SimplenSweet

I too, am booking Pastor York for my wedding at the Paradisus. He told me I owe him $350 for the ceremony the day of the wedding. The Paradisus is charging me $638 for this "religious" ceremony and have stated that they will pay him the $350 out of this $638 charge. Can anyone confirm this for me? Just sounds fishy....

Hi there! Your decorations sound very pretty- do you have pictures of the items? my wedding is Nov. 19th! Was wondering if the table clothes are for the round tables (at reception)? and the runners? Definitely interested in the vases and flowers for sure

oh goodness gracious....... I wonder when we'll be told who our new WC is? When is your wedding?

Hey there! I wish you luck on your wedding- it is so exciting! Do you have pretty much everything planned out Leila29? I think I'm going to book a photographer from Virginia to come with me... found 2 women that I'm deciding between- but they are doing the photography for free in exchange for me paying for 3 nights with flight for them- pretty sweet. Also, I heard about saving money on the rooms by doing the group. I am back and forth on if I made the right decision or not but it's too late now as most of my guests have already booked. I'm just going to try and keep everyone together with a rooming list that Cemone sent me. Speaking of Cemone I haven't heard from her in over a week- is this common? I basically sent a whole write up of exactly what I wanted- which is very VERY simple, and had her quote me on 50 people. I wonder if it's taking so long because she has to clear certain prices with the resort first? Would be nice to hear from her just to say she is working on it at least.... I know I have 5 months to go so I'm not too alarmed yet but I would like to nail down my wedding budget so I can plan on booking the photographer and other things like that. I'm trying to stay under $10,000 for EVERYTHING (week long trip for 2 included) which so far is proving to go well. I think I'm going with the fantasy package and adding on 40 people. The problem is I just want an arbor and veils set up for the ceremony (no chairs, no flowers or aisle decorations) and we're just doing a 2 hour cocktail hour and not doing a private dinner- just having everyone go to eat together at a restaurant (reservations obviously) and then going to the disco to dance (very non traditional). So, the packages are hard because they are giving me a lot of things that I don't need or want..... this planning stuff is still hard even for a destination wedding! thank you for your support- I look forward to hearing more about everyone's plans!

Is anyone else booking for the week of November 19th of this year? I just put in for my wedding date and time- Nov. 19th at 5pm! I am so excited. Pastor York will also be officiating and he already sent me a sample of the ceremony- the man is one the ball... I also had been going through a friend who is a travel agent, but I found that I could save a lot of money doing it myself. Right now my guests are booking through expedia or orbitz where they're able to save up to $1000 off the quoted travel agent price. One thing I'm discovering is PPC doesn't do a great job at accomodating and lowering prices for groups- maybe mine just because it is a holiday week? Anyone else have issues with this? I'm wondering if anyone else selected the a la carte wedding? I am trying to "build my own" right now and I'm just wanting to see a more "itemized" list from my WC, Cemone. I basically sent her the "wants", and she sent me a quoted price, but she didn't list what everything would cost individually (like how did she come up with the number $2100? Can anyone else help me with this? I am so excited... just wondering if Ill see any other brides while I'm there!

Hi there maridr2012... just wondering how you were able to confirm with Pastor Rick York about his available dates? just starting this whole process... looking for a november 23rd wedding date

Hi there ladies! I need help! I'm 25 and tryin to plan my wedding- I honestly want to keep it simple and sweet....my mom passed away when I was 14 and I think I lost the "bride gene" somewhere along the way- and I've really never had a desire for a big wedding ceremony or party. My fiance and I are planning to come down November 19-25 of this year, and we are having about 30-35 guests (mostly immediate family and a few close friends). I wanted to do the all-inclusive as it seems to be the cheapest option. I am thinking about booking the wedding for Friday, November 23rd. My ideal setting would be on the beach, with my family/friends standing around (no chairs) and no decorations (maybe a bridal bouquet). After that, I'd love to do pictures with hubby and with everyone. I'm thinking of just trying to ask for reservations at a restaurant (maybe at long tables) but not privatizing the whole place. Honestly, I don't want to pay more for a cocktail hour/drinks when it's an all-inclusive resort (I don't really mind being around other people). Is this do-able? After that, we just want to dance... not sure if there's anything to do there on Friday nights after 7pm... anyone have suggestions? Also, for the rest of the week we would like to try and do dinner together as well... just so we can have a section or a big table. Any tips and suggestions would be greatly appreciated~~ Jenna

Wow what a blog! I am looking for help from all you lovely ladies.... I've recently made contact with Paradisus and I am planning a wedding during the week of November 19-25 of this year. I am hoping to get the wedding slot on November 23rd. My thought process is going like this: I want a nice simple beach wedding (Pastor York sounds awesome), with really no additional decorations/chairs/etc.... we're expecting about 30 people. My fiance and my biggest concerns is being able to get everyone together for dinner every night. We don't want to privatize... just want to be able to sit in the same section/at the same big table. For the wedding I am thinking: married on beach at 4pm, take some pictures, and go to a dinner with everyone. I am not looking to do the packages as I don't need any of that stuff. I am thinking that since it is an all-inclusive, why pay for another private dinner? Our guests are just immediate family and a few close friends. After that we don't know what is available to do until the disco or other dance hall opens up around 11pm. Any ideas on how to fill the time after dinner until dancing? I'm willing to spend about $1500 for anything "wedding related", I just don't want the flowers, decorations, little extras, etc. Honestly, I just want this to be a nice, relaxing vacation, where we all take time out to celebrate our family's union. Secondly, we would just like to have dinner as a big group every night. Does anyone feel that this is going to be possible? I'm willing to pay a small fee every night. Our group will be growing as the week continues. We are planning to get there on that Monday, with guests arriving throughout the week until the wedding on Friday. Any help/suggestions would be great. Cemone from Paradisus contacted me with all this paperwork, but I don't know where the $500 goes to? Please help! Thank you all!~