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Hello everyone - I posted the below a while back, but I see this thread is active and has great information! I have been a frequent visitor to these threads since getting engaged July of last year. The women and brides-to-be are all absolutely fantastic and RIGHT ON POINT with planning and creativity. I hope to contribute at least a little and be of some sort of help. My fiance is seriously blown away with how knowledgeable I have become in managing an event that isn't so easy to plan from far away, but I attribute all my knowledge to you gals! I am getting married at the Majestic Colonial on August 11, 2012 - and DRPrincesa, I hope to have the pleasure of seeing/meeting you while on the trip! I have booked the Gazebo for a 3pm Catholic Wedding and will have my reception at the MC Ballroom later that evening. One of the major factors I do want to budget for with as much time as possible is the Drinking/Alcohol. Given the number of people we expect (even if it is on the "conservative" side of my fiance's calculations: 60), a per hour per person Open Bar cannot be entertained. At this point, we are opting for the buffet of $70 per person ($55 + 26%), which includes beer, wine, champagne and soda. However, I want to make sure we aren't too quick to dismiss options that our guests will enjoy. So here is a list of thoughts/questions: 1) We stay solely to the Buffet + Basic Open Bar as spelled out above. Wouldn't be the worst, but I don't want guests leaving the reception/dance floor to get a drink, though I understand the next full-bar isn't so far away? 2) We buy liquor from the Duty Free (have to buy it NYC because you don't have the option of buying it in Punta Cana), pay the cork fee of $10 per bottle, and of course hire bartenders ($15 per bartender per hour, as I have read on threads). The wedding guide (FAQ doc) has the cork fee information, but nowhere does it mention the bartenders. Some of the threads even state that bringing alcohol is no longer accepted - can anyone clarify? Option B for bringing our own liquor - just have a bottle on every table, though I don't know how much this would add/take away from the aesthetics. 3) National/International Open Bar - Does the full price ($15/$25 respectively) only apply to the first hour, and then drop to half for every hour after? Does anyone know if this still applies? Even though I think this will still far exceed our budget, it is nice to know that the option isn't as bad as I had originally anticipated (paying the full price per person per hour). Any thoughts would be great. I have been trying to contact Stephany (our WC) on these points, but in case anyone has any insight in advance, I'd greatly appreciate it! Again, so nice to meet so many of you, and I wish you all a WONDERFUL 2012 and joyful planning! CC

Hello everyone! I am so happy to FINALLY be joining this wonderful community. I have been a frequent visitor to these threads since getting engaged July of last year. The women and brides-to-be are all absolutely fantastic and RIGHT ON POINT with planning and creativity. I hope to contribute at least a little and be of some sort of help. My fiance is seriously blown away with how knowledgeable I have become in managing an event that isn't so easy to plan from far away, but I attribute all my knowledge to you gals! I am getting married at the Majestic Colonial on August 11, 2012 - and DRPrincesa, I hope to have the pleasure of seeing/meeting you while on the trip! I have booked the Gazebo for a 3pm Catholic Wedding and will have my reception at the MC Ballroom later that evening. I am shopping around for lanterns to dress our tables and will have either petals or flowers in small fishbowls (Stephany, our WC who has been wonderful, provided a quote the other day of $250 per centerpiece, which seems outrageous to me, and I don't want to take the risk of paying so much - or even a fraction of that. I will ask for other ideas on a separate thread). I have also booked DJ Mannia. A lot of the details of our weddings (favors, welcome bags, etc.) cannot be finalized because we are still in the air about how many people to expect. Our calculations range from 80-120. I am betting on the higher end, while my fiance is being more conservative. One of the major factors I do want to budget for with as much time as possible is the Drinking/Alcohol. Given the number of people we expect (even if it is on the "conservative" side of my fiance's calculations), a per hour per person Open Bar cannot be entertained. At this point, we are opting for the buffet of $70 per person ($55 + 26%), which includes beer, wine, champagne and soda. However, I want to make sure we aren't too quick to dismiss options that our guests will enjoy. So here is a list of thoughts/questions: 1) We stay solely to the Buffet + Basic Open Bar as spelled out above. Wouldn't be the worst, but I don't want guests leaving the reception/dance floor to get a drink, though I understand the next full-bar isn't so far away? 2) We buy liquor from the Duty Free (have to buy it NYC because you don't have the option of buying it in Punta Cana), pay the cork fee of $10 per bottle, and of course hire bartenders ($15 per bartender per hour, as I have read on threads). The wedding guide (FAQ doc) has the cork fee information, but nowhere does it mention the bartenders. Some of the threads even state that bringing alcohol is no longer accepted - can anyone clarify? Option B for bringing our own liquor - just have a bottle on every table, though I don't know how much this would add/take away from the aesthetics. 3) National/International Open Bar - Does the full price ($15/$25 respectively) only apply to the first hour, and then drop to half for every hour after? Does anyone know if this still applies? Even though I think this will still far exceed our budget, it is nice to know that the option isn't as bad as I had originally anticipated (paying the full price per person per hour). Any thoughts would be great. I have been meaning to contact Stephany on these points, but in case anyone has any insight in advance, I'd greatly appreciate it! Again, so nice to meet so many of you, and I wish you all a WONDERFUL 2012 and joyful planning! CC