jennyalisha

Thanks for posting the info! I agree, as long as we take precautions it will be fine

Hi ladies! Has anyone heard anything about the recent spread of cholera in the DR? My understanding is that it started close to the Haiti border back in Nov/Dec and there are now confirmed cases elsewhere.. including Punta Cana... Does anyone have more information about this? My TA is contacting the Melia to see what their policies and procedures are in response to the recent news.. I will update once I get some more info.

Hey Kyra, I've been having issues as well.. I have no idea what the reception decor will look like! It would be nice to see what our options are. Who is your WC? Mine is Esterlin.

Hey Kyra, Would have loved to share a photographer but our wedding is on November 12th so he will only be there until the 16th Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you! I haven't logged in for a while.. how are all the plans coming along? We just started booking guests.

I'm in the process of getting a quote for November 10 - 17th.. our wedding date is booked but just need to figure out the pricing. We've been thinking about doing a "broken package" where we figure out just the hotel costs and then flights costs later - that way, people can book flights however they want. We could have a group rate with Westjet or people could use points to book Air Canada, or use expedia.. it offers the most flexibility. But one of the travel agents we've been speaking to insists on booking a total package with flight and hotel included. We'll see what his package prices come back at and decide from there. I've heard only good things about the Melia as well!

They also do religious ceremonies.. I haven't looked into it myself but there is a bunch of information they send you in the info package.

I heard back about the date right away but that was before the WC I'm dealing with (Laura) went on holidays. Maybe you should give them a call? I think I'll be using Arrecife for videography but still deciding on the photographer.. we may be bringing one from Calgary (Bud Moore). I met him at a bridal show in Calgary - he has amazing passion for what he does and I'm positive the photos will turn out great. If you're interested, I could talk with him to see if we could share his costs. Laura said that if you decide to use another local photographer in Punta Cana that isn't Arrecife, you may be charged a $1,000 copyright fee. If you bring one from home, the fee won't apply.

Destinationdiva, just noticed you're from Edmonton.. I'm from Calgary!

Hi! I'm so happy to have found Nov 2011 Melia brides! I'm booked for the weekend of November 12th!!! Where have you decided to have the wedding and reception? We chose the garden gazebo and the tropical convention center. I haven't paid the deposit yet. Tried yesterday but my bank needed Melia's address in Florida since that's where their bank account is. They needed the address that is linked to the account for security reasons. I'm not sure if your bank will/did require the same. I haven't been able to get the address from Melia yet - they just keep sending me the deposit information without that address. Anyway, something to look out for when making the deposit! Good luck planning, ladies!!

I contact Laura the wedding coordinator at Melia about this and she said that if the photographer is a family member or someone that you have a working relationship with back home, there will be no copyright fee. If you're choosing someone in the DR, other than Arrecife Studios, then you'll have to pay the fee.

Hey SChica, we're also having an Indian wedding in DR and are looking into having the same amount of guests and lots of venues!... I've been searching this forum for someone looking for the same things as us! Just heads up with Dreams - they shut your music off at approx. 11pm, which definitely doesn't work for us. Melia lets the music go til 1am or 1:30am and there are tons of venues.. Right now we're in the process of getting group rates for Melia and Paradisus.. Let me know where you ended up booking!!

Wow, great job!!!!

Thanks for the review! We`re considering Paradisus for our wedding in Feb 2012. Were you able to negotiate a good group rate?

Thanks! I'm from Calgary and am also looking into going through a TA but it does seem like the rates they quote are kinda pricey compared to what you can find online. We're looking at approx. 100-120 guests so doing it on my own will just be a HUGE hassle.. not quite sure what to do.

We're hoping for a Feb 2012 wedding as well and are also looking into the DR!