DressedInWhite

I did it! I just translated the certificate myself and typed it up with similar formatting to the original certificate and added a border to make it look official. No problems! No one asked anything about it and I have used it to change my health card, SIN, and Driver's licence. I think they just want to see it in english! Thanks Thomasjsgirl for your help.

To Holly22 I didn't have my hair done at the salon. I was lucky enough to have a friend who did all the hair and make up for the bridal party. If you were going to use the salon, i would just be sure to bring a clear printed picture of what you want. The flowers that were provided by the resort were not really what I expected. But then again i wasn't planning on using them anyways! The princess package includes a bouquet for the bride and a boutinier for the groom. I asked for a simple bouquet with gerber daisies. It had gerbers, but was not simple. As well it costs $50 us per additional bouquet. So it would have been $150US for all my bridesmaids. I actually went to michael's craft store and made all four bouquets for around $100 and they were gorgeous! Everyone made comments about them and it was pretty simple. The only issue I had with this was packing. I bought a box and some packing peanuts, when i got to the airport they were worried because it was too LIGHT. So if you can carry it on it would be better. All my bridesmaids were flying from difference airports or I would have asked them to carry their own on. I wasn't offered a colour choice for the chair covers but I am sure if you asked about it they could provide you with a few options. She told us ours would be white, and that was fine with us. So ask ahead of time to avoid disappointment.

Thanks for your reply! It's so frustrating spending hours online and calling trying to figure it out. I can't believe it doesn't say on any of the ontario services site that it a)needs to be translated and b)has to be a certified translation. I am not happy about having to go back and wait inline all over again... If anyone has gotten away with not having to have a certified translation please let me know. Thanks!

I was married at the Bavaro Princess at the end of January... Don't get your hopes up to high. Nothing was terrible but they are very poorly organized and it reflects in the level of service they provide. We ordered the "Princess Package" and requested to have the ceremony on the beach. Despite the On-lookers which for the most part are controlled by resort staff, the beach was far and away better than the gazebo choice. There was another wedding down there at the same time and members of their group directly told me the bridge and groom wished they had chosen the beach. The gazebo is NOT intimate, unless you have a total of four people. The bridge and groom are raised way above the audience and are really all that close. Trolly's around the resort are continusly driving past the ceremony site and are loud and serve as a huge distraction. THe beach has the natrual beauty and simple set-up that I do no regret for a second. Only in a few shots did we have anything un-slightly and out of over 300 photos that's not bad. We upgraded to the private-beach party. This was a bit of a dissapointment. If you are going to do it, you better pray it doesn't rain. I understand there has to be a rain alternative but at this resort it SUCKS! it's a small banquet hall with old carpet terrible decorations and was the worst part of our day. I almost cried when I found out exactly where it was, but they didn't tell us we had to move there until 2 hours before so there wasn't much we could do. If you are going to have the beach party negotiate a head of time a back up location. I would suggest trying to bargain to have it at the licey resaturant as it is almost always empty and there is a small cafe at the side that is not in use in the evenings. I didn't know about this until after our reception, but I am sure if you push hard enough you could make happen. If you do not choose to have a private reception you get a portion of an a-la-cart for two hours. No music. No private bar... nothing private As for the details of the ceremony, again don't expect that the amount of planning and detail you put into that moment will be reflected in the way you are treated. When we got there, despite NUMEROUS emails, Francelia did not know where we wanted the ceremony or at what time. The judge (civil ceremony) had not even been confirmed and we didn't know the time of the ceremony for sure until a day and a half after our meeting appointment. We had it at 3:00. Perfect time. The sun was up, it was warm, and gave lot of time for pictures after and before dinner. We had a friend do almost all of the photos. We did get the 15 included with the princess package and they were beautiful, however you do not own the prints and you will not have a digital copy of them. To get a CD will cost you extra. The honeymoon-suite vs platinum suite! THis was a big issue for me. We had a large group and so to thank us our travel agent book us a honeymoon suite. If you are considering upgrading to this i would NOT recommend it. Instead, go for the plantinum suite. All of the same things are included but the rooms are much newer, closer to the beach, have more in-room alcohol and the platinum lounge with free internet and private bar is well worth it. Had I known this a head of time I would have asked to be switched. I am not on this site very often anymore but if you have any more specific questions i'll try to answer them. I just added a post for some questions I had about the marriage certificate so I will try and check back often. GOOD LUCK

Hi There - I would love some advice from anyone who has been through this. I was married in the Dominican in January and just received my Marriage Certificate - In spanish. Now that it has arrived I tired to go to the driver's licensing office to change my name on my licence. I am in Ontario. They said they can't do anything unless the document is in English or French. When I asked if the translation has to be certified, notorized or legalized she said no. Well I find this hard to believe because otherwise I could just grab a piece of paper and translate it myself (it's like 20 words in total!) I don't want to waste more time in going back to the office and still not having the correct paper, and despite looking online I can't find any information on this topic. So I am pleading with anyone out there that has gone through this to pass along some words of wisdom. THANK YOU!

I forgot to include my email! [email protected] Thanks!

Hello! We are considering this resort for our January 2010 wedding. Can someone please send me some pics as well! And any recent info you have would be fantastic. THANKS!!!!

It is still in the works as we don't have any details yet but our site is http://www.lauraanddaniel.wedquarters.com

It is still in the works as we don't have an details yet but our's is http://www.lauraanddaniel.wedquarters.com

I have seen some reviews on here for Gran Bahia Principe in Punta Cana, but I am wondering specifically about those in the Samana area as I hear they have great snorkelling.

Hi Everyone! This is my first time posting so forgive my long winding letter below. My question is in regards to Bahia Principe Resorts in the Dominican. I am looking at having my destination wedding near the middle of feburary 2010, but I am SO LOST on what resort to pick. I like the Bahia Principe's because they seem to offer reseasonable wedding packages for a larger group. One of the most important things for me is a private recepion dinner, and the 2010 wedding package at Gran Bahia Principe El Portillo, Samana , is free for up to 16 people and only $25 dollars extra per person. We are looking at having probably close to 40 people or more. I am also interested in the Gran Bahia Principe Samana, however it doesn't appear that they are even doing weddings... Does any one know if they are? I was just wondering if anyone had been to either of these hotels, or has had a wedding at a Bahia Principe and their general impression of the staff, resort etc. Or, if you think that I should avoid these resorts altogether, could you recommend something comparable in price. I also don't want to ask our guest to spend alot of money. Us and our guests are somewhat young and we are hoping to do the cost of the trip at under $1600 per person with taxes in. Sorry I know this is alot of information, but anything you can advise would be great! THANKS IN ADVANCE EVERYONE!!

Hi Everyone, My name is Laura, and my fiance and I are getting married in early 2010. We haven't picked an exact date or location yet, but I am hoping this forum will give me some help in narrowing down all the choices! I look forward to everyone's advice! Thanks!