blushingbride

I will either do it at the resort or I'm considering checking out one of MAC's Studio Talk sessions geared towards bridal make-up and if they have some good suggestions, I will do my own. YouTube also has great tutorials on how to do your own! Unfortunately, it will just be the FI and me, so I won't have anyone with me to do it.

Good luck to all! We are having a DW with just the FI and myself...and then having a casual, BBQ party when we get back! It works out better, financial-wise, for everyone!

I'm a May 2010 bride!!! Getting married in Punta Cana @ the Excellence! So excited!

This is an excellent list! Thanks!

Although my FI and I have been to DR numerous times, I think those of you that are going on blind faith are brave. I think that's what makes it all the more exciting, it's almost like an adventure...yay!!!!

I am in total agreement with Sara. My FI and I are just going off the two of us for various reasons: we just don't have the $$ and also we both love the idea of just "running away" and getting married barefoot on the beach, really - just the two of us. We are both very casual, no-fuss, unconvential people...so this type of wedding is SO US and it totally fits our lifestyle and who we are as a couple; after all, isn't it our wedding?! Once we both made the decision to have a solo wedding...the planning actually became fun. When we get back, we are having a AHR with all of our family and friends to celebrate, where we will show our wedding pics and ceremony video. We are really looking forward to it. If we win the lottery b/t now and next year, then we will be having guests...but what are the chances of that happening!? I say go for it; after all, it's YOUR wedding not other people's. I think once a guest is invited, it ceases being about the two of you. Have a big party, with those who actually support you, when you get back. You won't regret it.

Hi Sara! Welcome to the forum, you'll find lots of planning info on here so good luck and have fun!

Hi Becky, welcome to the forum! I'm not sure about MX, but there are lots of resorts in the Caribbean that offer the deals you are looking for. Be sure to check out the respective forums. Best of luck planning!

Welcome to the forum!

Hi Tanya, welcome to the BDW world! Be sure to check out the Mexico forums on here; lots of great info. Happy Planning!

Congratulations and welcome to the forum! You will find lots of helpful info and great people here! Good luck on the planning!

Fellow NYer here! Congrats and welcome to the forum! You will find lots of great info and great, friendly people here so ask away! Good luck on the planning and be sure to check out the Jamaica and DR forums for more great info!!

Congrats and welcome Julie! Fellow NYer here! It's never too early to plan...you will find everything you need on this site, so good luck planning and remember to have fun with it!!

Karen, I still have a little over a year left, so i don't feel the pressure...just yet! All of your hard work will soon pay off, so hang in there. Is this your first time in Punta Cana? The wedding was very nice. They were married on the beach and everyone had such a good time. The reception was held in the Carey side of the buffet restaurant. The cake was soooo good, everyone kept raving about it. I'm not sure what flavor she had. The hotel was very accomodating. The couple had a bonfire the night before the wedding, and it was only scheduled for an hour but since everyone was having such a good time, they let us stay for another hour and a half, no extra charge. The food at OB was good. Wide selection at the buffet, there are two sides to sit but it's the same buffet restaurant. The only issue we had was the slow service, but we were informed that new management had taken over about a month before our arrival, so they were all still trying to adapt. In the end, it was no biggie. We tried all the a la carte restaurants there since we were there for a week. Our faves were the Margarita Mexican rest and La Casa de mi Abuela which is Dominican cuisine. They have a cute cafe which you have to try. Very nice if you want that "starbucks feel." The grounds are beautiful and very well kept and the place is huge so they have shuttles to tote you to and fro. We stayed in bldg 10 and in the humid, sweltering heat we hopped on the shuttle a few times to the lobby. The rooms and the grounds were very clean. Everyone kept commenting on that. The only thing we found annoying was the timeshare sales guys but my family is from DR, so I was able to speak "dominican" and they left us alone. You just have to be firm with them as soon as you arrive that you don't want to be bothered with sales pitches. They also give you a free voucher to go bowling for an hour, totally recommend if you're going with a big group. We had a blast! As far as bars go, the one by the pool and the beach were our favorite ones. We are both drinkers, so they sneak in extra if you tip generously. If you haven't tried it, I recommend trying the Dirty Banana (Dirty Monkey). It's so yummy!! PM me your email and I'll forward some pics.

Thanks for the heads-up! The one Nicole Miller I had my eye on is sold out!!! I will keep checking back though...

Hi Karen, congrats on your upcoming nuptials. I'm not getting married @ any of the Ocean Hotels, but I went to a wedding @ Ocean Blue last July. If you want to see any pics, feel free to holler.

Boston Bride, congrats on your upcoming wedding! Hi Dolcenotte! Congrats to you as well. Are you located past Flushing? I actually lived in Qns (Astoria) up until January of this year. Thanks for the info. I emailed Isabel on Sunday and recv'd a quick response from her yesterday. She advised that I submit paperwork to her anywhere from 90 - 30 days before our wedding so I still have a year to go.

Hi ladies! So glad to see more EPC brides on here... Theresa, sounds like you and your guests had a great time @ your wedding! We are also booked for an excellence club room...can't wait to see your pictures!! Did you have a legal ceremony? For those brides that went the civil ceremony (legal) route, what process did you follow? I'm still a tad confused as to how long before the wedding date we would have to start the legalization/translation process? The WC said the documents should be issued no more than 30 days prior to the wedding date. So, how long before did you start the process?

I think I'm going to go through WEDO. Seems like there are mostly good experiences with them on this forum.

Hi theresa! Congrats on your recent wedding. So glad to see an actual EPC bride on the thread! I'm glad that it seemed, overall, to be a pleasant experience for you. So, based on your experience, is there anything about it all that you would have done differently? How were the rooms? Was your ceremony on the beach? I'm working with Yulina and with Ana Luisa less often and so far they are both pretty responsive to my questions.

I posted this on another thread too. We are having an AHR or more like a party when we get back from the honeymoon. We opted to do this since it will just be the FI and me going off to get married, no guests so we figured having a small party when we get back will keep everyone "happy." We will be having about 50-75 people (fam & friends) total and we opted for a casual BBQ in his friend's backyard. Sometime during the night, we will also play the wedding ceremony so that they can all feel like they were part of it. We budgeted at around $500, most of it going to food and drinks. We are not having favors or decorations because there will be no time or money for that. Also, we are not requiring guests to bring any gifts. Although knowing our families and friends, some will want to give us money! Times are tough, so any way you all can save money the better.

We are having an AHR or more like a party when we get back from the honeymoon. We opted to do this since it will just be the FI and me going off to get married, no guests so we figured having a small party when we get back will keep everyone "happy." We will be having about 50-75 people (fam & friends) total and we opted for a casual BBQ in his friend's backyard. Sometime during the night, we will also play the wedding ceremony so that they can all feel like they were part of it. We budgeted at around $500, most of it going to food and drinks. We are not having favors or decorations because there will be no time or money for that. Also, we are not requiring guests to bring any gifts. Although knowing our families and friends, some will want to give us money! Times are tough, so any way you all can save money the better.

Hi all!! Another EPC bride here! I think this thread is way overdue, so thank you Amber! My FI and I will be tying the knot on May 15, 2010 so we still have a little more than a year away, but I am trying to gather as much info as I can. Lookin' forward to sharing info with you all...

I am debating if I even want a veil or not...I may buck tradition and say fugghedaboutit! I want to wear a flower in my hair and I just think a veil will take away from that, if the right one is not chosen. I envision myself without a veil on my wedding day. I've seen pictures of brides with just a tiara sans veil and it looks so pretty. I guess it will ultimately depend on the style of the dress too.

I am debating if I even want a veil or not...I may buck tradition and say fugghedaboutit! I want to wear a flower in my hair and I just think a veil will take away from that, if the right one is not chosen. I envision myself without a veil on my wedding day. I've seen pictures of brides with just a tiara sans veil and it looks so pretty. I guess it will ultimately depend on the style of the dress too.