TA Patty

Hi JaimeDonna - Hope your day is going well! The info I have may be the same as what is on the website but if you'd like me to send it just email me at [email protected]. We have not had a wedding group at Breathless yet but we were there about a year and half ago on an agent trip. We saw the different wedding locations and had a "mock" cocktail party and wedding dinner event at two of the location options. What specific questions did you have and I'll do my best to answer them. Thanks! TA Patty

Congratulations on your engagement! I have stayed at Breathless and can answer resort questions you may have. We have the resort fact sheets, e-brochures, wedding guide etc... if you'd like those. Just let me know what questions we can answer and if you like me to send any of this information. Thanks! TA Patty

Please let us know if we can answer any additional questions. If you're looking for a TA just click the link below and one of the BDW TA's will be happy to assist with your dream wedding!

Hello and congratulations on your engagement! Typically hurricane season in the Caribbean is June - October but rain in general in the Caribbean is not uncommon. We've been there in the fall and the weather has been pretty mild, especially compared to the heat in June/July. A storm can come in and move out pretty quickly too, one-minute clouds & rain and then blue skies. Rates are typically lower end of August through October. Please let us know if you have any additional questions or if you'd like a BDW TA contact you just click on the link below. TA Patty

Hi Kate - Congratulations on your engagement!! My name is Patty Jordan and I am one of the BDW TA's. My understanding that as long as the proper paperwork was filed and requirements fulfilled it would be a legal marriage and recognized as legal in the US. Below is information from the US Embassy in Santo Domingo and their link. Please let me know if you have any further questions or feel free to email me direct at [email protected]. Thanks! Patty http://santodomingo.usembassy.gov/marriage_dr-e.html Legal Options For Marriage in the Dominican RepublicThe following information is for the guidance ONLY of civilian U.S. citizens contemplating marriage in the Dominican Republic. U.S. Diplomatic and Consular Officers DO NOT have the legal authority to perform marriages. Marriages CANNOT be performed within the Embassy or within a U.S. Consular Office in the Dominican Republic. General Requirements for Foreigners to Marry in the Dominican Republic In order to get married in the Dominican Republic, a man and a woman must be of a certain minimum age (16 for men, 15 for women), be legally eligible to marry, and be entering into the marriage contract of their own free will. Failure to comply with any of these basic criteria could mean that Dominican authorities will decline to register the marriage as legal. Additionally, foreigners who wish to get married in the Dominican Republic must comply with the following requirements and present the following documentation: The original passport and copies of the passport bio-page; Copies of last entries stamps; Proof of Dominican residence (if not a resident of the Dominican Republic, an additional fee applies and tourist card must be presented); Sworn declaration before a notary public, of being single and eligible to marry; the sworn declaration then needs to be legalized at the Offices of Procuraduría General de La República. If the Sworn declaration is done before a U.S. notary, it then needs to be legalized at the closest Dominican Consulate in the U.S. (In the past, the U.S. Embassy allowed U.S. citizens to swear such an affidavit of eligibility to marry before a U.S. consular officer. The Embassy discontinued this practice several years ago, however, because local officials were interpreting these documents as meaning that the Embassy had actually verified the content of the citizens’ statements, when in fact the consular officer was merely attesting to the fact that the individual in question had made the statement. U.S. citizens needing to comply with this requirement should instead present themselves to a Dominican notary –as specified above-.) Copy of foreign birth certificate and a legal translation of the certificate; central authorities in both the United States and the Dominican Republic now authenticate their own public documents, such as birth, death or marriage certificates, with a certificate of apostille (name of the authentication stamp). You can get your document apostille at the office of Vital Records in your state, or visitwww.italiamerica.org/vital_records.htm. If divorced, copy of the divorce certificate and legal translation of the certificate; 2 witnesses (not family). Additionally, Dominican law requires that notice of the intended marriage must be published prior to the ceremony. Fees Celebration of marriages at the Civil Registry Office “Oficialia Civil”: Both the bride and groom are foreigners not residents of the Dominican Republic - RD $20,000.00 One is a foreigner not resident of the Dominican Republic - RD $10,000.00 Both the bride and groom are foreigners residents of the Dominican Republic - RD $3,000.00 Celebration of marriages outside the Civil Registry Office (if the Civil Registry Officer goes somewhere else than the “Oficialia Civil” to celebrate the marriage): Both the bride and groom are foreigners not residents of the Dominican Republic - RD $20,000.00 One is a foreigner not resident of the Dominican Republic - RD $15,000.00 Both the bride and groom are foreigners residents of the Dominican Republic - RD $10,000.00 **For updated information on the fees, visit the Junta Central Electoral´s oficial fee webpage (information available only in Spanish) Types of Marriages Marriages in the Dominican Republic fall generally into one of two categories: “Civil” marriages are those in which the parties themselves register the marriage with the Dominican government. The person officiating at the wedding ceremony is a government official, usually a Notary Public. It is the couple’s choice whether or not to hold a separate religious ceremony. “Canonical” marriages are those performed by a Roman Catholic priest. Following the ceremony, the church takes responsibility for registering the marriage with the appropriate Dominican government offices. Marriages in religious denominations other than Roman Catholicism are fully legal and permitted. However, only the Roman Catholic Church has the ability to register marriages on the couple’s behalf. In the case of wedding ceremonies in other denominations, both members of the couple must present themselves to the governmental registrar’s office to legalize the marriage. Details on this procedure follow below in the section under “Civil Marriages”. Civil Marriages Marriage in the Dominican Republic is a civil contract between a man and a woman who have freely agreed to marry and have the capacity to do so. In order to get married in the Dominican Republic, a man and woman must meet the following conditions: The parties must express their free will to marry; Men between 16 and 18 years old, or women between 15 and 18 years old may get married without the consent of their parents. Any required consent must be in writing and notarized, unless the person required to give this consent does so while attending the wedding ceremony; and A man younger than 16 and a woman younger than 15 may not get married, even with their parents’ consent, although a judge may grant an exception for significant reasons. No person may be married before a prior marriage is dissolved. A divorced woman cannot get married until 10 months after her divorce has become final, unless her intended husband is the same person she has divorced. The government official performing the civil ceremony has the authority, at the time of the ceremony, to waive any of the above requirements. Such a waiver must be made in writing and outline the basis of the waiver. The official performing the ceremony does so in the presence of the parties and witnesses. During the ceremony, the official asks the parties and witnesses whether either of the parties has been married previously, to each other or to other people. The party who has been married previously must supply the date of that marriage and the name of the person who officiated. The Marriage Certificate includes the complete names of the spouses, the evidence of their written consent, a declaration they have been united in matrimony and the date of the celebration and the signatures of the Officer, the spouses and the witnesses. After the celebration the marriage is registered in the appropriate civil registries. Civil marriage is dissolved by the death of one of the spouses or by divorce. Canonical Marriages A Canonical marriage performed by a Roman Catholic priest has the same legal effect as a civil marriage. As was stated in the introductory section above, however, there is a procedural difference, insofar as the priest in a Canonical marriage is responsible for transmitting the registration documents to the appropriate Dominican government office(s). Even if a civil ceremony has taken place prior to the Canonical ceremony, the officiating priest must still send a copy of the marriage certificate to the government registry.

Hi Janelle - We were at Dreams La Romana this past June. Please let me know what questions I can answer. Thanks! Patty

Hello Bloom 16 - Congratulations on your engagement!! I am one of the Wright Travel/Best Destination Wedding Forum TA's and I am happy to answer any questions you may have regarding Dominican Republic and Jamaica. We were in the DR in January and Jamaica two weeks ago! Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Thanks! TA Patty

We arrived on Sunday and stayed three nights at Royalton Punta Cana in a lovely Luxury Ocean View room. The room was very nice with one king bed, pull out sofa, table and chairs in the room and chairs and small table on the balcony. The bathrooms are not overly large but definitely adequate with a single sink and separate toilet & walk in shower area. We were very impressed with the service. Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful. Since we always have to work when we travel the unlimited wifi and free calling to the USA was a huge benefit. We did find that the wifi worked best outside on the balcony or in the open areas of the resort. The food was great, we had dinner in the steakhouse, Asian and Italian restaurants and they were all great. We typically had breakfast in the buffet and it was good, nice presentation and good variety. We didn't get a chance to dine at Opa or the Tapas restaurant. You only need a reservation for the Asian restaurant but they have 5 Teppanyaki tables that sat 12 - 13 at each and a sushi bar that you can access anytime without reservations. One of my favorite areas was the coffee house where you can get a variety of coffees, pastries, sandwiches and ice cream. There is an inside and outside patio area and it was very relaxing to have my coffee, relax and work from this area. At night there is a Martini bar adjacent to the coffee house and many times they had live music going in this area at night. They had staff continually cleaning off tables as people came and went. Grazie the Italian restaurant is open for lunch buffet and they also are open 11PM - 6AM with a snack buffet. We have a copy of all of the bars & restaurants and their hours that we will send once we get home and can scan it to send. The pool and beach areas were very nice. They had different activities going on each day, one day they had a mechanical bull, a blow up obstacle course in the pool, zumba int eh afternoon and everyone seemed to be having a great time. The beach was nice, had some seaweed but that happens on all the beaches and they did a good job of raking it up in the morning. Personally I am not a big beach person so we spent time at the pool when we could squeeze and hour or so of free time. The overall grounds were very nice. It's not a large resort, activities, restaurants and pools are mainly located off the main courtyard area. You could get anywhere easily and quickly and meeting ups with people will be easy. The main lobby and bar is a great meet up area and since it's on the upper level and open air you get a nice breeze through there. We checked out the theater, disco, sports lounge & casino. The sports lounge has an area that becomes the disco at night and since were there on Super Bowl Sunday they had a big Super Bowl party going on in the sports lounge and the main theater with a huge big screen. There was a burger stand and area with sandwiches and desserts in the foyer outside of the theater and inside they had a popcorn machine, cotton candy machine and a full bar going. They have this type of set up for any major sports event. We peeked in the theater during one of the shows and it was crowded and looked like everyone was enjoying the show. The casino is fairly large (for a resort casino) but wasn't very busy when we looked in. It's open until 2AM so possible it gets busier later after the shows. The main lobby is on the second level and open air. It's large and has a large bar with several sofas and chairs throughout. It's a great area to gather with a group. The lower section below the main lobby is where the spa, gym, shops and pick up/drop off for the resort tram and excursion buses are located. We toured Memories and information is below. The tram between Memories and Royalton runs 24/7 about every 10 minutes or so. You could also walk but I wouldn't suggest that in the heat. Guests who stay at Memories only have access to the beach, pools and the beach bar/snack shack. However, guests at memories can buy an access pass to Royalton which also includes access to the restaurants & bars for $15 per person/per day. Guests who purchase this day pass receive a second resort bracelet. Memories and Royalton share one "Kds Club" & "Teen Club" and they are both located at Memories. All staff members are trained in child safety and CPR. The Kids Club was very nice with indoor activity areas and an outdoor playground area. They have a schedule of activities but they do not "force" any child to participate. Age requirements for the Kid Club are 4 - 12 yrs. Children under 4 yrs can participate in the Kids Club if you hire a one to one nanny for them. One to one nanny service is available for $15 per hour/per child and must be arranged 24 hours in advance. The waterpark is awesome but all children under 12 MUST be accompanied by an adult. The Kids Club does not take children swimming at the beach, pools or waterpark for safety reasons. --

Good Morning - Check out our Punta Cana and La Romana Brides facebook page. Bego is a member and you can PM her. If you have any questions feel free to email me at [email protected]. Thanks TA Patty

Congratulations to all of the brides! I am a WOW Specialist and one of the BDW TA's specializing in Dominican Republic. Happy to answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Thanks! TA Patty

Congratulations on your engagement! My name is Patty Jordan and I am one of the BDW TA's specializing in Putna Cana. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. There are lots of great options in Punta Cana and I have been to all of the resorts you listed. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected], 714-281-6255 or Toll Free 866-208-8681. Thanks! TA Patty

Hi Scott- Congratulations on your engagement!! I am one of the BDW TA's and my specialty is Dominican Republic. I have been to Hard Rock Punta Cana and happy to answer any questions you may have. Hard Rock PC requires a minimum of 5 double occupancy rooms to block group space and with this you would receive group amenities. Please feel free to email me directly at [email protected]. Thanks! TA Patty

Good Morning ladies ~ Congratulations to all of you! We specialize in Dominican Republic and have been to Royalton Punta Cana. It's a great resort and please let me know if I can answer any questions for you. TA Patty & Kristen

Hello ladies - TA Patty here - I am one of the BDW TA's specializing in the Caribbean. I have been to Royalton Punta Cana and it is awesome! I love the clean contemporary decor and those Dreams Beds are just heavenly! I have resort information for all of the Royalton properties. Please feel free to contact us if you would like any further information or if we can be of assistance with planning your dream wedding. PM or my direct email is [email protected] Thanks! TA Patty

Thank you ladies! We love what we do and it's our pleasure to work with you and your guests! A little bit about how TA's at bestdestinationweding.com. Please let me know if anyone has any questions. Thanks! TA Patty Your destination wedding is your special day and everyone wants to get the best rates possible for yourself as well as your guests. Absolutely rates are important and we work hard to get our clients the best rates possible, but making sure that you have an advocate working for you is also important. We do not charge any service fees as we are paid by the supplier once travel is complete. The TA's from the BDW Forum are destination wedding & honeymoon specialists. This means we have participated in hours of training, product updates, seminars and site visits where we visit the destinations and properties and tour all aspects of the resort. There are numerous continuing education opportunities each year as well as the opportunity to meet with our local resort and wholesaler representatives and this allows us to build strong relationships within the travel community. All of this along with years of experience in working with groups allows us to provide our clients with the best service possible. Our job is to make your job easier and and handle the travel arrangements for you and your guests.

Hi - I just sent you a PM. My email is [email protected]. Look forward to speaking with you! Thanks TA Patty

Hi Brenda - Hope your day is going well! I heard back from the supplier and AMResorts is now allowing single occupancy rooms to count towards the room count for Now Larimar and the comp will be based on the gross amount - so it is a "free" room for the number of nights they calculate including taxes but not the transfer costs! I apologize for the confusion - I wish they would have updated us too so we can make sure we're providing clients with current & accurate information! I just sent this info to you in an email as well. Thanks! TA Patty

Good Morning ladies! Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I am one of the BDW TA's and I have been to the Jellyfish it is AWESOME! Mayte is wonderful too! All of my brides have just loved working with her. In regards to the weather - January through April is high season in the DR and weather is typically more mild, but you are in a tropical climate and it could rain at any time. Many times rain storms will move in and out fairly quickly. Last time I was there it was clear skies, a rain storm come up suddenly, lasted about 10 minutes and then blew out again. This is pretty typical. Hurricane season in the Caribbean is typically June through October with August/September being the highest time. October is very popular in the DR since the weather is more mild than the summer months. Unfortunatley weather is one of the things we just can't control! Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thanks! TA Patty

Good Morning - Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I am one of the BDW TA's and I have been to both Dreams Palm Beach and Dreams Punta. What are your specific questions and I'll do my best to answer. Thanks! TA PAtty

Hello ladies - I have stayed at HRPC and have some photos. Email me at [email protected] and I'm happy to send the photos and answer any questions about the property. Thanks! TA Patty