BarbNHans

I strongly recommend doing the wedding there too as it is so much more intimate and far quieter. After watching all the weddings at our hotel we were so happy that we chose the Jellyfish instead. It was the best day of our lives.

I just added quite a few pictures to the gallery if anyone is interested.

Shanelle, Our photographer was Photosouvenirs from Punta Cana. Severine was really great and the value is unmatched (plus you don't have to pay travel costs!). Her and Francoise make a great team! Website: Punta Cana Destination wedding photography

Drmegan, Yes the ceremony with Pastor Rick York was in English -- he's actually from Chicago I believe. GREAT guy. He can perform symbolic ceremonies at any location if English speaking is important to you. There is a resort about 200 meters away, but there were hardly any people on the beach. On the other side there are a couple of small, older, "houses". But from the Jellyfish you don't really see either. We had originally asked Mayte to arrange a water taxi as we thought that would be neat, but I think it came down to there being no way of getting onto the boat at our resort and it can only be one way. You can rent a catamaran type boat but apparently it is quite pricey for the 5 minute ride. Some people kept the ceremony/reception plans secret and take their guests on an "excursion." By making it a 1/2 hour boat ride around Bavaro as part of the days festivities and then land at this amazing place, you might get your money's worth. I think they will stay open until around 2 in the morning- but it could be later. At the resort I was at, they were kicking them out of their "privately paid" areas at 11. The upstairs is pretty small - though perfect for our little crew. They will bring up round, square, or rectangular tables to make the best use of the space, but I would guess around 20 would be the max. As for the cake topper, I made it myself! You can get them made for you by people online (try etsy.com) and they are usually around $200. But if you want it to be fairly simple, it's actually quite easy to do. I made these out of polymer clay (fimo and sculpy) and there are books and websites that show you how to do it. By buying my materials at Michaels using coupons, they only cost me about $20 to make and a few hours of my time. Hope this helps!

Mayte's email is: [email protected]. She's really good at getting back to you quickly, except when the internet is interrupted by bad weather.

Oh, and one more thing to think about, regardless of where in the Caribbean you go, if you make your own menu's or any other paper products, the humidity will alter them, especially if you have any glue involved. Be sure to pack them in air tight bags and only take them out right before you need them. I didn't, they were alright, but not as nice as they were back here at home.

Mimosa: I just copied and pasted the following from another thread I wrote on regarding the costs. As for the menu, I know that Mayte was just about to start the new menu the day after our wedding and they were going to have new steak dishes, including a New York striploin. As far I as can remember those two items were on the new menu. The platter was called a seafood grill and they ran at $120 to feed 2 people (easily!!), the filet mignon was $22. Jenn: They can easily accommodate 30 people in the downstairs and I think it is only $1,000 if you want to reserve the entire restaurant to yourself. Not a big deal when you end up paying that at a resort to get a private area. Plus nothing extra for sound system unless you want a DJ and you can generally stay there later than you would at a resort. Another thing to think about is that by going to the Jellyfish, you are giving your guests a truly unique experience from where they are staying all week. Just the driving through Bavaro can be considered an "excursion"! AND you don't have to bring down a lot of decorations because it is beautiful just as it is, especially if you prefer the natural look. Here's what I wrote earlier: I don't actually have an invoice that breaks down the costs but I'll tell you what I know. Ceremony decorations and set up: $300. This was only supposed to be just for the ceremony. I brought my own decorations for inside so I refused to pay for decorations inside. However, when we arrived, she had used my decorations and included some of hers and it was even better than what I had put together. I was adamant that I did not want chair covers or flowers (for decorations). I was going more for the natural element look with using shells etc... The chairs at the ceremony and inside were matching and very cool. Honestly though, just the way they set up the tables normally is very nice and I could have easily just gone with that! Regardless, she decorated the inside FOR ME (I was going to set it up myself), using her things, and did not charge for it. Pastor Rick York: $300 Taxi, both ways for 8: $45 ($5/person, but I believe it caps out at some point) Cake: $40 (I got a special price though on this) Bouquet and boutonniere $150 (Was also to include an arrangement for the ceremony table even though I didn't want flowers. The flowers showed up wilted so Mayte bought flowers and made them herself - thus, I'm not sure how much she charged but it was certainly less. The table was decorated with 2 large starfish which was much more beautiful than flowers IMHO) Food: $80/person for a special menu which included: (1st course) Caprese salad, (2nd course) 2 large seafood platters that were placed on the table and everyone helped themselves -- these are huge and we seriously could have stopped eating after this! (3rd Course) Choice between filet mignon, seabass in passionfruit and ginger sauce, and seafood pasta. All of these meals were exceptional. Drinks by consumption. I swear that we drank more than we were charged for though. Helpful thing was that a some of us were hungover from the previous evenings festivities so we didn't drink that much! The total for the restaurant was under $1400 and we left $200 in tips. If I overpaid for anything, I honestly don't care. Mayte was worth it. She had everything completely under control, foreseeing problems that I did not, and did it all in stealth mode. You hardly knew she was there...things just "magically" appeared! At our resort, the Majestic Colonial, they would charge for every little thing. For the same things, it would be $1200 for the wedding, regardless of how many people, plus flowers, and if you want any "privacy" (there is no such thing) you pay extra per plate plus bar. Thus it would have cost WAY more. Again, the "aisle" for the Majestic Colonial beach wedding goes right down the center of the beach with hundreds of people only a few feet away. The ceremony at the Jellyfish, other than a couple of people in the restaurant (it was 4:00 so it was almost empty), there was no one within a 100 yards. We used the upstairs of the restaurant so the people downstairs didn't even know we were there. Oh yeah, we did not have to pay for sound system etc... I'm sure if you have a big shindig with dancing you might have to but at least I hear that the DJ is REALLY good. We just had dinner and lounged around, enjoying each others company, drinking special coffees etc... really taking advantage of our space and appreciating every moment and every detail. This time at the Jellyfish was the most relaxed, happy, and content any of had been, not just on our trip, but literally in years. Any other questions, let me know!

Hey Bree, I found that picking the spot was THE hardest decision. After that I promise it gets easier; time consuming, but easier. I cannot advise on Jamaica as we had our wedding in the Dominican Republic, which I found to be cheaper, but just as beautiful. Good luck and congratulations!

Roo66: Ooooops, sorry. We stayed at the Majestic Colonial, 20 minute drive away through Bavaro. The photographer was Photosouvenirs from Punta Cana and they were only $1100. No travel costs to pay and she had our photos in our hot little hands by Saturday (wedding was Wednesday). We got over 350 pics. And we are obviously an "older" couple too, this place was better suited to us since we did not want a big party scene and we wanted something more refined and intimate.

I don't actually have an invoice that breaks down the costs but I'll tell you what I know. Ceremony decorations and set up: $300. This was only supposed to be just for the ceremony. I brought my own decorations for inside so I refused to pay for decorations inside. However, when we arrived, she had used my decorations and included some of hers and it was even better than what I had put together. I was adamant that I did not want chair covers or flowers (for decorations). I was going more for the natural element look with using shells etc... The chairs at the ceremony and inside were matching and very cool. Honestly though, just the way they set up the tables normally is very nice and I could have easily just gone with that! Regardless, she decorated the inside FOR ME (I was going to set it up myself), using her things, and did not charge for it. Pastor Rick York: $300 Taxi, both ways for 8: $45 ($5/person, but I believe it caps out at some point) Cake: $40 (I got a special price though on this) Bouquet and boutonniere $150 (Was also to include an arrangement for the ceremony table even though I didn't want flowers. The flowers showed up wilted so Mayte bought flowers and made them herself - thus, I'm not sure how much she charged but it was certainly less. The table was decorated with 2 large starfish which was much more beautiful than flowers IMHO) Food: $80/person for a special menu which included: (1st course) Caprese salad, (2nd course) 2 large seafood platters that were placed on the table and everyone helped themselves -- these are huge and we seriously could have stopped eating after this! (3rd Course) Choice between filet mignon, seabass in passionfruit and ginger sauce, and seafood pasta. All of these meals were exceptional. Drinks by consumption. I swear that we drank more than we were charged for though. Helpful thing was that a some of us were hungover from the previous evenings festivities so we didn't drink that much! The total for the restaurant was under $1400 and we left $200 in tips. If I overpaid for anything, I honestly don't care. Mayte was worth it. She had everything completely under control, foreseeing problems that I did not, and did it all in stealth mode. You hardly knew she was there...things just "magically" appeared! At our resort, the Majestic Colonial, they would charge for every little thing. For the same things, it would be $1200 for the wedding, regardless of how many people, plus flowers, and if you want any "privacy" (there is no such thing) you pay extra per plate plus bar. Thus it would have cost WAY more. Again, the "aisle" for the Majestic Colonial beach wedding goes right down the center of the beach with hundreds of people only a few feet away. The ceremony at the Jellyfish, other than a couple of people in the restaurant (it was 4:00 so it was almost empty), there was no one within a 100 yards. We used the upstairs of the restaurant so the people downstairs didn't even know we were there. Oh yeah, we did not have to pay for sound system etc... I'm sure if you have a big shindig with dancing you might have to but at least I hear that the DJ is REALLY good. We just had dinner and lounged around, enjoying each others company, drinking special coffees etc... really taking advantage of our space and appreciating every moment and every detail. This time at the Jellyfish was the most relaxed, happy, and content any of had been, not just on our trip, but literally in years. Any other questions, let me know!

LOL, thanks for the compliments Amarillis! Actually, the youngest is my daughter and she's only 13, the older gal is my DH daughter. And I'm in my 40's! My dress is a Alfred Angelo "bridesmaid" dress ($230) and I applied Swarovski crystals to dress it up. It was perfect for a DW because it was nice and cool.

I added some pics to photobucket and replied to some posts. I'm a big, no, HUGE fan of the Jellyfish so if anyone has any questions, let me know! I can definitely add more pics too since I have ummmmm like, around 700, lol. Our Wedding pictures by BarbNHans - Photobucket

We just got married at the Jellyfish last week and it was the best day of our lives (and we are old!). There is no comparison between getting married at a resort where you are just a number and you get married in front of a couple of thousand total strangers, eating the same grub at the same restaurant that you've gone to all week. At the Jellyfish, we paid the same OR possibly less than we would have had we got married at the resort, but we got so much more! It is very romantic and intimate there. Though all beaches are public, there was hardly anyone there; be forewarned though that alot of the boat excursions are close by and can be quite noisy (it didn't bother us though in the least -- half way through our ceremony, we were entertained by the macarena). We had the upstairs to ourselves and it was arranged for a long table for the 8 of us and then large white pillows and sofa's around the perimeter for everyone to lounge - and after a large, incredibly delicious, exquisitely presented meal, lounge everyone did! Mayte is fabulous with an incredible eye for detail. I pride myself in being the "party planner extraordinaire" back here in BC so I brought decorations and was going to put it all together myself. I'm so glad that I did not have to as Mayte had it all done and it looked far better than I had imagined it would. She used my things but integrated some of her own and it was beyond beautiful. It made us all cry when we walked up the stairs! I just wish I hadn't wasted so much time worrying about it for the last 6 months. For whoever decides to go to the Jellyfish, RELAX because Mayte is amazing and really, REALLY, cares about your wedding. She arranged everything from the pastor to the flowers. (when the bouquet that I had ordered arrived, it was wilted so Mayte sent it back, bought flowers and put together a bouquet just moments before I arrived and they were great! How cool is she?) Back to the food. We ordered a small caprese salad for everyone to start, we ordered 2 of the seafood grill which are huge platters of seafood with lobster, langoustines, conch, calamari, sea bass and red snapper (we could have easily stopped eating at this point), and then everyone chose between the filet mignon, seabass in passionfruit and ginger sauce, or seafood pasta. Everything was so beautifully presented, and it was so delicious that we knew we were going to have a hard time going back to eat at the Majestic Colonial. After dinner everyone lounged around, had coffee and then we had the cake. None of us wanted to leave! Also, everyone said that it was the best wedding that they had ever been to and they were so grateful that we did our research. Here's the link to some photos. I tried to pick ones to showcase the Jellyfish. Some of them are not very good quality -- those would be the ones I took. The rest are done by Photosouvenirs whom I highly recommend. Our Wedding pictures by BarbNHans - Photobucket

Severine and Francoise are really, really busy. They often shoot for 8 hours a day and then go home and edit. We had them last week -- wedding was Wednesday and we had everything by Saturday before we left AND her work was amazing! Much better than some of the cheesy ones the resort photographer provide. Plus, she arrived early and stayed late, gave us more pictures than the package we asked for. As for the deposit, sometimes she is unable to get it because she has a limit on her paypal account. I never did give her a deposit, just paid in full on the day. One last thing, the internet is not very reliable in the Punta Cana/Bavaro - any bad weather can shut the net down for 2 days and it is slow at its best. Be patient - when planning a dominican wedding, be on dominican time. You'll hear "5 minutes" ALOT down there! Really means 2 hours!

Pastor Rick did our ceremony last week and he was great. Right on time, good humor, easy going, lovely man. Highly recommended over using the resort people for symbolic ceremonies.