kch727

We purchased the unforgettable package for 1050USD prior to getting to the DR. We also paid 1000 USD for a private reception held at the Garden Grill. Our package included 3 floral arrangements for decoration of the wedding gazebo which they move to your reception after the ceremony has concluded. The package also included the trio to play at the reception which was nice but definitely not necessary. They also set up a sound system and will play music that you have on an iPod which we used for when I was coming up the aisle as well as afterwards - the wedding coordinator looked after this for us - we just made a playlist. We paid extra for the bridesmaids bouquets (I believe this was $30 a bouquet) and for the groomsmen boutinieres ($12 each). I also paid a little extra for my bouquet because I chose calalilies which were extra from the florist. There are lots of flowers to chose from that would have been free with our package so you definitely do not need to spend extra here unless you want other people to have flowers other than the bride and groom. They do not have a price list for these items - the coordinator literally calls the florist they use while you are meeting wit hthem to get the price quotes for the flowers you choose and what they quote is what you are charged. We did not pay for the canape service or bar service. The bar service by the staff at our private reception was excellent and free flowing. The only reason to pay for this would be to have access to premium, top shelf booze. We did not rent a sound system or DJ either - we had our reception at 7:00 and stayed until around 9:30 and then went back to the Esmeralda lobby and brought a bunch of tables together and sat with our guests and visited and had a few more drinks - some of our guests went to the main disco that evening but we hung out with family and packed it in early (it's your wedding night afterall!). Pictures is definitely where you can spend anywhere from $500 to $5000 depending on what you want. We went with the pics included in our package and paid an additional $900 to have a beach photo session after the ceremony and more pictures - 85 in total (the ceremony photo session is included in all of the packages I believe). But you can pay more to have the photographer follow you all day and the packages include more pictures as you go up in price. They take lots of pictures and then you pay per picture if you don't have any included in a purchased package or if you want more photos than were included in the package you chose - I believe it was $8/pic but can't remember exactly. All told we paid $2400 for the wedding package and upgrades and just about $1000 for the pics. Hope that helps you get a better idea.

I just returned from our wedding at the Gran Bahia. Everything was excellent and as expected. We met with the coordinator the day after we arrived and coordinated details such as the flowers, cake and table set up for our guests. At this time we also went over anything previously discussed or requested. The only snag we ran into was the ribbons for the chairs we had wanted as they weren't available (although my fault because I did not send my request for colour ahead of time). After meeting with the coordinator they advise you to meet with the photographer to go over options/special requests as to what you would like from them. Their packages range from what is included in your package up to a base price of $3500 USD for full coverage of your day (getting ready to reception). One thing to consider for pics is that if you pay in USD cash you avoid paying the 17% tax that is charged when paying with a credit card. We opted for coverage of the ceremony as well as a beach session afterwards. Charge for this was about 900 USD and included 85 pictures excluding what was already included in the wedding package we purchased. The pictures turned out well and were put on a disc for us to bring home with us. If anyone has any specific questions I would be happy to answer them for you.

Have fun and be sure to post all about it afterwards!

Where did you find the water bottles and how much did you pay? I was going to get travel mugs as well as the small sized water bottles but maybe putting the labels on the travel mugs would be good enough... I was planning to call the airport to see if it would be fine to include a case of water as part of luggage (with extra fees for the weight as I am sure).

Just one month to go until the wedding! Just in the process of getting together welcome bags and timeline cards for the wedding day - is anyone else doing these for their wedding? Hoping it won't be too much stuff to pack and bring on the plane! I was going to include personalized water bottles but don't know if I should pay to bring a case of water or try to buy it when I get there... I ordered labels to put on the bottles from etsy as well as linen bags with our names and graphics for all of the items to go in.

To do the symbolic ceremony do you need to get legally married before or can you do it when you come home? I really do think the whole thing would be much simpler if we could just do the legal part of everything in Canada.

Just wondering who all is getting legally married down there and what all that entails exactly in terms of sending documents and how long ahead of time you sent everything. Initially we were going to get legally married here but after hearing all that his involves we are starting to change our minds. I am still just waiting to hear back from the resort whether or not the judge is available to marry us on the day we have selected but would love to hear what anyone could offer as to the process involved. Thanks!

That is the address I have corresponded with in the past but I haven't sent anything within the last month so not much help - sorry. You could try the address listed on the main website and see if they could maybe redirect you or figure out what the problem is...

There is an agreement box that you have to check before you submit the photo so that could be the issue...

I am also haing my reception at the Garden Grill. I was able to find where it's located. It is on the Punta Cana part of the resort and number 14 on this map.

The e-mail address I have been corresponding with is [email protected]

The e-mail address I have been corresponding with is [email protected]

Has anyone decided where to have their private reception? We have the option of the Garden Grill, Il Capricio or Piscis (which I've heard is quite big so probably too big for the 35 or so guests we will have). Also, just wondering if anyone has heard about the quality of food from the Garden Grill and the Il Capricio? The menus from both places look good but you never know! Has anyone else seen pictures of these venues? I have some if anyone would like a peek. Il Capricio Garden Grill Pisces