twinkletoes

to the forum Carrie! I am also a Punta Cana bride! yaaay! If you don't mind me asking, did you get a confirmed time for your ceremony yet? Congrats & Happy Planning

Quote: Originally Posted by ticia277 Yhea a new Punta Cana Bride! I'm getting married at Dreams. One option, is having the hotel's wedding coordinator conduct the ceremony and then sign the papers with the judge at whatever time they're available. Oooh, I didnt even know that was an option for a civil ceremony. What time is your ceremony? When I contacted Dreams I was told they only hold ceremonies at 6pm, 7pm, or 8pm.

to the forum! I have recently decided on the Domincian Republic. And the more and more I research, the more I love it! There is plenty of information this forum about all the locations you listed, so go ahead and browse through them, you're sure to find something you're in love with. Congrats & Happy Planning

Quote: Originally Posted by foxytv I would go for EdenH. It looks like an amazing resort. Have you been on the DR wedding forum? You can get tons more insight about resorts from past, present and future brides. I just saw the link to that forum you posted in my other thread. I will check that one out tonight. I am waiting on the coordinator to send me some pics of the wedding locations at EdenH. I cant wait to start reading reviews about the resort. But its defitenly one I'm leaning towards. I love the fire & ice theme!

to the forum! Happy Planning

Awesome review Cali! I'm glad to hear your mom made it in one piece. You would never tell all those things happened from your teaser pics! I'm glad everything worked out in the end! Boo to your MIL Congrats to the new Mrs.

to this post! I contacted Dina about the Dominican Republic and she was VERY quick to respond and full of helpful information! She even gave her recommendations, warnings, and covered some concerns I had. She has been totally awesome! Cheers for TA Dina!!!

to the forum!

to the forum! Congrats & Happy Planning

Or a nice crisp $20 bill and a big smile may get you an upgrade. You never know!

I found the Bisquick 'just add water' pack in Wal-mart last night. These are defitenly on the menu for tonight! Yaaay. I think I'll make them from scratch on the next go round.

to the forum! Happy Planning

*Sorry this is already a thread, but since the search function isnt working,I thought I'd ask anyway!* I know that sometimes in a traditional wedding, couples save a piece or a tier of their wedding cake and freeze it for their 1st anniversary. I'm not sure we're doing this b/c I dont think I want to deal with the hassle of bringing a cake back home. And I'm not sure how great it would taste anyway after a whole year in my freezer! I was just wondering if any of you DW brides did this or are planning to do this.

I agree with what everyone said above. I also love the "Meet the Mr. and Mrs." idea! Since our wedding is in August, I'm thinking about doing something small and simple in September, maybe a Labor day bbq/potluck. I defitenly think you could play the wedding dvd at the function and it wouldn't be cheesy at all. Hmm, I'm thinking would I need to do favors for this? And what would I do?

Since our wedding ceremony is on a Friday, most guests will not leave until Sunday or Monday. So we are debating on whether to do the brunch Saturday or Sunday as well. I think this is a great idea though!

Quote: Originally Posted by jnowlan when it does rain it's usually very short. Ditto. And the humidity is so high, the rain spots dry very quickly. You often never know it even rains!

Quote: Originally Posted by Heidi CONGRATS CHRISTINA!!!!!!! ...hey, if you still want to visit ROR, you should stop by on 4/4/08 at 4pm! Lol, Thanks Heidi. Don't tempt me, b/c even though I'm on vacation now, I know when I go back to work I'm going to need another vacation, seeing that our next day off from work is not until Memorial Day in May! Yikes!

Companies usually use different criteria to determine what internet sites to block. #1. IT gets a log of ALL websites that EVERYONE has visited. So your company can block the most visited websites/or a website an individual user frequents if they wanted to. (usually social networking sites,etc) #2. I.T. can block sites based on keywords as well (ex: anything that has to do with sex). So they put filters on the server to restrict some or all users from certain sites. Companies usually do this for a couple of reasons. The obvious being of course for employee productivity. But also for security reasons. So many sites can have pop-ups or viruses that can take over a companies entire server(s) if detremental enough. I guess I finally find a perk about being in IT, I have unrestricted access to the internet!

After mini drama with the Riu Ocho Rios, to make a long story short: I for so long was trying to book my wedding at the resort on 08.08.08, especially seeing that Jamaica was a reasonable price for my guests. So I contacted them (more like stalked,for at least 4 months,lol) and finally I was told that a slot was available for 11am. At this point I didnt care what time the ceremony was, I just wanted the date. But I had to go on the site and book. It wasnt 2 minutes later I went on the site and the time was not available like I was told. After going back and forth with the Riu I was told someone else had reserved the time slot and there was nothing they could do unless someone cancelled again. At this point I'm a little pissed, b/c I couldnt understand why the resort couldnt just write me in for the slot I wanted since I had been in constant contact with them over months and was told I would be put on a waiting list. So reality finally sunk in that it was time to start a plan B. Anyhoo.... So in December I started researching more options and it seems like the DR can offer my guests the same feasible accomodations. Maybe with just an hour longer flight or so. And reading through all the DR posts on this forum has helped seal the deal! With all that said, I am now officially a Dominican Republic Bride!!! Still trying to decide on the exact resort seeing that the ones I wanted(Paradisus Punta Cana, the Majestic, Riu Palace, and Dreams Punta Cana) were all booked on my date. So we are going to try and stay at one of the aforementioned resorts for our honeymoon instead. So the resorts in the running that have my desired date available (for a civil ceremony) are: *The EdenH Real Arena Resort - new resort opening this month - 5pm ceremony - offers free certificate for a 4 day/3 night stay on wedding anniversary! *Ocean Blue Beach & Golf Resort - the wedding coordinator said she could not reserve a time (not sure how one resort can and another one can't) *Iberostar Bavaro My only concern is that it seems like its quite often that the judge runs late in Punta Cana b/c there is only one. But how late is late? I look forward to chatting with the DR brides. Off to do more research!

Great find! Super cute and not incredibly expensive.

to the forum Erica! Congrats & Happy Planning

*Update: 3/15/08 - The resort now has various wedding packages. Please check out the EdenH brides link for more up to date info: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t14906 The resort currently offers only 1 wedding package but is in the process of creating more: Deluxe Wedding Package: Wedding Coordinator in Property to assist you with preparations Location of your choice for your wedding: On the Beach, Garden Area or a Private Room Elegant Set up for your Wedding Wedding March during ceremony (CD playing) Two Fresh Flower arrangements Bouquet for Bride and Boutonniere for Groom Wedding Cake for 10 Wedding Party (number of wedding guests registered at Edenh Real Arena) One glass of sparkling wine for the Wedding Party  Hors D’ouvres during Toast Wedding dinner at one of our specialty restaurants (set up menu) 15 minute massage for Bride and Groom Civil Judge Services Fee Simultaneous Translation of Ceremony Marriage Certificate delivered by UPS (usually 3 months later) Certificate for a 4 day 3 night stay on Couple’s First Anniversary *Cost $ 1,250.00 *Other services such as photographer, video, live music etc. also available at additional charge

Resort Overview: Main Lobby: Main Buffet: Pool View near Ocean: Roof top Tantra Bar: Fountains in the middle of the resort:

There are quite a few new resorts opening in the Punta Cana area between this year and next. This one is called the EdenH Real Arena Resort. The theme of the resort is supposed to be Fire & Ice. I'll post the overview/details of the resort, pics, and wedding packages. Officially opens January 5th. Enjoy! Resort website (in progress): Edenh Real Arena * Located on Bavaro Beach approx 9 miles away from PUJ airport Included Services & Amenities 658 rooms 24-hour food & beverage service Selected domestic and international drinks and beverages (alcoholic) Full in-room mini bar service Color TV with Plasma screen Five restaurants Six bars Lounge chairs available at the beach and pools Nightly live entertainment Themed dinner parties Five swimming pools - one wheelchair accessible Kids & Teens Club Daily activities schedule Daily childrens program Poolside entertainment Non motorized water sports included (snorkling, kayaks, windsurf, paddle boat) Gym and exercise center Beach & pool volleyball Paddle and basketball courts and two Tennis courts Additional Services and Amenities Spa and Gym Motorized water sports Child care & nanny services Round trip airport transfers Gifts, jewelry and sundries available in our charming shopping boutiques Conference and banquet facilities Audiovisual equipment Dry cleaning & laundry facilities Doctor on call Gift certificates Casino Bowling Wedding packages available

Here is a thread with a few more pics of wedding cakes at the Riu: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t5538-31 There is a word document on page 32 with more cakes.