EVKnowsitall

We're staying in the Reserve. We did two days before because I want to have time to prep- but not too much time because I don't want to be a sunburned bloated bride and sun and alcohol too many days straight will do that to ya. We arrive on Wednesday and our wedding is Friday. We plan to party up on Wednesday but the day before to engage in low risk and low key activities lol. Then we return home the following Wednesday giving us 5 days after our wedding to enjoy.I think this was the smartest decision for us- and flights tend to be cheaper on Wednesdays.

I need something like this. My first fitting is Monday, May 20th and I need to have my shoes and my undergarments in tow!

He can get a shoe with a bit of a heel himself. My guy is because we have the same issue. We are nearly the same height, I'm probably just an inch or two shorter and my heels are 4 3/4 high. I tried them on next to him and we are just at the same height so as long as his dress shoes have a slight heel- which most do, he will be slightly taller than me the day of.

How long did it take to come and did it look well tailored? I want to replicate my actual gown for a TTD and I heard a few brides say they got dresses from China. My wedding is July 5th and we leave on July 3rd- so do you think I will have the time?

Can't wait to see your pics and hear your review! Good luck with everything! It's going to be amazing no matter what!

I love the alterations you did. The buttons and sash are a nice touch. It's so nice to have a something borrowed from another wedding. The dress fits you so perfectly. Congrats on your around the corner nuptials. You will be a gorgeous, elegant bride.

Hey Darlene- I am planning to do our rehearsal dinner at Bana- the Hibachi restaurant. I am meeting with the bridal party on the beach to rehearse. We are trying to see if the church will be available to have the rehearsal there- but there are no guarantees. After the rehearsal, we are going to dinner at Bana and I figured I would make the reservation for my family and bridal party and then tell all guests its optional but to make their own reservations. Even if we are not at the same table- which is not even possible for hibachi- we will all be together in the same restaurant. Then we will all go out together to Gabi beach or the lobby bar for drinks. The next morning- we are all eating breakfast together at the buffet- since its the best place to accommodate a large crowd. It's bad enough you have to pay for a wedding package even though you are at an all inclusive- I def do not believe in paying for an extra welcome party or rehearsal dinner. For crying out loud the rooms have mini bars and included room service lol. I thought of la barcaza but its not in our budget. Anyway, we are having a return reception which I am excited about but sort of regret because its pulling out major funds from my wedding. It's costing us about $7,000 : (. It was really stupid for me to book it, but I'm already under contract with the DJ and the venue. I had my reasons for doing it but a lot of friends and family no longer are in our lives so now I can't figure out why it was worth it. Oh well live and learn

This might sound crazy and selfish of me- but I am not paying the day passes for anyone who chooses not to stay with us. They go to a cheaper resort thats more cost effective for them which is great for them- but that shouldn't be an added expense for us. On our invitations we kindly requested that people book through our travel agent and wrote "Please be aware the resort charges a fee for visitors who are not guests at the resort. The fee must be paid before entering the resort premises" I called the resort and told them I did not want outside guests added to our bill and that they could collect payment from them directly. This helped convince people to stay with us- only 4 of our guests are staying at an outside resort. I don't see how its fair for the couple to pay that fee. Our wedding is at a place where people can stay for a reasonable price. If they don't want to stay they don't have to- but we shouldn't have to pay more money so they can save. If you think about it- the money they save from the room is being used on the daypass anyway- so that's not wise. We also discouraged guests by letting them know we had a rehearsal dinner the night before and other activities planned for the week and that if they stay at outside resorts they won't be able to enjoy those things with us. I don't think you shoulld bother with all that- let your guests do it. It's their choice but let them know the resort charges a fee when people walk in. The resort told me they would handle it and not assess it to our bill.

Talk about "Stop searching once you find something you love". I loved the church we were getting married in until I found another one. We are getting married at Jesus Al Maestro Parish which is fairly new and has a modern look to it. The outside doesn't look like a church but the inside has an aerial chapel and fans and looks nice and breezy. The other church I came across is called Nuestra senora de pilar. It has that rustic old world charm that I really wanted. Logistically- it makes sense for us to get married at Jesus Maestro- it is only 7 minutes away from Paradisus. The other church is 35 minutes away. We already have our paperwork arranged for Jesus Maestro. I asked about switching today but I'm not sure we can. It's like buying your wedding dress- once you have it you should stop looking. I have church regret! lol

The color match isn't even a big deal! you saved an incredible amount of money and they look great. Nice and vibrant.

We had guests do this too. Say "oh my sister wants to come, she wont go to the wedding but she will go to the resort. The girl who said this? Her sister has 5 kids. Then it was her sister and her husband and their 5 kids and her brother and her mother. People assumed that just because they were going on a "vacation" they could invite the universe. When I gently expressed my dislike, I was told "well its a public property you can't tell my family where they can and cannot go." I left it alone because when they called the travel agent and figured out pricing, they knew it was too much for such a large family. I didn't want a bridal shower but my matron and mom insist. Its going to be a cute simple affair in my matrons backyard. We are inviting all the same people we invited to the wedding and a few we didn't. The reason being that we are also having an AHR and we are inviting 100 guests to that. Also- we invited a few guests to the DW who had to decline and we invited them to the shower. The only exceptions of people invited to the shower and not the wedding are a group of girls (3) I met through my friend who wanted to come to my bachelorette. I met them a few years back and have hung out with them but didn't get close to them until after invites were out. Also- my fiance doesn't really know them. They all want to attend the shower and have asked me and since its informal I figured why not.

I don't think its entirely restrictive. More like a pain in the behind. Here's what we had to do: Register and complete pre-cana classes in our own parish. They give you a certificate for each class that you must complete. There are two sessions. The cost in NYC was about $250. Show proof of previous sacraments- baptism, communion, and confirmation. Luckily if you grew up in the church, these are all on one paper. If not- you will have to get them from each parish you attended. My fiance was born and baptized in the Dominican Republic so that was a huge pain in the behind. Unfortunately his grandmother passed away and his mom ended up going for the funeral so she went to his church and secured this document for us. We completed the other sacraments as adults 3 years ago together. A Letter of freedom- from your church granting permission for you to marry in DR. An Inquiry- an interview with your parish stating you are ready to receive the sacrament of marriage. Copies need to be faxed or scanned and emailed two months before your wedding to the church. Then, you need to bring the original documents with you when you go to get married so they can add the sacrament of marriage to the certificates. If you legally wed in the court before going you need to also bring a copy of your marriage license. It sounds harder than it is. If it means a lot to have the ceremony to you, you will do it. I didn't find it difficult- just like any other detail to arrange. I really had my heart set on a traditional Catholic church wedding. The only thing I was disappointed with was that you cannot walk down to aisle to any pop music ; ( It has to be religious church organ music lol. And the ceremony can be performed in English, Spanish, French, and a few other languages I cannot recall. The priest in the church in Bavaro apparently speaks a bunch of languages. Another conflict is arranging transportation there. It's ten minutes away, but other resorts have on-site chapels. We originally considered 2 locations with on-site chapels and althought that was a pro, other things made the resorts cons. The cost is about $935 dollars with taxes and fees for the Catholic Ceremony. We bought the Aqua package so its $5,000 for 24 guests however, we are at about 40 so thats an extra $2600. We have an outside photographer but he is a guest so we paid him $2800 and his room was $570. We booked him as a guest to avoid the $1000 outside vendor fee. We paid for a DJ so that was another $1,000. Our rooms cost us $2,660 for 2 people and flights were $1000 for us as a couple. With decorations and other details and decor added- the total cost is about $15,000- $20,000 for 40 people. I want to say its closer to $15,000 but I know all sorts of extra things will pop up last minute. I had to get a second job to pay for it all. YIKES! I traded my sanity and sleep for some bells and whistles lol

So I finally caved and registered at MyRegistry.com and its great! You download this little tool to drag in your bookmarks bar and then any website you are on, you click the button and it adds the item to your registry. I put a few items like fine china which is something we never got (Macy's), cutlery because our knives are pitiful (Sur La Table), a comforter set (Bed, Bath and Beyond), toasting glasses from Things Remembered etc. They also have a cash option. You can specify what the cash is for "down payment on first home" or "honeymoon". I left it entitled "Building our dream home" so that it was general. Our dream home can be anywhere. You can also add giftcards- I added 3 from HomeGoods (Love that place) Anyway- for those debating- I say go ahead. I was so anti-registry but MyRegistry is nifty. I considered honeyfund but opted against it because LivingSocial has excellent honeymoon deals and since we still don't know when we can honeymoon (has to be delayed bc of work) or where, we'd rather scoop up a last minute deal than have people contribute to it. MyRegistry is nice because it lets you compile whatever your heart desires from various websites (Even Etsy!). I password protected my registry so only our guests can see it. I am going to add a small slip of paper with the info for our AHR invites (Which I finally received and absolutely love) and in the bridal shower invites. My mom and matron of honor insist on throwing me a shower- I don't know when because my wedding is in 74 days! My friend offered her yard and wanted to rent tables and chairs ($150) a tent ($300) have her husband cook ($200) and just get beers and boxed wine ($200). Her brother is in a "Rockabilly" band and wanted to play live tunes. The total would have been less than $1,000 for 50 people which I thought was a great option but my mom called it a circus. For someone who wasn't having one, I thought it was a laid back and cool option. My mom wants it hosted somewhere else because she is worried about appearances and making it look "good" and wants to invite some stuffy people like her boss- exactly the type of thing that makes me dread bridal showers to begin with. In most of the ones I have attended- they are parties where women go for free wine, play lame games that have been done and overdone, and pretend to like each other. LOL maybe I'm just a tad pessimistic, but I have never really enjoyed any bridal showers I have attended.

Thanks Jill- I do have a travel agent and even though she has been wonderful- our guests keep coming to us with questions and we keep referring them to her. Even my mom does this, though I have provided my travel agents number to her multiple times. When its time to pay- people are like "I'll send you the cash or check and you pay the travel agent" She will send them an email with their balances and they will call me. Thanks for your kind words though. I'm hanging on for dear life- the process is not easy but I'm sure the outcome will outweigh all the headaches.

Hell yea Kelly I'm super stressed! It's so terrible to say but I kind of wish we eloped and just had an AHR. I thought planning a DW was easier but its tough. It's just as bad- if not a little more excruciating in terms of minor details. First we booked the 15 seats on the group air flight $1500 just to hold the seats (don't get that money back until AFTER the wedding) and that was one hurdle. Then it was the hotel and getting people to pay their room blocks with people dropping and then coming back and then dropping. I really can't even keep track of my guest list because it is ever-changing. Then I lost my MOH (Good riddance) and my Fiance lost two groomsmen. We just recently paid for half of the Aqua Package and our hotel room and a room for our photographer to avoid the $1,000 fee. Basically in the last 4 days, my account has been drained in excess of $6,000. It breaks my heart because I worked so hard to save that money! 7 months pregnant is a toughie! I hope your sister feels better. I guess everyone deals with their own issues regardless of where or how you plan your wedding. Something always throws you for a loop, you just gotta hang on. Hopefully she gets better and can travel. We are also staying in the reserve so I agree you can forego the bridal suite. Our cocktail hour is on the plaza and our reception on the beach. I liked giving my guests a variety of options to feel like they had an experience. I say the ipod is fine for cocktail hour. People are going to want to take pictures with you guys and mingle anyway- doubt the music will be that big of an issue. We're getting married in Court here first so we have to get the license in a few weeks and then go back for a wedding. Then I have to work between my parish and the parish in DR sine we are having a church wedding. I feel like any waking moment of free time- I am planning something or buying something for our wedding. Soooooo stressful. I just got my AHR invitations today and I absolutely love them. I got them from a vendor who has a banner ad on this website- Invitations by Dawn. The turnaround was unbelievable, but the AHR is just another stress for me. I put my bachelorette party to Ocean City MD square on my credit card- with people reimbursing me back. I spent $950 and have gotten back $117. Oy. Then there's my bridal shower my Matron of Honor insists on having. She had a beautiful confirmation for her daughter in her backyard- rented tables, chairs, a tent, and everything and wants to do the same for me. Im still on the fence with that. But it all adds up to a heaping serving of stress!

That was my dilemma with making bags. I know they will take up a lot of space because I wanted to get flip flops and a plastic cup along with other small goodies. I am probably going to get a very small thank you bag. I havent ordered my cups, so based on what you are saying, I'll probably go with a small tumbler and stack them up. My MIL just came back from being in DR for well over a month (her mother, my fiances grandmother recently passed). She said- bring an extra empty luggage because it is cheaper to pay for a second bag than to pay an overweight fee. This also happened to my mother at the airport and she had to transfer items to her carry on. I guess weighing bags at home and evenly distributing weight is the best way to go. I know the packing must be one of the most stressful components. Good luck with fitting it all together.

That was my dilemma with making bags. I know they will take up a lot of space because I wanted to get flip flops and a plastic cup along with other small goodies. I am probably going to get a very small thank you bag. I havent ordered my cups, so based on what you are saying, I'll probably go with a small tumbler and stack them up. My MIL just came back from being in DR for well over a month (her mother, my fiances grandmother recently passed). She said- bring an extra empty luggage because it is cheaper to pay for a second bag than to pay an overweight fee. This also happened to my mother at the airport and she had to transfer items to her carry on. I guess weighing bags at home and evenly distributing weight is the best way to go. I know the packing must be one of the most stressful components. Good luck with fitting it all together.

Yay- congrats ladies. I wish I gave myself more time to plan. My wedding is this July and I am so stressed about the timetable. I am a school teacher and my HS is having its first graduating class and I am the senior advisor responsible for organizing and running prom, graduation, senior trip etc. It eats up a lot of my time. Then, I picked up a second job to pay for the wedding and that takes the rest of my time so I have had to be real strategic about my planning. Time on your side is a great thing. I wish I gave myself more of it! But I was so eager and anxious to get married. I bought a wedding binder- I have one of those portable file boxes and I keep all my wedding related things in there. I have all contracts, printed emails, samples, etc. I also have a similar digital file on my computer. I recommend you keep all your wedding info in one place- it really helps. Also- make a checklist and cross things off a bit at a time instead of trying to do it all in one shot. Don't listen to people who say its too early to pick invitations or look at dresses. Start whenever you are ready but giving yourself time ensures you get what you want. I've had my dress since last April (a year!) but I have never had to worry about it. My last piece of advice is not to listen to anyone else lol. Family, friends, they have a million opinions. Do what feels right to you and your fiance. Don't compromise because people complain. I regret changing a few things to suit the desires of some of my family and friends- now they aren't even coming- so don't accommodate others. This is the one time you get to be selfish. Its YOUR day- be selfish! lol

Yay- congrats ladies. I wish I gave myself more time to plan. My wedding is this July and I am so stressed about the timetable. I am a school teacher and my HS is having its first graduating class and I am the senior advisor responsible for organizing and running prom, graduation, senior trip etc. It eats up a lot of my time. Then, I picked up a second job to pay for the wedding and that takes the rest of my time so I have had to be real strategic about my planning. Time on your side is a great thing. I wish I gave myself more of it! But I was so eager and anxious to get married. I bought a wedding binder- I have one of those portable file boxes and I keep all my wedding related things in there. I have all contracts, printed emails, samples, etc. I also have a similar digital file on my computer. I recommend you keep all your wedding info in one place- it really helps. Also- make a checklist and cross things off a bit at a time instead of trying to do it all in one shot. Don't listen to people who say its too early to pick invitations or look at dresses. Start whenever you are ready but giving yourself time ensures you get what you want. I've had my dress since last April (a year!) but I have never had to worry about it. My last piece of advice is not to listen to anyone else lol. Family, friends, they have a million opinions. Do what feels right to you and your fiance. Don't compromise because people complain. I regret changing a few things to suit the desires of some of my family and friends- now they aren't even coming- so don't accommodate others. This is the one time you get to be selfish. Its YOUR day- be selfish! lol

So awesome! Yup we might. I am there until the 10th. Are you getting married in a church by your home? I like the fan programs. They are a cool idea we thought about doing them too but our wedding is in the curch at 5 and the reception is late enough where people wont need them. I agree- no hair trial for me. trying to save money where I can. They really should give the brides the trial for a lower cost. At least 50% off! $125 seems steep. Your reasons for liking the bridal suite are the same as mine. It looked like a nice backdrop for photos but I wasn't sure if it was worth the expense. I agree that guests merit a little something extra but I think you are doing that with your welcome party. I'm not having a welcome party and extending the party an hour just seems like the hotels way of fanagling business. Everyone is paying to stay at an all-inclusive. Why should the couple encumber themselves with paying for an extra hour of alcohol when you can hit up one of the lounges and drink for free? I think crazy hour is worth it when you have a lot of guests. How many do you have? I don't have many so I don't know if I can justify that price. We might do the fire dancers though, because thats unique. I don't know- Jury is out on a lot of things, not that time is on my side or anything. I'm overwhelmed with the tying up of all the loose ends. Before I used to come home excited about planning things and now they are becoming chores I don't want to do haha.

Love your shoes!

Yep- thats the plan although I thought it was just Bana. Thats good to know- thanks for the info. Market grill has that nice outside area but the food isn't as formal. Bana looks fun because of the Tepanyaki tables. I am planning just to have the bridal party and immediate fam (moms and "dads") but I thought if we were clever and booked bana and had our guests book their own tables as well- we would all be in the same place and then meet in the lobby bar for drinks after. 2.5 weeks- you must be a.) super duper excited b.) a little crazy tying up loose ends c.) super duper excited! I I can't wait for your review and pics.

I love this tradition! It's so funny, I didn't mean for it to work out this way- but my entire something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue are in my bouquet. I feel like brides can incorporate the tradition quite easily nowadays. My groom is even in on the fun! Blue is our wedding colors and we have 3 hues in our palette. Originally I wanted blue shoes but fell in love with a pair of ivory shoes that match my dress. My groom has a blue suit and under the collar of the jacket he is having our names and wedding date threaded in. My friend has a custom suit business and she is designing the suit for him so its also like his something new. My friend offered to lend me her wedding shoes as my something borrowed which was a sweet gesture, but I ended up not liking her shoes. Here's what I settled on: My grandfather passed away when I was in HS and we were really close. My grandmother was at my proposal, but passed this past September. To honor both of them, their wedding picture will be my something old. I am attaching it in a little frame and having it pinned to my bouquet. I love, love, love this picture of them. My jewelry bouquet is my something new. My mom made it. It isn't finished- just in the preliminary stages. She is adding ribbons and a few more jewelry pieces. Initially the bouquet was my something borrowed- at my bridal shower I was going to ask each guest to bring a brooch, but I ended up not having a bridal shower in exchange for an AHR, so these brooches are all new. She added white hydrangeas as a base because my dress is blingy and I didn't want the bouquet to be all bling. For my something borrowed I was thinking of just borrowing a piece of jewelry from my mother to add to the bouquet or to wear- although I'm not 100 % certain of that. I think the borrow element is the most difficult! haha I completed my sacraments as an adult with my fiance. We took the classes together. As a gift- my godparents bought me this rosary. Since it marks the beginning of my religious journey- and marriage is a sacrament, I am wrapping it around the base of my bouquet to be my something blue. Hey Peach! We have a similar idea of our something old! And something blue- since its both of our wedding colors!