joshfrommontreal

Quote: Originally Posted by anna_c My Fiance brought up an interesting question.... we would like to do a private dinner at the steak house because they set the private dinners outside and its a really nice area and because we don't want to have to move around so from place to place and we can stay put for dinner and party. But since we are paying for the wedding ourselves we can only afford 30 people max for private dinner, well problem is we're expecting about 50-60, and that's after narrowing the list down. So his question is, can we do the private dinner for 30 outside as a "Family Dinner" and the rest of the people can eat on the inner part as the included dinner, and they are basically going to be seating just 4 feet away. And when we are all done eating everyone can hang out in the same area. We plan on using the bar that is right there instead of having an open bar because I believe its open until 11pm. Has anyone thought of this or done this? Josh, if you have not seen this done before can you ask if its possible when you go down there? Are you talking about at the Elegance or the Colonial? I have never seen a patio at the Elegance steak house. The only private location that I have seen there is a room to the side with large round tables. If you are talking about the Colonial then again I haven't seen an area for a private dinner at the steakhouse unless you are talking about the beach location. I just need a bit more info and then I can answer your question or have the question prepared for when I go next.

From what I have recently heard is that you are correct, that if you do not do the open bar then your limit is 2 hours, which is 10pm. If you are doing a private dinner at the Parrot, Wet Bar, Beach and you get the minimal drink list (beer, wine, softdrinks) you can have it until 11. I am at the Majestic in about a week so I will ask then to double check and see if there is any way around the 2 hour/10pm rule.

In the DR it doesn't matter how long you are there. You can step of the plane and get married.

I agree Christina, and it seems to me that they designed the resort with the idea of getting wedding groups to pay in mind. Which map are you looking at?

Best of luck!

I am so protective with my books! I cringe when I see how some people treat theirs! Luckily my brother is the same way and we can pass books back and forth. It's sad about your coworker. Some people are just strange.

I would like to add my agreement with what has been said above. Business is just done differently in the DR. If you go to any of the markets there you will automatically see a difference. You feel intimidated, not what we are used to. I assume it is like this with all areas of business that it just isn't the same. I know this last little while has been crazy for WC's in the Dominican because of how many swine brides have been asking for dates asap. I have worked with WC's who have 3 weddings per day and this was before all the new bookings. As was mentioned to about technology. The internet is painfully slow there and mobile internet is nonexistent. They use cell phones a lot but on a really old and bad network. It's definitely not the same as having an iPhone here.

You can buy liquor at the shops on the resort, and also there are two markets. One is at the entrance to the resort, the other is if you walk along the beach for 10-15 minutes. If its for April of 2010 they definitely aren't full yet so they probably aren't releasing rooms as of now. I would wait, or ask a travel agent about it.

good question, something I have never actually looked into although I do know a couple people who have bought things from duty free and brought it into Punta Cana. I have been there 5 times already this year and have never once been asked to declare anything. At customs they don't ask you a thing and just stamp your passport and wave your through.

The private dinner price is on top of the $1250 wedding price. The $1250 covers your basics and then you add any extras onto that.

Duty free at your home airport. They sell a lot of cheap booze. There is a limit, usually its 2 beer, 1 pepsi, 1 diet pepsi, 1 orange drink and 1 seven up, plus a bunch of water. But you can always ask your maid for more or less of something.

Christina, Get people to empty out their minibars and bring drinks and set them on the bar. Then get a few bottles of booze at duty free on the way there. For those that don't want cocktails it works great.

The adults only are only for the elegance club members as well as the roof top bars. You can't access them if you aren't in the Elegance Club, and they do check and will deny you. By Plaza Bar do you mean the one with the live music? If so that one closes when the show starts at 10.

There are outlets around so you could easily just plug in a ipod docking station. The only concern is if it would be loud enough.

Good idea. If you have any questions about the resort please be sure to let me know. I'll be back in the DR next week.

The food in Punta Cana while not like it is in Canada or the US is still very good. You may want to bring extra snacks with you because things like chips are very expensive. The ride to the resorts is basically like it is anywhere in the Caribbean. There are a lot of speed bumps, there are little to no traffic rules but I wouldn't say it is scary. Especially because most of the time your transfers are in big busses. The beaches are some of the best I have seen in the area. The only better being some of the small islands like St Lucia.

haha good question Stacey. Personally I would pick the cheaper of the two. Both are fantastic resorts and are so similar that unless a large amount of your guests would want the Elegance club the Colonial will treat you great.

Yep, the bride, groom, and bridal party can all cut off their wristbands. You must keep them and return them to the front desk later.

There are different coloured wristbands. The Elegance bands are all white unless you are in the Elegance club. The Colonial uses coloured bands.

There isn't much of a difference between the two. The Elegance was just built this past year so the rooms and facilities are newer. The rooms have a different layout, the Elegance has a more open concept for the entire room while the Colonial is divided in two by the jacuzzi in the middle. The restaurants at the Elegance I believe are better then the Colonial and have better decor, especially the steak house. The restaurants on the beach are basically the same. At the moment they share the same spa, casino and sports bar. The Elegance has which is called the 'Elegance Club' which is an upgraded service that gives you an adults only area, a lounge with free internet and snacks, big outside beds, and a personal butler. The Colonial doesn't have anything similar to this. Price definitely depends on timing, eventually the Elegance will be more expensive all the time but right now it fluctuates a lot.

QC bride, that's a fantastic idea. Hopefully you could do that and help save your guests some money.

Quote: Originally Posted by JodJ Thanks Josh that is soo helpful!! So is there a Parott bar and a Wet bar at both the Elegance and the Colonial or are they just at the Colonial? I was under the impression they shared these areas. I am staying at the Elegance by the way Both the Elegance and the Colonial have their own Wet Bar and Swim Up Bar.

Quote: Originally Posted by JodJ Josh I have a few questions for you: - The vows that you included in your guide, is this the same vows that are done in the symbolic wedding? - Did most of your brides get thier hair done by the resort hairdressers and did they like them? - Which reception area did you prefer better- the Parrot Bar or the Wet Bar. Are they both near a bar? - close enough that we do not need to purchase an open bar? - Do the Colonial and the Elegance share the same restaruants and wedding areas (i.e., the gazebo, the beach wedding area, the wetbar, the parrot bar, disco, steakhouse and the surf and turf)? Thanks so much I really apreciate it! The vows that are in the guide that I put out are only for the legal ceremony. In the symbolic ceremony you are much more free and can choose to say your own. Some brides get their hair done at the Spa and some are happy. Others not so much. It is such a hit or miss thing. The biggest problem at the spa is that the ladies there do not speak any english at all. So even if you give them a photo, if they start doing something you do not like it is hard to tell them no. That being said, if you do choose to use them don't be afraid to say no, and try to explain what they are doing wrong. I have seen a few brides completely take out what they had done and do it themselves. For makeup I think your best bet is to take a friend and go to Mac or whatever company you like and get a lesson. It's great education and they will explain a lot about skin tones and what will look best on you. Plus the money that you would pay a girl to do it you can put into actually buying makeup which will last for more then one use. It depends how many people you have for the Parrot Bar vs Wet Bar. If you have a group 40 or under definitely the Parrot Bar. If you have 60+ the Swim Up bar is the way to go. Both are very nice set-ups. You do not have to purchase the open bar at either but I have heard that if you chose to not have an open bar then you can only be there until 10-10:30. To be honest at both resorts the closest bars are too far for guests to walk to get drinks. There are two solutions to this, one get the beer/wine/soft drinks option that comes with dinner at the bars (I don't know if you can get it separately for just a reception). That way people can still drink and those that NEED cocktails etc can walk to the bars. Second, I was at a wedding where the couple got everyone to bring the soft drinks and beer from their room and then bought some alcohol at duty-free on the way there and left it for all to mix their own drinks. It is something to think about, and maybe ask the coordinator if it is doable. The Elegance and the Colonial only share two areas. One is the beach wedding location the second is the spa.

There have been offers in the past, where if you book a certain number of people you will get a free wedding. I am back there in two weeks, I will find out if they plan on offering it again or if they currently are for 2010.

I already have at least one wedding during that week and would definitely be up for sharing travel costs. Email me at [email protected] and we can discuss details.