trivera5521

Amazing info, thanks OctBride 2013!!! OMG next week?!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh how exciting!!!!!!!!

One more questions guys, so we just received the confirmation that our date is available for the ceremony but they cant seem to confirm the reception location? I guess my concern is that the only reception location we are interested in is Bar Higuey and if its booked the day of our wedding then I may change our date. I just dont feel comfortable locking into a date without knowing the one reception space we want is still not booked. For those of you who have booked your weddings, at what point do you book the reception location???

Considering Bar Higuey can only be booked for one wedding per day, if its booked for our day then we will have to settle for the banquet room and thats just not acceptable. We arent going all the way to DR to have our reception indoors in a banquet room, I can do that right here in CT LOL...ya know.

I guess the confusion is that I was sent these menu options by another bride. These options are different from what I believe we get in our packages as such perhaps these are at an additional cost??? I will let you guys know what she (WC) says whenever she decides to get back to me. Thanks Octbride!

Cold Entrees

• Tropical pineapple with shrimp and fennel
• Seafood cocktail
• Shrimp & tuna with escabeche vegetables
• Lobster Cocktail
• Grouper Carpaccio with pink pepper
• Sweet & sour salad with pineapple & crab

Hot Entrees

• Pumpkin soup with blue cheese
• Shrimp marinade with hot sauce
• Lobster Brochettes with saffron
• Chicken cream with palm heart
• Potato pie & seasonable vegetables
• Vegetables stew with dressing

Main Courses

• Grouper supreme with coriander, steam potatoes & green vegetables
• Chicken supreme with hazelnut, gratinated potatoes and a vegetable bouquet
• Sirloin Bearnesa and its garnish
• Roasted tenderloin with fine aromatic herbs, potatoes & vegetables
• Sirloin with mustard grains
• Pepper entrecote with vegetables
• Lobster medallions with truffle perfume
• Grouper supreme with rosemary

Desserts

• Bounty Chocolate & coconut
• Tiramisu
• Orange and white chocolate pie
• Apple pie
• Crepe suzette with vanilla ice cream
• Flan with coffee liquor
• Pineapple pie
• Chocolate Bomb with passion fruit sauce

I feel a bit confused with the dinner options and I figured while I wait for the WC to get back to me I would reach out to you guys because you guys rock! So this is the thing, we are going with the Tangerine Package which of course includes the buffet dinner option (all 3 options kinda suck). I have since seen Three Course Meal Options circulating. So just so I can understand correctly, no package includes these options. They only come as an extra cost? I just want to be sure that there is nothing I can do to get these plated meal options other than pay individually for them

Option 1 (01 entrée + 01 main course + 01 dessert) $40

Option 2 (02 entrees + 01 main course + 01 dessert) $45

Option 3 (01 entrée + 02 main courses + 01 dessert) $60

Secondly, if this 3 meal option is at an additional charge than for those that opted to go with it and had the Tangerine package, do they somehow compensate you somewhere else, since our package does include a dinner buffet that you are not using??

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oct2012 Bride, can you also send what you have to me? My email is [email protected]

Thanks!

Ladies...its FINALLY April 2012 and for those of you who are having 2013 weddings you know this is a huge date because we can FINALLY LOCK IN OUR WEDDIN DATES!!!! Not to mention get updated pricing. I have waiting 6 months for this day to finally come so I can move fwd with things. I know I am probably a bit ahead of the game but I have emailed the girls, both Marlen and Jeanne and haven heard back from them. Does anyone have the 2013 pricing already????

Gorgeous!! And love love lvoe the idea of shadow box!!!
 

Originally Posted by bride81 

Ashley, thats a great idea!

 

Who was the vendor for this dress?

Lets revive this thread ladies!! Any CT brides?? I live in Stratford and work in Stamford and would be interested in meeting up with to share ideas and stuff. Let me know if anyone is interested.

Thanks =)

Woohooo Sunny!!! This is great news! What 2 options are you looking to use for your main course? Also, please let me know when she gives you the pricing. I am so curiuos what they will be charging for the convenience of having 2 options....still seems insane to me that we have to pay for that but such is life I suppose LOL. It's all about money right LOL. I am waiting for the pricing for the decor packages including the draping we dont have enough people to upgrade to the Tangerine package but depending on what the seperate price is for the draping it might be more cost effective to just upgrade. Really $7 for each floating candle. I wonder if she will allow us to bring our own???

Thanks a bunch and this is super exciting that she has agreed to do the 2 options for the main course. I will def be name dropping when I speak to her LOL.

My pleasure! PM your email so that I can send along my pics. I dont believe I took pics of the bridal suite but I did see it and I didnt take pics of the ballroom because I wasnt in the least bit interested in it. Honestly I just felt we are going all the way to paradise to have our reception indoors in a ballroom? It wasnt for us. It was just like any other ballroom/banquet room nothing chic about it nothing amazing or fabulous. I am sure it looks quite different and an entirely different feel when its all decorated. The bridal suite was very nice and spacious its located in the spa which is fabulous. The bridal suite is very nice and if you can afford it then its a nice perk. I dont have a bridal party persay so I dont know that we will encure the expense. Go to utube and search http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiGpQ2tPU5E (Dave and Selina's wedding, November 14, 2011) this brides video has a section while she is getting ready in the bridal suite and you can see it first hand. How many girls will you have in your bridal party? I guess thats a bigger question.

Have you tried to change the menu options with Marlene/Jeanne? I hate them! Grrrr. Are you using their DJ services?
 

Originally Posted by polishprincess7 

 

Trivera,

 

I can't thank you for the detailed review with all the information regarding your visit to Barcelo.  We have been communicating with Jeanne via email and are going with the Strawberry Package as well.  With our wedding coming up so quickly (May 26, 2012) I'm trying to get everything organized and planned before the big day.  I would love to see your photos as I think this would help me out.  We are having our ceremony at the Gazebo on the beach.  I would love to hear more about the reception ballrooms and see any photos you may have.  Did you get to see the bridal room in the Spa area?  If so, details of what it looks like please.  Trying to figure out if there is room for all my bridesmaids to get ready here as well.  If anything changes for the menu options, please let me know.  

 

 

Sunny: Apparently the draping decor is not included in any of the packages. The most expensive package includes basic decorations for reception area but that's primarily table decor (ie: centerpieces, etc) I havent received a catalong but Jeanne mentioned its an entirely different company that provides this service. I do have 2 pictures of the space decorated with the draping. What is your email address? When you speak to her on Friday can you ask her again about the pricing for that? Although I am 15 months early its still a good idea to get an idea of the cost even if its a ball park figure. I didnt even ask about decorating the pool which is a fab idea, can you ask her that too and let me know?

Ugh I cant tell you how much the menu issue sucks! Have you seen the options? I was like really? And yes the wish lanterns are lit and eveyrone lets them go into the nights sky at once. Its amazing. We were in PR last week and saw it first hand it was soo pretty!

Please keep me posted on your call with her and what the outcome is on the menu options. Thanks!

Oh sorry one more thing, as far as the Carribean Trio is concerned most packages include it for 1 hour, they prefer to do it during the ceremony b/c technically the clock continues to run during the ceremony and they arent playing. Then it overflows into your cocktail hour for the remainder of the hour (about 1/2 hour) You can however opt to not have them during your ceremony and just have them during the cocktail hour or you can just hire them for an additional hour at $200p/hr.
 

Originally Posted by trivera5521 

Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe Site Visit Recap:

 

Hi Ladies!! I just got back from our site visit at Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe and rest assured guys we chose an amazing resort to have our weddings!! I visits with 4 resorts and this one took the cake.  I have so much to say that I don’t know where to begin LOL! I apologize in advance because this will be a very lengthy post. In all my research I never came across this and so I thought it was important to share with you. DR charges people to enter and leave their country. This fee is paid at the airport, $10 to enter and $20 to leave. Yup I too was a bit shocked. We somehow managed to not pay on the way out but we were forewarned that this is their fee. It is def a good idea to include this in any welcome packets or info pack you send to your guests for budgeting purposes. We chose to rent a car to conduct our site visits and OMG what a mess! DR doesn’t seem to believe in traffic lights, street signs, stop signs or anything that would create organization to their driving system. It was almost as if everyone plays chicken when driving, total madness! That made it obvious that we needed to find a resort that had enough things that our guests wouldn’t need or want to venture out of the resort.

We arrived at the Barcelo’s main entrance and there stood security.  Before they allowed us in they called in with Marlene to confirm we had an appt since we didn’t have any sort of reservation confirmation. It was nice to know that just anyone cant walk onto the property. So we drive in and immediately you notice how well kept the grounds were. It was very “pretty†(unlike the Barcelo Punta Cana that we also visited) a gorgeous golf course, tennis courts, paddle ball, soccer field, etc. The lobby is gorgeous and this resort is HUUUUGE. The decor throughout is very modern/chic. The hibachi restaurant is amazing, as is the steakhouse, and the 24 hour sports bar that has a movie theatre type set up to watch games on….all the restaurants have an amazing décor to them and very upscale feel. There are a ton of stores; I would consider it a mall honestly. They have an amazing section for kids that were def a huge plus for us. We saw the ceremony locations and the gazebo is very nice as is the beach area. They do have security to keep other guests away but it is in a public place so keep that in mind. The pier is amazing as well; I think it’s an additional $500 to have that area for your ceremony. They have a roof top area that can be used as a welcome party or cocktail hour but it has a fee of $500 as well. Very nice space though! There is a $7.00 per person cost to have canapés during the cocktail hour. If you can afford the additional $500 I would consider the pier for your ceremony its very nice a bit windy but more intimate then the other options.

We actually met with Jeanne not Marlene and she was pretty on point, very organized and prepared for our meeting. We went over all the pricing and “extrasâ€. We are going with the Strawberry package and as a previous bride mentioned the Tiffany chairs are extra to upgrade your open bar package to an international from national bar is $7pp per hour. The hoopa and runner is $350 inclusive of floral decor. The package comes with the white chair covers and the colored chair sashes. They have quite a few color options as well. If you choose a color they don’t have in stock of course there is an additional fee. The reception spaces are a typical indoor ballroom or what they call bar-higuey. Amazing space and you can do tons of stuff with it. It has one of those long rectangular pools throughout (more for décor, I think its called a lounging pool) and it has a ceiling but no walls so rain or shine it’s a go! We chose this space and I will purchase a décor package to add the drapes from the ceiling and a bunch of other fun décor things. They package doesn’t include centerpieces so keep that in mind, I decided to do my own and prob just have them shipped. The cake is included and the amount of tiers varies on your party size, typically a 2 tier cake. I have to say that the only thing I DO NOT like about this venue is there menu options or lack there of. (PM me for menu)Everyone has to eat the same thing which sucks! The options aren’t by any stretch anything that would make you think carribean or DR. Just typical…boooo. I just about turned blue in the face trying to get them to budge on this one and it was a no go not for any additional cost. Oh also, another thing that I was broken up about is that they don’t allow you to have wish lanterns on this resort =( I was sooo sad about this, it was the one thing I really really wanted. Apparently it’s a fire hazard. So desperately trying to find something just as fabulous that would be a bit interactive, fun and incorporate our guests. Any ideas ladies? You can rent the DJ system for $400 for the 3 hours or the actually DJ for $480, needless to say that was a no brainer. Umm what else?? Oh so as you ladies know they have a waiting list for 2013 so be sure to get your forms in and when the calendar opens in April they will contact you. At which time 30% is due to book. All the ceremonies have a fee except the civil ceremony. Just an FYI the prices that we have are 2012 packages and they did tell me that prices would be going up for 2013, she could give me a definitive number but she did throw out $500. I have a ton of pics but cant upload b/c I don’t have permissions so PM if your interested in seeing them or have an specific questions. They use Tropical pictures as their resort photographer and so I have their pricing and meet with someone too. Not bad ladies, not bad at all. We did a photo shoot while there with another photographer that I can also share if your interested. Overall good experience and we are very excited about our choice!!

Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe Site Visit Recap:

Hi Ladies!! I just got back from our site visit at Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe and rest assured guys we chose an amazing resort to have our weddings!! I visits with 4 resorts and this one took the cake.  I have so much to say that I don’t know where to begin LOL! I apologize in advance because this will be a very lengthy post. In all my research I never came across this and so I thought it was important to share with you. DR charges people to enter and leave their country. This fee is paid at the airport, $10 to enter and $20 to leave. Yup I too was a bit shocked. We somehow managed to not pay on the way out but we were forewarned that this is their fee. It is def a good idea to include this in any welcome packets or info pack you send to your guests for budgeting purposes. We chose to rent a car to conduct our site visits and OMG what a mess! DR doesn’t seem to believe in traffic lights, street signs, stop signs or anything that would create organization to their driving system. It was almost as if everyone plays chicken when driving, total madness! That made it obvious that we needed to find a resort that had enough things that our guests wouldn’t need or want to venture out of the resort.

We arrived at the Barcelo’s main entrance and there stood security.  Before they allowed us in they called in with Marlene to confirm we had an appt since we didn’t have any sort of reservation confirmation. It was nice to know that just anyone cant walk onto the property. So we drive in and immediately you notice how well kept the grounds were. It was very “pretty†(unlike the Barcelo Punta Cana that we also visited) a gorgeous golf course, tennis courts, paddle ball, soccer field, etc. The lobby is gorgeous and this resort is HUUUUGE. The decor throughout is very modern/chic. The hibachi restaurant is amazing, as is the steakhouse, and the 24 hour sports bar that has a movie theatre type set up to watch games on….all the restaurants have an amazing décor to them and very upscale feel. There are a ton of stores; I would consider it a mall honestly. They have an amazing section for kids that were def a huge plus for us. We saw the ceremony locations and the gazebo is very nice as is the beach area. They do have security to keep other guests away but it is in a public place so keep that in mind. The pier is amazing as well; I think it’s an additional $500 to have that area for your ceremony. They have a roof top area that can be used as a welcome party or cocktail hour but it has a fee of $500 as well. Very nice space though! There is a $7.00 per person cost to have canapés during the cocktail hour. If you can afford the additional $500 I would consider the pier for your ceremony its very nice a bit windy but more intimate then the other options.

We actually met with Jeanne not Marlene and she was pretty on point, very organized and prepared for our meeting. We went over all the pricing and “extrasâ€. We are going with the Strawberry package and as a previous bride mentioned the Tiffany chairs are extra to upgrade your open bar package to an international from national bar is $7pp per hour. The hoopa and runner is $350 inclusive of floral decor. The package comes with the white chair covers and the colored chair sashes. They have quite a few color options as well. If you choose a color they don’t have in stock of course there is an additional fee. The reception spaces are a typical indoor ballroom or what they call bar-higuey. Amazing space and you can do tons of stuff with it. It has one of those long rectangular pools throughout (more for décor, I think its called a lounging pool) and it has a ceiling but no walls so rain or shine it’s a go! We chose this space and I will purchase a décor package to add the drapes from the ceiling and a bunch of other fun décor things. They package doesn’t include centerpieces so keep that in mind, I decided to do my own and prob just have them shipped. The cake is included and the amount of tiers varies on your party size, typically a 2 tier cake. I have to say that the only thing I DO NOT like about this venue is there menu options or lack there of. (PM me for menu)Everyone has to eat the same thing which sucks! The options aren’t by any stretch anything that would make you think carribean or DR. Just typical…boooo. I just about turned blue in the face trying to get them to budge on this one and it was a no go not for any additional cost. Oh also, another thing that I was broken up about is that they don’t allow you to have wish lanterns on this resort =( I was sooo sad about this, it was the one thing I really really wanted. Apparently it’s a fire hazard. So desperately trying to find something just as fabulous that would be a bit interactive, fun and incorporate our guests. Any ideas ladies? You can rent the DJ system for $400 for the 3 hours or the actually DJ for $480, needless to say that was a no brainer. Umm what else?? Oh so as you ladies know they have a waiting list for 2013 so be sure to get your forms in and when the calendar opens in April they will contact you. At which time 30% is due to book. All the ceremonies have a fee except the civil ceremony. Just an FYI the prices that we have are 2012 packages and they did tell me that prices would be going up for 2013, she could give me a definitive number but she did throw out $500. I have a ton of pics but cant upload b/c I don’t have permissions so PM if your interested in seeing them or have an specific questions. They use Tropical pictures as their resort photographer and so I have their pricing and meet with someone too. Not bad ladies, not bad at all. We did a photo shoot while there with another photographer that I can also share if your interested. Overall good experience and we are very excited about our choice!!

Ladies I am back from the site visit on Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe and just about done with my review!!!!  I cant wait to share and hope to post by EOD =)

OMG absolutely stunning!!!! I would be tempted to wear it to sleep =) LOL! Congrats on a beautiful wedding!

Thanks so much she got back to me too!! Site visit confirmed for Monday!! Ahhhhhhh sooo exciting! Keep you all posted when I get back with a ton of answers to questions, a full review of the resort and a shit load of pics!!
 

Originally Posted by kswereda 

Just to give an update she e-mailed me back tonight! I imagine she is busy with weddings everyday!

Ladies just an FYI Melia uses Arrecife Studios and doesnt have any other options. They do however charge a $1000 vendor fee if you use any other photographer other than Arrecife...yes I know outrageous!! I have a site visit scheduled this week, we leave Thursday. I plan to come back with a full report, a ton of answers and a shit load of pics! Keep you all posted!!

The train is def a keeper!!

Very much a perfect DW dress!!
 

Originally Posted by cnd29 

Has anyone seen this dress?  I'd love to be able to try it on before ordering, but I don't know who designed the original!

 

Destiny yes please, can you provide me with her direct phone number? Thanks!!

Congrats Sara!!!!!!!

Hi Ladies, has anyone had any recent correspondence with Arianna within the last week or so?I have sent her numerous emails trying to confirm our site visit next week and she has yet to get back to me??? Ugh! I am using [email protected]. Does anyone have an alternate email address????

Thanks a bunch!!

Mylissa OMG Love Love Love it!!!! Very sexy

Ladies this poicy totally sucks! They wont allow you to use any outside vendors without incurring this charge! Just **^%$ outrageous.  I will also tell you that I just received the below confirmation from my second venue choice that they two have the same policy in effect...Melia Caribe wrote:

Needless to say I feel like !!!!