jessyg20

Pastor York-He was great. If you are thinking of having a symbolic ceremony but would like a pastor, he’s great. His fee was only $250. He sends you exactly what he’s going to read and gives you the option to change or add anything. He includes a few readings and the sand ceremony reading. I had my other sister read “These are the Hands” poem. Eastern Dominican Christian Mission Photographer-Reno from Photo Souvenir was patient and amazing. He let us have fun.. Great pictures, I loved them all. We did 8hrs of photography but no video and we are happy we did so. Pictures say a lot and we actually enjoyed all the shots he took. Photo Souvenir is a great company to deal with. I only have good things to say about them. Photosouvenir Punta Cana, Wedding Photographer Dominican Republic Music-I took a cd of the songs and in the order I wanted them played for the ceremony. I had a variety of instrumental, English, and Spanish songs. I reviewed them with the WC, and she knew exactly when I wanted them to play, when to fade, etc. She’s so good! That came out perfect. I had everyone in tears with my entrance song “From this moment” by Shania Twain. I allowed the 1st minute of the song to play before I came out, which is her talking. It was perfect. Cocktail Hour- Since I chose to have the open bar for 4 hours, the resort allowed me to have an open bar for the cocktail hour for no additional cost at the Tantra Bar. So while the Bridal party took pics, the guests enjoyed the h’ourdervs and free booze (I know it’s an all inclusive but this bar is closed at that hour, so they serve booze ONLY for your guests and nobody else, so you’re basically paying for the service)! The other choice was to have h’ourdervs and my sparkling wine served. I don’t understand nor like that idea. I saved the sparkling wine for the toast inside the reception. Reception-Cinque Terre Italian Restaurant fit perfectly with our wedding colors (Chocolate, Teal, and White). That’s why when Elizabeth showed us the restaurant back in August we knew the party had to be done there. We used the upper level for the tables and seating and left the center for the dance floor. The outside terrace was where we setup the bar. The DJ was tucked away in a corner just outside the dance floor. The food was great. I’m happy with the choices we picked. I’m still hearing everyone tell me how good the Minestrone soup, eggplant parm, and the veal were. Since they asked everyone how they’d like their meat cooked, it did take an hour for the main course to come out from the time the appetizer were served. Not a big deal since we, the bride and groom, went around saying hello to everyone at their tables and took pictures with them. The bar was a popular spot also to kill time. My Wedding Cake- Oh, my cake!! Wow did it taste good!!!!! I chose the Dominican cake with Rum filling. You could taste the rum!!! It was good. I took my teal and regular chocolate melts along with my seashell molds and made the seashells that lay on the cake as decorations. My sister gave me a chocolate fondue pot. It’s a mini crock pot looking thing that melts chocolate quickly without burning it. It’s usually used to melt chocolate and then dipping strawberries. Very small and practical! It got the job done. We had to do 1 tray at a time so it’d fit in the mini bar fridge. After 20 mins we do another tray. We also had some pre-made chocolate sea shells but I wanted to give the chef some extras just in case. I’m glad I did because my cake was huge. The only negative thing I have to say about the cake is that my cake topper sunk in a bit. Oh well! That wasn’t the worse part. The worst part was when someone knocked down my cake topper and decapitated the groom and left him handicap! Lol I laugh now, like I laughed when Elizabeth told me. She was able to glue the head, but he remained handicap, no hands. It was our day to shine so we didn’t make a big deal of it. Before- After- Open Bar-The boys’ hangout! Outside in the terrace is where all the boys drank and smoked cigars. We decided to do 4 hours of open bar, national drinks. We asked about buy just a few of their premium liquors (Stoli Vodka, Black Label, etc.) and the charge per bottle was too much. So we decided to outsource a few bottles. We picked a few bottles of Grey Goose Vodka, Black Label, Malibu Rum, etc outside of the resort. They had no problem serving it. They actually gave us a few extra bottles we had left over. Of course the Grey Goose vodka and Black Label were gone! I honestly couldn’t imagine making my 93 guests (actually only 80 were of drinking age)constantly run outside to the nearest bar (which is across the plaza by the lobby) to grab a drink during our*4 hour reception. We are party people, we drink and dance. We actually dance better after drinking! It was worth the money. *It was actually 6 hours at a charge of 4. Remember that same manager we tipped once? Well, we asked him if we could stay longer since the food took a while to come out and we didn’t want to party only for 1.5hrs, so he agreed and let us stay until midnight. We had Open Bar and DJ until midnight for no additional fee. Didn’t I mention anything is possible??!!!!! DJ-Well, he started good, but killed my party at the end. The majority of my guests were of Hispanic background, but even we get tired of just Latin music! We like variety. He just didn’t have it. We kept telling him (and in Spanish) and he’d agree to whatever we asked for, but never play it. I got upset at him and told him he basically was killing my party. He finally understood and got the crowd going again. I guess he didn’t care because he wasn’t getting paid for the extra 2 hours of music he was going to play. He told us he’s contracted for a flat fee by the resort. So he could be there for 8hrs and still get paid the same. Figures! My suggestion, take current and favorite songs on CD’s and an IPod. This DJ had all his music on his laptop and some CD’s. Not all DJ’s are high tech though. Oh, and a DJ in Dominican Republic is not also an MC like we’re use to. This guy did not speak English. So I recruited my sister’s boyfriend. My husband wrote everything he needed to say for everyone’s entrance, for the first dance, mother/son dance, bouquet toss, garter belt, etc.. And what songs to play for each event, and he did really good!! My sister’s boyfriend was a riot! So always have a back up!

Hair Salon- If you decide to do your hair at the salon make sure you book Jacqueline. She was sooooo good. I loved the way she did my trial, so I immediately booked her for myself and my wedding party. Since we were 4, they had to add an additional stylist. I don’t remember her name but she SUCKED! Yes I said it. In the pictures below you’ll see my poor niece (Jr. Bridesmaid) with a miserable face and my Maid of Honor. Jacqueline had to finish both of them after doing my hair and my bridesmaid’s hair. Not only did she do our hair but our make-up too. She’s awesome! We went back 2 times for touch ups without a problem. My hair and makeup… My Bridesmaid done by Jacqueline… This is Jacqueline: My Jr. Bridesmaid suffering thanks to other stylist… Other stylist: My Maid Of Honor with a funky-do which later had to be finished by Jacqueline…. Final Hair…

Rain- It rained twice on my wedding day. It began raining in the morning around 8a, then in the middle of the day when they were setting up my chairs. They raced to get tons of chairs under some time of cover. We are talking about 90 chairs with seat covers and bows!! I heard it was hectic, especially since they were almost done with the set up. I was having my hair done around that time, and I saw the dark skies. Once it began raining, I started praying. Everyone said they prayed for us. At 2p we started taking pictures, there were no clouds in the sky. We had BLUE skies and sunshine throughout the whole ceremony. I was blessed!

Day of the wedding-Saturday 10-25-08 Setting up- I created an album with pictures of all my decorations and favors, in order to show Elizabeth (the WC) everything. We reviewed it together before everything arrived. I think she went home and studied my book! She knew exactly how I wanted my tables to be arranged, how each seat in the ceremony should be arranged, she knew how to put what favors where, etc….she actually didn’t need me! I insisted though, so the morning of the wedding, Elizabeth, myself and my wedding party helped decorate all of the tables. I was happy to be part of the production. It turned out exactly how I envisioned it. Ceremony set-up- Edenh Plaza The resort has a creative director for weddings. His name is Angelo. He’s fabulous! He said he had a vision for my ceremony and I let him use his creative license!! He was great. I loved his ideas and the final product was amazing. I have to say, Elizabeth and Angelo both surprised me. They even added a bubble making machine to the ceremony. It looked so adorable. I was surprised!

Finally, my review and wedding pics…. 10-25-08 Jessica and Christian’s Wedding Edenh Real Arena Punta Cana, DR Packing and Luggage-When you arrive to Punta Cana, it pays to get a sky cap right away. They’ll stay with you and take your bags directly to shuttle. Otherwise, you can grab a cart but they won’t let you outside the airport with it. Then you have to drop everything and get a skycap anyway, unless you have 1 or 2 bags and you can drag them through rows of shuttles if you’re taking a shuttle yourself. I had 4 really big bags with me, so I had no choice. I’m just glad everything arrived and intact! My cheap bags ($10-12) stuffed with plastic bins worked out great. The luggage I brought over only had the OOT bag stuff, which I needed in order to set them up and distribute. My other pieces of luggage (9 assigned to my family) filled with the centerpieces, favors, etc., were arriving 1 or 2 days before the wedding. Once those arrived we took them directly to the WC’s office. I’m very happy nothing came broken or missing. So, bubble wrap and plastic bins worked out great. DR Customs-Never say you’re bringing favors or gifts, simply wedding décor! Makes things less complicated. Flight Information-I arrived a few days before the wedding, 4 days to be exact. I had everyone’s name, flight numbers, arrival/departure times, record locators, even seat assignments in a spreadsheet separated by day of arrival. It seemed all the flights arrived at 1:20p-ish which meant all guests taking transfers to the resort would arrival at 3p (I learned that after the first day of waiting for guests and found I had nothing to do in the lobby for 2 hrs!). Spreadsheet I created below: Attachment 2800 Check-in at Hotel-We didn’t get a huge honeymoon suite or any sort of room upgrade, but it was ok, because they gave me a deluxe room on the 4th floor room with partial pool and sea view. What a view! They put a big “honeymooners†sign on the door. Really cute! We also informed the front desk of our wedding and about all 93 guests, so they tried to accommodate our guests close to us. Not too close though! Lol Upgrade your Booze-Since we visited the resort in August we knew all about the Paradise Club. So we waited until we arrived to the hotel to upgrade. It’s basically $50/pp per night for the pink band that gets you premium liquor. My husband and I like vodka, the kind that won’t make you vomit or leave you with a pounding headache the next day. So we upgraded in order to drink Stoli. Otherwise they serve you grain alcohol. I told my heavy drinking friends the same and they agreed. The “tough†guys were the ones with a major hangover the next day. They learned and decided stick to beer! Lol The pink band also gives you access to the 2 VIP pools. I love those pools. Small and usually less crowded. The bars at the VIP pools always have the premium liquor. Room Upgrade-If you’re thinking about upgrading your room, I suggest you wait until you arrive to the hotel. It may be cheaper or you may feel like us, it’s really not a big deal. We had one of the girls at the check-in counter show us both types of rooms so we could compare. The difference between a Paradise Club room and a Standard/Deluxe room is a wall and the placement of their whirlpool tub. The Paradise Club rooms have their tubs in the patio and those rooms have a wall that separates the bathroom from the bedroom. The Standard/Deluxe rooms have their tubs inside and no wall to separate the bathroom. For couples I recommend the Standard/Deluxe rooms. With an indoor tub you have PRIVACY. In a Paradise Club room you’ll have to be in bathing suits and on occasion have a few onlookers. OOT bags for kids (the colorful ones)-I made bags filled with crayons, water games, floatation devices, play dough, baby sunscreen, kids band aids, coloring books, etc., parents were so happy I did. They forgot to bring toys for kids and my bags kept them entertained! I also had extra coloring books and crayons for the night of the reception. Those came in handy too. OOT Bags (1 for every single adult, 1 per couple)- Everyone loved them. Those first aid kits came in handy. The cookies were a blessing in disguise, and the mugs, wow, they stood out and the bartenders made everyone who had one feel special. Everyone agreed, the mugs were better than getting the small plastic cups from the bar. The production line … Meet & Greet- We were the first faces our guests saw when they pulled into the resort. We had the bags in the lobby, labeled and ready to be distributed. I put condoms in the single guy’s bags and didn’t want to offend people, so I made sure I labeled the bags with the guests’ name. We didn’t mind handing the out the bags, it was fun! Otherwise the resort wanted to charge $2-3 per bag to deliver them to the guests’ room. Story and Recommendation- On the first day guests began to arrive, we had family members (cousin, wife, and 2 small children) arrive to Newark airport, only to find out AA changed their itinerary. Their flights were now leaving from JFK. They ended up missing their connection and were diverted to Dominican Republics’ capital city, Santo Domingo. After a 4hr bus ride in uneven dirt roads, they arrived to the resort (around midnight). We don’t know who to blame, travel agency, airline, or them. They booked 6 months in advanced and a lot can change with the airlines schedule. I recommend either yourself or travel agent stay on top of this for you the sake of your guests! They’re trip was not ruined by this incident, thank god! Another Recommendation- A la carte restaurants Since I arrived on a Tuesday, I was able to book all the a la carte reservations for the entire week based on the number of guests I had each night. This worked out great. My guests did not have to worry about making the reservations or worrying about eating every night at the buffet. We were a big group, so sometimes we had to split up. For instance, the Sunday after the wedding, we had 48 guests remaining, so we booked the Japanese restaurant. We used 3 Hibachi tables (12 each) and the rest were sitting close by on regular tables. Not everyone showed up but the majority did and enjoyed it. All the restaurants we reserved gave us excellent service! The rehearsal dinner- The day before the wedding, we asked the manager in charge if he could accommodate 93 guests in the buffet, simply separate a section of the buffet area with tables of 12 for us, and he happily agreed. They did bend over backwards for us. Then again, we happily compensated them often. It’s amazing what tipping can do. Hint hint anything is possible (at least at this resort)! Guest Arrival Information List.xls

I finally got pics!! I'm still working on my review. ..:: Pictage | Registration ::..

Hello girls!! I just posted my Pro wedding pictures on my other thread. Check them out... http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t31186-3

ok ladies...as promised ..pictures!!!!!!!! I really took 500 pictures but I made a folder of my favorites and brought down to only 355! lol Enjoy! ..:: Pictage | Registration ::..

Omg, I just saw this thread! That's so sweet!!!!! Thank you so much! Awe!

Hey ladies- I just got back from my Dream Honeymoon. I recommend it to anyone who wants to be on a post card of Europe! 12 night Mediterranean cruise out of Barcelona, Spain on Royal Carribean the Ports of call included: Barcelona, Spain; Villefranche (Nice), France; Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy; Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey; Santorini, Greece; Piraeus (Athens), Greece; Naples, Capri, Italy; Great weather, great food (my hips are reflecting it), and lots of fun. Novermber is low season so if you ever decide to go, do it at this time of the year. No heat and less crowd. I actually can't wait to go back. Especially Barcelona!!

I found that funny too. I flew Miami to Madrid, Spain but my final destination was Barcelona, Spain and we didn't clear passport or baggage control until Barcelona. Maybe Europe works diffrently. I work for Homeland Security and when a passenger arrives to the US they have to clear at the first port of entry, regardless if they are connecting to another city.

Tracey, I just answered right under your questions! I'm a firm believer that "Sharing is caring"! So go on, get inspired, I know thanks to the vets on this forum I was inspired!! Quote: Originally Posted by trayce2222 OMG, Jessy!!!! Everything is absolutely amazing!!!! This thread and all of your hardwork is so my inspiration! I, like you, am also having a starfish theme and the light blue colors. I love EVERYTHING!!!! I have a few questions for you if you don't mind! 1. Where did you find your MOH and BM's dresses? They are beautiful! Thanks! I got them from David's Bridal. They were cute and simple. The color was pool. 2. Where did you get your wedding invitations? Did you make them? If so, do you have a template? They are exactly what I am looking for! If you made them, can you tell me what types of paper you used? I'm not the most crafty person! lol That was one craft I did not want to take upon myself. Especially since I needed 150 of them. I used a local Miami Vendor called Elegant creations. They are not cheap but the quality was amazing. Elegant Creations 6840 Main Street Miami Lakes, Fl 33014 Tel: 305-823-9198 Toll: 1-877-825-9198 Fax: 305-818-7365 e-mail: [email protected] web: The Fine Paper Store, Invitations, Wedding Invitations, Quince Invitations, Accessories -by Elegant Creations 3. Where did you purchase the mugs? I was going to do water bottles with our logo, but I think it will be better to do those mugs. The mugs worked out perfectly! Actually, we had a dedicated bartender at the Resort's main pool that would do funny acrobatic stuff with them. These cups where a hit and easy to transport, because they were lightweight and plastic! I added a bag of homemade chocolate chip/oatmeal cookies from a friend that bakes these for a living. What a hit! I got them from ebay. I paid $129 (including shipping)for 100 personalized mugs. This company was great!eBay Store - Factory 21 Promotional Items: Shot Glasses, Pub Glasses, Tumblers 4. Where did you get the cameras? What does the little tag that is attached to them say? The weddingchannel.com had a special promotion on these cameras. So jumped on them! I did a mini scavenger hunt tag for each camera. I printed and stuck it on with self laminating paper to the back. The lable had the table names and what pictures they should try to take. Let me tell you, this worked out because at the end of the night out of 18 cameras (2 per table) I only had 1 missing and I knew the table/people that kept it, so I called them out on it (actually my bridal party did) and we got it back! Some people don't understand these are not favors for them but memories for the bride and groom. 5. I noticed you put your logo tags/stickers on just about everything. I have a logo we will use, but I'm not sure where to get the tags printed. Did you do it yourself or did you use a printing company? The best thing I did, money saver, and time saver, was have my monogram printed from vista print as a business card. My monogram on card stock allowed me to use it everywhere. I would just cut it out with a punch. 250 of your monogram on card stock is not cheap, but on vista print, its $4-5. Ok, I think that's all for now! haha I can't wait to see the final pics! I'm sure when I post all of my final stuff, you will see a lot ideas that came from you! Thanks so much!!!! Tracy I have more pics, believe me! lol Thanks for the compliments. Hope this helps!

pics are coming soon I promise. Just editing some and selecting others!!!

HI Girls! I just got back and I'm bit jet lagged. I'm going to post these hair pics and hopefully by tomorrow I'll have my wedding pics up. Hair and Makeup:

Hi ladies, live from somewhere on the french rivera on day 11 of 14day crise/honeymoon via blackberry!! Just wanted to quickly post some answers and say hi! My hair-i did a trial with jacqueline (she's the best one) for $64 and make up $44. Then on day of it came out to $124. I took my make up but the price won't change.Now, I was told Oct is low season so prices are lower. The trial and actual day where the exact same service and final product! I loved it! Yes its pricey but I would go back after pics for touch up and more hairspray. They were more than willing for no charge.When I get back, I'll post pics. My open bar-prices vary. I paid almost $10/pp. Since I bought premium liquor outside of the hotel and chose the open bar with domestic liquor for 80 adults and had them use my bottles too it was less. My bar was set up outside in restaurant terrace with my cigars. Worked out great! The guys loved it! Ok gotta run but I'll be back soon.

Hey girls! I'm writing to you from my blackberry and my honeymoon cruise in europe. Its my day 11 out of 14 so I'll be home soon. Wanted to post a quick reply about the liqour cost. We paid almost that for per person. You have to let them know how many adults out of your guests you have. Since your not going to pay a bar fee for kids.also, we decided to buy premium bottles outside hotel. So we served the good stuff that wasn't included in bar fee. To no shock, those were to first to be drank at our party! So, what you can do is get the beer and wind package and buy a few bottles of vodka, rum, and/or whisky and you could get away with saving a few. We compared prices with bottles sold at hotel and sold in duty free or town and we made out ok. This was a huge debate for us but hubby won. We had a great time with the bar being setup outside. We put out cigars and it was great! Ipaid for 80 guests. I learned once ur there you might be able to negotiate with bar manager the fee also.You Might!!! Bottom line $10 per person is about the price we got quoted.once I return I'll give more feedback. Off to monaco and monte carlo I go, bye!

Quote: Originally Posted by rubyringo holy crap i'm up next!!!! Hi girls..yes ruby you´re next!!! I bet you can´t wait!!! I have about an hour to kill before I continue enjoying Punta Cana. We are going on an excursion, the Buggy Ride. Most of my guests left today and they were so amazed and very happy. We did a buffett dinner for all 93 of our guests on Friday. They basically had tables of 10 and 12 for us in one section of the buffet. It worked out great. All the servers and bartenders loved us because we were always tipping. Its amazing what a few extra bucks do. Friday night at the buffet turned out perfect, not a bad idea if you want to save the money. The other nights i arranged reservations at the specialty restaurants for the number of people we had. I made the reservations the first day I arrived and that worked out perfectly too. Last night we had Reservervations for 36 all at the Habachi tables. We had 3 habachi tables for 12 people each. Good eats!!!! Like I said before, if you can afford doing the private reception, do it. I wouldnt of done it any other way because the service, food, and setup was amazing at the Italian Restaurant. As for the cake, some of you girls were just as worried about that like me. I bought chocolate melts in brown and teal, soap molds of shells, and I brought my small electric fondue/chocolate melter to the resort and made my shells here. I asked elizabeth to order my cake in all white, dominican cake in rum flavor, in 3 tiers. I gave her my chocolate shells the night before and the cake turned out really cute. With the exception of someone dropping my cake topper (groom) and having his hands and head fall off <they glued the head back on) lol, it looked cute. So yes, bring your own decor. I had done some shells at home and brought them in my hand luggage, once i passed tsa I asked a food vendor at the airport for some ice and put the zip loc full of ice in the container to keep the chocolates from melting. I didnt think they would survive but they did. I kept them in the minibar fridge in my room. I paid extra for my cake being a "Dominican Cake" but boy, was it good. I had people fighting for the extra pieces!! I go back home tomorrow to basically do laundry, write my review, and leave Thursday for 2 more weeks on my cruise out of Barcelona. Yay!! Ask away if you have questions or email me jessyg20 at aol.com (cant figure out the damn "at" sign on this keyboard, sorry!!! lol)

Hi girls just wanted to let you all know My wedding was wonderful. It rained in the early afternoon and then it was clear skies. God heard my prayers. All I have to say is, the Edenh really spoiled me. Chris, my husband *wow* and I were the preferred guests. They really catered to us. The ceremony was beautiful, the artistic designer, Angelo, and Elizabeth made all my visions come true. I have tons of pics Ill be able to post soon. The reception was awesome. The restaurant looked spectacular. I woke up early and helped set up. All my guests were really impressed with all my details. I booked the restaurant from 6 to 10 but like I said since we were being spoiled they let us party til midnight with our DJ and our open bar!!!! I really couldnt of asked for anything better. If you're having any doubts about this resort being new, don't. I think If they made this all possible for my 93 guests, anything is possible. I recommend the private reception if you can spend the money. We had people thinking our wedding was a club and were dying to come in and party with us. Ha ha We were the envy of everyone. Photosouvenir, Reno, took our pics. Great guy to work with. We booked him for 8hrs and we had fun with him. I cant wait to see my proofs. I will have a complete review soon. Just wanted to let you all know, the edenh will never be the same after Christian and Jessica's Wedding!!!! Hugs

Hello girls, i didnt say good bye but instead..hello from the Edenh. Everything is going great So far. Word of advice, take your dress with you as a carry on but bring your on iron to steam it. Im not sure i trust the resort to do it for me. It arrived all wrinkled even though it sat in frist class for the 2hr ride. All my bags are making its way here. Im excited and will post my review when i come back. Thank you all for you wonderful compliments. bye!!!!

Hello ladies, live from the edenh. I met with elizabeth last night and showed her all my pics and ideas. She has a vision! Im really happy and excited it is all going to turn out wonderful. I brought a tear to her eye when I told her how all the Edenh Brides, including myself are happy she´s around. She told me she´d never knew of anyone so detailed beside herself. I think she meant anal! lol The cinque terre is going to look fabulous with all my decor and the Plaza is going to be the envy of everyone here. Yay! A few days to go, in the meantime Im relaxing until the rest of my 10 bags arrive between Thursday and Friday and of course the rest of my 92 guest list arrive. lol Yay. Ill keep you posted. Hugs!!!!!

Jeffica- I live in Miami and work at the Miami airport. Summer weather is no fun for a bride! The weather last week was fabulous all the way through the keys. This week...horrible! There are 3 potential storms in the atlantic. It's so unpredictable. I love islamorada. We usually drive to Tikki Bar (Holiday isle resort) and enjoy the day. It's an old establishment but everytime we go, we feel like we're on a mini-vacation. That's the best part of that area. Sanibel and captiva are beautiful locations but you're right about the drive. My opinion, have a November wedding at whichever location you pick in Florida.

Welcome! I'm sure the stories you read from all the forum brides will help you decide on your location. Good luck!

I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine the pain you're going through. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family.

Omg!! Too funny! Damn, def #3!

I've never heard of that bringing bad luck! Think positive and good things will follow! I agree, go for it!