jessyg20

It was part of my planning, but we ended not doing it because of my entrance and sand ceremony positioning. I guess it also depends how many guests you have. WE had over 100.

Great article! Martha is always on the ball lol I love all her ideas, but I especially agree with #4 Give a warm welcom and #10, Host Daily Meet ups. We did the warm welcome waiting in lobby and giving out the OOT bags and our mugs with cookies in them. Everyone was happy to see us and loved the special hello. As for the the Host Daily Meet ups, we scheduled dinners/made reservations throughout the week at the resort's various restaurants. It allowed guests to enjoy their day time at their leisure but have dinner with everyone, including us. After dinner most usually hung around the main bar and mingled. It made them feel like they had control of their vacation but still part of wedding. Good luck!!!!

I agree. We did the "legal" ceremony in city hall just Hubby and I. We told our parents but that's about it. We expressed to them the "real" deal will be at our destiination wedding. They didn't make a big deal out of it because we expressed that wish to celebrate all anniversaries on our symbolic wedding date. It's your day and they will understand. As for your frineds, they will NEVER know unless you decide to tell them. Why go through the hassle of having a foreign "legal" marriage when you can make your life much easier by doing at home. Consider the $ you'll be saving as well. Good luck!

Hey ladies here's the latest link to this project, I researched it on Martha Stewart.com for all you crafty girls. I saved alot of $$$! http://www.marthastewartweddings.com...et?backto=true

Bride Loving CJ- Punta Cana is beautiful, you're guests will first only want to get in their bathing suites and enjoy the beach and pool, with a cocktails of course. Let them know bartenders love US Dollars!!!!! You can always organize a group with an excursion agency to do some activities, if you have enough people negotiate to have you or your hubby/hubby to be go for free (heh heh we did). We did one group excursion, the buggy ride. It's a few hours but it was fun. They take you to a ranch where you're given a buggy (go kart lol), then you're taken to a natrual spring water cave, then you go to a beach where you get to watch the sunset. It was amazing! Then you will have the crazy moments like the picture below, after the wedding and partying, 2am, no body, well the party people, didn't want to stop, so what better thing to do, go to the beach! lol My intentions were to stay dry and enjoy my wedding night with my husband, but we decided to go for it!

I agree with Laura...Photosouvenir! They were Amazing! They did a great job. Here's there website if anyone wants to see their work... Punta Cana Destination wedding photography

Congrats to all the ladies who are expecting and those who've had their bundles of joy already! This is a great thread, I haven't been around for awhile and decided to update you all...I'm expecting a "suprise" September 13th. Can't wait. I'm currently 33 weeks. I just had my baby shower and that was like planning my wedding, fun!

Quote: Originally Posted by Bride Loving CJ Thanks so much for answering the questions!! Is Favor Warehouse an online store or is local to you? My mistake, here's the site.... Paperboard CD Case : Unique Wedding Favors - Wedding Reception Favors - Bridal Shower Favors Good luck!

Quote: Originally Posted by Bride Loving CJ Hey Jesse!! Thanks so much for the wonderful planning thread! I hope you are still active on the forum (I see your wedding was 2 years ago) because I have a couple of questions: ~Did you pick your menu before you got to the resort? I was wondering how I was going to make menu cards ahead of time because I did not have a menu. ~Your CD cases are lovely! I have been looking for something outside of the standard plasic jewel case. Where did you get these? ~When was the first time you met with the judge/officiant? Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and inspiration! Bride Loving CJ- Thank you for all the wonderful compliments. I can't belive it's been so long since the wedding, I had so much fun planning it. Now, I'm expecting my first born in September (Gender unknown and fyi if it's a boy his nickname will be CJ). So I'm excited about that now! Ok down to your questions... ~Did you pick your menu before you got to the resort? I was wondering how I was going to make menu cards ahead of time because I did not have a menu. **** I chose my menu before the wedding, about a month in advance. Everyone was served the same thing so it wasn't difficult to create the cards ahead. Just print, cut and paste on Card Stock. Lots of cutting and pasting! lol ~Your CD cases are lovely! I have been looking for something outside of the standard plasic jewel case. Where did you get these? I was very proud of the CD's. Between the CD holders and the easels to hold them on, it looked like I spent a fortune. I bought the plain white CD holders at Favor warehouse on sale. I decorated them with my monogram, satin ribbon, and printed the song list on vellum paper. The hardest part was punching the hole on the side for the ribbon, the rest was easy! ~When was the first time you met with the judge/officiant? I met the pastor via email and a follow up phone call when I arrived. Nice man, he's been living in Punta Cana as part of a Christian Mission group. He performed the ceremony in English. Speaks both english and spanish. HOpe this helps, let me know if you need anything else! Thanks, Jessy

HI! I took my travel steamer I purchased at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for some of those unwanted wrinkles. I also steamed it before I took it to DR and was very careful with the dress all the way there. My dress rode in 1st class, thanks to the friendly flight attendants of AA. Hope this helps.

Those are great. Believe me your guests will love them and find them really handy. I know ours did.

Quote: Originally Posted by Msbettybernier Wow! Thx Jesse for the review. All of the information is truly appreciated. The pics are really helping my fiance and I make a decision. The grounds of the hotel look beautiful. I didn't get the email with the old prices, but today, I finally got a response from Marianna Vilchez, the WC with the costs, costs for extras, pics, etc. I have a couple of more Qs for her so I am going to email her in the morning. I've been reading TripAdvisor reviews and was getting a bit worried when the emails I sent were bounced back to me. The prices aren't terrible. LR Friendly---Thx and feel Better! BTW-the email you posted is the email address for Mariana, as she responded to me via tht address. Jesse, it is ppl like you that make BDW.com an invaluable resource! Hey MsBetty- Just wondering if you ever got through to the resort? I'll be going there Sept 17th (to celebrate my birthday) for a week and wondering if you needed anything. Let me know. I'll have free internet access (thanks to the Paradise club computer room) so I'll keep you posted.

Great colors and great bags. Great job!!

Wow, Turkey?! Awesome! Where in Turkey? Would love to hear about your planning as well. Good luck!

Jocy- I really hope your WC can get you the cigar roller, that sounds great. Just in case, here's the website of the Domincan cigars we bought in Punta Cana. All our guests really enjoyed them, even those that had never smoked a cigar before. We even bought extra bundles to take home because my husband LOVED them so much. Cigar Home and Lounge Punta Cana