Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe

[soloparatijc]

Hello Ladies!!

I got back from our wedding like 2 weeks ago now but I'm moving at the same time so I haven't had time to write a review until now. We got to the resort on July 25th and we were upgraded from the Junior Suite Deluxe to the Ocean Front Junior Suite Deluxe which was beautiful! I could just stare at the view all day. As soon as we got there we made reservations for the first couple of days but they informed me that the reservations are by room so we couldn't make reservations with the guests that hadn't arrived at the resort. I had two guests that couldn't book rooms because the resort was overbooked and they decided to attend the wedding last minute so I greeted them at the lobby to see what could be done for them, which I was so worried for nothing because I just added them to another family members room with an extra pass which was only $77 per night/per person. I would have to say that the only thing that really ticked me off about the resort is the fact that even though we were spending thousands of dollars at this resort, guests who are staying at the Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe cannot order food or drinks in the Adults only side, this simply did not make sense to me as I had guests staying in both sides and even though the Adults only side is cheaper to stay in, they were able to eat in our side and order drinks without any problems. I met with Susana the day before the wedding and she went over all the details of our wedding with us, she really simplified the process for us at this point. She had 3 weddings on the same day as ours so she only popped in and out on our wedding day and had Hildebranda coordinate the day for us. Since I did the legal ceremony I did not have the actual time of the wedding until the week before which ended up being at 5pm, I booked the spa for the bridesmaids the day we got there and they ended up calling a hairdresser in on her day off to accommodate my wedding party which I really appreciated. We had our rehearsal dinner for 19 people at the Kyoto and the food and show was great! My spa appointment was booked for 1pm and I was still in the Spa at 4:30pm, I was freaking out the entire time as Susana warned me if I was not there by 5pm the judge would have to leave as there is only one judge in the entire Punta Cana area legalizing weddings. I ended up arriving to the room right on time to meet up with the bridesmaids who were waiting on me. The wedding location we chose was right in front of our Ocean Front Suite (Bldg 1) which was so convenient as I was able to catch a glimpse of the beautiful wedding location and all the guests gathering and also this is the area of the hotel on the beach where there are the least amount of guests . Hildebranda had me walk out of La Brisa restaurant which ended up working out very convenient. I really wanted to have the tiffany chairs but didn't want to spend the $12 a chair, honestly all the decorations were so beautiful that the tiffany chairs were the last thing I thought about. I had a seashell curtain attached to the huppa for $175 and it gave the ceremony a really nice touch. I walked down the aisle and there was not a dry eye on my 48 person guests. The trio played as I walked down the aisle. The ceremony lasted for about 20 minutes, we also included our own vows that we each wrote during our trip. We had a one hour photography session with our photographers that we brought with us as guests from Miami and we paid for their flights and hotel accommodations as we loved their work on our engagement shoot. Our reception was from 7-10pm, we had the Full MC with DJ and honestly this was worth the $1300 we paid as they were amazing and kept the flow of the night very organized and we didnt have to worry about a thing. The cold fires also gave the first dance an unforgettable touch. The centerpieces that we chose were the large vases with the orchids inside for $50 and they were simple and elegant, gave the room a very elegant feel. The cake was amazing (vanilla with pineapple filling) and so was the food (curry marinated chicken breast and tomato salad, pesto marinated broiled chicken, and chocolate fondant) everybody loved the food ! We kept the party going at Disco Bavaro but went to our room first to change to find Champagne and fruit and rose petals in the jacuzzi. We had room service bring us breakfast in the morning and had our couples massage a couple of days later (this was one of the highlights to our trip). We had dinner at the French Restaurant one night which ended up being $20 a person but the food was simply amazing! All in all the trip was unforgettable, to have so many people you love so close for a couple of days in paradise is worth every penny. We got everything we wanted and more!!

 

 

For the bride who was asking about the paperwork needed for the legal wedding (Lalala i think)...it's a little complicated but I just wanted to walk down the aisle and have everything not just feel real, but actually get married for real in front of everyone we love. Anyway, the first thing you need to do is check the process for an apostille for the state you were born ( I was born in PR and my husband was born in NY, my process was easier than his) and send the fee for the apostille along with your original birth certificate (NY requires a letter of exemplification to be ordered with a long form birth certificate which then needs to be sent to the county clerk for certification before they will apostille the birth certificate). Then they require a single status affidavit (WeDo Dominican Republic has a format that can be copied/pasted) to be notarized and apostilled by the department of state that you reside in. This paperwork along with copies of your passports and checks for the fees are then sent to WeDo Dominican Republic (they are located in Texas) and they legalize and translate all the documents for you. You then take the originals with you and the wedding coordinator will give them to the judge there.

 

 

My photographer added me to his blog, the link is below so you can view the photos of this very special day  thank you all for being so helpful throughout this journey, I hope this review helps you as much as you all helped me. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

 

 

http://kristyandvic.com/blog/2013/08/12/maribel-jeffrey-destination-wedding-punta-cana-dominican-republic/

[NatJ]

Hi ladies!

 

I am new to this page and planning a June 2014 wedding! Do any of you know whether decorations for the reception are included in the Strawberry package?
 

[MissJali]

Solo, congratulations on your big day! You looked beautiful and i looove your dress. I have a couple of questions if you dont mind. 1. Your headband, i love! Where did you get it? 2. Were you upgraded into club premium as well or just the oceanfront view? 3. Did you do any welcome bags at all? If so, how did you hand them out? 4. Did you bring much decor with you?if so, any trouble at customs? 5. It was cool that you could just have guests share rooms. That's my fear, they'll be calling me the week before like we're coming to the wedding! Lol

[soloparatijc]

Thank you MissJali...of course I don't mind! 1. ElizabethPerryCollections.com it's handmade do she takes 4-6 weeks to ship so I recommend ordering like 3 months before the wedding so that you don't freak out lol 2. Just the Ocean Front...you can still pay for club premium but it's not included in the upgrade. 3. I only did welcome bags for the bridal party and I included a personalized bathrobe and barefoot sandals and little travel kits and liquor for the guys. 4. I brought fans and bubbles for the ceremony and a personalized wedding card box box from perfectweddingbox.com and for favors/placecards I took leather luggage tags, I also brought personalized boxes with Jordan almonds inside among other things like starfish and yellow stones for the tables, oh and I also did my guest book on shutterfly using my engagement photos. 5. Yes my cousin literally decided to go two days before the wedding lol. Glad I could be of help!

[soloparatijc]

No trouble at customs btw...missed that part

[SoonMrsD]

Originally Posted by tricia-m 

 

THANK YOU THANK YOU for replying! Congratulations to you and your fiance!  I am totally the same way and I think that's why I am slightly losing it right now.  Do you mind me asking which coordinator you are dealing with?  I just want to secure my date, like NOW and give myself some piece of mind. We don't have much room to move date's around because it's my fiance's grandma's 90th birthday the same month and the family specifically asked us to move our wedding earlier (hence early November). Ahh! My mind is spinning!

 

 

Thank you! My wedding Coordinator is Arisquelmy but I went through my travel agent to secure my date then I took over - it's really no big deal. I can give you the reservation form for you to fill out and just send it to secure your date which you will have to do anyway. They won't say yes or no until you send it to them. PM me your email address or email me [email protected]

[SoonMrsD]

Originally Posted by soloparatijc 

 

Thank you MissJali...of course I don't mind!

 

1. ElizabethPerryCollections.com it's handmade do she takes 4-6 weeks to ship so I recommend ordering like 3 months before the wedding so that you don't freak out lol

2. Just the Ocean Front...you can still pay for club premium but it's not included in the upgrade.

3. I only did welcome bags for the bridal party and I included a personalized bathrobe and barefoot sandals and little travel kits and liquor for the guys.

4. I brought fans and bubbles for the ceremony and a personalized wedding card box box from perfectweddingbox.com and for favors/placecards I took leather luggage tags, I also brought personalized boxes with Jordan almonds inside among other things like starfish and yellow stones for the tables, oh and I also did my guest book on shutterfly using my engagement photos.

5. Yes my cousin literally decided to go two days before the wedding lol.

 

Glad I could be of help!

 

Thank you for sharing! 

[MissJali]

Originally Posted by soloparatijc 

 

Thank you MissJali...of course I don't mind!

 

1. ElizabethPerryCollections.com it's handmade do she takes 4-6 weeks to ship so I recommend ordering like 3 months before the wedding so that you don't freak out lol

2. Just the Ocean Front...you can still pay for club premium but it's not included in the upgrade.

3. I only did welcome bags for the bridal party and I included a personalized bathrobe and barefoot sandals and little travel kits and liquor for the guys.

4. I brought fans and bubbles for the ceremony and a personalized wedding card box box from perfectweddingbox.com and for favors/placecards I took leather luggage tags, I also brought personalized boxes with Jordan almonds inside among other things like starfish and yellow stones for the tables, oh and I also did my guest book on shutterfly using my engagement photos.

5. Yes my cousin literally decided to go two days before the wedding lol.

 

Glad I could be of help!

Thanks so much for answering! Did you buy the boxes with the almonds pre-made or no? If so, where did you get them if I may ask? I should've been smarter and just done the welcome bags for my bridal party. Great move!

[NettyD]

Originally Posted by soloparatijc 

 

Hello Ladies!!

I got back from our wedding like 2 weeks ago now but I'm moving at the same time so I haven't had time to write a review until now. We got to the resort on July 25th and we were upgraded from the Junior Suite Deluxe to the Ocean Front Junior Suite Deluxe which was beautiful! I could just stare at the view all day. As soon as we got there we made reservations for the first couple of days but they informed me that the reservations are by room so we couldn't make reservations with the guests that hadn't arrived at the resort. I had two guests that couldn't book rooms because the resort was overbooked and they decided to attend the wedding last minute so I greeted them at the lobby to see what could be done for them, which I was so worried for nothing because I just added them to another family members room with an extra pass which was only $77 per night/per person. I would have to say that the only thing that really ticked me off about the resort is the fact that even though we were spending thousands of dollars at this resort, guests who are staying at the Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe cannot order food or drinks in the Adults only side, this simply did not make sense to me as I had guests staying in both sides and even though the Adults only side is cheaper to stay in, they were able to eat in our side and order drinks without any problems. I met with Susana the day before the wedding and she went over all the details of our wedding with us, she really simplified the process for us at this point. She had 3 weddings on the same day as ours so she only popped in and out on our wedding day and had Hildebranda coordinate the day for us. Since I did the legal ceremony I did not have the actual time of the wedding until the week before which ended up being at 5pm, I booked the spa for the bridesmaids the day we got there and they ended up calling a hairdresser in on her day off to accommodate my wedding party which I really appreciated. We had our rehearsal dinner for 19 people at the Kyoto and the food and show was great! My spa appointment was booked for 1pm and I was still in the Spa at 4:30pm, I was freaking out the entire time as Susana warned me if I was not there by 5pm the judge would have to leave as there is only one judge in the entire Punta Cana area legalizing weddings. I ended up arriving to the room right on time to meet up with the bridesmaids who were waiting on me. The wedding location we chose was right in front of our Ocean Front Suite (Bldg 1) which was so convenient as I was able to catch a glimpse of the beautiful wedding location and all the guests gathering and also this is the area of the hotel on the beach where there are the least amount of guests . Hildebranda had me walk out of La Brisa restaurant which ended up working out very convenient. I really wanted to have the tiffany chairs but didn't want to spend the $12 a chair, honestly all the decorations were so beautiful that the tiffany chairs were the last thing I thought about. I had a seashell curtain attached to the huppa for $175 and it gave the ceremony a really nice touch. I walked down the aisle and there was not a dry eye on my 48 person guests. The trio played as I walked down the aisle. The ceremony lasted for about 20 minutes, we also included our own vows that we each wrote during our trip. We had a one hour photography session with our photographers that we brought with us as guests from Miami and we paid for their flights and hotel accommodations as we loved their work on our engagement shoot. Our reception was from 7-10pm, we had the Full MC with DJ and honestly this was worth the $1300 we paid as they were amazing and kept the flow of the night very organized and we didnt have to worry about a thing. The cold fires also gave the first dance an unforgettable touch. The centerpieces that we chose were the large vases with the orchids inside for $50 and they were simple and elegant, gave the room a very elegant feel. The cake was amazing (vanilla with pineapple filling) and so was the food (curry marinated chicken breast and tomato salad, pesto marinated broiled chicken, and chocolate fondant) everybody loved the food ! We kept the party going at Disco Bavaro but went to our room first to change to find Champagne and fruit and rose petals in the jacuzzi. We had room service bring us breakfast in the morning and had our couples massage a couple of days later (this was one of the highlights to our trip). We had dinner at the French Restaurant one night which ended up being $20 a person but the food was simply amazing! All in all the trip was unforgettable, to have so many people you love so close for a couple of days in paradise is worth every penny. We got everything we wanted and more!!

 

 

For the bride who was asking about the paperwork needed for the legal wedding (Lalala i think)...it's a little complicated but I just wanted to walk down the aisle and have everything not just feel real, but actually get married for real in front of everyone we love. Anyway, the first thing you need to do is check the process for an apostille for the state you were born ( I was born in PR and my husband was born in NY, my process was easier than his) and send the fee for the apostille along with your original birth certificate (NY requires a letter of exemplification to be ordered with a long form birth certificate which then needs to be sent to the county clerk for certification before they will apostille the birth certificate). Then they require a single status affidavit (WeDo Dominican Republic has a format that can be copied/pasted) to be notarized and apostilled by the department of state that you reside in. This paperwork along with copies of your passports and checks for the fees are then sent to WeDo Dominican Republic (they are located in Texas) and they legalize and translate all the documents for you. You then take the originals with you and the wedding coordinator will give them to the judge there.

 

 

My photographer added me to his blog, the link is below so you can view the photos of this very special day  thank you all for being so helpful throughout this journey, I hope this review helps you as much as you all helped me. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

 

 

http://kristyandvic.com/blog/2013/08/12/maribel-jeffrey-destination-wedding-punta-cana-dominican-republic/

Great review!!! Thank you! You looked beautiful! I didn't realize the paperwork side was so complicated! How long did it take you to complete?

 

NatJ- When in June are you getting married?! Who is your WC?  

[LovelyGemini]

Bjeantil you looked absolutely gorgeous, your dress is so pretty! Glad to hear everything worked out well, and thanks for the review! Congrats!