Kel123073

kelly and mike july 19th 2013 paradisus palma real! congrats to all my fellow DR brides and grooms!!!!!

I amnot sure with the group rate if u can use it!

Hi Angel, Your welcome! I have had a rewards card for a while, it doesn't cost anything you just earn points for your stays that you can redeem in the future. Kelly

Ladies for any of you on a budget or for family members on a budget just wanted to let you know that on www.solmelia.com right now they are having amazing deals! Sign up for a mas rewards cards, which costs nothing you just earn points on hotel stays, and you get the lowest rate! My sister is coming with her two kids and we got her a room with both kids free.... 4 nights for 2adults/2kids for $1462 ( room only) in the paradisus palma real! in the reserve a little higher but 1st child is free! just wanted to share with you guys!

thanks sooo much for the info on the dresses! we loved them, very elegant......and they said very comfortable as well!

I figured out how to post pic! lol

We went to davids bridal, I know there were a lot of negative comments about them, but we found dresses we loved! They had a good selection of junior bridesmaid dresses to try on. My niece is 10 so It was a little tough finding something for her to try on. My fiances daughter is 12 and the adult dress fit her better. I really wanted the green but let my fiances daughter chose the color! wanted her to feel important and I love the color she chose! My sister is my maid of honor and she is pregnant so the style was great for her!!! I got my wedding dress at RK Bridal in NY and went on a weekday! had a great experience! My consultant was okay, but I loved all the designers they carried and the variety of sizes to try on!!! Was super nervous to dress shop but only tried on about 5 and I absolutely love my dress!!!!!

this is why so many brides bring things with them instead of having the resort provide! We are on a budget as well so we are trying not to do too many add ons!

I totally understand! We just booked our air today! We paid $824 round trip first class..for his ticket and I used miles for mine to upgrade ticket which in the end was about $500! . We figured no fees to check baggage, dress is in the closet, and we can check up to 3 bags each up to 70 lbs... no fees so we don't have to ship down all our favors welcome bag stuff etc! I have been checking airfare daily for months on end! We started to get really nervous and finally booked since flights direct from Newark were filling up! I would tell guests to check Expedia or cheap carribean for package dels! My family members got 6 days 5 nights for $1500 per person in the reserve at paradisus Palma real! The ppr is even less! The closer it gets the cheaper the hotel rates get! Making up for high airfare Good luck

Also... I got a united chase card and got 60,000 miles free which is how I got an upgrade one way:) plus u can check first bag free wnen you have the card! Definitely a perk

I actually called united and they told me to advise them at the gate that I had a wedding dress with me and also to arrive early to gate! We were able to upgrade ticket to first class... Check your reservation frequently! They usually offer an upgrade for a fee..$125 per person one way! Totally worth it u get to check up to three bags no fees! Kelly:

Hi we're you able to get the templates for the invitations and RSVP cards? Thanks, Kelly

Was so crazy everything I pulled and the consultants was in the price range.... But I wanted more bling not just plain lace.... Well it was more bling but double budget! Both dresses were allure and I did get the beach dress! Truly perfect for destination! More traditional than typical beach dress but light and just enough bling lol! Too nervous to buy a used dress.... Was it altered? Will it fit? Will I luv it? Etc

Hiiii Well I went dress shopping today with two distict different dress styles in mind! I live in NYC area and was advised by many to go to kleinfelds.... My mom was buying my dress and didn't want to fall in love with something there over my budget! They are sooo overpriced! Went to rk bridal in NYC and great selection but tried on a dress double the budget without realizing! Omg it was spectacular... My only saving grace was it was very formal and too much dress for a beach wedding in July... Tough though because people were coming up to me in the store... It was so different and truly spectacular! Loved another dress as well that was the beach wedding dress! It is an Allure and truly gorgeous! Rk had a ton of reasonablypriced gowns !

hey evknowsitall, omg..... sorry didn't respond. I just transitioned to a new job and am adjusting to the crazy hours on orientation and commuting. lol I heard back from cecilia and the rates are almost identical! I am confused it i need to block a new set of rooms.... and my TA has been useless! Iam so over her and my FI is letting her know tomorrow we will not be using her. She hasn't replied to mylast email regarding this matter as well as an email from my sister regarding total price for room. I now have to let all my guests know that they can contact hotel directly or make their own travel arrangements...... via expedia, hotwire, or the travel agent of their choice!

Hi Missy Bee, It was a little confusing because we went thru a travel agent. At first when we put deposit she was going to block rooms in her system. Therefore we put 500 down on room and several thousand down on wedding portion. Several weeks later, and after some confusion she ended up having to book our room and my mom and dad's thru the hotel. We ended up with only 5 rooms blocked. I asked last week if they could swap some of the deposit over to the room block but the hotel was unable to do so. the group rates were only good thru Aug 15th that the hotel had given me. I then emailed Lauren at Paradisus who was my wedding coordinator to see if they would extend the date for the group rates. She advised me that they were possibly extending rates for may 2013-dec 2013 brides. Yesterday I reached out again and heard back from Cecilia who is now handling the room block and she said they are going to have new group rates available soon for us. As soon as they are released she will forward them to me. I was really stressing out because I am in the middle of changing jobs, have had a lot on my plate, and we are working on a budget. I felt like I dropped the ball in regards to letting everyone know to put a deposit on room by aug 15th to guarentee the group rate. kelly

Hi Ladies, was wondering if anybody else got an email today from the romance department. I now have a new wedding coordinator because the email said they did some reorganization and restructuring. I was actually waiting for a response to a question I had for Lauren. She had mentioned in an email that there were going to be an extension possibly on group rates for brides from may 2013 to dec 2013. has anybody heard this also? I had sent save the dates our and assumed people would contact the travel agent to get info and pricing but only about two or three people contacted her. thanks Kelly

Hi Congrats! It can definitely be overwhelming. We chose the Paradisus Palma Real since we stayed there last year and had an amazing vacation. This was a huge advantage for us because I wanted to be really confident in our decision. Having family and friends all staying in a place that most likely would please the majority was very important to us. My FI is divorced with two children so for us the adult only was not an option. I also have nieces and nephews that are coming It is a very individual decision and there are so many resorts in DR. I have stayed at 3 and by far PPR was the nicest, great food, great service, and not too big or too small. Also only two weddings/day at the max. My wedding coordinator, Lauren has been a pleasure to deal with, returns my emails within a day, and I actually like the straightforward pricing package. If you can, you should possibly go down and visit some resorts you are interested in. There is also a ton of info on this website from previous brides and brides to be. Good Luck!!!!! Kelly

Thanks Steph I will check it out

Hi Evelyn, I am having travel agent issues myself. They had told me two weddings a day only and the times are 4pm and 6pm. They only do one on the beach and one at the gazebo. I had originally wanted sat on the beach at 6pm but it was booked so they said 4pm gazebo was open so we went for the day before in order to do the beach cerEmony. It seems like they have made some changes do maybe it is one day now! I love the fact of only one or two weddings in the same day!! Good Luck Kelly

Your welcome.. This site has been amazing for me bc I was in freak out mode now I am settling in lol.... Lots of support ideas and info on here! I am envious u r doing jellyfish for reception I was scared to coordinate that as well! But I think it is probably soooo worth it!

You can email the romance dept at paradisus... Lauren has been great getting back to me to answer all questions:)

@luza $500 deposit for wedding date if one year or less... Greater than one year away $800 Then room block is $100 per room.... I believe as rooms are booked by guests they transfer that money over to your wedding costs! So $2500 would block 25 rooms but that is separate than the wedding date deposit!