meli

Quote: Originally Posted by MBBride Thanks for sharing the "Dinner Open Bar" option- I had no idea but that will definitely save on costs. I figured people will be drinking after the ceremony on the resort so even if we slowed things down during dinner, it shouldn't be an issue. How long did dinner last? Was it 1 complimentary drink per guest? Really glad there is a pre-meeting to try to the food...I am customizing my menu. One last question, did you go with the decorations package? If so, did the silk flowers look real? Lisa Hi Lisa, Our dinner lasted 3 and a half hours (including toasts, performances by family members, and speeches etc.). Then we had our first dance which started the dancing portion and open bar. I think it was one complimentary drink per guest. I'm not sure because I was in the back hiding and waiting to make my grand entrance I did select the decoration package but we went with "sea side" theme (can't remember the exact name) so we didn't have silk flowers but seashells and star fish etc. I'll post pics in my review. Will try to get it up this weekend. Cheers, Meli

Quote: Originally Posted by meli I did the same. 44 guests, rented the downstairs, people were dining upstairs and didn't even notice them. On the one occasion a nosy dinner guest came to stand by the bar and check out what was happening, the JF staff politely directed him back upstairs. I have absolutely no regrets about doing my reception there. Wow! I must be tired. Just realized a replied to myself. LOL.

Quote: Originally Posted by MBBride Congrats Meli! I'm so glad everything went well for you. I look forward to your review and pictures. Did you go with the open bar? If so, how long did you have it for? I haven't decided when I want the reception to end. Thanks MBBRide. I did go with the open bar. I did a "Dinner Open Bar" it's not on the menu online but they offer it. It cost $8 per person as long as dinner last (it's not per hour so we tried to do as much as possible during dinner like the toasts, and cake cutting etc. to take advantage of it). THe dinner open bar includes red and white wine, beer, water, soft drinks and juice. I also orded 6 bottles of champagne at $30 a bottle for the toast and cake cutting (looking back not sure how necessary that was). I then did two hours of the local open bar at $10 per hour per person. That was for after dinner during the dancing portion. After that I asked that it become a cash bar. I told JellyFish to let me know 30 min before the open bar was finished and I then I made an announcement to my guests. It worked out well. Also, when you arrive, JellyFish has complimentary cocktails ready for all the guests. During the pre-meeting you get to taste different drinks and choose which ones you want offered. We went with Mojitos and a fruity cocktail (can't remember the name now). You also get to the taste the menu and make sure you like what you selected.

Quote: Originally Posted by meli I'm just doing the reception there too. We have about 46 or so guests and I'm only renting the downstairs area. From what I understand the upstairs will be open to other guests dining but that there are stairs that lead directly from outside to upstairs so we won't have to see any of the other guests. I'm ok with that. I'm on a tight budget and there only 46 of us. I think it will be ok. I did the same. 44 guests, rented the downstairs, people were dining upstairs and didn't even notice them. On the one occasion a nosy dinner guest came to stand by the bar and check out what was happening, the JF staff politely directed him back upstairs. I have absolutely no regrets about doing my reception there.

Quote: Originally Posted by MBBride Natalie, it really depends on your resort. I priced both out and Jellyfish will work out to be a bit cheaper and include much more. I love the costumer service I have been receiving from them. One of the main reasons why I decided to go with Jellyfish. Lisa I just got married (last week) and had my reception at JellyFish. I will post a more detailed review shortly. It worked out slightly cheaper for me to do the reception at JF compared to the resort and I am SO HAPPY I did. It was amazing. We were able to stay as long as we wanted compared to the resort reception which would only have been for three hours. The food was delicious, the setting and decor magnificent, and the service incredible. I couldn't be happier with my experience with them. One of the best decisions I made.

Congrats everyone! Your photos look great! We're back and had an amazing time!! Wish I was still there. Will post some pics when I get them! Cheers!

Thanks for the advice ladies. Feeling better. Almost packed up. Leaving day after tomorrow! Lady Di- Your planning thread is awesome. Have a beautiful trip and wedding

Wedding nightmare last night. Sore throat this morning. Leaving in three days. Any advice?

Quote: Originally Posted by AishaB Meli, thanks so much for the wonderful idea. My FI is Haitian, and I have just been racking my brain to think about a way to not only incorporate both of our cultures into our wedding, but to find a way to somehow use our wedding as a kind of fundraiser for Haiti. This is a wonderful idea and the money will of course be going to the people that need it. Thank so much for sharing. Hi Alisha, I've gotten so many great ideas from this place, so I'm very happy to share my own and glad that you found my post useful. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. Cheers, Meli

Quote: Originally Posted by AishaB Hi Meli, did you purchase your favors directly from Haiti or do you have the name of a company/person that makes them? I got them through a friend who is in Haiti. She purchased them from a local shop called Kaz Atizan. They work directly with local artists. I spoke to the owner and she does take international orders directly as well. If you are interested in any of these or other Haitian crafts you can contact the owner of Kaz Atizan, Simone Audant-Ambroise at [email protected] or +50934566989.

Got the contact info. Sorry it took me a while. If you are interested in any of these or other crafts you can contact the owner of Kaz Atizan, Simone Audant-Ambroise at [email protected] or +50934566989.

Thanks again for your review. I was wondering if you could help me with something... I want to have an informal "Meet and Greet" before the wedding and I'm looking for a place that I can just tell my family and friends to stop by and say hello and where we can grab a couple of drinks and catch up. Which of the following (or other places) would you recommend? Gabi Bar Hibiscus Bar Tea Time Thanks!

Got the contact info. Sorry it took me a while. If you are interested in any of these or other crafts you can contact the owner of Kaz Atizan, Simone Audant-Ambroise at [email protected] or +50934566989.

Congrats and thanks for your review! I leave next Thursday for PPC and your review helped put me at ease

Hi ladies, I was just wondering. For those of you who just got back: Did you take your laptops and if so did you use/need them? For those who haven't left yet: Are you bringing your laptop? What do you anticipate needing it for? Meli (who is starting to think about packing!)

D- glad everything worked out. Diane- CONGRATS and enjoy! Kittenheart and Caligirl- love the pics!

Quote: Originally Posted by KarenM Here's our packing list (not very well organized, sorry!) To Bring to PV Rings Lots of singles $, cash for tipping wedding peeps Dress, suit, clothes, shoes, jewelry Hanky for P (he's a sweaty sweaty boy) Tiles & stands Shoes sign, stand, brushes & mat Cake topper Votive holders (Mom or Kel bring the other box) Welcome bags: welcome card photo card water guns pashminas First aid kit Chapstick Tums shout wipes sunscreen aloe candle Sudoku Pens Spanish for dummies Kleenex Tide cards kids stuff BM gifts Glue Scissors x2 Tissue paper Thank you cards for tipping (dj, waitstaff, wedding coordinator) Sharpie Tape Travel sewing kit, safety pins, fabric glue Static guard Bobby pins Tide (small) Toiletries Extra contacts, solution Nail polish remover Sunscreen x3-4 bottles + spray-on Bug spray Bandaids, meds (advil, pepto, tums, Imodium, valtrex, neosporin) sunscreen, aloe Lotion Body Glide Blister Block Baby powder Air freshener/febreze superglue Ipod dock gallon ziplock bags straws Sun hats Bubble wrap Camera, extra memory card Portable hard-drive Chargers! (phones, ipod, camera battery) Computer Luggage locks and here's a packing list I found somewhere on the forum Thanks soooo much! I already saw some things on the to-do list that I had missed! Happy preparations!

Could someone re-post their to-do and packing lists please? I unsuccessfully tried searching the thread and I'm scared that I've missed something on mine

Congrats to all the ladies who just got married. Those of you with upcoming weddings, good luck! Anyone else feeling nervous? I'm trying to fight a mounting feeling of panic. I just feel like I have so much left to do! Eeeek!

Quote: Originally Posted by Leez309 Great idea! Where would I go to order these? Hi Leez, I arranged everything through a family friend based in Haiti but I know that she ordered the crafts from a store called "Kay Atizan" which is owned by a woman named Simone Ambroise who deals directly with local artisans. I found this website for them: Kay Atizan It's in French but there are pictures and I know that Simone speaks English. I will get her contact information from my friend and post it as soon as I have it. Cheers, Meli

Hi everyone! I wanted to share this with you since I got the idea from this website. I posted this in the DR forum but thought I would re-post here in case anyone is looking for wedding favor inspiration! I think this idea could be easily adapted to benefit any number of good causes. Cheers, Meli After the devastating earthquake there were a couple of threads here about how you could use your wedding to help Haiti. Those discussions made me realize that I really wanted to do something to acknowledge and ideally help the people of Haiti especially considering that my wedding is on the same island as theirs and that I have friends from Haiti. I decided to order small personalized crafts from Haiti to use as wedding favors. This would give my guests something small they could take home and remember the wedding by; while, at the same time supporting the Haitian economy and contributing towards the livelihoods of local artists. I spoke to a friend of mine in Haiti who sent me some ideas. Here are just a few of them: I settled on these painted paper weights. Our initials and wedding date will be written on the back like this. I've placed my order and should be getting them the second week of May. I'm so excited!

Quote: Originally Posted by isa2214 Hi everyone, My FI and I are both French speaking and all of our guest too (everybody understands and speaks english too). My question is, if you have a symbolic ceremony (renewal of vows) is it conducted is english or spanish. I know that the legal ceremonies are made in spanish and I woudn't want to translate from spanish to english and then to french, but I would really like some parts to be translated especially for the vows. Hi Isa, I'm getting married in Punta Cana too and had the impression even symbolic ceremonies were conducted in Spanish. You should check with your resort though because this could vary by resort. Another option, is having a friend or family member conduct the ceremony that way you would only need to translate it once. Cheers, Meli

Hmmm...don't know about the candy cigars. I would say something else Cubans are known for and/or the donation. Your FI can give the cigars to his groomsmen. I wouldn't give them to everyone though, especially considering the loss your family experienced.

Yay! Have a great time Amy!

Quote: Originally Posted by nsimpson Hey Meli - Great idea! Do you have the contact information for the person we would order from? Thanks. Hi Nadia. I arranged everything through a family friend based in Haiti but I know that she ordered the crafts from a store called "Kay Atizan" which is owned by a woman named Simone Ambroise who deals directly with local artisans. I found this website for them: Kay Atizan It's in French but there are pictures and I know that Simone speaks English. I will get her contact information from my friend and post it as soon as I have it. Cheers, Meli