitcase that was inside a larger one w/ a TSA lock) ... but she said several of her guests also had money stolen from the safe. It seems they don't take it all, and take it from the middle of your billfold so you won't necessarily notice it right away. My broher was missing $80 but they are the only one in our group who can't account for all of their $$$ -- and they realized it after their safe key wouldn't work -- as if a Master Key had been used to open it. So, just be careful with your cash. We kept ours with us (in our beach bag which was always in sight, usually covered up by our beach towels) and had no issues. Quote: Originally Posted by Debs Great review Tam! ooo Mamajuana... this stuff was potent but good eh? LOL. Holy crap you paid alot of overage on your luggage! We thought $70 each way overage was crap, I guess we shouldn't complain! Don't ya just love those Big ASS Fans in the receiving area of the airport?! LOL. But funny how when you are leaving PC you are in a completely different area, it's like a totally different airport! Looks like you lucked out and got a great resort, congrats! Everything looked great! I wonder if it's one of the ones we walked by, we walked the beach nearly every day, in both directions. LOL -- ah yes, we LOVE tha Mamajuana!!! I found Brugal Rum at a local liquor store today (he says they just started carrying it last week) ... and we bought one of the HUGE bottles of Mamajuana to bring home in the leather case -- so that is the "Signature Drink" for our reception this coming weekend! :-) Yeah, we had 6 bags total, so two were $80 extra each, one was also oversized and overweight and the other was overweight. Luckily, we sent one suitcase home with my sister and left the oversized tuffbox at the resort -- so no extra fees coming home. I LOVED the airport, and yes the incoming flights have a total different look than the outgoing flight area. I wish I had taken some pics entering the airport -- but I did take a few when we left. I'm not sure where Ocean Blue is in relation to PPC ... but I know we went by it to drop off some guests after our Saona island excursion, so there is definitely a good chance you walked by the resort on the beach! Quote: Originally Posted by DanielleNDerek great review. How many guests did you end up having? We had about 40 guests total, iuncluding 2 children. Our photogs stayed at the resort next door, and were able to sneak in w/o paying for the day passes, which was a huge help $-wise for them to save $95/per person. The ages of our guests ranged from 4 to 80. Quote: Originally Posted by jarauz Tami, thanks for the great review. I'm so happy everything turned out great. I have been a nervous wreck ever since you left. I was sos eager to hear how everything went since I never been to the resort. I wasn't thinking about the beach reception but looking at your pics and reading the review I'm definetly thnking about it. I was just woriied about the wind and sand being all over the food..lol..lol..Well I am still worried about that $$$ BILL $$$. I really don't want to drag with lots of things there, but I thin I'm going to have to. Because everything extra is expensive......Well Tami, I'll be harrassing you from now til May 09...lol.....lol... Thanks for the review. Jessica I would definitely bring as much with you as you can. I left some things with the WC -- they were very happy about that (I didn't leave a tip but thought perhaps the extra wedding stuff would suffice). I've heard from others that their receptions were awesome in the restaurants, so I'm sure you can't go wrong, but the beach was perfect for us. The wind was not an issue for us ... didn't blow into the food or in our faces. It was just a nice, light breeze. Just keep on top of the emails with the WC and request a final invoice well beforehand so you and FH can decide what you can do without or want to further negotiate if their $$ are off from yours. We had to nix the cigar roller, pre/post ceremony cocktails, etc ... but it was a good decision on our part. There are so many bars nearby it really is a waste to pay extra for a private bar. I'll be here, girl, so ask away and I'll have more pics as people send them to me! Hopefully our pro pics (at least some teasers!!!) will arrive soon!

Great pics and I am so glad you survived the flight unscathed!

Very nice! My Mom got me my favorite starfish necklace from AVON just before the wedding. It came with the "Instant Vacation" perfume from the .mark line.

I am blown away by your room! It is absolutely amazing! WOW! Thanks for such a great, in-depth review and for adding pics!

FLIGHT: Check-in was easy – but we had to pay an extra $400 for our extra and oversized luggage (we knew this would be the case, so it was no surprise). We upgraded to First Class for $150/each, which allowed us to board early and hang my dress. No issues whatsoever. The return flight was just as easy. No complaints. We flew in and out of Charlotte, NC into Punta Cana on US Airways. PUNTA CANA AIRPORT: Upon arrival, you get off the plane and enter the thatched-roof, open-air airport … which was exceptionally nice and gives you a great first impression of Punta Cana. There are ladies with fruit hats on who you must stop to have your picture taken with before entering the baggage area (you can purchase these photos upon departure, but we did not). Next, you are filtered through an area where you pay the $10/pp for your Tourist Card. Cash only for this. Easy process as well. Then, as we waited for our luggage, I went to the restroom. The line was long and there are only a few stalls, so expect to be in line for at least 15 minutes (at least for the ladies!). They have restroom attendants who are working for tips. We did have one person come up and offer to help with our bags as we were waiting for the luggage carousel to start … and I said yes b/c we had ssoo much stuff (6 pieces of checked luggage including and oversized/over weight Tough-Box and then 2 carry-ons each, including my dress). I think we tipped him $20, but it was well worth it. I pointed out what was ours, he retrieved it and started taking us towards customs. Customs was also no biggie. They did open most of our luggage. I simply explained it was all gifts and decorations for our wedding … and we were able to continue out. Next, we had to locate our Tour Operator (Travel Impressions). Our rep gave us information packets and then pointed us towards our bus for the transfer. It can be very confusing at this point b/c there are people everywhere … but having the guy help with our luggage was a lifesaver b/c we just followed him and he knew where our transfer bus was located (in the meantime, I knew that just outside the airport and to the right was a beer stand, so I sent Tom to buy us Presidente’s for the ride to the resort and then he met us at the transfer bus. $5 each for the beers, and worth every penny – everyone else on the bus was jealous of us, lol). AIRPORT TO RESORT TRANSFER: At the bus, they try to herd you on and then load the luggage. I refused and said I would get on the bus once all of our luggage was loaded. I recommend standing firm on this. They almost couldn’t fit everyone’s luggage on the bus and had to put some in the aisles … and they did leave someone’s golf clubs behind (luckily they spotted them as we were driving off … otherwise they likely would have never been seen again). We had a guide on our bus (although none of our other guests did) … so we had a fabulous trip to the resort. His name was Utsey and he explained about Dominican culture, etc and pointed things out along the way. He was very fun and engaging. We were the last stop, so once it was just us on the bus, I asked him to stop on the side of the road so we could refill our beers and he happily did so … buying us all the 40 oz. President’s b/c he says they are $5 as opposed to the regular size for $4 at the place we stopped. We tipped him $10, I believe. CHECK-IN/CHECK-OUT: This is where I highly recommend Royal Service. We are the only ones in our group with RS (we were upgraded for free based on the # of rooms we had booked). So, we were taken to a totally different area, greeted with cool, lavender scented towels and cocktails and given a private tour of the resort as we were checked-in and taken to our room. Others say the check-in process for them (non RS) was lloonngg and laborious – taking up to 2 hours. I witnessed some of this and it did seem pretty unorganized. I was very grateful for the RS option! ROOM: Building 30, Room 1303. This was the absolutely most PERFECT room if you are getting married in the gazebo. My Travel Agent suggested that I request Building 30, even though it’s considered an Imperial Romance Ocean View room, which was a step up from the RS Garden View we were supposed to have … but we got it with no problem. It was perfect b/c the girls all got ready there and we could see the gazebo from the room and just walk down the sidewalk as part of the “aisle†to the gazebo. Perfect! Anyway, the room was nice. No complaints. Marble floors, step-down living area, wrap-around patio/balcony. We were very pleased. It was nothing fancy … but it was still perfect. I think too many people are simply too picky. Everyone else’s rooms were actually similar to ours, and spread throughout the resort (which is HUGE by the way). No one had any complaints about their rooms (they all had the Junior Suite/Garden View – least expensive … so no need to upgrade unless you want RS). RESORT: The resort itself is absolutely beautiful. It is a huge eco-preserve with lush tropical vegetation everywhere, beautiful gardens, etc. You can walk the resort, but it’s definitely much easier to hop on one of the trams that come around regularly. The lobby is a good distance from the beach area, most restaurants, and the rooms. They are constantly up-keeping their grounds, and it’s so beautiful. They have a guy who climbs up the coconut trees daily to chop off the good coconuts. And they manually use hatchets to trim the shrubbery. Amazing. There is a rock-climbing wall, zoo, tropical garden, archery area … I can’t even name it all. But it’s all nicely laid out and all fits into the eco-preserve theme so nicely. WEDDING COORDINATOR: Viviana was great, although on our actual wedding day, we had another WC. but she also did a great job. We met with Viviana they day after we arrived to go over the locations, menus, alternatives in case of rain, and set-up the payment for everything. The invoice she gave us was almost $9,000!!!!!!! We were nickel and dimed for every little thing … and I literally almost had a heart attack and I think Tom was about to kill me, thinking I didn’t do a good job planning/budgeting. However, I held firm about things … like the extra $3,000 listed for the open bar at the reception. I had been told numerous times that the 3-hour beach reception w/ buffet dinner was $2,500 TOTAL (including the bar). She argued with me and I told her no way – that we would cancel it all before paying that and that she needed to show me in writing where this had been discussed (I had copies of every email sent/received over the past year and a half of planning). She eventually gave in … but did not budge much on the cost of the CD Player/Speakers … which is listed in the pricing books as $100 (not $100 per hour). She even checked and it does NOT says “per hour†but we met in the middle and paid $200 instead of the $400 that the invoice stated). In all, our final invoice was $3820 (as opposed to the almost $9000 they tried to get out of us) – and we were comfortable with that price. My advice is to bring copies of every single correspondence and stand firm. Threaten to cancel it all if you have to. They will come down on price if it’s not what you have agreed upon. REHEARSAL DINNER: We had our rehearsal dinner at Marino (the seafood restaurant). They didn’t have enough place setting ready for us, but were very accommodating. We had to have a set menu b/c it was about 40 people, and we chose the Shrimp and Pepper Casserole, Grilled Lobster and Ice Cream. It was all exceptional! There were a few non-seafood eaters, and they were all accommodated with steak, pasta, etc. WEDDING CEREMONY: Our wedding was at 3pm. It was hot for Tom b/c he was wearing his military dress blues … but there was a nice breeze and I had fans for the guests, which they all used. Tom changed into khaki's and his reception shirt seconds after the ceremony. We did not do any decorations at the gazebo. It seemed a waste of money and the gazebo was just so beautiful in it’s own right. They set-up chairs around the gazebo for guests and a table outside the gazebo area that had all the champagne and for after the ceremony (don’t buy extra – they include plenty!!). I was very explicit with directions for the music, but they screwed it up (insist on having a friend push the Play button – I wish I had been adamant about that). Really it was no big deal, I just had to have a friend run out and tell them which song to put on for the BM’s to walk down the aisle. The ceremony itself was short and sweet – and very nice. The MC read it in Spanish and one of the WC’s translated. It was no more than 10 minutes, and would have been only about 5 minutes except that we added a Hand Ceremony, which my Uncle read for us. Afterwards, we all gathered near the gazebo for champagne and some pictures. RECEPTION: The reception was set for 5:30, but Viviana suggested we push it back until 6:30 b/c it was still going to be pretty hot at 5:30 (I’m not sure if that was true, or if they were just behind in getting it set-up … but 6:30 worked out perfectly). We all went to the Gabi Beach Bar and had drinks and mingled until it was time to take some sunset pics and then head to the reception. Our beach reception location was in front of where the Scuba Building is during the day (that deck was our dance floor and it was perfect). I had them put up palm fronds all around, which I highly recommend (we saw other beach receptions that did not have this and it just didn’t make for a very private reception area) because it gave us a sort of private oasis on the beach.They also strung lights that added a fabulous effect once the sun went down. The buffet was expansive and truly phenomenal. We did the Caribbean Menu … which included chicken, beef, lobster, pork, veggies, salads, fruits, desserts. It really was wonderful! And the set-up was great too. I didn’t do any additional colors, just white – and brought my own centerpieces, which they set up beautifully. After dinner we started dancing and then cut the cake and the cake tasted absolutely phenomenal!!! We probably danced about 30 minutes later than we were supposed to … and then packed up the centerpieces and headed to the lobby bar for more dancing! It truly was a picture-perfect wedding day! RESORT FOOD: We had only a few people who had any stomach issues. I had no issues and ate a LOT of EVERYTHING!!! The lunch buffets were great. Very expansive. I think I ate at the make-your-own pasta station every single day. But there is so much to choose from and I really did love everything. We ate at Vento one night as a group and everyone’s food was fabulous. Vento is in The Reserve area and you MUST check out this area! It’s not near the beach at all, so you’ll need a tram, but don’t miss the Gabi Bar at The Reserve … it’s very Miami-esque. Others in our group at El Romantico and said it was the best steak they have ever had – ever. Tom and I didn’t get to enjoy much in the way of the a la carte’s b/c we had so much going on in the days leading up to the wedding – but others in our group were very pleased with all the a la carta restaurants. We had Room Service a few times and it was okay. Nothing special, though. Oh, and if you get a burger at the Grill area at lunch time – MAKE SURE IT’S COOKED! I couldn’t eat mine b/c it was still raw inside. No biggie, they were just busy and didn’t keep it on the grill long enough. We had lunch in the RS restaurant one day (and snuck in my Dad and another guest with us) and it was TREMENDOUS! I definitely recommend eating at the RS area if you can (they are only open for lunch and dinner). POOL: The regular pool is where the party is! The pool bar was rockin’ all day long and the pool is so large that you can get lost in it. This is where we spent our time (we didn’t do the beach at all until our honeymoon, lol). It can be tough to find a lounge chair for your towels and such, but it’s not a big deal b/c we stayed in the water or at the pool bar all day long. This is where we met so many people … watched the (HILARIOUS!) water aerobics and traded time between sunny and shaded areas in the pool. We only used the RS pool one day and it was really nice. Lounge chairs in the pool with little stands for your drinks. The RS pool was awesome, but quiet. BEACH: The beach was bustling – and there is no question that you need to claim your palapa’s early if you want to do a day on the beach. My brother tried daily, but wasn’t up early enough and so it was late afternoon before they could snag one. The beach is beautiful, the ocean waves are a little rough, which makes for fun times! They do a nice job of clearing the seaweed every morning … and if you walk along the beach, there is no question that PPC has a nicer beach than many other nearby resorts. INCLUDED EXCURSIONS: Do the snorkeling!!! It’s the only one we had time to do and everyone loved it. It’s included at the resort and was really a lot of fun. We saw so many different kinds of fish and sea-life. The coral reefs were amazing. For a seasoned diver this would not be so cool, but it was our first time and everyone was thoroughly impressed. NIGHTLIFE: We arrived on Wednesday night and stumbled upon the Fire Dancers at the Gabi Beach Bar around 10pm. It was AWESOME! And talk about partying – this was definitely the place to be! Otherwise the Lobby Bar had us rockin’ ‘til 3am most nights! The employees will grab you to meringue and it’s just ssoo much fun! I stuck with Presidente’s most of the time but did probably a minimum of 5 shots of Mamajuana per day and also loved the blue kamikaze-like shots. YUM! OVERALL: This was the perfect resort for our guests. We never even got to see everything it was so expansive. Our guests were age 4-80 and everyone said it’s a “do-over†location. We are planning another trip in 2-years for anyone who wants to come back and I believe we’ve already got a dozen commited to the trip. This truly was a 100% perfect resort with a 100% perfect wedding day for us and for our guests. Tom and I could not be happier! The honeymoon resort was awesome too – but I’ll do a separate thread for that one!

Love the pics! You've got some great ones! Love your dress -- it looks amazing on you! Everything looked PERFECT!!!

Love it all! The candy buffett looks so fun!

The ring you chose is gorgeous! Our rings are very different as well Mine was $2500+ and his was $600 ... but they are exactly what we wanted. $5k would have been a little much though, at least for us. lol

I love these pics! The colors are amazing! And I am ssoo jealous of your group photo -- it's one that I really really wanted to get ... but forgot to remind the photogs so we don't have any big group shot like yours. And your cake is similar to mine! Love it too! Can't wait to see more pics!!!

Welcome back! You are wwaayy ahead of me in getting reviews written, etc! I am just finishing unpacking today! I love that TTD pic! You've got beautiful eyes!!!

Love them ... especially the first two! Can't wait to see more!!!