candacey

I ordered a bunch of travel-sized stuff (Advil, pepto, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, aloe, etc.) on Amazon.com and had it sent to a parcel service near the Canada-US border(an hour drive away). We spent $0 for shipping and will pick it up next time we drive to the States. we pay a small fee to the parcel service ($2 per package) which is cheaper than sending it to Canada. Because we'll be there 48 hours, we won't pay duty

MrsShoreytobe, where did you get dresses for $40?

Misskay, I personally would go with the later time (2 PM), as I would not be able to get ready (hair, makeup, etc.) by noon. I was originally offered a time of 11AM and insisted on a later time (although it will only be a symbolic ceremony). I also worried about what will my guests and I would do during the time between the ceremony and reception if we had several hours to waste. The girls wouldn't want to swim (and ruin their hair and makeup), so it would be a looong day in the heat. Food for thought....

Thanks natalieblev for the price list and information about the spa. NettyD, I think the reason why we are allowed to marry on the Friday is because we will already be married and are just doing a symbolic ceremony. I was originally given a time of 11 am on the Saturday but the time did not work for me. After a number of emails with Marlene and my TA, she agreed to move the ceremony to Friday at 4pm. Are you having a Catholic ceremony?

Great thread- thanks for starting! I'm sure you'll get to it when you begin planning the ceremony section, but I have also been noting "must play songs in my binder... Just an idea

Can someone please post the price list for Tropical Pictures or tell me where to find it? Do we need to book our spa time in advance? My ceremony is at 4 so need to have the bride room that morning (time suggestions?) for hair and makeup. Also, should I do my Tangerine facial that day or the day before? Should I do a manicure and pedicure before I leave or in the spa there? I leave on a Wednesday and the wedding is Friday. Thanks!!!

I am a Jan 2014 bride-to-be from Winnipeg as well. Getting married in Punta Cana :-)

Does anyone know if we can release Chinese wishing lanterns?

Wow, you are amazing! I, too, am wondering where you got the excursion and spa information.

I have been in contact with Marlene using [email protected] although sometimes she takes a while to respond.

Oops on the double post!

Our wedding date is January 10, 2014 at 4pm. We originally were given Jan. 11 as our date but the ceremony would have been at 11am, which just wouldn't have worked for us (not enough time to get ready & too much time to waste before dinner). We chose the Tangerine package, with our ceremony on the beach and dinner in Bar Higuey. We have 40 confirmed guests so far and expect about 10 more. I am waiting for an updated price list- it seems everything goes up each year! We booked using Ixtapa Travel agency and have been offered a few perks. Let me know if you have any questions about anything - we can help each other stay sane!

Our wedding date is January 10, 2014 at 4pm. We originally were given Jan. 11 as our date but the ceremony would have been at 11am, which just wouldn't have worked for us (not enough time to get ready & too much time to waste before dinner). We chose the Tangerine package, with our ceremony on the beach and dinner in Bar Higuey. We have 40 confirmed guests so far and expect about 10 more. I am waiting for an updated price list- it seems everything goes up each year! We booked using Ixtapa Travel agency and have been offered a few perks. Let me know if you have any questions about anything - we can help each other stay sane!

We also booked with a TA in January for our wedding in Jan. 2014. Our guests need to pay a $200 deposit by the end of May and can pay as frequently as the want, with balance due at the end of October. If the price goes down between now and then, we get the lower rate as well.

Tricia-m.... A fellow Winnipeger! So cool!! Feel free to ask me any questions... I'll do my best to help.

Rebecca, thank you for your detailed review! My FI and I (who are from Winnipeg- yay Canada!) are jealous- it sounds like a dream week, especially with the upgrade to the presidential suite! I would be over the moon to have that space. We are getting married January 2014, with our wedding planned on the beach. I will kee your post on hand as we continue to plan. Thanks again!

I just received my invoice and it's $4200 for the tangerine sunset package. The brochure I have stated $4000. I assume they are upping the price for 2014, but I was wanting to confirm other 2014 brides have been given this amount...?

I haven't posted in a while but am excited to say that my wedding has been moved from 11 AM on a Saturday morning to 4 PM on Friday. Thanks to the ladies who helped support my point that an 11 AM wedding is waaayy too early!!! For those of you who have paid your deposit, can you please tell me how the money transfer was handled? I do not have a wedding coordinator and am dealing directly with Marlene at BBPD. She hasn't responded to my email all week, in which I asked her if I could pay via PayPal or over the phone. I'm not too comfortable emailing my credit card information but would like to pay my deposit to ensure I get what I want! Thanks! Candace

If you are from Canada, download the Bargainmoose app, and you can get 33% off your Vistaprint order (until March 18th).

Natalieblev, thanks for the laugh! My guests (along with the groom and I) will be drunk by 2 PM if we have an 11 AM ceremony!! Trivera5521, how far in advance did you book your 4PM wedding? I think there may be other weddings that day, but the WC is being very unclear. She says we can chance a later ceremony time if there is a cancellation.... Seriously? How many people are actually going to cancel??? Also, she won't guarantee Bar Higuey until I pay 30% of the package ($1200). So... I am supposed to pay that much for a ceremony time I am unhappy with and no guarantee the reception will be where I want it?!!? I don't understand why she can't tell me if Bar Higuey is available that night... Especially if there are other weddings going on. Sorry to vent but I am freaking a little bit (not to mention expecting a baby in 2 days, so rather hormonal!) For other brides using Bar Higuey, did you confirm the location before or after your deposit?

H Hmmm... Thanks for the insight... I will have to clarify with the WC. We are only doing a symbolic ceremony and will be married before we leave. We may even ask a friend to perform it in DR. However, her email said "Please be advised of the following symbolic availability: January 11th at 11:00am." Not cool.

MissJali, that's fabulous! Do you know how many people would fit comfortably on the pier?

Hi Tamara, thanks for the information. I decided on the Tangerine Package and Bar Higuey...and I think a ceremony on the beach. Do you know much about having a ceremony on the pier? Is there an additional cost! How many people would it hold? I just heard from Marlene (WC) and frankly am confused as to why she offered a ceremony at 11 AM. I am not sure if there are a bunch of weddings already planned for that day? It's more than 10 months away! Anyway, here is what she said: Â Please be advised that we work according to our wedding agenda, note that if we do not have any other times available during those day it is impossible for us to confirm a wedding with a later time as per you mentioned below. If you are in contact with other brides, you know that we do as well confirmed wedding according to the availability of the dates. As right now we can put you on hold to see if we get any cancelations we may chance your ceremony time, this is not 100% sure but we can still try. Needless to say, my fingers are crossed that I can get a better time than 11 AM. It may even be a deal breaker for me at this point. I would love to see some of your pictures: [email protected] Thanks, Candace

Thanks for the info Tamara! I would love if you emailed me some pictures... My address is [email protected]. I definitely do not want my ceremony in the beach gazebo, but is the beach a little less public? It sounds like (from other posts) they move loungers, etc. away and that there is security... Is this correct? Also, do you have any idea how many people and seats can fit if we had our ceremony on the pier? We are not having a Catholic ceremony, so I am not sure why they offered such an early time. I am eagerly awaiting a response from Marlene, but realize it may take a few days. I am dying to send out my save the dates and website info to our guests so they can start booking!!! Thanks again, Candace

Can you please tell me more about the rooftop ceremony (size, features, etc.)? It sounds cool. Thanks!