marryinghimagain

Congratulations aug0208!! It doesn't matter, inside or out DPA is a gorgeous resort. Glad to hear that despite the weather, it all worked out. Best wishes to you and your DH!

Quote: Originally Posted by 2010wedding Mylene- did you get the email address from marryinghimagain for the manager? Would you mind sending it to me? Thanks! Janna Janna, Check your PMs. I sent you the info a few days ago but the PM was never read.

Quote: Originally Posted by badrianne To the brides who have visited the resort: Does the El patio restaurant have air conditioning? Sorry that I didn't see this sooner to respond. I haven't been able to be online much lately. Anyhow, in answer to your question. El Patio is not air conditioned. We ate there 2 evenings while we were there and it was HOT in there. (It was low to mid 90s for high temps while we were there.) We asked to be seated by the back doorway. It was actually uncomfortable. They had all the windows and doors open in the restauarant. The only indoor restaurant that is air conditioned is Portofino. Also....I sent you a PM.

Quote: Originally Posted by Mylene Well I talked with my fI and we think it is worth the money. We will arrange to get a masterS with them when we get there but I would still like to get their e-mail addresses if its not too much to ask. You have been very very helpful. Thanks, what do you think Janna? I sent you a PM.

Quote: Originally Posted by 2010wedding Mylene, I was wondering the same thing too!! We are staying for 2 weeks also and I was thinking that upgrading to the HM suite for the 2nd week would be a good idea and feel like a HM but am liking master suite idea....seems awesome! Did you have to pay for the upgrade? The jacuzzi tub outside seems pretty sweet!!! Janna Mylene and Janna, The master suite is about $100.00/per night more than the honeymoon suite. BUT... if you email the general manager or chief concierge and smooze a little and tell them you are interested, it will probabaly be offered to you for about $60.00 extra per night. ( I have their email addy if you want them.)The master suite is unbelievably awesome. In my opinion, unless you plan on spending A TON of time in the balcony jacuzzi, the HM room is not worth the extra money over a regular oceanview room. We had guests staying in rooms in every category and we thought their rooms were just as nice, if not nicer, than the HM room. The HM room is no larger than the regular room. It has 2 chairs (regular upright, not comfy chairs) whereas the regular room has a loveseat. Regular room has a coffee table in front of loveseat, HM room had no coffee table. The bathroom may be a tad larger in the HM room. It is not a "suite" at all. It is one room with a bathroom. The balcony is larger b/c it has the jacuzzi on it. It is usually a corner room b/c the jacuzzi is tucked back in where the corners meet. Other than the jacuzzi, there is nothing special at all about the room. We actually, were very much disappointed when we saw the HM room. After seeing our guests room, we actually liked their rooms better, yet we had paid more than they did. I didn't even think there would be enough room for me and my girls (I only had 2) to get dressed for the VR. The master suite also has double the closets, 2 refrigerators instead of one (one in the kitchen and one in the bedroom), a separate little room (alcove type thing with a door) to store your suitcases and whatever. The living room area has sectional sofas and big comfy chair and ottoman. Dining room has table with 6 chairs, in addition to the stools at the bar. It also was nice to have 2 balconies, one off the LR and one off the bedroom. The bathroom has a tub that is the size of a mini swimming pool....lol. It is a "suite" in every sense of the word. The master suite is more expensive but SOOOO much bigger and nicer. Like I said in my earlier post, we had all our guests together many evenings in our master suite. There was plenty of room! We LOVED it and it worked out perfectly as a place to go after our reception. Sorry this is so long. Let me know, if I can answer anything else.

Quote: Originally Posted by Mylene Thank you ladies, i am reassured...again! I think i ll choose the gazebo like you marryinghimagain. I saw your flowers before and they are gorgeous indeed. We were thinking about upgrading to a suite like the honeymoon suite so we could invite our guests. you just confirmed that it might be a very good idea! We ll just have to look at the extra cost for this, we are suppose to have an free room upgrade anyways from air canada, we ll see! No more questions for now, i am very happy I found this site and all you very helpful ladies to answer those questions, otherwise, I guess I still would be stressed beyond belief! Now I am just excited to go! Thank again I just wanted to pass a little info on to you about the rooms. We had a honeymoon suite, when we first arrived. It really is not any bigger than the standard rooms. It had 2 chairs instead of a loveseat and had no coffee table like the standard rooms. It had a larger balcony and a jacuzzi on the balcony. But in all honesty it would not hold many people. We moved to a master suite on our 2nd day. It was huge! It had the large living room area with plenty of seating, a small kitchen with a bar with 2 stools, a dining room area with table and 6 chairs, a separate large bedroom with a seating area also and a bathroom with a HUGE bathtub/shower. It had a balcony off the living room and a balcony off the bedroom. It however; did not have a jacuzzi. We absolutely loved this suite. It fit all 17 of us comfortably. I just didn't want you to have the wrong impression that a honeymoon room would accomodate many people. Don't want you to book something and be disappointed. Nor did I want to mislead you in any way. I would not waste the extra money on a honeymoon room. In fact, I preferred the standard rooms over it. Unless a jacuzzi is a must, then you may want one. We used the hot tub by the pool and didn't miss one in our room, at all. Now the master suite....wow, it is SOOO worth it!

Quote: Originally Posted by Mylene Thank you so much marrying him again! You answered all my questions, maybe one more, when everyone was done eating, did you stay a little in the gazebo to chat and dance? Were they still serving you drinks? Where did you all go after the reception? A question for everyone. I also got the flower choices by mail from Jacy, do we have to choose before we get there or we can wait. 2 months to go, November is going to be a long one! Thank you so much , the help here is incredible! Yes, we stayed in the gazebo for a while after dinner. We had made a playlist of our favorite songs.We had that playing continually through dinner and the reception. Some danced, some sat around and chatted. It was very nice and relaxed. We were not rushed at all to leave. The waiters continued offering drinks the entire time we were there. After the reception, we went back to our room. We had a mastersuite so we had a huge living room with a small kitchen with a bar plus 2 balconies. So we hung out there for the remainder of the late evening. The concierge contacted us and offered anything we wanted to be brought to our suite, drinks or food. Everyone was pretty full at that point, though. Most just had drinks and a few had another piece of our wedding cake. The staff truly is amazing at this resort and went WAAAAY above what we ever expected. You will not be disappointed. As far as the flowers, I did not choose until I got there and met with Jacy. She had a book of pictures of bouquets. I picked one that was similar to what I wanted but explained what I had pictured in my mind, with what colors I wanted them to be. It was exactly what I had wanted. They were gorgeous.... I LOVED them!( There is a pic of them in the link from one of my previous posts.) My only regret is that I left them behind when we came home. I was told that they could not be brought back through customs into the USA. That however, is not true. I spoke with the customs agent at the airport, when we came home. He said it is perfectly permissable to bring them back. They cannot grow and do not have seeds. He said for future info, if anyone were to give a problem about it, to ask for a supervisor. They are permitted! If you have any other questions, let me know. Please be reassured that there is no need to stress or worry. We made most of the decisions after we arrived there and met with Jacy. We waited 'til then to decide on food, flowers, final location. She is wonderful and makes everything happen just the way you want!! It will be perfect!

Quote: Originally Posted by Mylene Bonjour Elizabeth. I see that you choose the gazebo for your reception. Did you like it? Was it windy? How much did you have to pay for the reception outside? Were you able to connect your ipod/music to their speakers? Where did you go after? I am leaning towards the gazebo or the beach for the reception but I don t know about the music, the cost and the alcool service. Thanks! Hello. We LOVED the gazebo, for both our ceremony and dinner/reception. Yes, it was windy but not unmanageable. I think if it were not for the wind, we would have roasted to death! We actually, noticed it much more during the ceremony. We hardly noticed it during dinner/reception. We did not pay to use their speakers. We had just planned on using our own small speakers. HOWEVER; they connected us to their speakers w/o us asking and with no charge to us. After our ceremony (and pictures), we went to the bar near the pool and hung out with our guests for a while. We then returned to the gazebo for the dinner/reception. During that time, the waiters brought our guests anything they wanted to drink. Most of our guests had wine. The only think we paid for was the cost per person for the meal ($18,$25,or $45 was the choice). We chose the $18.00 one, which was soup, salad, LARGE T-bone steak, mashed potatoes and veggies. Our wedding cake was served as dessert (we had a ton left which we took back to our suite and shared later again with our guests). I can truly say that it was perfect! The total cost for us was the per person cost for the meals and the added charge per person for the champagne and cake for the 7 people that we were over the 10 people included in the complimentary package. Oh, plus the 15% service charge on the total. It really was more than worth what we paid. I can't think of anything that we thought was missing from the whole day. I hope I answered all your questions. If I can help with anything else, please let me know.

Quote: Originally Posted by meli122 Thanks for posting the pic! He is a great addition to your bouquet. I cant wait! Thanks again for everything, Elisabeth. You are very welcome Melissa! Have a wonderful wedding!

Here is a link to some of my Vow Renewal pictures that include a few of my boquet with the starfish in it. I got many compliments on the starfish! Pictures by daveliz35 - Photobucket

Everyone has asked for some pics. Here is a link with some pictures from our Vow Renewal at DPA. Pictures by daveliz35 - Photobucket

Quote: Originally Posted by aug0208 marryinghimagain-thank you so so so much for your post!! We leave this Sunday and get marriedFriday....11 days from now! your post made me set my mind at ease a bit, so thank you!! i'm glad to hear it was wonderful. =) You are very welcome. I'm glad that I could help put your mind at ease. It will be wonderful for you! I look forward to hearing about it, when you get back. Hope your day is everything you dream! One little note that may help a future DW bride.... I did not bring my beautiful bouquet home b/c I was told you could not bring it back through customs. That is not true! I asked when we were going through customs on the way home. I was told that I could indeed have brought it back home. It "cannot grow nor does it have seeds". He said if I had a problem, all I needed to have done was ask for a supervisor. It is permitted to bring a fresh flower wedding bouquet back into the USA.

Quote: Originally Posted by aug0208 marryinghimagain-did you use the videographer that the resort provides? If so how was the quality of the video?? thanks! No, we did not use the videographer. My BIL did the video for us. So sorry, I can't help you with your question.

Quote: Originally Posted by Mylene Ho thank you so much. We do get very nervous . I am always afraid I will forget something. I feel like I should ask more questions or plan more but you really reassured me. I also choose the gazebo for the ceremony but I told Jacy I was not sure for the rest. She responded that I could choose when I get there. We will arrive 1 week before anyways. I think I will stop the planning and just trust you, your comments and Jacy when I get there! Thanks again , your comments were priceless for me! You are very welcome. If there is anything else I can help you with, let me know. I should have a few pics up by the end of the weekend.

Quote: Originally Posted by EDRBride2009 Just wanted to make sure the latest updated list is the one being used 1 ) marryinghimagain - October 15 - Dreams Puerto Aventuras 2 ) meli122 - November 7 - Royal, Playa del Carmen 3 ) EDRBride2009 - November 26 - El Dorado Royale 4 ) cdnvb9- December 29 - Dreams Huatulco 5 ) kpuckrin- January 12 - BlueBeard's Beach, St. Thomas 6 ) ebredhawk - April 28- Dreams Punta Cana 7 ) future mrs. kt ellis - June 19 - Southern CA 8 ) breeze616 - December 10 - Iberostar Rose Hall Beach, Montego Bay meli122: I mailed the starfish to you, today. I PMd you with the tracking number.

Quote: Originally Posted by echo2_62 marryinghimagain... thanks for all your comments that you've put up since you got home so recently!! I was thinking the other day that I really haven't spoken much with Jacy regarding specifics at all and was starting to get nervous about it but having read your comments I'm feeling a little better, like I have enough time still. I guess that I just get wrapped up in thinking I need to get everything taken care of right away as you would for a more traditional wedding. Will you be posting pictures one of these days for us as well?? I'd be very excited to see how everything looked!! One more question... I've read a few comments that it was a little breezy out on the gazebo. Did you find that it was like this for your reception or was it not really noticeable?? Thanks! I understand what you mean about feeling the need to have everything taken care of. I felt the same way. I am a control freak and also am organization obsessed...lol. So truly I know where you are coming from. Please be reassured that it is so unneccessary. Everything is handled so easily, quickly and efficiently to what YOU want. DH and I were so amazed that is was exactly what we wanted and more. As far as the wind on the gazebo. It was windy...actually I noticed it mostly during our ceremony. In fact, the wind knocked over 2 of our sand ceremony vases and broke them.(Staff swooped in immediately and took care of it.) I did not wear a veil but it definitely would have whipped it around if I had. During dinner, we only noticed it slightly. It actually was nice b/c it was so hot that I think it would have been unbearable otherwise. We ate dinner, danced, cut our cake...no problems. All our guests thought it was lovely. I would have dinner there again in a heartbeat. It just looked SO pretty with the chair bows, lanterns, flowers and table decorations. Other resort guests commented to us how pretty it looked from the beach. One cute note....there is a bell in the ceiling of the gazebo. My nephew had a blast ringing it after the ceremony and during dinner. Oh, and I will get some pics up as soon as i can.

Quote: Originally Posted by Mylene Thank you so much "married again!" I am very glad to hear that you had a great wedding. I can't wait. You answered all my questions. It is not clear on the papers they sent us exactly what choices we have for the reception and the cost of everything! They are asking us to choose without knowing how everything works! Youve been a great help! Thanks! Just to reassure you a little .... I made NO choices before I got there. The only thing I knew that I wanted was the ceremony in the gazebo and a private reception. We waited to make all the decisions and final details until we got there and met with Jacy. When we arrived in our room(Sunday), there was a welcoming letter from Jacy with a request from her to meet with us the next day (Monday). She is off on Sunday so she apologized for not being there to greet us when we arrived. We met with her Monday at 1:00PM and discussed all the details, such as where, picked my bouquet flowers, discussed food and music and all the little details. We then met with her again on Wednesday to sign the contract with all the final figures, paid her and gave her all the items I had brought for the wedding. They were wonderful about putting up everything (and I brought a lot) such as chair bows, starfish for on bows, hanging lanterns, big hanging flowers, centerpieces, sand ceremony holder and 6 side vases,favors, marracas etc. There are to many things to list here that I brought. But she handled it all and everything was beautiful and in place. Do not stress. I did before leaving, worrying about the unknown. I didn't feel organized or in control. But honestly, there is no need to do that. Jacy is so organized and just seems to be everywhere. I called her Tinkerbelle b/c one moment she isn't there, and the next there she is. She just is. It all went so smoothly and was so much more than I could have imagined.

Quote: Originally Posted by cougs what happened to the original white starfish? did jacilynda never pass it on? did it get lost in the mail, or forgotten in mexico? i'm so sad about this, not only for the girls who had yet to borrow it, but for those like myself who already have and hoped to be a part of something bigger. i'm also sure diana would have liked to have had it returned to her someday, to see all the places he's been and all the weddings she played a small part in by lending him out. I have the starfish. I received it the morning that I was leaving for Mexico. I returned home late last night. I will now be passing it on to meli122, along with the journal. It is a beautiful starfish and got many compliments on it in my bouquet. I got some great pics of it. Thanks again to diana for starting this whole thing. It was great to be a part of it!

Quote: Originally Posted by Mylene Thanks! I can t believe you took the time to answer my questions when you are still over there. That s awesome! So if our guests pay for their supper (17,25 or 45 $) we can have the reception on the beach right? With no extra charge for the setting, waiters or anything? I read somewhere that it was about 700$ for a private reception! If it is just around 20 $ per person to eat on the beach , I think I will change my first choice(el patio) for the reception on the beach! It makes it more special. I just did not want to pay 700$ extra for it! Congrats again! I am glad to hear that you had a great time. Okay, we are home so I have more time to answer. We had our ceremony in the gazebo at 4:00PM. This lasted until 4:30ish. They handed us glasses of champagne as we came off the gazebo walkway. We had a toast then took pics. We took the pics with our guests first, then they went to the bar by the pool and had drinks while we took our other pictures. Then we joined them at the bar. We returned to the gazebo at 6:30 for dinner. It was set up beautifully. We had dinner first, then did our dance and cut our cake. They served the cake for dessert. Dinner was rolls, lime soup (awesome despite how it sounds), t-bone steak, grilled veggies and mashed potatoes. Wine and any other drinks wanted were served during dinner. I had one child (11 yrs old) and they saw that he was not eating the soup so they brought him a dish of pasta and cheese as a starter. The waiters were more than excellent. We did not want for anything. It was soooooo much more than my expectations. The only things I paid for were the per person charge for the dinner, the extra charge for champagne and cake for the 7 extra people I had over the 10 included in the package. Plus the 15% service charge. I had brought my own music and a player with small speakers. However, I did not even have to use our speakers. They hooked my music to their sound system plus had a microphone for the minister and us to use. We paid nothing extra for this. They also had additional flowers that I did not request nor pay for. (My bouquet was absolutely gorgeous btw.) Instead of the gazebo, we could have had the same exact thing on the beach. Not sure what else I can answer for you. I know this post is getting long. I will just say that Jacy is amazing. She cannot be sweeter and went way above what I expected. It truly was amazing and so so much more than I dreamt it would be. If I can answer any other questions, let me know.

Quote: Originally Posted by Mylene Hi ladies. I am still reading all this info on this forum. So many useful details here! I might be off topic but I can t seem t o find any information about the cost of a reception on the beach. We have the wedding in paradise package for 15 people. I think we pay 20$ per person to eat at any restaurants but : Do they charge for a setting on the beach? Thanks! We had the complimentary package and added a private dinner (menu choice of $18/25/45). We had ours in the wedding gazebo but could have also had it on the beach. It was awesome, btw! I am still here at DPA so I can fill you in more when I get home. We leave tomorrow.

HOLA FROM DPA! Hi Ladies, Well today is our day! We have been here since Sunday. Everything is wonderful. This place is amazing. They can not do enough for us. We had some issues with our room and they have MORE than accomodated us... they put us in the master suite. Jacy is wonderful, we have met with her twice. She is very patient, and answers every little question. If I can get any answers for anyone, let me know. We are here until Sunday. (I DON"T WANT TO GO HOME!) One little note.... someone earlier had asked if the wedding item prices were the total price.They are not. There IS a service charge on top of the price.

HAPPY UPDATE! The starfish arrived at my house a few minutes ago!!! He is beautiful! Thank you to Jacilynda for overnighting it to me. The journal is pretty cool! I will add to it and then send him on his way to meli122 when I return home. TTY all soon! meli122... I will send the books along with the starfish when I get back.

YAY! I LEAVE TOMORROW! I wanted to thank everyone on the BDW forum who has been so helpful in my planning process. I have gotten so many ideas and helpful information from you all! I am taking my laptop and will post occasionally from DPA. If there is anything I can check in to or find out for anyone, let me know and I will do my best. I will post a full review when I get back. Thanks again.....can't believe it is finally time! YAY! I am so excited!!!

FINAL UPDATE: Well girls, I leave tomorrow for Mexico. I wanted to give you a final update on the starfish. I never did receive it. Nor did I ever hear anything from Jacilynda. Those of you that were in this same passing group may now want to find a new group since there is now no starfish to be passed. Those of you who are in other passing groups, please honor your commitment to passing it on. It is such a disappointment to us that have now been excluded from enjoying this fun connection with each other. Please be considerate of those who follow behind you on the list. I am sad that I will not get to be a part of this but will not let it spoil a minute of this exciting time.

Quote: Originally Posted by meli122 I'm sooo upset! I can't believe she would do that. I'm hoping she will still come through for us! I know, makes me sad and upset,too. I keep hoping that maybe it is still on it's way but every day I check the mail and as of today still nothing. But it has been WAAAAY past time that it should have been here if it was mailed when she said it was. I thought we would have heard something otherwise if there was a mixup or delay. Even if she had replied when she saw that I have never received it. I think we may be done for. I'm sorry not only for myself but also for everyone else on "our" list. If there was any way I could have had enough time to buy one, I would have and then continued passing it but I kept hoping that it was still coming. Now it is to late, I leave next Saturday.