kokonutte

Hi girls!! Just got back from my perfect wedding/honeymoon!! Everything went exceptionally well!! I couldn't have been more happy and all my guests were commenting on how perfect everything was! Everyone with any doubts, no need to worry. The wedding coordinators know what they are doing and as long as you fill out the paperwork they give you, everything will happen they way you think it will! I will be writing my reviews for Paradisus Punta Cana, La Barcaza wedding boat, HDC photography and Pastor York soon. ALL of them were FANTASTIC and HIGHLY recommended!!! If you have any questions, feel free to PM me!! Good luck to everyone here, I'm sure you will get the wedding of your dreams! Jasmin

Only 2 weeks left till we leave for Punta Cana!! I am so excited!! Everything is falling into place and I am not stressed out at all. The only thing that I am a bit concerned about is that the coordinators have not set up a phone consult for me and haven't really said anything since I sent the planning guide. Anyone else had this happen?

I bought my wedding dress online! I tried the dress on at a salon in my city first so I knew what size I would be. I ordered from bestbridalprices.com and had a great experience! The dress was $500 less than what it was priced at the salon, was authentic and they also had two different specials that I took advantage of. Free shoes and veil with purchase of a LaSposa dress and free international shipping! They told me the dress could take up to 6 months to receive but I got it in just over a month! It fits like a glove and I absolutely think I made the right decision! They also have bridesmaids and other dresses on their website as well! I would recommend staying away from companies from China, they mostly sell knock off dresses but show the designer dress in their photo.

So I got an email back from PPC, we are able to bring our own ipod player if we would like!! The sound system at $100/hr included hook up to a computer, speakers and a microphone in case anyone was interested. I think we are just going to bring our own, we have a small group and I don't really need anything big. @mikeandashwed 1. I think its WAY to early for STDs to go out! I know, at least for myself, that I would lose it and I wouldn't have a calendar that I could actually put information to save the date. I don't think you should send any out until at most 1 year before the date. Also, consider that you may gain new friends and lose touch with old friends in 2 years? 2. Yes it is a bit difficult to get a marriage license in Punta Cana, it will be in spanish, you have to get your documents translated and verified and you will have to be in the DR for a certain amount of days (I think it's 4 days) until you are able to apply for it. I chose to get married just in a small ceremony before we left for Punta Cana just to make everything easier. 3. I chose Punta Cana in the first place because it was the most cost effective island. I really didn't want to have my wedding in mexico and was looking at jamaica and st lucia but both those were quite expensive and had limited all inclusive options. I chose PPC over other hotels because I loved the wedding packages. All I had to do was pick one and it would turn out like the pictures. I really didn't want to spend time on the small details and I wanted to be (mostly) stress free. This is another reason why I chose a destination wedding in the first place. We were originally looking at a mountain wedding but quickly changed our minds when we saw prices and I found out how much I would need to organize. We invited our closest family and friends to Punta Cana and then we have organized a cocktail reception when we get back to celebrate with everyone that couldn't come and we didn't invite to Punta Cana. This has so far worked well for us!

Janet, did they send you the calculator?? It is a little confusing and likely your amount will not be the same as theirs in the end but its a good place to start for pricing things out. Let me know if you have it, if not I can send it your way!

I'm not doing any decorations because I have booked the boat for a welcome dinner rather than a reception. I'm not sure if it came off this way but I just wanted to be clear that Paradisus wanted to charge $100/hr for the iPod dock not La Barcaza! Flori has been very good to deal with and is always prompt with information and emails, can't say the same for Paradisus staff unfortunately.

May 9, 2011! Just 10 more weeks to go!! I just got an updated invoice since I have sent them my wedding planning document. I asked to have an iPod dock for the reception and they quoted me $100/hr!!! I think thats just ridiculous. I asked to bring one from home so I hope that this will be ok. Also, they don't really tell you this, the cake is included in the price of the package but the decoration isn't. They are charging me $70 for that. Ugh, I am getting frusterated. Oh!! and just a tip, if anyone is thinking about going on the wedding boat La Barcaza don't book it through Paradisus!! They were quoting me $75/person so I just booked with the company directly and they are doing it for $60/person!! I would say book directly with companies where ever possible, I think that Paradisus slaps on an extra fee for handling the booking process for you. Anyone else going through the same frustrations?

Thanks for the review!! I am getting closer and closer to my date, I'm starting to get really excited for it to come!!!

I don't think it's too early to start planning! I am getting married May 2011 and I started planning Feb 2010 right after I got engaged. It may be a little early to plan the flights and accomodation but you can never have too much time to make sure everything works out in the end! I am glad that I started early, now that there are only 4 months left I feel on top of the ball and I am not stressing out...yet! LOL. Let me know if you need any help! Happy planning!

@spazdoodles I am getting married in Punta Cana on May 9, 2011 as well!! I was thinking about booking the barcaza for a welcome dinner for all my guests. Which hotel you staying at?

@ninassasso me and another bride that posts on here will be there at that time. I arrive on May 5 and have my wedding on May 9. You will have to fill me in and let me know how everything goes with yours. What part of Europe are you coming from? My fiance is from Germany and we have a group of his family and friends coming down to meet us there (we currently live in Canada).

Hello again ladies! Just thought I would check in since it has been a while! Bikegirl-Sounds like you are making some good progress on figuring out your wedding finally. The reason I havn't been emailing my questions was that I wasn't ever getting a proper answer so I figured I'll deal with things as they come when I get down there. Good to know I have an alternative that seems to genuinely want to help and save you money! I just had a question about the open bar, people are saying that it's only $200 dollars more, is this a price as an add on or because the package price is $200 more...I thought Aqua was $3000 in 2010?? If it is $200 more then I think I will have to add that on. I can't wait to see pictures and reviews from the recent weddings!! It makes me so excited for mine!

Hi ladies!! My name is Jasmin and I am getting married 1 day before bike girl (May 9, 2011) at PPC! I am so excited and I know the time will go by super fast! I feel like I am on top of things at the moment. I just ordered my wedding dress (eee!) and I am getting Pastor Rick York to officiate and HDC photography for the pictures. I went with HDC on the recommendation of a high school friend that used them for her wedding at PPC (small world!). I also found that emails were promptly responded to and I was having difficulties communicating with Photo Souvenier. I am going to go with the Chill Out Chic package and then upgrade the bouquet, I think thats it though. Everything else seems so expensive and I don't want to have any surprises when I get the final bill. There will be about 25 people that are going to be there so a small, intimate wedding which I think is ideal for Martin and I. We have 14 confirmed guests so far from Calgary, Canada and now we are working on getting flights and packages for Martin's side of the family coming from Germany. Â What are people doing for their honeymoons? Staying at PPC? Going to another resort? I think we are going to go to Zoetry for our honeymoon (at least I want to) but we are still weighing options at the moment. Good to meet everyone!

Where did he have everything set up? Is it just outside on the beach or do you have to book a room??

Hi! I'm Jasmin getting married at Paradisus Punta Cana on Feb 25, 2011!! I have just started the planning process and I am so excited!! I live in Calgary. I am also getting married secretly in Calgary before the ceremony to save money and hassle. Just looking at prices from expedia, Calgary to Punta Cana plus hotel stay for 7 days is going to cost about $1600. Don't know what price my travel agent will give to me but that was my basis to go on when deciding where to go. They already have February 2011 flight prices on there. I'm sure you could check them out quickly to give you an idea. Congrats on your engagement!