cristinimartini

LOL...How'd you know?! I worked there to pay for two PhDs...one in pharmacology and one in toxicology...I minored in Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry! (Oh no...did I just say that out loud?!) Great minds think alike...Sounds like the two of us snags some very lucky men! ;-)

Hehehe...I'm like you Jackie C...we met a bar. I was bartending (while in graduate school) and was wearing some not so "dad approved" attire...so you can guess the type of establishment. He was there to fix our touch-screen ordering/payment system. He asked me to write down a list of things I wanted changed with my screens and he'd be back for it. I took him seriously, so I wrote them down, but he never came back. About two weeks later, I saw him again when he came in to fix something and I wasn't so nice to him this time because I thought he wasn't good on his word. I basically just shook my head at him and told him he was just like every other guy in the place and it was his mission to prove to me that I was wrong. And boy, was I WRONG!!!!! He is THE most phenominal man I've ever met in my life. Period. So technically, we met at a bar, but I can say "we met at work" too! What I like most about how we met is that he never judged me based on what I was doing or where I was working. He didn't know (until I told him later on) what my "day job" was until I told him.

The only thing I can think of right now to add is some bugspray and cash (for customs, tips, etc.) Your list is truly helpful!! We should compile one large one and make it a checkoff list for all BDW brides! :-D

Hi StephyD! We're getting married on a Monday so people can arrive on Saturday and leave on Tuesday, thereby not missing a whole lot of work if they don't have to. We're arriving to the resort the Wednesday before (for the 3 business day requirement) and people are starting to arrive the next day. We tried to be as accommodating to everyone's schedules, but still leave us time to get away as well. Best of luck!

OMG!!! ERIN!!! Congrats!!!!!!!! I was thinking about you all day! What a load off your shoulders...and a new one on! Time to start more planning and packing...you're going to be grinning ear to ear for a LONG time. I'm so thrilled for you all!!! Nothing can rain on your parade now!

Thought a "carry on" fee was bad? Check this out! Flights: Airfare, flight tracker, delays, miles tracker & airport news - Today in the Sky - USATODAY.com Thought this article was funny for poking fun of Spirit...JetBlue pokes fun at Spirit's carry-on fee by touting luggage 'outerwear' - Flights: Airfare, flight tracker, delays, miles tracker & airport news - Today in the Sky - USATODAY.com

Sounds like the judge knows what they're talking about! 1st grade?! That's not even an argument...I'm sorry you guys have to go through this, but I think it will work out in the end and you'll ALL be so happy!!! :-D Kinda funny how we're almost in the exact same boat!! FI's ex has 4 other kids (by 4 other men!) so I think she had a lot of other things to worry about, which is why we are getting off a little easier with the whole situation. Do you have last minute travel plans in place so when the judge says YES! you'll be able to run? This is so exciting!!!! P.S. LOVE the hair pieces!!! <3

Ebredhawk--My FIs ex-wife was surprisingly willing to let her come to the DR. My FMIL will be flying to Chicago to pick her up, and travel with her since we'll already be there. We made the mistake of mailing an invitation to their house for her...the ex-wife read it and then started freaking out saying we were going to keep her in the DR...ummm, riiiight. Turns out it was just a bad day for the ex and she calmed down... I thought it was going to be a real struggle to have her come (she's but things so far have gone pretty smooth. We just need to work on the notarized letter from both parents allowing her to leave the country. I really hope things work out for all of you. It was important for me to have her there for this part, not necessarily the legal portion, since she wouldn't really understand that anyway. I figured once she sees the dresses and all the hooplah that goes into a "wedding" it will be official in her eyes, LOL... I'm gitty over the hangers. I was actually super excited to pay that bill because that means they're mine!! (Well, really everyone elses...) She was even able to give me a nice discount because I ordered so many! I even ordered one for Sharron to give to her as her present for all her help. Jenise-- I'm actually really excited about the BD shoot!! I wish I could have some instantaneous liposuction/tanning/toning/hair extensions, but I am what I am, and I'm excited to see what kind of greatness Photoshop can do! Poor Jen has her work cut out for her hehehe...

3 weeks?! Oh bless your soul...I'm trying not to look at the calendar because my heart starts to race every time I do... I'm a butthead when it comes to favors. I didn't want to have to cart down stuff that people wouldn't use or would throw away in the end anyway, so I thought long and hard about what to do. I ordered a hanger from an Etsy seller (aressa) for my FI's daughter (as her flower girl present) and when it arrived, I fell in love. Our color is a light yellow, and she added a beautiful bow in that color. She also let me personalize the hanger as well (in addition to the name in metal), so I had her write "May 24, 2010" on the left side of the hanger and "Dominican Republic" on the right. I thought this would be something that was easy to travel with, they'd use it, and it's unique!!! I have pictures of the one she did (I just placed an order for 20 more) if anyone is interested in seeing it. She was super quick too....going back to the limited amount of time I have left *gulp*... BD shoot is on May 8th! OMG...

Hi Toya!! This July 3rd will be my 30th birthday!!! YAY!!! We also decided to throw a little party that day/weekend, so it will turn into a small AHR as well I'm sure...You'll still be running off the high from the wedding, so I don't think you'll have any problems. Plus you can just leave stuff out instead of putting it away and then having to remember it all again :-) I just ordered my favors and I'm so excited about them!!!!! I have to go to my first/last/only dress fitting this week, and my work threw me a surprise Bridal shower complete with my weakness...triple chocolate mousse cake...EVIL!!! Time to hit the treadmill a little longer over the next couple days!

Hey Eli!! I ended up buying my dress from Izabella's Bridal in West New York, NJ...Super helpful, super quick and CHEAP!!! The price of my dress included ALL alterations AND bustling!! WOOHOOO!!!! We really do need to meet up!! Gotta get Jenise in here too :-D

Hi Tracy! (That's my sister's name, LOL)... I was born in Rahway, grew up in Elizabeth and then moved to the sticks of Hunterdon County for high school. Now I live in Lyndhurst, but work in NY... I'm getting married at Dreams Punta Cana in about 8 weeks! This site has been so helpful (and stressful). We chose a DW after attending a friends DW. It was so simple and easy...no fuss, no arguing...you just show up and POOF! it's your wedding!! After finding this board and seeing how so many girls buy and plan everything I got super nervous. I thought there was NO WAY I was going to be able to do all of this in such a short amount of time. Then I realized that I don't have to do what they do!! I can just show up and POOF! have my wedding LOL...it's my choice to do it that way! While I would LOVE for it to be as gorgeous and perfect as some of these girls are planning, I know that I don't have the time to put into it to make it that way. So I'm having a fabulous photographer fly in to get tons of photos of our family having a great time and not worrying about what fabric my tablecloths will look best in. I figured the WC at the AI is a professional and will make my DW gorgeous... I did have a NJ wedding though. I needed my dying grandfather to be at my wedding, so we did our legal ceremony the end of January in his living room. He passed away March 11 and called me in the room one last time to tell me how special it was for him and what an honor it was to be able to be a part of it. So I think I had the best of both worlds...an impromptu NJ wedding (put together in under 24 hours--complete with a judges order for a marriage license) AND a fun, fabulous DW ceremony... WOOHOOO!!! There are a lot of NJ girls planning right now, so a meet up would be super fun!!

Hi girls! We did printing (using a laser printer so they didn't smudge) on a clear label. It was nice because any errors could be found and repaired easily. I would have LOVED to hand write each one, but I just didn't have the time...plus I'm dyslexic, so I didn't order that many extra envelopes hehehe... I think we paid about $10 for the labels at Staples. Quick and easy... :-)

Thanks for compiling all the Q&As Ashley!! It's nice to see we all have the same questions, but you'd think they'd catch on by now and have a FAQ section on weddings...

Not sure if this is something you'd be interested in, but I know my FI and I will be doing it at some point...but they offer a HELICOPTER service from EWR to JFK for $60 each way! How freakin' cool would that be?!?! A helicopter ride AND first class?! WHOA... A drink (or two) is definitely in order...and I know my FI could use a good cigar. How does next weekend look for you ladies? I don't come back from Chicago until Monday (the 22nd). Let me know what your weekends look like, ladies! Eliana, could I use the $5 parking pass for this weekend's trip? Can you PM me details? :-) Thanks for the condolences, Jenise...it doesn't seem real yet. :-(

OMG, Jenise!!! That's nuts!!!!! I'm flying during the week too, but haven't heard anything about cancellations...They did change my departing flight (on Wednesday, May 19th) to the later morning one about a week after we booked it. It's still non-stop though...we'll just arrive later. I HOPE they're keeping the non-stops from EWR during the week...the majority of my family is leaving from there and with kids, connections could be a nightmare! IF you do have to fly out of JFK, it's really not a terrible place. I flew to Mexico on JetBlue and it was a fabulous terminal! I drove myself, parked in an economy lot (for $18 a day, ouch!) and it was easy. The drive was hairy because I ended up at LGA on accident. I was following the airport signs thinking I would end up at JFK, buuuut apparently not! I agree with the post saying to have a car pick him up. That would be an ULTRA surprise!! I think it's $100 each way, plus tip and tolls, so it IS a little pricey. If parking there will cost a lot you might want to look into a car service to save on trouble and convenience. I'll keep my eye out for notices from Continental...I will be one unhappy camper if they cancel these flights. Eliana, what a fabulous gift $5 parking would be :-) The three of us definitely need to get together for some conversations!! Jenise and I were talking about getting together with the FIs at a cigar bar. My grandfather passed away on Thursday and her FI's birthday was coming up so we figured we'd make plans after all the commotion was over. This weekend I'll be in Chicago, but I'll be free next weekend (as of now anyway!). Let me know what you girls think! Maybe we could even meet up at the Marriott and have a drink! If I hear anything about this Continental situation, I'll be on top o informing you both!!

March 2010 Melissa & Mark, March 3, 2010 - Iberostar Bavaro Jennifer & Cory March 13 2010- Palma Real Punta Cana Amy & Robert March 13, 2010 - Dreams Punta Cana Kim & Ron March 17, 2010 - Dreams Punta Cana Diane & Devin March 25 2010 - Paradisus Palma Real Anna & Lawrence March 26 - Majestic Colonial Erin & Pat March 27 2010 - Dreams Palm Beach JenP March 27,2010- Moon Palace Lindsay & Seth March 28 2010 - Paradisus Palma Real April 2010 Ken & Carla April 12, 2010 - Grand Oasis Marien Courtney & Michael April 13, 2010 - Grand Palladium Punta Cana Tracy & Mike - April 13, 2010 - Grand Palladium Royal Vanessa & Eddie April 16, 2010 - Majestic Colonial Steph & Jason April 16, 2010 - Grand Palladium Palace Punta Cana Alli & Darren April 19, 2010- Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Tammy & Ryan April 19, 2010- Grand Paradsie Bavaro(Alli were getting married next door) Mylène & Jenrené April 19, 2010 - Grand Palladium Punta Cana Crystal & Tyler April 20, 2010-Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana Jennifer & Trevor April 21, 2010 - Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana Helen & Scott April 21, 2010- Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana Dianne & Adam April 21, 2010 - Grand Palladium Punta Cana Jess & Aaron April 22, 2010 - Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Stacey & Eric April 22, 2010 - Dreams La Romana Holly & Shawn April 26, 2010 - Bavaro Princess Erin & Jeremy April 28, 2010 - Dreams Punta Cana Amanda & Craig April 28*, 2010 - Grand Palladium Punta Cana May 2010 Lara & Mike May 3 2010 - Majestic Colonial Jennnifer & Trevor May 11th 2010 - Majestic Colonial Nicole & Matt May 13, 2010 - Majestic Colonial (Hey Jennifer, maybe we'll see you there!!) Rosa & Larry May 15th, 2010 - Excellence Punta Cana Heather & George May 15th 2010 - Dreams La Romana mary & joey may 21st, 2010- dreams punta cana Christine & William May 24, 2010 Dreams Punta Cana Lauren & Nate May 18, 2010- Majestic Colonial Sara & Adam May 22nd, 2010 - Indecided, Punta Cana (Palladium, Dreams, Iberostar or Excellence) Iris and Mike May 27, 2010 - Majestic Colonial Rebecca and Hector May 27, 2010-Grand Palladium Punta Cana Shanelle & Michael ~ May 28, 2010 ~ Paradisus Punta Cana Susan & Roberto ~ May 28, 2010 ~ Dreams Punta Cana Valerie & Jake May 29, 2010- Dreams La Romana Melissa & Jason~ May 31, 2010 Paradisus Punta Cana June 2010 Heather & Grant: June 2nd, 2010 Majestic Colonial Bobbi And Tyler: June 4th 2010 Majestic Colonial Jen & Joe: June 5, 2010, Dreams Palm Beach Nikki and Stacey: June 10, 2010 Excellence Punta Cana Kate & Devon: June 12, 2010 Paradisus Punta Cana Lynette & Daniel : June 12, 2010 Dreams Punta Cana LaToya & Micah: June 18, 2010 Dreams Punta Cana Michelle & Wesley: June 19, 2010 Moon Palace Casino, Golf & Spa Resort Punta Cana, DR Sungoddess_08: June 28, 2010 Grand Palladium Punta Cana, DR July 2010 Natasha & Benjamin - July 2, 2010 Dreams Punta Cana Jessica & Hudson - July 5, 2010 Dreams Punta Cana SabBrew- July 6, 2010- Ocean Blue & Sand Asheley1316- July 8, 2011- Bahia or Majestic Lynette and Darnel July 13, 2010 - Dreams Punta Cana Tracy & George- July 16, 2010- Paradisus Palma Real James and Jessica- July 17, 2010 -Paradisus Punta Cana Laura & Zach July 15, 2010 - Majestic Colonial or Grand Palladium Palace Jenn & Andrew - July 21, 2010 - Majestic Colonial, PC Liz & Miguel - July 26, 2010 - Undecided location {Santiago, Puerto Plata, or Punta Cana August 2010 Jeanette & Julio - undecided Punta Cana, (PPC or PPR) Aug 2010 Linda & Robin: August 3, 2010 - Paradisus Punta Cana Jess & Eamon: August 7, 2010- Melia Caribe Tropical Denise & Julio: August 7, 2010- Punta Cana- Melia Caribe Tropical Ashley and Eric: August 31, 2010- Paradisus Palma Real September 2010 Nadia & Serge: September3, 2010- Dreams La Romana Jennifer & Elvin: September 4, 2010- Dream Palm Beach October 2010 Autumn & Dominic - Oct 16th, 2010 - Dreams Punta Cana Michele & Andrew - Oct 19th, 2010 - Majestic Colonial Luciel & Emil - Oct 23th, 2010 - Catalonia Royal Bavaro Monica & Brandon - Oct 29, 2010 - Excellence Resort Punta Cana January 2011 Ashlee & Daniel - January 12, 2011 - Paradisus Punta Cana July 2011 Ashley1316- July 8, 2011- Bahia or Majestic July 2011/ 2012 Yvonne and Andrew- last week of july 2011/ 2012 (money dependant), dreams la romana

Quote: Originally Posted by TLC4Rock I actually was thinking the same! Actually the Outback excursion. Then my FI said that may be a bit distracting. So I'm still brainstorming. I was thinking the Island Adventure might be interesting? I'd LOVE to do it on the Outback excursion, but I'm not sure how much down town you'd get to actually take the photos...If it were up to me, I'd do ALL the excursions wearing my dress :-) The only thing stopping me is the fact that I'm only at the resort for 2 full days after my wedding hahaha... I'm glad we're thinking the same though!

Here is a question for you guys: Do you think of the excursions around the DR would be a good place for a TTD session? Thought about trying something different rather than the traditional pics... Any ideas are welcome!!! Thank you!! :-)

Thanks for the great idea, Ashley! I just sent you an email with my questions and the files I've been sent by the WC...Hope this master list will help us all :-)

Hi Eliana! We were considering doing the whole thing (ceremony and reception) on the beach but have since changed our minds about both! I was getting nervous that we'd have too many nosey and/or naked unwanted people at our beach ceremony, so we are trying to get the gazebo instead. I LOVED it when I saw it in the pictures initially but told myself we were getting married on the beach. The other thing we were talking about was how the point of the beach wedding/reception was to near sand and water, but we didn't want to chance a windy day and have sand in our food. Also, once the sun goes down, you can't see the water anyway... I went to a wedding at Secrets Capri and the bride had her ceremony and reception on the beach. It was fun!! But there were definitely some drawbacks. People who are drinking had a hard time walking and balancing in the sand, things were lost in the sand (like the grooms wedding band! Long story...), and I think it didn't necessarily ADD anything to the wedding. It would have been just as fun and beautiful wherever it was. The sand only made it slightly annoying... Just my two cents on what I've experienced!

Another NJ bride!! HIIII!!! :-) I'm with you on the veil or no-veil part. I have the same thoughts you do!! My mom actually laughed and said "was the veil a joke?" when I sent her a picture of me in a dress with a veil. I didn't ask if she a veil in general, or just on that dress... I was actually leaning towards a compromise: a birdcage veil with a pretty comb! I was thinking of having the veil part be able to detach from the comb so I can just take the net off once we're done with the ceremony and I can keep the hair piece in. Maybe that will work for you? I'm seriously worried about a helicopter veil in the wind...

Hi all! I went to Secrets Silversands for a vacation over the 4th of July in 2009. If you'd be interested in seeing the pictures from the resort, PM me your email address and I'll send you my pics from Snapfish! My overall review of the resort (food and service) would be a B, but the beauty of the actual place is an A...just not if you plan on going the ocean. It's all rocky in the water and you can't go out more than knee deep. The beach part is short, as in not too much space in between the stairs where you come down and the actual water edge, so I'm not sure how a wedding would be there. But I can send pics!! Let me know!

I'd LOVE to have a fire show!! Now that's something the screams DW to me!! How often does a regular wedding have one of those?! I think that would definitely be something I'd remember... I'm not sure how this works, but does anyone know what you have to do to just reserve tables at a restaurant for the reception so you don't have to pay for a private dinner? Just wondering how awful of a choice it would be, or if it's been done before with good results. I'm not sure how many of our folks would be up and dancing, so a restaurant reception would be a cheap alternative for us...and maybe just have a cocktail hour during after-ceremony pictures...Any ideas or thoughts?

Hi Eliana! I read in a DW review somewhere (not specific to DPC) that the bride said she probably wouldn't have done the bonfire again, at least not on the wedding day. She suggested maybe the welcome dinner or rehearsal but that people only stayed near it for a short time as there were so many other things going on. I also read that the fire dancers are something to definitely consider as they were seen a more of an entertainment type thing for their guests. I might consider the fire dancers, and I'll definitely let you know what I decide :-) I'm starting to get a little nervous at the amount of people who have booked for my wedding already. I expected no more than 25-30, our invites started arriving on March 1 and we already have 15 people booked...and most of them were surprises!!! My sisters and their husbands haven't even booked yet! Depending on the number of people coming, this will really throw a monkey-wrench in my plans..."Simple" may not be in my description anymore. P.S. LOVE YOUR MONOGRAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!