lilboltz10

Ska (and other brides-to-be), DJ Mannia is amazing. All of our guests were dancing or walking to/from the bar to get a fill-up and coming right back to the dance floor. I would definitely ask the WC if DJ Mannia is for 3 or 4 hours. The 4 hrs for our reception was $850 whereas the previous Dreams vendor DJ was $800 -- so kind of a steal getting an extra hour for only $50! Just keep in mind that if you extend your reception it is $10 per person but we didn't really mind paying for the extra hour. It was small beans in comparison to the entire wedding cost.

I sent you a PM.

If the 20 guests are $25 per person, or $500, then 30 guests are $25 pp as well, or $750. If you have, say, 15 guests, you still have to pay the minimum $500 for the reception.... same goes for cocktail hour.

Summa: Yes, the reception is only 3 hours but we paid the $10 per person for the additional hour. We had 13 toasts (yes, I know but 90% of them were under 90 seconds -- just one quick story) so we are glad we had more time to dance and party on the Himitsu Terrace which was beautiful!! I hope the pics help. The table set-up (half of the reception only) The DJ is in the background The buffet is in the background The dance floor Half of the reception Other half..

We had our wedding (Dec 3rd) at 5pm (Catholic ceremony so longer than civil/symbolic). We took pictures on the beach for 30-40 minutes after the wedding. The cocktail hour was 6-7 and reception was 7-11. Hope that helps. Also -- the flight attendants were very nice about letting me use their storage closet for my dress. I just said, "Hey, is there somewhere I can hang my wedding dress" and they were all very polite. I just carried my dress in the bag it came in when I purchased it. Good luck!

Morgan -- so weird! Michael Weiler posted the following comment on FB just now: Michael Weiler "I have a reservation for tomorrow January 11 2011 !! The bride does not respond to e mails or Phone calls,There is no Room which is registered under the name of the Brite or the Groom in the Hotel and Wedding Cordinator know of nothing,,,,,!!! what should I do" Soooo... I think it's safe to say that the vendors are going to show up -- he even contacted the WC of the resort ... I think they (the vendors) really go the extra mile for the brides.

We used DJ Mannia and it was really simple. I was pretty organized so I had a listing of the dinner songs and reception songs as well as the listing of the wedding party for the procession into the reception area. He arrived the night before the wedding where I gave him the listing and he confirmed the location and time - it took all of 5 minutes. We also gave him the second deposit (first deposit via PayPal -- I felt totally comfortable with giving him the money beforehand b/c, as I posted above, these vendors are used over and over again and I have not heard one bad thing about any of them). He was $850 for 4 hours (we extended our reception 1 hr @ $10pp). Our reception was on Himitsu which perfect for our crowd of 60+. We used Michael Weiler (Caribbean Emotions) for Photog. I felt the prices for the photog/videog/DJ through the resort were too high. For example. the DJ through the resort may be $800 but he is only for 3 hrs whereas DJ Mannia is $850 for 4 hours -- basically getting another hour for only $50. If you are already spending $800 what's another $50??

Morgan, My parents had the same concerns --- what if they don't show up? Etc, etc, etc. Let me tell you this -- Michael Weiler showed up EXACTLY at 2:30 as we had discussed (actual may have been a few minutes early). He called my room a few days before the wedding and the day of the wedding to confirm the time/room number. For TTD, he said meet in lobby at 9:30am. My now-husband and I got to the lobby at 9:25 and he was waiting for us. He said he would drop off the photobook and pics and CD of pics and DVD of wedding at 8pm on Monday -- yup, he was waiting for us at 7:45. Trust me, I was not the least bit concerned but my parents were and it eased their mind when he contacted me twice before the wedding to confirm the time and my room number. Another thing -- Michael and HDC do most weddings (so I have heard/read/seen) and they are not about to get a bad rep from brides on forums (word of mouth is their most important form of marketing -- I assume you found HDC on the forums??). Between Michael and his brother (the videog), they did 62 weddings last May. Yup... 62. He could charge double what he is charging b/c the quality of his photos are far superior to those I have seen in the U.S. at a fraction of the cost. On the way to the TTD (off site) he said he'd rather charge less and book more weddings than charge what he should be charging and have fewer bookings. Anyway, read the forums --- a lot of brides use either Michael or HDC -- I have not read one bad thing about either. Just my thoughts on the matter though... Quote: Originally Posted by morganeb Thank you all for sharing your pics and thoughts on the photographer...my destination wedding specialist has some concerns about using outside vendors other than the photographer at Dreams to do my wedding...did you guys have any trouble other than having to pay the guest pass for each person to come onto the resort?

Morgan, I looked into having HDC as my photog as well but I chose Michael Weiler because his portfolio was much more in tune with what I wanted. The prices for HDC and Michael Weiler are were similiar. I really enjoyed working with Michael (his brother is the photog) and everyone who has looked at the pictures LOVES them! Here are the pics from my wedding last month: http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2857781027/a=4296593027_4296593027/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Not sure why this posted incorrectly before -- but we had meatballs which were gone by the time we got to the reception and the guests asked Carolina for more but she did not have any (which, I guess looking back, was kind of annoying since we paid per person instead of, say 5 lbs of meatballs). Buffet should be unlimited, right? Anyway, no biggie b/c the reception started 10 minutes after guests asked for more. We also had crab canape, mozzarella canape, and fruit/melon balls (not sure of the name). I'd say the least picked at were the melon balls.

DRBride - I had Carolina and she was pretty good. A few things amiss at the reception but nothing I really cared about anyway. Two tables were switched (I had picture frames for the table designations) which was fine and the place card holder was supposed to have sand on it and it did not (again, I didn't care). I was pretty organized, especially with the 36 sand buckets we brought down as our OOT bags, which she loved -- so do whatever you can to try to make her job a little easier because there are a ton of weddings she needs to keep track of on a daily basis. She was generally quick to respond to e-mails. On the wedding day, she found me at the salon getting my hair done to let me know that my mom did not drop off the reception items yet (my mom was a mom-zilla that day) and let me know that she needed the items within an hour or two to start setting up. She asked me a few times during the reception if it was everything I imagined and if I was having fun and she definitely kept my champagne glass full!!!

Quote:Originally Posted by alykay Yes I had the same happen to me. However I was expecting my Wc to change because I had Deyanira and she is pregnant. I think she is due very soon. So I got an email early this week saying i have a lady names Jennifer Castro. I really hope she is good, so far she hasnt returned any of my emails I think Ive sent her two. Deyanira was really good at answering emails so im trying to be patient with the new girl but If it takes too long for her relpy then I might get frustrated. I know they are really busy there so I will give it a bit. Regarding the appetizers I have the gold package and I get to pick 3 cold apps and 1 hot. so far the only one that iM 100 % sure im picking is the assorted sushi. I need help from you ladies to pck two more cold and one hot. whats good that you've tasted there?

Sherri, The first picture is actual and the second was the inspiration picture I gave to Ywalseka (she was amazing). I do my hair and nails (I just did a re-paint, not a whole mani/pedi) done by her -- my wedding was Dec 3rd and the french paint on my feet are still going strong a month later! One BM who does amazing make-up jobs did all of the BMs so I cannot help you with the make-up.

http://www.amazon.com/Carlos-Santana-Womens-Charmer-Flip/dp/B002KW3V84 We had these for our BMs... I was looking for a picture for the planning journal and found that the sandals were on sale. If you are having a "starfish" themed DW then you might want to think about having the BMs wear these.

Farlem, My reception was on Himitsu as well. I do not know if there is a place for paper lanterns above the guests since it's a terrace but maybe hanging from the pillars? Paper lanterns are great at Portofino (FKA Bordeaux) though. Our cocktail hour started at 6pm with the reception at 7pm. We closed up shop a little after 11pm and there were no lighting issues. Actually, I think the lighting was perfect -- enough light for buffet, bar, DJ and bathroom but the dance floor and tables were perfect!

Jenn, They were from Victoria's Secret. They are currently $68 but I got them on sale for $59 plus a 20% off online promo code since I spent over $300 (ordered 6 BM dresses) -- the color is beach blue. Can't beat $50 for BM dresses. I am totally anti-"any-dress-that-swooshes-when-you-walk" so I went to V.S. and one busty BM picked the dress out and I said okay! http://www.victoriassecret.com/ss/Satellite?ProductID=1265347716514&c=Page&cid=1287144179937&pagename=vsdWrapper

Jenny -- I sent you a PM.

We had the Caribbean Trio. There was a wedding a few days after us and the songs were not in order for the WC so it took about 5 minutes to find a song which would annoy me. I'm all about stress-free!

Here is the link to the pictures: http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2857781027/a=4296593027_4296593027/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

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Quote: Originally Posted by alykay wow, lil, thank you so much for taking the time to inform us all of the details of ur wedding : ) I wanted to know if still have the list of the music you gave the dj to play, the fast songs. I have to do the same and thought I d check out ur list since u said everyone of ur guests were up dancing. you can email me at [email protected]. I would love to see ur photos on facebook as well. were the fountains in the gazebo turned on when u had ur ceremony? I am having the priest at my wedding as well and hoping its not too hot for our guests as the catholic ceremony is long the the priest speak english clearly? i heard he's canadian from quebec so he might have had a french accent, as long as he is understandable : ) Im not hiring a photographer but Im thinking twice about that coz i know how important photos are. How much did you pay extra for the premium bar liquor choice? Ugh -- I wrote the whole response and it never posted (except the quote) Here is the fast dance song list -- the DJ stuck with the newer songs 90% of the time (which I preferred). The bridal party walked in to Raise Your Glass by Pink and B&G walked in to Crazy in Love by Beyonce -- both good songs that should be added to the list. I bolded the songs he played - I cannot remember all of them though. I bolded the I bolded Baby Got Back – Sir Mix A Lot Beautiful - Akon Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison Cha Cha Slide – Casper C Dancing in the Dark – Bruce Springsteen Dancing Queen – Abba DJ Got Us Falling In Love - Usher ft. Pitbull Footloose – Kenny Loggins Get the Party Started – Pink Glamorous – Fergie Hey Ya - Outkast Hot, Hot, Hot – Buster Poindexter I Love Rock N’ Roll – Britney Spears I’ve Had the Time of My Life – Dirty Dancing Soundtrack Just Dance - Lady Gaga Let’s Hear it for the Boy – Deniece Williams Life is a Highway – Rascal Flatts Margaritaville – Jimmy Buffet Piano Man - Billy Joel Poker Face - Lady Gaga Pon De Replay – Rihanna Shout – Otis Day So What - Pink SOS – Rihanna Sugar Pie Honey Bunch (I Can’t Help Myself) - The Four Tops Summer of 69 – Bryan Adams Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond The Way I Are – Timbaland What I like About You – Romantics Yeah - Usher (MUST PLAY) I plan on uploading the pictures this weekend and will upload the link when I am done. No idea about the fountains -- never paid attention to that detail. The ceremony was 20-25 minutes long for us -- we had 1 reading, homily, rings, kiss, sign marriage certificate -- done! The priest does speak English but it's not "perfect" English as we know it in the States -- there is definitely an accent. You can understand what he is saying! I would 100% get a photographer. It is worth the money (which isn't that much I don't think) and you will have beautiful pictures! When you see the pics from my wedding you will not think twice about getting a photographer anymore -- you will be booking one right away! The premium liquor was $15 per person. We had 60 adults who were drinking which is $900 and we said no way! Our "compromise" with Carolina was that she would provide the base price of $400 (I think 25 adults were included) worth of premium liquor and when they ran out (which it didn't and we are big drinkers -- Irish and Greek families) the bartenders would switch to the regular liquor service (which is included in the package). Everyone -- keep firing away at the questions while everything is fresh in my mind! -Sarah

Quote:Originally Posted by alykay wow, lil, thank you so much for taking the time to inform us all of the details of ur wedding : ) I wanted to know if still have the list of the music you gave the dj to play, the fast songs. I have to do the same and thought I d check out ur list since u said everyone of ur guests were up dancing. you can email me at [email protected]. I would love to see ur photos on facebook as well. were the fountains in the gazebo turned on when u had ur ceremony? I am having the priest at my wedding as well and hoping its not too hot for our guests as the catholic ceremony is long the the priest speak english clearly? i heard he's canadian from quebec so he might have had a french accent, as long as he is understandable : ) Im not hiring a photographer but Im thinking twice about that coz i know how important photos are. How much did you pay extra for the premium bar liquor choice?

Tink - I sent you a PM and Michael Weiler is based out of Punta Cana. Everyone adores the pictures and my co-worker, who is brutally honest, said that she has never seen wedding pictures as fantastic as the ones Michael took (she is 65 so she's been to quite a few weddings).

Michael Weiler was amazing and everyone is raving about the pictures I put on Facebook thus far. I will upload tonight (I narrowed them down last night but got pretty tired so I went to sleep). The pillars kind of are in the way but you and the groom will be in the center so I would say the majority of people will be able to see you. The walkway will not be able to handle 3 people across walking up the aisle. Maybe if you have 2 seats on one side and 1 seat on the other side of the aisle that may work but it's not a wide aisle by any means. How many guests do you plan on having?

Hey Ladies! I am a Mrs. now (December 3rd wedding) I just returned from our honeymoon and wanted to give everyone a quick recap of the resort/wedding, etc. Resort - It is stunningly beautiful with a TON of palm trees and shade around the middle of the pool. The deluxe rooms are small and there were complaints from guests (61 guests so that is inevitable) about the size, location, etc. We booked the Honeymoon Suite in the Preferred Club. If you have the room in your budget to get this type of room I would highly recommend it. The Preferred Club is definitely the way to go at DPC. The bartender, Adrien, is awesome! The afternoon snacks are pretty darn good, too! The resort never seemed full. We arrived Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend which was probably the most crowded day. By the day of our wedding (Friday, Dec 3rd) the resort seemed "empty" almost. We also hardly ever saw children around the resort -- the Explorer's Club does a great job! Wedding Coordinator - We met with Carolina 3 days before the wedding and you basically went over the checklist that we filled out a few weeks before we arrived in the DR. It was pretty basic and took many 20 minutes. My parents brought everything for the reception to her the morning of the wedding. Everything went smoothly and the decorations were perfect except 2 tables were interchanged so family friends were closer to us and our family was in the back but that's okay .. no one sat outside of 30 minutes for dinner anyway. Salon - Ywalseka is incredible!!!!!!!!!! We booked 10am and 11am appointments for bride, bridesmaids and MOH which probably was the best decision I made! Carolina was surprised at how early I booked them (5pm wedding) but it gave us PLENTY of time to do make-up (6 girls), eat lunch and take pics with the photographer. We were going non-stop (not rushed though) until about 20 minutes before the wedding. We actually waited for the Priest to arrive for about 5 minutes -- everyone else was on time! (shocking, I know!) Gazebo - It was beautiful and perfect -- the only thing is that the pillars in the front make it hard for the parents in the front row to see everything. The homily was soooo long but the wedding was only 25 minutes or so which I cannot complain! We signed our marriage certificates and proceeded to the cocktail hour/reception after some pictures on the beach. Food - Cocktail hour (meatballs, crab canape, melon balls, mozzarella canape -- hubby was persistent on the meatballs and I laughed but they were gone by the time we got to the cocktail hour). We had the buffet #2 with salmon, steak, and chicken -- I had a fatty piece of steak but the salmon was good and OMG the rice was delicious! I have never tasted rice this amazing! The guests could not believe how much food variety was available. Reception - We booked the Himitsu Terrace because we had 61 guests. It was an odd set-up for the entrance of the parents, bridal party, and bride and groom but it was fine once everyone was seated and in place. It was breezy which was nice because the dancing portion of the reception was out of control! The only people who were not dancing were those who were getting refills at the bar. OHHH -- by the way -- we upgraded to the premium bar service since we love Presidente and the standard bar service is Bohemia Especial. We also have family members who live for Grey Goose which is only included in the Premium service. DJ - We booked DJ Mannia which was a great decision! The MC was VERY organized and very interactive in the group. Most guests came up to us after the post-reception party and said they've never been to a reception like the one we just had -- the DJ was that good! I did provide him with a wonderful listing of fast songs to get everyone moving. The only blip was that the contract said 4 hours of reception and the DJ said ... yes that is 6pm - 10pm but the reception started at 7pm. When I met with the head honcho the day before the wedding he said they will set-up at 5 and if we wanted the DJ would play some background music for the cocktail hour (since cocktail hour and reception are on the same terrace). Needless to say, we did not pay him and brought him our contract after the wedding reception and have not heard from him since about the issue. Other than that though (which took 5 minutes) -- DJ Mannia is definitely a great choice. Photographer - We booked Michael Weiler who was nothing short of amazing. I think we have 800-900 pictures on CD from the wedding day and trash the dress. I will post them when I get a chance. The wedding book he made for us is also incredible. His brother is the videographer and we have not had a chance to watch the entire DVD (about 1 hour long) but some of the shots he was taking seemed to be pretty awesome and different! The only complaint I have is that he never told us when to smile and not smile so it was hard to tell if we should be serious or not. We would definitely book him again and his price was definitely worth it! Other Things - The service by the staff is top-notch! The restaurants are pretty good. We liked Himitsu (hibachi) (best fried bananas I've ever had) and Seaside Grill (very good surf & turf kabobs). We tried Portofino (FKA Bordeaux) but the service was sooooo slow. The food was good, though. We tried El Patio the first night and it was so-so. I did not like Oceana for dinner but it was not too bad for lunch. World Cafe has a great selection for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The omelet man is good but make sure they do not burn your eggs! I think I hit everything -- let me know if anyone has any questions. Oh yes, one more thing -- if anyone in your group is scuba certified, I would recommend the day trip to Catalina Island. It was $175 for scuba, $95 for snorkeling but everyone who went loved it (12 people). Organize the trip through Beatrice at the water sports station near the beach. Another good excursion was the dune buggy ride -- it was muddy but there is a cave dive that everyone enjoyed (I think 8 people did this one).