li282

Thank you!! I cannot wait to see the rest of her pictures if you are considering a TTD, I really really recommend it! Such an incredible experience, and certainly something to always remember!

Yes, I actually only paid $6 a head for transportation, and it included all my guests, bridal party included

No problem, I am happy to help if I can! Getting in touch with Mayte is basically impossible until your wedding is much closer. She will then answer all of your emails almost immediately, Try to find out your answers here, and just don't worry, because every email you send her (even if there is a 2 month wait time for a response) is read! She will have all of your details in a folder, and everything you sent her will be included. My name on the j.fish brides page is Lisa, and I just posted the pictures a few weeks ago, right on the wall. As soon as I have a chance where I am on a real computer and not my iPad, I will make an album. I haven't put any on the actual jellyfish restaurant page yet. Also, the jellyfish was smaller then the photos seem! We fit 85 with 11-12 tables. I do not think there is any way you could dance inside with 60-70 guests, unless some of your tables were upstairs, but check with other past brides, maybe somehow they can do it? Yes, it was very easy to get a cab, and exactly, Mayte can always get you one at any time.

Hair yes, and it was perfect. The makeup I had a friend (makeup artist) do for me, after we took a MAC trip back home. Two of my friends had the ME do their makeup, and both washed it off it just was not like getting your makeup done at home. I booked through wendy. I emailed Janet, who I set up the welcome reception with, and she put me in touch with Wendy. I confirmed the appointment when we arrived, and everything was set,

Oops just realized my bus ride home thing is misleading! 40 people did not leave early, haha. The few early vans that left were not ever full, just a few guests at a time that happened to grab the van when it returned!

Thank you! My colors were orange and blue, and I can put some more up if there is anything you want to see! We got ready at the elegance (dress and all!) and headed to the jellyfish at 3. I met K there, and we did our first look pictures as soon as my groom arrived. I did not have her come to the resort because we did not want to pay the outside vendor fee, and my cousin took getting ready shots of me. (they were not really a priority for me, but the ones he took are definitely fun. I'm sure anyone could take a few of your dress, shoes, etc. if you wanted. I wanted more time with K at the jellyfish!) And the first look. I wish I could better put into words what it felt like! I was just so incredibly happy to share that moment with JUST my groom. I didn't even realize how much I missed him until I finally got to see him waiting there for me. It made everything so real. K came in to Maytes office and told me he was already crying, which was the biggest surprise of the day! So as I walked up to him, I immediately got emotional too! All of my bridesmaids watched from afar, and there was not a dry eye around. It was so special to get to see, talk and hug him before our wedding. It so relaxed me and we felt much more "us" for the rest of the time, as opposed to a "bride and groom" if that makes any sense at all? And after the first look, we we able to take all of our bridal party pictures pre-ceremony, so we could better enjoy our cocktail hour never mind that the boys had already grabbed a beer while the else watched us take our first look pictures! It ended up being such a fun little hour and a half while the bridal party had full reign of the jellyfish, and we all caught up with ecahother! So, jellyfish had sent two vans for the bridal party, and at 4:30, picked up all the rest of the guests (70, with the big bus and one van) Everyone was on time, and although the bus was hot, they enjoyed the ride over. We only rented the downstairs, because our dance floor etc. was outside, and this worked perfectly for us. I think there were two couples eating upstairs. I hid upstairs when the guests started arriving, which was fun, because I peeked down a few times. k was able to come up and take some special pictures of us girls waiting, which was really nice. (so I do, actually, have a few getting ready shots, as my makeup was retouched, etc.) My ceremony was scheduled for 5:30, but the rain came, and we probably did not start til 6:15. The sun did begin to set after the ceremony during family pictures, but f course this depends on your time of year. Your photographer will be able to guide you and help you set up a timeline. My day, if it helps 11:00 hair apt (they had another wedding, so they didn't take us until 12! But it works out fine) 2:00 makeup (friend did it in my room) 3:00 bridal party vans to jellyfish 3:30 arrive at jellyfish for pictures 4:30 guests picked up 5:00 guests arrived, two welcome drinks 5:30 ceremony The bus rides home were actually the only issue of the night. The big bus was leaving at 12:30 (ended up leaving at 1) but people with kids and some older guests wanted to leave earlier. I had figured that the one van would be enough to make a few round trips for those leaving earlier, and I was wrong. The van holds 10 or so, and made probably 4 round trips, which left some people waiting around to leave. In retrospect, my parents and I agreed we should have just discreetly paid a cab fare to send those guests back who were standing around waiting to leave. I had heard that the guests discussed calling a cab but had not brought any money (probably a 40-50$ cab ride) Of course if they had said that to anyone in my family, someone would have paid, but I know they did not want to bother any of us. Really, it was not that much of an issue, but just something to think about. no one was unhappy, so not to worry! Whew, think I got it all

I can't believe it has almost been a month since we returned from two weeks in Punta Cana, and a wedding that I can't stop thinking about! I'll try to make this review as complete as possible, I know that reading everyone's reviews really helped me have confidence in Mayte and how our wedding would turn out, and I could not be happier! We stayed at Majestic Elegance, which was about 1/2 hour drive to the Jellyfish. It was perfect for our 85 guests, and aside from a few small room issues, we didn't have a single complaint and not one guest went home unhappy! The restaurants accommodated us and our large groups, and we found some servers and waitstaff that helped make our vacation even more memorable. We worked with janet and had a cocktails and appetizer welcome reception at the Majestic two days before the wedding. We did our tasting two days before the wedding, and I'm so glad we did because I hardly ate the night of the wedding! (we went back a week later during our honeymoon to have lunch and catch up with Mayte, and the food was just as incredible as we remembered!) we chose the hot pockets, chicken kebobs and bacon wrapped shrimp for appetizers, and guests had a caprese salad and choice between filet and lobster for dinner. We had the Jellyfish chef pasta family style on all tables. We also had cupcakes and a small cake for cutting. The bridal party took two separate Jellyfish vans (one for the boys, one for the girls) to the Jellyfish at 3:00 to meet ***** Nova, our photographer, for our first look pictures and this worked out perfectly. The videographer, Carlos, from HDC, met us at 3:30 as well. I was hidden in Maytes office while they set up my groom, and the first look is my absolute hands down favorite memory of the day, the week, the entire past year even. I can't don't it proper justice by trying to verbalize how I felt at the moment, but I was so incredibly overwhelmed I even surprised myself. It didn't help that ***** came in and told me my groom was already emotional! Standing behind him during the first look, with her music playing!, is a moment I will never forget. I cannot recommend her enough. And if you are considering doing a First look, I highly recommend it as well. ***** and her assistant Mike were amazing and the few photos she shared with me throughout the day were beyond perfect, and my favorite investment for our wedding. I was so grateful to feel like I had a friend at my wedding as opposed to a vendor. She is so genuinely warm and loving. When it started to downpour, she was the only one who could keep me calm as she promised the rain would pass and that none of the outside decorations would be ruined/soaked. (it did pass, but since the skies had been bright and sunny the entire afternoon, I had to work to keep myself from being disappointed that it was slightly cloudy during the ceremony) I had given Mayte a labeled cd during our visit with my ceremony music, and the sound was perfect as my bridal party walked down the aisle. Its such a surreal feeling to hear that first beat of the music for your wedding! Both parents walked me down the aisle and it was plenty wide enough for us. I had Pastor York and of course he was as incredible as everyone says! I had asked him to add some things to the ceremony and he did a great job of incorporating my ideas to include all our guests in the ceremony. I brought my reader's readings printed on nice paper because I knew that it would be in the pictures and I'm crazy like that My guests were picked up at the Majestic at 4:30. Just a warning, the bus and van that picked up my 85 guests were not really air conditioned, but by the time I saw the guests they were all over it Mayte had all of our flowers at the Jellyfish, we did my bouquet, six bridesmaids, the boutonnière, six flowers for my bridesmaids hair, and the flower girl petals. I had sent one or two pictures and just trusted Mayte to do her job! Everything was beautiful, and she actually pinned the flowers in all of my girls hair. There were more people on the beach then I expected. I was actually pretty unaware of them during the ceremony but I was surprised to see so many people in the background of my pictures. I'm sure the professional pictures wont have that issue. We used HDC video, and Carlos, the videographer was very nice! It's actually so funny to see him and ***** up at the altar with us in the pictures, because again, I didn't even notice them that day! We finished the bridal party pictures before the ceremony, so after we only had to do family pictures, and a few more sunset pictures during cocktail hour. We had chosen two drinks for pre-ceremony and ran a tab if guests wanted anything else. (most did!) After the ceremony we had open bar. We used the Jellyfish DJ and the MC was great. He guided us through the introductions, speeches, first dances, etc. We chose to do the bridal party entrance dance in the restaurant, (a little tight, but still fun), have dinner, do our speeches, cut the cake, and THEN our first dances. This worked out perfectly because we chose the wooden dance floor on the beach and once we got all of our guests out on the beach for the first dances, the party never stopped until the buses picked us up at 1:00. Overall, it was more then I could have imagined and impossible to believe that it is over! I have a few pictures on the jellyfish brides fb page, and if you want to see anything specific, just let me know. I hope this was helpful! Enjoy every minute of your wedding, every single thing they tell you about it going by too fast is an absolute truth. We had the most amazing wedding, and I know all of you Jellyfish brides will as well!

I used the oversized postcard on vistaprint

Cannot thank you enough for the detailed review!!

The aloe is a good idea. A few summers ago they had the spray bottle sunblock. I'm still hoping to find that again!

I used two groupons, and got a ton of stuff for free! They get you at the end by offering free shipping if you spend 25 over the groupon. It's totally worth it though for the amount of things you can get!

I actually was charged twice! I don't know what I did wrong, but I used the same image twice on one postcard and they charged me. I inquired, and they said the images were slightly different.. But they were not!

We are not doing anything different, but our bags include Koozies, decks of cards and hangover kits..

I will be there that week as well! Wedding is on Saturday the 14 at jellyfish, but most of my guests arrive Monday or Thursday!

great shoe ideas!