EVKnowsitall

DJ Mannia is an approved vendor for the resort. Whatever prices the resort has- DJ Mannia's are the same. I would email DJ Mannia directly and find out if they are available for your day. I don't know how they are but considering their glowing reviews- we thought they would be the party starters and set the vibe we were looking for. I haven't seen a single negative thing about them. They are also easy to work with once the ball is rolling. You pay 50% deposit for the services. For DJ and MC for 4 hours I think its $990. Our deposit was $495 and the rest is due in cash at the resort before they play your wedding. They also have a lot of add ons and pretty cool services like ocean lighting if your reception is on the beach, projectors and screens, bubble and fog machines, LED dance floors, under table lights etc. The email is [email protected] Hope you are able to book!

Thank you Heather! I know 6 months sounds like a way away but I am a school teacher- my entire life is measured in months lol and I can tell you 6 months feels like its around the corner! I am finally feeling like we are getting married! We had a 1 year and 8 month engagement, so initially the wedding seemed so far away but now that contracts are pouring in and items are being purchased it feels real! My fiance and I keep looking at each other and going "wow 6 months" LOL we both can't believe it. Any excuse to try on your dress is a good one. My dress makes me feel a kind of beauty I have never felt in my life. I know it sounds corny, but it feels so ethereal and unreal when I try it on. My salon says I can swing by whenever to try it but I feel silly, plus I dont want them taking it out of the vault and my fingers touching it etc. My alterations fitting is in April and my final fitting will be early June. Yay ladies we are getting married!!!!! I'm excited to be a bride and to see all your reviews and your final, big days! There are plenty of beautiful dresses and ladies on this forum!

Hey Again Katie- your anxiety sounds similar to mine when I first started this process and all I can say is- it will work out and it gets better! So take a few breaths or have a nice glass of wine haha. I adore Gabi- but the privatization fee makes it ridiculous. My WC told me it is adjusted based on whatever package you purchase. For example- if you go with Aqua- they knock off $6,000 or so from the privatization fee and instead of $9,500 it is $4,500. I still considered that steep when I am only having 40 guests. Have your photographer take some shots at Gabi and then host the reception elsewhere. I used the money we will save for an AHR in our hometown. I don't know about the family friendly aspect- although the reserve in PPR has its own family/children pool. We only have 5 kids coming so we didn't look too much into it. The price difference was not that significant when I had my TA check. It was a difference of maybe $60 for a 3 night stay, $150 for a week stay.

Katie- Have you checked the PPC thread on this website? Try PM-ing a previous bride at PPC and asking about her experience. That's probably the best way to know. I understand your concern. We went with PPR instead of Majestic because of our concern for providing our guests with a quality experience.

Katie- I doubt I will be of much assistance but I will try. Don't fret! The Paradisus family of resorts is excellent in and of itself. I don't think you can go wrong. I picked PPR because of my online research. I was torn between PPR and Majestic Elegance and after I made the decision and paid the deposit, I felt similar to you- sick that I made the wrong choice. I think it's natural for Destination brides to feel that way because we don't all get to conduct site visits. I did so much research that it took about a month of looking online almost everyday to make my decision. I even cried about it (sad but true). Ultimately I chose PPR because I liked the PPR reserve better than the PPC one and we are staying in the Reserve. Also- if our guests were going to travel and spend money- we wanted them to feel enveloped in luxury. The price difference in our estimation- was not enough to justify saving the little bit of difference between the two. I also liked some of the wedding locations at PPR more. I think it's just a personal preference. I will say- after you decide- don't look elsewhere. That kind of goes without saying for any detail of the wedding. You might find another dress you like more or a bridesmaids dress you like more or invitations you like more. You just have to make a choice and not look back. Don't second guess yourself. Initially we chose Mexico but our family was not pleased. After we picked PPR I came across a resort in Mexico and fell in love and regretted my decision to move it to DR- so don't look after you have decided! I am certain the service at both resorts is amazing. If it truly bothers you- since they are both Paradisus resorts find out if it's transferrable. And don't let anyone else sway you. I lost a lot of non-refundable money because I let myself be easily persuaded by others. Sucks!

Thank you Kay! Blushing bride to be over here lol I'm going bridesmaid shopping this Saturday, the 5th, which will be exactly 6 months to the day of my wedding. I can't wait to pick out their dresses to find a compliment to my dress.

OMG I feel like money is flying out of my bank account faster than its coming in. So far I have paid: the $500 "good faith" deposit for the rooms, which was put back into my account once the ninth room booked (still have one room to get rid of!) a $1,000 deposit for the room block which will be credited towards our stay once the final room is booked. $500 to Paradisus to hold the wedding date $129- Save the Dates $300- initations $170 cake topper $1,500 block of seats with the airline $500 deposit for DJ Mannia $700 for my veil and headpiece (which there is a balance on) $800 retainer for photographer (balance still...) $300- Reception name cards, unity sand holder and sand, candle holders and trays for centerpieces $300- pre cana classes so we can get married in the church $1500- non-refundable deposit for DJ I paid when we THOUGHT we were getting married in NY And there's stil so much to buy and do!!!!!!!!!! How do people stay within a "reasonable" budget...and reasonable to me is $15,000, because I am about halfway there already.

Hey PokeyHolly, I ordered it's from a seller on Etsy. Her name is Serena Kim and her company is called Clayphory. And responds super quick- she was the most painless vendor to work with. I don't actually have my dress yet. I just went in for a fitting. It's in the vault at the store- thank God because I have nowhere to hide it from my fiancé. I'll be leaving it at my moms once I have it- but the store I purchased it from says alterations are done 6-8 weeks before the date of the wedding- which seems late to me but they say it's because weight fluctuates if you do it too soon. I'll trust the experts- although it doesn't need much altering.

Mandaleigh! I'm also having my reception on the beach. Glad to finally come across someone who is as well. Most people go with Olympus Terrace which I really wanted but it was booked. I have seen some nice pics I beach receptions and I was planning on having the LED dance floor at Olympus anyway. The Garden gazebo is small. For a group your size- they will probably place the seats around the gazebo so your guests can see. I think the gazebo is only big enough to hold the couple and the officiant. Missybee- we will be at PPR for a week. Our wedding is in July- we are waiting until December to honeymoon- a delayed honeymoon if you will...or I guess at that point it's just a trip haha. We are going to purchase a vacation package from Living Social. Hopefully Thailand! They have some great deals there but you have to purchase closer to the date.

Hi Nicole- congrats and welcome to the thread party! Lol I have heard nothing but great things from people who have already been to PPR, my travel agent, and in online reviews. It's why we chose it for our location. Your question is a good one- we sent STD and people started to call and say they were coming etc. I'm peeved about my invites because they should have gone out a long time ago and they aren't even finished. I ordered them in October. We wanted them out before the holidays. Honestly- if you send save the dates, people will end up calling or emailing for more details. With our save the date magnets, we sent a homemade business card (bought blanks from Staples and printed at home). On one side we put our travel agents info and on the other side our wedding website. We made the website for free with the Knot and it has an RSVP feature. On the business card we gently suggested people visit the website and RSVP. We got a small response. We knew a certain amount of invites would be definites. So we counted them and determined our package that way. We agreed we could afford a round number of 50 guests and you get 24 with the package. Right now we have 35 guests. Honestly I think if you can have your invites sent out earlier you may not need stds. My stds were from Wedding Paper Divas and were inexpensive, so it wasn't a big deal. My invitations also didn't cost an arm and a leg by typical standards, but I wanted them out 8 months before the wedding and at this rate they'll be out 6 months before which is ok for a regular wedding but not ok for a destination wedding in my opinion.

Omg I called you Cherubs lol it was the autocorrect on my phone! I meant Cherina haha sorry!

Cherubs those are adorable. So unique. We're they expensive? Because they look it so if they weren't good for you because your guests will be none the wiser. We wanted to do boxes but after pricing them realized it was not a feasible option for us. I love your colors!

Great that its resolved. My MOH is still missing in action lol and we did a group air and got 15 seats and I offered them to the first 15 people who would book and right away 15 people all but threw their credit cards at me. Price was $490 round trip. It's actually quite low- anyone who has gone to DR knows that- flights are $600 and higher unless you catch a sale but we are getting married 4th of July weekend so its considered a blackout date. Anyway she's on a cruise right now and was upset because she wanted in on the group air but couldn't communicate with me. I thought to pay her ticket- but we actually put down $1500 as a guarantee with the airlines and we dont get that money back until AFTER we fly. So I didn't really have the money to pay that AND her ticket. Then again...she hasn't even booked her room yet and all she had to pay was a $50 deposit- clearly money is not the issue since she's in the Bahamas as we speak lol...but thats why I named a Matron of honor- if my MOH drops for whatever reason, I am not alone on my big day! I don't think it matters who signs. Why not have family members sign if you thinks its an issue of concern? We are legally getting married in NYC before we head to DR and both of our moms and supposedly our BM and MOh are coming to witness. But we are having our parents sign the marriage license. Is it because you plan on doing it at the altar?

Great that its resolved. My MOH is still missing in action lol and we did a group air and got 15 seats and I offered them to the first 15 people who would book and right away 15 people all but threw their credit cards at me. Price was $490 round trip. It's actually quite low- anyone who has gone to DR knows that- flights are $600 and higher unless you catch a sale but we are getting married 4th of July weekend so its considered a blackout date. Anyway she's on a cruise right now and was upset because she wanted in on the group air but couldn't communicate with me. I thought to pay her ticket- but we actually put down $1500 as a guarantee with the airlines and we dont get that money back until AFTER we fly. So I didn't really have the money to pay that AND her ticket. Then again...she hasn't even booked her room yet and all she had to pay was a $50 deposit- clearly money is not the issue since she's in the Bahamas as we speak lol...but thats why I named a Matron of honor- if my MOH drops for whatever reason, I am not alone on my big day! I don't think it matters who signs. Why not have family members sign if you thinks its an issue of concern? We are legally getting married in NYC before we head to DR and both of our moms and supposedly our BM and MOh are coming to witness. But we are having our parents sign the marriage license. Is it because you plan on doing it at the altar?

It's never too soon to start planning your wedding. I have actually already ordered my custom invites and am awaiting delivery, I have my dress, my veil and my headpiece, my unity sand pillars, have booked our flights (we did a group air through our travel agent for 15 people...it was a good deal but it was a pain in the ass...but oh well- I'm flying with 15 other people lol), we have our hotel booked, our custom cake topper done and awaiting delivery, our DJ booked, our menu chosen, some decorations selected, and are in the beginning stages of planning our AHR. I'm super excited- It felt like for a long time we were just researching and waiting. I didn't feel like we were planning a wedding. Now it's so chaotic, but its a fun chaos to see things fall into place.

I have a cathedral veil and it really brought together the look of my dress. I think veils make for gorgeous photos- as evidenced above but I just felt incomplete without one. It really depends on the bride's style, there is no right or wrong answer. It's what makes you feel beautiful. I like my veil flowing all around me, I feel ethereal haha. And I am also marrying in a church and having my veil follow me makes for great dramatic pictures and has that traditional church feel for me.

Wowzers thats quite a budget. But I understand not wanting to compromise. That's the predicament I'm in. Unfortunately, I will not have that kind of money to set aside, since we are paying for our wedding squarely on our own. We also have to squeeze an AHR into our small budget. But where there's a will there's a way. LOL I used to bartend in college, so I took a refresher course and I am bartending for the wedding! I picked up a weekend job to make some cold hard cash. My fiance thinks I'm nuts- but hey, why not- and I find bartending to be fun.

This dress looks amazing on your frame. I love the clean, flawless look it has. Great choice for your figure. Congrats!

That's what I did! I also chose my MOH in haste. My best friend from college and I had a "falling out" and I always wanted her to be my MOH- we always talked about it in college. We ended up patching up our friendship but by that point i had already selected my MOH. At the time- she was the most excited about my wedding, she called me to check up on me, I felt like she bothered with me. I have another close friend who I met professionally post college. I stay in her house for days at a time in the summer (we're both educators) and her daughter asked me to be her sponsor for her confirmation! Lately my MOH has been MIA and she started giving me some pushback. She sent me pics of these over the tope bridesmaids dresses that looked strikingly similar to my dress. She said she didn't want "typical bridesmaids dresses". Everyone else agrees on a simple style but she wants an ornate dress. She's been fighting me tooth and nail over little things and hasn't started planning anything- my fiances groomsmen found out they were groomsmen and booked and paid for his bachelor party a week later. Every time I try scheduling something- its a nightmare. She was supposed to run in the ING marathon and told me she couldn't do anything until then- so I respected her space. But the marathon was cancelled because of Sandy- and now its the restructuring at her job. I didnt have the heart to demote her (even though in some regards she deserves it) because she was the only one who came to my dress fitting and she cried when I asked her to be my MOh (I asked her over brunch after saying yes to the dress) so I just made my other really great friend my Matron of honor- since shes married. She was elated. In retrospect- I would have made the friend I asked to be my MOH to be in the bridal party and had my Matron of Honor serve as my MOH- bust c'est la vie. I now have two.

That is adorable! I love it! I can't say my ring has a personal touch lol. I thought my fiance would design his own because we have a friend who's father works in the diamond district and he works in advertising. He has a great eye but he didn't attempt to design a ring lol. He had my mom take me one random day and l ate it up hook line and sinker. I just tried on different rings, she took pics of them, and she sent them to him. They ended up going together anyway. I love the idea of the heart details. You must look at it and smile every day! So sweet.

July 5th, 2013 here! I guess I will be the first so far in this thread to take the plunge! LOL I hope some more July 2013 brides get on this thread. I'd like to talk about planning times and when the July brides are sending out invites, making their bags (if they are) etc. and discuss weather (and why we thought July was a good idea? LOL) COME ON JULY!!!!!

I love princess cut. Initially when I tried on rings with my mom on a regular day at the mall (we are girls, who hasn't done this...I hope I'm not the only one haha) I fell in love with a similar set. When my mother took my fiance, they no longer had the princess set- someone bought it. He bought the same set I fell in love with but with a round cut. I didn't think I wanted a three stone ring nor did I like the round cut, but I ended up loving it. I love your set because it was the original one I fell in love with. It looks nice on your fingers. I love the combination.

Cokonlove! I saw this dress online and thought it was a stunner. It looks gorgeous on you! I love how it looks in the back. The bodice is so sexy! And your veil is the perfect length to accentuate the detailing where the gown splits. Congrats on finding your dream dress!

Aww its adorable! It's funny- I showed my fiance the picture of our sketch and he loved it and then my heart sank and I realized "oh crappers- I just showed him my dress" I didn't make a big deal about it but I asked him about it later and he said he didn't remember what it looked like because he only saw the sketch briefly. At least I realized while it was still a sketch- but that means when the topper arrives, he can't see it. This topper is so cute. I love how even though they are clay or porcelain, they are realistic looking. I love that so many brides want to incorporate their pooches! My mom is not at all thrilled about that. She has a pretty traditional mindset when it comes to wedding details and she doesn't really like my kitschy side. But these kind of toppers are not only personal and adorable- but they become a keepsake. I love em!

We might forego an E-session unless I can find a cheap one on Living Social. I have seen deals in the past for $99 but there are usually restrictions on locations and dates etc. I wanted to do them along the Bronx River Parkway- there is a park with bridges over water and picturesque scenes and we can include our beloved dog (we already added her to our cake topper...we wanted her to be our flower girl ). Right now, an E-session is not in our budget, but I am hoping to secure a second job on the weekends to pull in some extra funds. My friend who recently got married said the E-session was the most fun part of the process for her. Initially I wanted to use the pictures in photo cubes on the tables as table numbers, but they don't fit in with the rest of our decorations. I want to incorporate pictures from our courtship somehow because we have many great ones from travels and our HS prom! I will find a way to sneak em in lol But there are many uses for the E session photos- and they are so nice. I have not seen any E-sessions I have not liked. It gives you a chance to show your personality.