lilboltz10

Jenny, We used DJ Mannia and they were incredible! I would highly recommend them... plus... the DJ resort is only for 3 hours and DJ Mannia is 4 hours (we wanted a longer reception).

Jenny, I sent my WC a picture of the cake I wanted and she said the baker was able to mimic the design so just find a picture of one you like and send it to your WC and ask if they can do it!

Lyndsay, Oh man, we leave next Sunday (Nov 28th) so we luckily have Thanksgiving to worry about... plus, we cut down a real tree on Black Friday (I cannot go without one -- I even purchased a watering system for it!) so we'll be super busy. Good luck tomorrow -- just try to keep busy by doing your planning journal

WHY DO WE HAVE TO HAVE SUCH LARGE FAMILIES? I wish we could have had our reception at Bordeaux! I'm jealous for the low-guest-count brides, damn you Irish Catholics (my family) and Greeks (FH's family) for having so many damn kids!! Bordeaux looks beautiful!!!!

Hey ladies -- any of the upcoming brides worried about the cholera outbreak? There is 1 case in the DR so far. Personally, I am not all too concerned but FH's family freaks out about stuff like this! A good example, his cousin wanted to hire security to get her from the arrival gate to the transportation service outside. I swear... I could not even make this stuff up! Anyway, any other Nov/Dec brides getting panicked guests? I have not yet but I know it's coming in due time and I'd rather nip it in the butt than let it get out of hand.

Hey DPC Married Ladies, I was anticipating having the meet 'n greet the night before the wedding (Thursday night) at Veranda; however, I completely forgot that the Eagles (my team) are playing Thursday night. Is the Sports Bar big enough to accomodate roughly 50 people coming and going? Does the bar actually play US sporting events on a consistent basis? I do not see the Sports Bar on the resort map -- where is the location of the sports bar? Thanks for your help!

Hey girls -- I handed out the BM gifts last weekend at my bachelorette party. I got them totes with their first initial on the front, Coach passport holder (genius idea I thought -- at outlets for $39 less 20% off), Coach wristlets in white for the reception (since they only need their camera and lipstick), the wedding day shoes and a travel cosmetic bag with their initials on the front. The GM are getting the Flip videocameras (FH took a job overseas so they had to cancel the bach. party so they are having the bach. party in Punta Cana 2 days before the wedding). We spent more on the girls than the boys but that is because I'm a sucker for great deals!

I am officially 3 weeks away... weekend project -- determine what clothing is coming with us and what is staying! I cannot believe it is almost here!

Quote: Originally Posted by JackieandTim Hi girls! I'm leaving today for my wedding on Saturday!!! I'll report back with as much information as possible upon my return!!!!! WOOOO hOOOOOOO cant wait to get there!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jackie -- have a wonderful time! Enjoy the warm sun and your wedding!!!!

Jenny, I am doing a Catholic wedding (so is Eliana) -- I found it to be A LOT of running around because our priest was an idiot. We called the first week in June 2010 and I kept calling once a week and he finally responded the first week of August 2010 and he stood us up THREE times --- yes seriously we were frusterated! What made it worse is that we had a short engagement (only 6 months) so we went ahead with the Pre-Cana without his permission and just said screw it! So we completed the Foccus survery pretty quickly and had the interview with the priest all within a week's time in September. We knew it would make both of our families very happy to have a religious ceremony (I am Catholic, FH is Greek Orthodox) but at times it was tempting to throw in the towel! Good luck and I am sure it is going to be beautiful and memorable whichever avenue you decide!

I cannot believe I am 30 days away (24 days until we arrive there)! Eeeek!!! My bachelorette party is this weekend and I cannot wait! We are pretty much done except for printing out the programs (the programs are complete just have yet to hit print) and printing out the individual table cards for our guests. A few more people who responded "no" are now coming so our count is slowly creeping up! We booked through Costco Travel (I know, I was shocked they had the lowest price at the time) and recently decided to upgrade to Privileged and it was $2,200. I said no thank you and e-mailed Dreams and it is $60 a night. I cannot believe Costco wanted $2,200. I was shocked! I am unloading some things on one bridesmaids to bring down since she has silver status with the airline and her checked bags are free! My FH and I are just bringing down our wedding day apparel and OOT bag items -- everything else is being brought down by the parents or the one bridesmaid. My mom went to Salvation Army and purchased a carry-on luggage piece for $5 so she is just going to give it to someone down there or toss it! After our Punta Cana trip we fly straight to Saint Martin on a private plane so our luggage limit is very very low. Luckily our two luggage sets fit into each other so we are likely to be traveling with just two carry-on sized pieces or one larger piece (and sending what we do not need home to the US) -- I guess all I need are swimsuits and dresses though! Does anyone know how strict the resort is with the dress code? My brother-in-law called me yesterday and asked if nice sandals are allowed or does he need to bring closed-toe shoes. Alright, I guess that is my update for now. I originally planned to have my planning journal completed before I leave but I do not think that I will have time to take pictures of everything since some things are at my parent's house 2 hours away. Almost there!!!

Nat - It is just a get together for drinks since everyone arrives on different dates. Everyone will be there on Thursday so we thought we'd have an open cocktail hour type thing (not set up by Dreams). So Veranda is a good location for us?

Hey everyone! I have a quick question for the ladies who have already been married at DPC. We want to have a cocktail get together at one of the bars the night before the wedding. What bars are ideal for this type of thing? We will have 65 people there. Thanks!

Eliana, It seems like the replacement for Sharon is doing a great job and streamlining the process for the brides-- which is comforting! I cannot wait to her to forward me the information -- hopefully is comes soon since my wedding is two days after yours. I e-mailed Laura about the appointments -- thanks for her e-mail address!

Eliana, Ugh, I am so relived! We have exactly 60 people and possibly 4 more adults and 2 children so under 70 which is amazing! My FH's parents overestimated on the number of their friends who would attend and thankfully only 4 sets of couples are coming (instead of the 30 or so they invited). YAY! We are thrilled that the number is relatively "low" compared to our estimate. What checklist did she send you? Is it just your preferences for the wedding day? Can you send me the contact info for the salon so I can schedule my appointments? I just e-mailed Carolina this morning and asked her a few questions about the cake (I sent her a pic of one we like) and about the lay-out of Himitsu.

Hey everyone! It has been ages since I have written anything because I have been swamped with tax season. October 15th was deadline day -- so I am back to the forums! Things are going pretty smoothly right now. We have our final count and finished the seating chart. I just need to print out the programs, pre-travel brochures and place cards (but our printer ink ran out last night, of course!). We had a small snag in the plans -- my FH took a different position in his company and is currently in the Middle East until Nov 22nd (we leave for PC on Nov 28th). Good thing we had everything pretty much done except for the wedding rings. We scrambled to get them and it ended up working out okay -- we adore our jeweler. Hm, what else? We send everything down to the priest in the DR a few weeks ago and we are waiting to get the word if we are "cleared" -- meaning all of the paperwork is in order. My mom had a "dinner" for me (I hate showers) at a BYOB place and before the appetizers arrived we had to call my dad and brother to bring alcohol reinforcements. Needless to say, my cousins and aunts now want to come to my bachelorette party because they know it will be a blast since the "dinner" was so much fun. I cannot wait -- only 2.5 more weeks until my bachelorette party! I am going to start working on my planning thread soon. Now that tax season is officially over until next year I have so much free time so I will be more active on the forums now. 40 more days until I am soaking up the sun...

MISTY - WHERE IS THE REVIEW?????????????????? Â Â

Beth -- Â We are getting married on December 3rd. We basically talked to the travel agent and said ... when is the least expensive time for our guests (we were torn b/w May and Nov/Dec b/c those are the best months with my occupation) and she said DEFINITELY the first two weeks of December b/c everyone either flies for T-giving or Christmas and hardly anything in between. So we booked for December. Â We chose Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa b/c it is kid-friendly and we have 45 kids (yes, 45!!) on our guest list of 215 (I am Irish Catholic and he is Greek = very large families!). It was also reasonably priced for our guests. Many couples that booked in June paid $2,100 for 6 nights/7days. Of that amount, $900 was total for airfare ($450 each person). So $2,100 less $900 = $1,200/6 nights = $200. Â The deals have been going up and down and I actually recently found $1,600 for 5 nights/6 days but that quickly passed since it is back up to $2,000. I found that AAA (primarily East Coast company) and Costco were the least expensive. Our TA is through AAA (guests do not need a membership to book through them). Â Good luck on your wedding plans and congrats on the engagement!!! Â

Jenn -- just read Nat's post -- FH thought about doing Ray Bans and board shorts but his g-men are all different so he could not decide on styles or anything!

Jenn -- I actually just ordered the Flip Camcorder for the groomsmen. My FH wanted to get them something "non-generic" since he has something like 5 flasks that his buddies gave him. My FH and I have been very generous with our gifts for our guests and our wedding party gifts because we feel like we can put a bit extra into giving since everyone is paying so much to come to the wedding. Â Also, in regards to the backlash from family/friends about the cost... trust me, we have heard it all! One of our favorite cousins even had the gall to e-mail us and ask us if we even looked up the resort before we booked the wedding (since, god forbid, her child gets touched by a third world country bug) and she also wanted to hire security to get her from the airport terminal to the resort. Seriously that is not even the beginning of it, just the highlights! Needless to say, we are having roughly 100 guests coming so apparently most of our guests are very excited! Basically we took the stance that if they do not want to make the trip then they won't make the trip and when they hear about how much fun it was then they'll regret not forking over the money to attend since it's more than just a wedding, it's a group vacation with your friends and family and what could be more fun? Anyway, if you need to vent let me know b/c hearing the backlash was probably the most difficult 2-3 weeks after we announced our destination wedding plans. Â

Hey girls -- it's entirely too quiet on here! Misty -- get working on your review!!! Â Our invites went out yesterday, yay! A lot of people we were not expecting to come have now told us they plan on coming. I really hope the final count does not exceed 120 people (we originally estimated 100). We will know for sure in about 6 weeks when all of the RSVPs are due! Â Hm, what else is going on? Oh yes, if anyone has a Lenox outlet near them and you need gifts for the parents... go to Lenox and get their frames. The frames I picked were originally $115 and I paid $39 for each. Fantastic Deal!!! Â Ugh, I ordered jewelry rolls and cosmetic cases (they same in a set) as one of the gifts for the bridesmaids... yup... costmetic cases came and jewelry rolls did not. I called the supplier and the rolls were discontinued but they are refunding the total amount and a I get to keep all of the monogrammed cosmetic cases (blessing in disguise, I guess?). I think I am just going to get the Coach passport holders and be done with their presents (I got them their shoes, jewelry, Coach wristlet and monogrammed tote already). Â Any ideas for ring bearer gifts? I cannot think of what to get him!!! Â So what is everyone else doing these days? Â Â Â

Eliana - Yes, everything is ironed out. If we have under 100 guests (we are thinking 98 are coming) then Himitsu for cocktail hour/dinner. If over 100 then cocktail on Himitsu and dinner in Ballroom. We'll see. We are hoping to send out the invites by the weekend with a September 30th RSVP date. Misty - Congrats on your legal day! I am sure everything with work out with Yessica when you arrive. Let us know if you can swing getting any "freebies" since I definitely want to try to do that!!! Free is always better

Hey -- my DW will have approximately 100 guests, almost all couples. I decided to hang out 1 bag for each couple. I am giving 1 bag per single person and 1 bag per child, too. The bag for the child has games and sand castle making things like small rakes and shovels. I had an initial plan for the OOT bags but quickly nixed it when I realized how many bags I needed and now my OOT items are lighter (tylenol packs, pepto, etc -- hangover kit) than my original plan (full size sunscreen, aloe vera, etc). I think we will be bringing down roughly 55 OOT bags. Not fun but it's gotta be done!

The forum is so quiet! What is everyone up to? Is Misty the next bride to become a Mrs?? No news on the "situation" front here -- we have been VERY patient since we were told 3 weeks ago that our reception site (the only one available for 100 people) is already booked. Needless to say, my FI and I finally got fed up and e-mailed Carolina telling her this needs to be resolved now. I'll update you as it progresses. I want this to be finalized so I can be done with all of the paper stuff (invites, enclosure cards, RSVPs, programs, pre-travel brochure, etc etc etc). My busy season for work is Sept and Oct then it's 4 weeks until we leave for DPC so I want everything done before Labor Day! We shall see... What is everyone else up to??

Welcome to the forum. There are so many ideas you can grab from here so enjoy!