EVKnowsitall

He works as a production artist in an advertising firm and has an artistic, keen eye. I am a bubbly high school teacher with a hobby of capturing every moment of my life- from the food we cook together in the kitchen, to our travels and date nights together. Pictures are moments frozen and preserved and aside from the vows traded, and the family and friends in attendance- are the most important part of a couples wedding day. Great photography should capture emotions, laughter, and accomplishments and transport anyone looking at them to the place and time they were taken. This is particularly important to my fiance and I because planning a destination wedding, while the best decision for us, certainly impacted the ability of our friends and family to attend. We want our pictures to reflect the love we have shared over the years and the love that will be at its highest peak on that day. Both of our grandmothers have faced health struggles this year and there seemed to be no happy medium in choosing a wedding location. My grandmother lives in GA, his in the Dominican Republic. Even though we are getting married in Punta Cana, his grandmother cannot travel to our wedding site. We agonized over the decision to get married somewhere where neither grandparent could travel but in our hearts knew we wanted to share the date with each. That is where photography comes in. Our photos are our way of insuring everyone- no matter their ability to travel, can partake in the most meaningful day of our lives. Photography is so important to us and incorporated in all the aspects of our big day. Our table numbers will have photos from significant moments in our lives and wrapped around my bouquet I will be holding a locket with my grandmothers wedding picture. While there is nothing like having the physical presence of a loved one, a photo provokes a thousand memories- and I want to be surrounded by them on my wedding day. I also want to make new ones. I want the photos chronicling our wedding to be timeless, to last through the years as our love grows, to be present all around my house, as a reminder of the day I married my best friend, and as a memento to pass on to my future children. My friends and family often poke fun at the fact that I am always taking pictures. I always tell them "I'm trying to freeze time!", and while I am no professional- that is what photography should do. We want a photographer who can capture everything from our goofy silliness, to our serious "I do" moment and everything in between. We have a tall order for our photographer and are looking for someone to rise to the challenge. In the end, the only things I will be able to take away from my wedding day will be the memories-and the photos that captured them.

Hey DP1 the $1,000 charge is in writing. It's not on the calculator but it's in the packet the Romance Planner sent me. I also outright asked her (Lauren) because I still didn't believe it after I saw it and she confirmed it. For me, it's the only thing I didn't like about Paradius. Photography is so important to me so I'm planning on paying the fee. I think you can avoid it of the photographer is a guest. Another photographer said they stay for one night as a guest to get around the fee. Not sure if that trick will work but it's worth a shot. Even if the photographer stood for the minimum 3 days it's still slightly cheaper than the $1,000.

Hey Ev whats your date? I'm also getting married July 2013. We thought to do a site visit but once you book since the $500 is non-refundable I dont think seeing the resort would change anything. I almost went this week but I had a family emergency that forced me to fly to GA instead.

Wow this dress is amazing. Each pic got better and better. I love this dress which is rare for me to say. I'm super picky! It looks fantastic on you, congrats on your wedding!

I'm on the fence about Arrecife. I guess it depends on the photographer. I scoured their Facebook and looked at some shots which was cool because I got to see some locations as well. The $1,000 fee for an outside photographer was almost a deal breaker for me. Photography is one of the most important things for our big day because, well what's the point of such a stunning location if the photographs are not capturing the beauty. Again, it depends on my budget. If the $1,000 fee is too much when we add everything together, then I might just have to trust Arrecife. They did have some gorgeous shots- I wasn't too much a fan of their TTD sessions and I MUST have a TTD lol not negotiable! We will see! I'm finally sending my Save The Dates- we were going to do Passports from David's Bridal, but I pointed out to my fiance that because of their heaviness, they'd probably fall off people's fridges. We're going with Magnets from Wedding Paper Divas that we fell in love with. I finally feel like I'm getting married! LOL It took us so long to narrow down a location and we went back and forth between Majestic and Paradisus.

Hi Tink, I am a NYC Bride as well. I was born and raised in Queens but moved to the Bronx a few years ago. I haven't settled yet and Majestic is holding my date and I only have a week to respond with confirmation to hold. I'm on the fence but you said you went to a wedding there and I wanted to pick your brain for a few of my concerns. How many weddings happened the same day as the wedding you went to? I asked for a non-private dinner setup and they said I was not able to choose the location if it was a non-private event. I am concerned about there being multiple weddings on my same date and that being an issue in regards to getting my requested facilities. You clearly booked after getting married there which means you must have liked it. Also, did your friend incur a change in price from what she was originally quoted? A few brides complained that the WC's tried to switch prices once they had already agreed on a set price since there is no actual contract signing- one of the things that worries me. Thank you for whatever help you can provide! Evelyn

Hello Ladies! I'm very close to zeroing in on the Paradisus Palma Real as my location for my 2013 wedding. I've been under a great deal of stress with the back and forth between Travel Agents and resorts and reached my breaking point last night to the verge of tears! Ridiculous I know, but I listened to ill-advised Travel Agents (I've been through 4) and it's been a total nightmare. I finally just bought a calling card and started calling resorts myself. Initially I wanted to book the Majestic Elegance but was rather disappointed in their handling of my emails and my actual phone call. None of my desired dates were available anyway- they were pushing me into hurricane season when it would be at its peak- a risk I am not willing to take. I also was not happy with the fact that they have 5 weddings a day. It felt like a wedding factory and as I expressed to my fiance, I had great concerns that if they could not handle so simple a request as availability of dates, they would be difficult to work with. I am still considering them by a thread- because they have an on-site chapel and they come with rave reviews, including from the mouths of people I know, but my gut instinct says to go elsewhere, so here I am. Lauren the Romance Coordinator at Paradisus says they only do one wedding a day. Is this true? If so- that's amazing. They'd be one of the few resorts to provide that for brides- which is why I suspect they are slightly more pricey, but something I might be willing to pay the extra for. I see most brides on this thread have not yet wed. Anyone here a PAST BRIDE? Luck in planning ladies, I look forward to exchanging ideas, pics, and info with you all. Evelyn

Hello Ladies, I am TRYING to be a 2013 Bride @ Elegance but have been going back and forth to secure a date. I'm so frustrated, I feel like I should just go down there but am worried the wedding coordinator won't even be available and I will have wasted money I'd rather save. I bought a calling card and have been calling but the number seems disconnected. I googled an alternate number which ended up being a Miami travel agency and the lady said to keep trying but that the number posted is the correct number. So aggravating! My travel agent gets a response every few days but the wait is agonizing. My guests are beginning to call, text and ask for advance notice so they can take vacations and I can only tell them- "I'm working on it!" Has anyone Successfully reached the resort through phone? I am exasperated! But from what people I know who have actually been there, posts on this website, and pictures, this resort really is my dream location. I considered The Dreams resort and Now Larimar but feel like I can't book sight unseen. Worried, worried bride to be lol Evelyn

Congrats on your wedding! Do you have any pictures you wouldn't mind sharing? I am having a super tough time figuring out quality resorts. I listened to 2 stupid travel agents who assured me 2013 brides would not book early and low and behold all our dates are taken! But Now has availability so I am curious about other brides' experiences. Evelyn

I am so frustrated trying to pick a resort! I just came across this one and am familiar with AMResorts who own Zoetry, Dreams, Now and Secrets. I like that the resort is smaller than some of the huge ones because its more intimate and I like that this resort seems to have more activities. When you went, were there a lot of kids? We only have 3 kids coming along but I don't want to stay at a children's central hotel. Also, could you please share your pics? Thank you! Evelyn You can email them to me at [email protected].

Carori- how expensive are the rooms? On the website it says from $213 and up, which is affordable but when I put in dates, the prices shoot up. I was hoping to get married here in late June 2013 or July. I am a teacher and want to get married when school is over. The Eternal Bliss Package is excellent for us price wise and we have about 50 people coming to our wedding- but not if the price is going to be exorbitant! We looked into the Majestic but it's like a wedding factory with 4-5 weddings a day and the dates we wanted are booked because we had a terrible travel agent who waited weeks to even call us back. She advised us not to go through the hotel ourselves because she'd negotiate better prices and the result was losing our date. We have a new travel agent who has already contacted the hotel but it worries me that you and other brides are saying they take a while to return the communication. I thought a destination wedding was the easier alternative once I became frustrated by planing a wedding here. It's turning out to be quite the opposite! How expensive are the rooms running your guests? Worried Bride! Evelyn