natalieblev

Coco holly I just asked to bring my own equipment just for the ceremony. (SO that i could play my own songs to walk down to) and then have the trio for the cocktail hour. Marlene said absolutely not. That i would either have to rent the DJ's equipment for both reception AND ceremony (which is an extra 300 some dollars) or just use the trio. So since I had already booked the reception DJ equipment and she still wouldnt let me bring my own stereo for just the 20 minute ceremony I doubt she will allow you to bring in your own stuff. BUT IF SHE DOES- let me know, cause i have a feeling I could get around this and it is really aggravating that she said no. I mean what would she do if i just started playing my music that day? Run and shut it off?

ncordero I am so sorry to hear that!! I hope you are doing okay as I am sure it was a shock to you! Thank you for all your helpful feedback so far! And I hope everything works out for the best for you!

Just an FYI Tropical Pictures on facebook added a bunch of new photos...even of the cocktail hour and the rooftop bar area. But lots of weddings and they are really nice. Actually so nice I am starting to think I may use them after all.

trivera I love #1 and 5! I am a big fan of the rosette look of number 1 though.

Hi Ladies! All these dresses are gorgeous! Here is mine! I don't have a picture of me in it yet.

Hi Aquatracie...Congrats your day will be here before you know it!! For your questions...i have no idea about the iron, but for sure you cant get the resort to steam your dress. They dont do it there. Some girls have said to put it in the bathroom and run a hot shower to get the wrinkles out. Hope it works cause my dress will need de-wrinkling too!

Has anyone brought their own music player to play ceremony music rather than rent the DJ equipment? Just for the ceremony, not the reception.

Hi Ladies! Thank you all so much for reviewing here lately. It is such a help! JRM did you have any issues bringing food/candy through the airport customs? Did you have to get permission ahead of time? Did you bring your own vases for centerpieces? I have never seen those on pictures before. And I am thinking I may do that. Also, as this is my first wedding and my first time even going to a destination wedding, much less planning one, I am wondering the etiquette on tipping your wedding planner? I know in the states it is custom, but is it the same there? Especially considering the amount...like my sister who had a big wedding in CA tipped 1,000 to the WC. Any info would help. For my OOT bags....we are planning on survival kit items, a map of DR and resort, the week plans, info for activites at the resort, beer koozies, sunscreen, DR local snacks, my TA found cheap 6 pack coolers that she will go to the grocery store once there and fill with a 6 pack of beer, some personal items for the wedding party like my husband to be and his crazy friends always think it is funny to wear short shorts when on vacation (Even though they are 30 him and his old hs buddies try to take a trip every year to somewhere), so we will include some laughable short shorts for the pool. For my bridesmaids I am thinking magazines, a robe for the day of, and still just thinking. (My wedding is not until next summer). Oh also for the kids we will do sand buckets and toys geared towards the beach/pool, plus some little snacks. I am still trying to get mine decided on, but my TA was just recently there doing a wedding and so she knows what is available at the resort/the stores around it/ or what we would need to bring in. Hope that helps a little.

Trivera I think I saw your dress on Say Yes this afternoon. A girl who worked there said yes. Not totally sure but looked just like it and was same designer! It was gorgeous!

Busy Bride Are you home yet?? We cant wait to hear about your wedding!!

trivera I actually got pretty much the same pictures as I believe Busybride posted a while ago. Just the table setups in red, blue, etc. Each one had like a pineapple or maybe a clear tall vase with marbles. I didnt see any with flowers. I still havent gotten the flower options that are included in the Tangerine package. I dont even know where to start really because I cant figure out the little things until the big things like DJ, flowers, Photographer are done. (Budget wise!) If you have any new info my email is [email protected] it would be so much appreciated! I sent Mayte at Jellyfish an email just about having a rehearsal dinner there and she sent me the most detailed stuff about having a wedding there and was like "I will do whatever you want and need." I almost fell outta my chair at how quick and helpful she seemed...almost wish I would have planned my wedding there because she is so much more helpful. Oh well!! Sunny how did your rehearsal at Jellyfish work? Did you have a fixed menu? Did they offer like family dining style platters or did everyone order what they wanted?

Also are any brides bringing in things for centerpieces for the reception? Are you having a hard time getting them to agree to this? Do they care? I have seen their centerpieces, even the upgraded ones and no options include flowers??? Is that correct? What types of things are you bringing in to make your wedding YOUR wedding as opposed to the wedding they set up for you?

I was wondering if anyone has a price on having your rehearsal dinner at Jellyfish? I am expecting about 50-60 guests.

Lalala Communication with the resort WC's will continue to be slow and it will be hard to get your questions answered up until (it seems) one month before your wedding. Most of the planning seems to happen once you get there, which is so annoying, but you will get some questions answered. You just have to be persistent. Also from this forum it seems that if you do get a calling card and call the WC directly, they will answer questions alot faster! But from what past brides have said, although it is annoying, the weddings turn out great and it is a good time all around.

Parrish I am not sure of any other locations that are "included" in the packages. However, maybe you could ask for the rooftop deck to be your reception location. It would not be very private, but would keep you from the beach and would be a beautiful overlook of the area. Not sure if they allow that, but could be an option. Also many people have talked about Jellyfish restaurant as being a very good reception location. This however would be a whole different price package as it is not affiliated with the resort, but it is very beautiful and everyone gives it amazing reviews. Hope that helps a little.

disazaja Thank you so much for that link. Those pictures are AMAZING. I feel like I have to have the photographers now. They are amazing and take the most gorgeous pictures. I sent them a request and am crossing my fingers they will be in PC when I am. I just got some sample pics from Tropical pictures and they are NOTHING like these, especially for the steep price! Thanks again!

Hi Emm Well the waiting list really was more of a time list...they hadnt opened the 2013 dates to reserve, so the list was basically "waiting" for that to be released. If it does come back as an issue (the day you pick) then i would suggest choosing a day during the week. Even though these are destination weddings, it seems that most brides still pick Saturday to get married. I chose a thursday in June of 2013 and had no problem whatsoever, even being able to get confirmation on the reception location. Also keep in mind the regular Barcelo is Adults ONLY. I booked the tangerine because i knew we were going to have atleast 35 people coming and didnt want to worry about upgrading everything (cake, chairs, etc). As long as you are changing to a higher upgrade (say from strawberry to tangerine) im sure they dont care...it would be going down that they may not be okay with. I dont have marlene's direct email address as I have a wonderful TA who does all the communicating. I have seen on here that many are paying deposits for the rooms to be blocked off, but I have not had to do that. I just have my guests contact my TA and they get their room reservation through her and make their own room deposit at that time, and then have until next april to pay the remaining balance. (This does not include flight). The best way to know how many rooms to block off if that is the path you want to go is talk to alot of the guests you are inviting. I sent out an email to family members and close friends before we decided to do this to see how many were in, were maybes or just would not be able to attend. This helped me budget, chose the place, and know if it was even a right decision for us. My list of maybes is still longer then my no's and yes's, but like i said i am having my guests make their reservations whenever they are financially able to do so, so I wont have a for sure answer probably till next year and that is not a worry so far. When it comes time to start ordering OOT bags and gifts and things, thats when it might be a pain. Hope this helped a little!

Thanks trivera for all the info! I havent posted enough I guess so I cant open the price listings, but that is a really awesome thing you are able to do by trading services rather then paying for the trip and the time. I would love to do this! I am in Chicago, so I may even try to get up with the same person who did Sunny's weddding, although who knows if she will want to go back again! But her pictures were so pretty! My TA just emailed me and said she had the photography and DJ info, so hoping she will have all the pricing, but if not I know who to come to! Thanks again!! Really appreciate it!

Hi ladies. I am having trouble getting responses about how much Tropical Pictures is going to be/. Does anyone have any information regarding their prices? I'm worried because if it was cheaper for Sunny to fly down a photographer, pay for her way for a week and get the service and prints for cheaper then one day of pictures, that is insane to me and ill need to start looking for someone too. Also does anyone know if they are even that good? Any info would be much appreciated!

Thanks Trivera I would appreciate it so much. My email is [email protected] That is the first I have heard about even seeing flower options, other than what other brides have posted on here.

Sunny- did you pick your own flowers?

So I have a question about flowers. Have any of you future brides been able to say this/these are the flowers I want and they said it was do- able? I can't get an answer about flowers at all. I don't want to just have them pick my bouquet but it seems like that's what they do. So has anyone had any say in flower choices at all?

Thanks again Sunny for the information! My TA just returned from BBPD for another wedding and she said that it is very well handled and runs very smoothly. That the WC's are so extremely busy she sees why now that it is so difficult to get an answer from them when you are not there. Just wanted to share though for nervous brides...it seems like everything goes really well once you arrive and have your meeting.