Nycfashionista

Ladies, I'm back from my wedding (13 days ago!!) and overall am very happy with my decision to do it at the Paradisus. It was the best day of my life so far!! My on-site coordinator was Beatriz Rosa and she and Miguelina (who is very pregnant) both were there making sure things were going as planned. Beatriz is very organized and made me feel confident that she was going to execute everything as planned. Miguelina is her boss and again, also very nice and you can tell that they take their jobs seriously. It has been said before but the grounds of this hotel are incredible. I mean, I really felt like I was in the middle of a botanical garden. The place is picturesque and my now husband (haha) and I walked in both directions every morning on the beach, and rest assured that the paradisus punta cana is the best looking hotel from the beach. On to the details: Friday night - I reserved room for 20 of my family and bridal party at the GRILL restaurant for dinner. The food was good and the wine kept flowing. The salad and dessert portions will be buffet style but for your main course the servers come around to take your orders. The only complaint that I have here - I was told that I would have 2 long tables for my 20 guests but when we arrived there were 3 round tables. The configuration was bad because my new in-laws had to sit at the table that wasn't near ours. Just weird but I didnt pay for this so I didnt feel like I was in a position to complain and also to have them arrange the square tables. I would make sure that you tripple check the seating arrangement for your rehearsal dinner if you do this. Saturday Night - We did the tailor made package that includes the BBQ. We made sure that everyone of our guests dressed in white and made it an all white party on the Beach. This event was just so cool and we are both really glad we could do this. The food was pretty good too and the bar was great. They had servers coming around taking beverage orders for all of the tables which I didn't know they would do, so that was nice. We paid for the ipod hook up and I was glad we did because this way we were able to set the tone for the party. Everyone was so happy and taking photos. Again, Beatriz was there for most of the event. We paid to have vases with seashells and candles on each of the tables, they were nice but could not stay light up because the beach is so windy. Sunday - The big day had arrived!! I arranged to have ANNA NUET (hairstylist and makeup artist) come and do my makeup as well as the bridal party. I did A lot of negotiating with the Miami coordinator to remove the $1000 outside vendor fee for Anna because 1. i didn't want some random person at the spa to do my hair and makeup 2. I read ALL of the contracts and no where did it specifically state that hair and makeup artists were considered outside vendors. Make sure you read all of your papers very carefully. I worked with Jessica from the Miami office and just pushed very hard on this point. I told them that this was not negotiable for me as hair and makeup is quite a personal choice that I should be allowed to make. Anyway, I paid the 120 fee for her day pass only. Anna Nuet is AMAZING, I was soooo happy to have her there. She worked fast and remained calm despite us running about 1 hour late. It was my hair that delayed everything because I have a ton of hair. She's worth the money and the fight with the hotel. I felt the prettiest I've ever felt. A little about the spa - my mother in law and 2 of my nieces had their hair done at the spa and they actually did a great job! So don't be too worried about this. I paid for the rental of the bridal suite to get ready form 9 am to 5pm and I'm glad I did. They had a really beautiful set up of food and champagne/water and OJ for us. Plus we ordered room service which is included inside the resort. Bridal suite rental was $300. I'm sure if you have a lot of people coming to the hotel, you could also negotiate to have this fee reduced and or removed. We took photos of the first look, family and bridal party before the ceremony. This was fine except that because everyone was delayed from my hair delay, then some of the women who were still getting their hair done during bridal party photos were a bit late. We ended up doing the photos in the Lobby because the sun is too harsh for photos in any of the open spaces of the resort before 5pm. We did some photos on the beach after the ceremony with the balance of the guests. The ceremony set up on the beach was perfect. Gold tiffany chairs, the included brown lanterns (plus and extra $30 for the candles), ivory drapes. I paid for an extra table to have brushes for my guests to de-sand. They added a bunch of staging decor items to that table and I was so happy they did this. Everyone was saying how nice it looked. I also brought with me some Burlap fabric and a "shoe Valet" sign for guests to leave their shoes. Again, Beatriz set up all of this stuff and didnt charge me extra. Our officiant was the woman you may have seen in the paradisus albums, she has short hair. She was incredible and I'm so sad I can't remember her name! She read the ceremony so beautifully and also read our letters to her speaking to "why I love my mr. fashionista and Why he loves me". We saw this in a wedding and loved this set up instead of us reading our own vows. At the end of reading our letters, she actually was crying! How amazing is that?! The ceremony was my most favorite part of our wedding and I will never forget it. For the cocktail hour - we decided to do it right next to the ceremony location on the beach. We paid for some lounge furniture to provide some seating for the older family. It was great. In the tailor made package, there are also 4 high-boy tables for guests to rest their drinks. We had some extra money (from some last minute cancellations) and decided to pay for a signature cocktail. We chose strawberry mojito and it was worth the money. All of the guests loved it and it was different enough from what they had all been drinking in the rest of the resort. We brought out own signage. We also paid for the Ipod hookup for the cocktail hour which is nice because the cocktail hour is longer than 1 full hour. For the reception - we decided to do this next to the pool. We paid for the master of ceremony and DJ. They were Ok, in the beginning during the formalities of speeches, cake cutting and first dances the music and the pace is slower. But eventually after dinner the party got really good and then the crazy hour happened which was a lot of fun. It feels like Mardi-gras! lol but it was good because it gave everyone a second wind and it just a fun time. Our cake, which we paid for fondant and 3 tiers was beautiful but a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be. I barely ate cake but my brother said the cake flavors we picked were great! They messed up our intro song but it's partly our fault because we didnt give the file to Beatriz until the day before the wedding. They played the wrong version of our song, not the cooler remix I wanted. In Hindsight, I should have paid for the extra hour for the reception. People are not kidding when they tell you how fast time flies. That is my one regret and at this point you've already spent a small fortune so what's a little more? :-) We brought our own menus for Beatriz to place at each place setting. We brought bathroom kits but wished we hand't because there arent private bathroom for the pool area. We brought stuff for out of town bags and had Beatriz get us water bottles to add to them. She charged us for each. Overall, we loved the hotel and comparing it to the other hotels on the strip of beach near us, we were convinced that we picked one of the best ones. No one from our group was sick from food which I thought was pretty remarkable. The food we found to be the best we've had from other hotels we've visited. Our guests kept telling us how tasty the food was from our events and these are all foodie-type New Yorkers! Advice: When you get to the hotel, make sure that the people that you want near you in the hotel complex are moved to rooms close to you. I did this during my meeting with Beatriz and was glad I did. The hotel complex is HUGE, so big that they have trolleys and golf carts circling the grounds all day transporting people back and forth. Bring a lot of singles with you! there is a lot of tipping you want to do when you are there. Don't forget this! Remember that when in the DR, you are on island time. Things that take 5 mins in the states take longer to get done in the DR. Be calm and be patient otherwise you'll stress yourself out. Feel confident that your wedding will be put together by people that do this very often. We saw multiple weddings happening and other events happening and the staff knows what they are doing. Please write me with any questions you may have. I know how nerve wracking it is to plan a wedding via email but again, these people take their jobs seriously.

AHHHH, I'm getting married in 24 days!!!

Thank you!! I can't wait to wear it....it's hanging in my closet already! eeek Thank you! The dress with WATTERS CINZIA from their fall 2014 collection. I believe the dress is still going around in trunk shows. Love at first sight, I saw on instagram. It arrived only 2 or 3 months after I tried in on and ordered it. It's hanging in my closet! :-) Thank you!! It is the WATTERS CINZIA dress. Fall 2014 collection that is will going around in trunk shows. :-) hmmm. sounds like a backhanded compliment. But Ok, thanks anyway. Thank you!

Hi Ellies86, You just have to tell them that you think XX price is too high. That you think YY is a fair price for whatever arrangement you are speaking of. You can really challenge all of their costs. That is what I did and they came back with discounts for almost all of them. Enough to at least cover the 18% tax rate. Also, ask them to send you options of floral arrangements they have done before that are more in your price range, of $100 for example. You can also ask them if there are certain flower types that are less expensive. She told me roses, carnations are the most price effective. There are some fancy flowers that they charge you an arm and a leg for, Peonies, Hydrangeas and orchids. Be careful choosing these types of flowers. Hope this helps.

Hey Ladies, Just thought I'd post some of the details I'm working on for our March 2015 wedding. We confirmed the AQUA package. Base price is $5000. We are getting Married on the Beach at 5PM (symbolic). We're upgrading to the BLUSH in LOVE ceremony set up. Cost is $300 plus 18% tax. ADD ON: 2 HOUR WELCOME BBQ We are choosing to add the Welcome BBQ at the beach the night before our wedding @ 6PM. The cost is expensive. $40 per person for 2 hours PLUS 28% Tax. 18% sales tax and 10% service. White Linens and chairs are included in the BBQ. Open bar is included. The menu they offer for BBQ food does seem good and a lot of options. Lighting is NOT included for the outdoor BBQ! The lowest cost I've been quoted for lighting is $475 PLUS 18% tax! *this to me is ridiculous and I'm going to see if they can work on this. But they seem to really make a lot of money on the add ons/upgrades. 1 HOUR COCKTAIL HOUR Open bar and 3 chef hors d'eouvres included. 3 high tables are included in the package. The tables don't include any decor (just white linens) so anything added with be extra $. I had them quote a few options and they are quite expensive. ***They charge $3.00 per votive candle. I'm bringing a huge bag of them from home. 3 HOUR DINNER RECEPTION We picked the pool terrace for our dinner reception. We are upgrading our table set up to their new BLUSH IN LOVE decor. Added cost is 100.00 + Tax per table. HOWEVER, the flowers included in this set up are SILK flowers. I am upgrading to a natural flower arrangement from one of their older weddings. The cost for the flowers is also expensive. After I negotiated the cost, the arrangement is coming to $130 plus 18% tax. A table for place-cards is not included. They charge $25.00 plus tax. The outdoor reception DOES NOT INCLUDE LIGHTING. This will be another $475 plus tax. menu cards are not included. table numbers are not included with the Aqua package. *****the most disappointing part to me is that pool-side weddings are buffet style, not table service. DJ/MUSIC We haven't booked our DJ yet for the reception but it will be another $700 plus tax. BRIDAL SUITE: The bridal suite has to be reserved by the spa staff. They charge 300 for the room and can only be used for the duration of the services you and your wedding party are getting done. It is about 100 to 120 for hair per person. As you can see, they charge for absolutely everything. I hope that this was somewhat helpful for some of you looking for more information or who are just starting the planning process. This post is in no way trying to speak poorly of the hotel, it really is just to give some transparency to the process/cost. It is very comforting to know from other brides that the wedding team does a great job on all of the weddings and there isn't anything to really worry about. Let me know if I can be of any help to anyone.

Hi! My photographer is Marissa Joy Photography and she did an amazing job on our engagement photos. She is from Washington DC and her rates are better than a lot of the photogs here in NYC. http://marissajoyphotography.com/ You can look at our wedding website here: www.awildaandanthonywed.com Congrats! I'm currently working on costing out the flowers with the Carribean Celebrations people who handle the decor. The costs are high and I did negotiate with them. The came down on the costs a little, which I felt better about because at least it would cover the 18% tax rate they add to everything.

Here's mine! I just bought it last weekend! I went to 10 salons before finally finding this one.

Congratulations on your wedding! I am so happy to know that you had a great time and were happy with the experience. could you share some additional information on the costs for any flowers you added?upgraded?

So awesome to read your review! We are date twins! I am getting married there on March 22nd 2015! Congrats on wedding!

Hey Ladies can anyone give more info on the cost of flowers/decor? I've been trying to get some info from the caribbean celebrations people but they dont give any until it's closer to my wedding march. Kind of annoying.

Ladies who have had their wedding at the PPC, There is a champagne toast after your ceremony, Could you let me know if the hotel serves descent champagne? or is it lousy? Is champagne available (or proseco) during the reception? Can you give more info about the cocktail hour? is it worth paying for the ipod hookup? Thanks in advance!

Hi Ladies! I'm confirmed for our wedding on MARCH 22, 2015! I love reading all of the comments on here from ladies who have had a great experience! Anyone getting married around our date? Would love to know your current to-dos. I have already reserved our own photographer to fly down with us (and stay 3 days, in order to avoid the 1000 outside vendor penalty). We really loved our photographer after having out engagement photoshoot with her and felt that since the photos are the MOST important thing for us, that it would be worth the extra money for amazing photos. When it's all said and done, the photos are really the only tangible thing you have left of your wedding day.

Ladies...newbie here! Hi! We just booked PPC for our wedding on MARCH 22 2015! Any Ladies getting married around this date?