joshfrommontreal

Quote: Originally Posted by La Romana Stacey Oh well, I get to marry the love of my life. I guess that's the most important thing I completely agree. Also, in Ontario it can be so simple to do the legal stuff. I think its just have a JP to your house, have a witness or two, say a couple things and that's it. I remember a bride telling me that she did it in her pajamas so it didn't feel like it was her wedding at all.

I am sorry to hear about your tough times, and Its great that you found a couple places to accommodate you. This is a great lesson for other brides looking to do the same thing. If you do not speak spanish then bring a translated note or letter to show security guards and front desk personnel. Security is very tight without a bracelet which has its benefits and disadvantages. I often have to go from resort to resort while down there and I find that having a bracelet from another resort on your arm confuses guards even more because they don't know why you are coming to their resort if you are at another. Like I mentioned though, traveling with a translated letter of intent, a smile, and lots of patience (I usually add an hour or so to my travel time for this sort of thing to happen) helps me out a lot.

Quote: Originally Posted by tamadana So we were planning to have the legal ceremony back in Canada after the symbolic...can we do it that way? It depends on the resort. Definitely check with your coordinator.

Great idea Rosa, money well saved in my opinion.

The major difference is the translation fee's as was mentioned above. Plus there is processing time and so forth. Wedo definitely makes it easier, but if you wish to avoid all of that which a lot of couples do then its very easy to have a simple legal procedure done at home and usually all resorts ask for it a copy of your certificate once you get there. There is also a difference in ceremony. In the DR, a legal ceremony has to be performed by a judge and has strict wording, whereas a symbolic ceremony can be performed by your coordinator or basically anyone. This also may make it easier to confirm a date to be married since the resort does not have to reserve a judge for your time slot.

Jodi, they both use the same setup right now.

Majestic Ceremony Location on Twitpic They put the hut on a hill more and then added coconuts around it.

The Elegance uses the same beach location as the Colonial. They just made it a lot nicer though, I'll put up a photo in a minute.

$2000/person sounds a bit high for the Colonial. Also check the Elegance next door sometimes it's cheaper. I would check around with different sites and with different travel agents. I would highly recommend my travel agent Adam at La Salle Travel - [email protected] he's an expert with DW's and always gets me the best deals. The reason I say it is high is because I usually get a single for $2100 for a week and this was in January from Montreal. Most websites won't give you this option but you can ask a travel agent to look into not booking a package deal - so book your flight and hotel separate. This most often will require you to switch flights in the US somewhere but has turned out to be cheaper a couple times. The only downside to this is that you will have to take a taxi to/from the airport to resort, an extra $45USD each way.

Welcome to the forum! I just shot a wedding in St Lucia and I cannot put in to words how much I love that island. The people are amazing, and the sights are unbelievable.

max 20 minutes, but in reality more like 15.

Anna, check your email I just sent it. Quote: Originally Posted by anna_c I can't seem to be able to download. Can anyone email it to me? [email protected] I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

It is chlorine, the pools are very clean.

Quote: Originally Posted by DTHSLove Also remember you still have to book taxi from the airport. I just wanted to add to this that it depends on who you book with if you need a taxi or not. Many Canadian companies like Sunwing, Nolitours, TMR, etc will include transfer to/from the resort in their prices. It is always best to ask though.

Quote: Originally Posted by Christinamaria22 WOW Josh I am really impressed that is a great guide.... will u be makin one for elegance? yep, the Elegance guide is coming. I am shooting 4 weddings there this week and am meeting with a wedding coordinator to make sure I have all the info I need. If anyone has any specific questions they would like asked be sure to post them and I will do my best to get them answered for you.

Quote: Originally Posted by xcandilkx Can you send a copy of the ceremony wording to me?? the wording and more info is located in the info booklet I put together that you can download here: Majestic Info Booklet

the wording I believe has to be like it is for legal services. Also, the judge and coordinator would have to translate everything again if there were any changes because the ceremony has the judge say everything first and then the coordinator or someone else translates it to english.

Quote: Originally Posted by newbride You can add me to the list tentatively for February 2010! Yay! I spoke to my TA today and I think that the Colonial is going to be a go (she's away for all of next week though so I still have to wait....I'm so impatient!). Josh: It looks like we might end up leaving January 31st which is earlier than we expected but the prices are better, I'll email you with the final details. BTW thanks so much for the amazing engagement pics!!!!!! Amazing Melissa! I just got back from Punta Cana and I leave again next week. I had so much fun that day despite the bitter cold, we need to do eshoot 2.0 in Montreal!

I'm at the Elegance again on Friday for 2 weddings. If anyone has any questions or would like to see any photos of anything please post here, or email me at [email protected] and I'll get them to you.

It really all depends on the TA. I just got some great deals on flights through Westjet.

With the economy so bad right now it definitely is a tough choice. I think that there are a few things you can talk to him about. One, the cost of a local wedding can potentially be a lot more then a DW. Your head count will most likely go up, which means more people to feed, a bigger venue, etc etc. There are some ways to cut down on costs. Getting legally married at home will cut down your costs a lot. A lot of people make it very small and informal that way they feel the day at the resort is their actual wedding day. Also, do as much as you can yourself. There are so many good DIY websites that will help you make all you need. As was mentioned above, have your reception at a one of the included restaurants instead of having a private reception. Next just think of the small things that add up and ask yourselves if you truly need them. For instance getting a cake, many of my couples chose not to get one, they think its pointless.

With the economy so bad right now it definitely is a tough choice. I think that there are a few things you can talk to him about. One, the cost of a local wedding can potentially be a lot more then a DW. Your head count will most likely go up, which means more people to feed, a bigger venue, etc etc. There are some ways to cut down on costs. Getting legally married at home will cut down your costs a lot. A lot of people make it very small and informal that way they feel the day at the resort is their actual wedding day. Also, do as much as you can yourself. There are so many good DIY websites that will help you make all you need. As was mentioned above, have your reception at a one of the included restaurants instead of having a private reception. Next just think of the small things that add up and ask yourselves if you truly need them. For instance getting a cake, many of my couples chose not to get one, they think its pointless.

You shouldn't have to do any official translating if you are only doing a symbolic ceremony. You will have to show them your canadian certificate but I believe that is all. What resort are you looking at?

An iPod and dock is perfect for music at the Parrot Bar. But if you do end up switching to the beach you may have to get something more powerful. There is a lot more wind, and of course the ocean sounds to compete with.

Yes it will be cheaper for you to be married in Punta Cana if you get married at city hall beforehand. You will save on translating official documents into spanish and then retranslating etc. Also, most resort wedding packages are cheaper for non-official ceremonies I would think mostly because they then do not have to get a judge to do the ceremony. The resort will definitely ask you to provide a copy of your Canadian marriage certificate. That you got at City Hall.