Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe

[teli73]

I've never posted before, but I have been reading this forum since I decided to get married at BBPD over a year ago.  I've found it super helpful and very reassuring when previous brides gave glowing reviews so I decided I would post about our wedding.  We got married on May 24th and it was AMAZING!

 

Elizabeth was our wedding coordinator, and she is fantastic.  We met with her on Tuesday before the wedding and finalized all the details.  Although you may feel that things are getting lost over email, they definitely are not.  She had every detail, and after an hour I was fully confident that everything was going to be great and was ready to enjoy my vacation.  

 

On Friday the 23rd, we did a private welcome reception on the Chill Out rooftop.  I really enjoyed that because it was our first chance to get all of our guests together.  Our wedding was on the larger side (78 people), so it was good to have a get together prior to the wedding.  We also were able to rent the ipod sound system so we were able to have our own music playing, and we got the cigar roller.  My husband loves cigars so that was a big hit.  We also handed out our welcome bags and gave everyone the weekend itinerary.  The rooftop is such a beautiful spot and great for photos.

 

On Saturday my maid of honor and I had our hair and makeup done at the spa.  I was a little nervous because I am quite fair and don't wear too much makeup, but I showed them a photo and they replicated it.  They did an amazing job.  I would definitely bring pictures though because I don't speak Spanish, and if you don't there might be a bit of a language barrier if you try to describe.  I showed her the picture and that was that.  

 

We got married on the beach at 3PM.  Our ceremony didn't actually start until 3:30 for some reason, but they gave us an extra 30 minutes for our reception which was awesome because I was not ready to stop the party.  We had a cocktail hour following which was good for us because it gave our guests something to do while we took photos, and our wedding location was a bit far from the main lobby.  However it's nothing special so if your wedding is closer to the lobby and depending on the amount of people you could just go to Bar Carey and spend the money elsewhere.  

 

The resort train came to bring us to the reception.  It was decorated with balloons.  It was so cute.  I think the guests got a kick out of it too.  We used the DJ through the resort and opted for just the DJ without the MC.  We didn't do the cake cutting or garter/bouquet throwing so really all we needed was someone to announce the first dance, parents dance and speeches.  We had the best man do that and it worked out perfectly.  The DJ was a little weird at first.  During dinner they played loads of U2 songs back to back.  But not even U2, U2 covers.  They also played Madonna's Poppa Don't Preach which I think an odd song for a wedding (I'm gonna keep my baby???).  So that was a little weird.  I did ask Elizabeth if they had my songs that I wrote out and she assured me that after dinner they would play those.  Which honestly worked out better because they did and I got to dance to all of them not miss any while eating.  Also we laughed about it saying that because my husband's last name is very Irish they must've thought he looooooves U2.  They did eventually play our songs and it was great (they do tend to play dance versions of everything so we did get a dance version of Guns and Roses Sweet Child of Mine but everyone still went crazy).  

 

The food was really good, better than the resort restaurants.  We did the tomato mozzarella salad.  It came in this awesome cheese bowl.  We had tenderloin and creme brulee.  Our cake was vanilla and lemon.  Everything was yummy.  The desserts come out really quick at the end and get taken away quite quick.  I didn't even see the creme brulee but made sure to get a bite of my wedding cake!

 

The train then took us all back to the lobby.  We had everyone meet at Strikers then we moved on to the disco.  

 

Since we had so many people, we also decided to do an excursion on Sunday.  The resorts excursions were really expensive since they were by person.  Instead we used SeaPro divers and rented a 55 foot catamaran which had capacity for 80 people.  The cost included pick up and drop off at the resort, and a four hour boat trip.  The bat trip took us snorkeling for one hour, and the guide dove down and would pick up starfish and sea urchins an pass them around.  Then they took us to a natural pool which was a sand bar with no seaweed or waves where everyone could swim and they served rum drinks on floating trays.  When we got back on the boat they played music and everyone was dancing so it was like a second wedding.  It was a great excursion, and my guests loved it too.  The trip lasted 4 hours in total.  

 

Just thought I would share some areas where I saved some money.  We really wanted program fans since our wedding was on the beach.  To get 80 done was pretty expensive ($250 to $300) so we found this and printed them ourselves for $40 http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=934968A4-423B-522D-F6469FF103281EA2 .  For our gift bags I went to Oriental Trading's website.  We got these at less than a dollar a piece http://www.orientaltrading.com/large-hibiscus-tote-bags-a2-34_737.fltr?Ntt=hibiscus and they were large.  Great as a beach bag, and my guests used them.  It was awesome to see everyone carrying around their bags on the excursion and around the resort.  

 

Hopefully this review helped.  Sorry so long.  The resort is beautiful.  Everyone kept commenting how clean it was and how much there was to do.  Elizabeth is awesome.  She will make the day run smoothly.  You will have the wedding of your dreams.

 

Oh one more thing.  I did use Tropical Pictures.  I know a lot of people are hesitant about using them, but we had Sofie and I though she did a great job.  I have attached some pics.  You can see our decor and cake too. 

[AddyB]

Hey @@teli73 I can't view your pictures for some reason. Can you please email it to me, if you don't mind. abannavong88@@gmail.com

 

Thanks for the review! It's making me less stress. I'm so worried about how everything will look like.

[FutureMrsSam]

Love the idea Slaughter2be... My bridesmaids went with Transformer dresses in the same color... Each will tie them in a style that suits them. My MOH even had hers cut into a high-low (which my wedding gown is)!

 Where did you get the convertible dresses? I'm from Winnipeg and haven't been able to find any here

[candacey]

@, I ordered them on Beyond the Rack. I'll try to upload a picture so you can see how each girls wrapped them differently

[FutureMrsSam]

@, I ordered them on Beyond the Rack. I'll try to upload a picture so you can see how each girls wrapped them differently

Thanks so much though I can't see it.. yet (I'm almost at 150 posts) I will have a look at beyond the rack

[kvilagi]

Hi girls! Just wondering if you all put your deposit down by wiring the money?? Also - does anyone have the extras list I could look at?

 

Thanks!!!

[Huskergirl9]

Hi Ladies!!  We are back!!

 

First off, thank you all so much for your help, advice, & reviews.  They were all VERY helpful during our planning.

 

Our wedding coordinator was Hildebranda & she was amazing!!  She answered all our questions promptly via email & it was very nice to finally meet her & thank you her in person at our meeting.  

 

We arrived at BBPD the evening of Tuesday May 27th.  (Unfortunately our luggage was lost...yes with my wedding dress & all....  but luckily I packed an extra set of clothes, swimsuit, & flip flops in carryon)  Our luggage did arrive 24 hrs. later but during that time it did get a little stressful with the language barrier and the fact that the concierge was tired of seeing us.  

We did ask for the room upgrade with our wedding package and received a very nice room that had a walk out to the beach and a wonderful view of the ocean.  We did not upgrade to Club Premium and were happy with the Junior Suite Deluxe Ocean View. 

 

On Wednesday May 28th, we met with Hildebranda to go over the wedding details.  She had us fill out all the detail information & then finalized everything that day.  (We had chose the Mint package as our party was small with mostly family)  We also had chose to use Tropical Pictures and a representative from TP was at our meeting and we filled a questioner form from them as well.  They are very detailed and want to make you happy! 

Afterwards we had our couple messages that was included in our package.  (my only advice for this...wish we had scheduled on a day that we didn't feel rushed.  The spa is wonderful & you could spend a whole day there relaxing...my advice would be to schedule early in the day, relax, and enjoy the amenities)

 

Thursday May 29th, we spent with our families at the beach.  We tried to welcome all our guests as they arrived. 

 

Friday May 30th, we played golf.  One perk with this was if you purchased an item in the golf store your club rental fee was waived.  We only had to pay for our cart fee.  

That evening our group met at the Hoyo 19.  We did not make a reservation, as they do not require one there, but we did arrive around 7:00 so that we could be sure to get a table big enough for all of us.  There were 19 of us & they were a little hesitate at first but after speaking with the manager they became very accommodating.  The food is excellent at Hoyo 19, I highly recommend them!  They are also not as busy as the other restaurants being it is a little bit of walk to get to it.  It's located by the golf course.

 

Saturday May 31st...Wedding Day!!  

We returned to Hoyo 19 for breakfast with our families.  We then went our separate ways until the ceremony at 3 pm.

My nieces and my sister in law met at our room to get ready.  TP took prep pictures at this time as well.  Hildebranda picked us up shortly before 3:00 and drove us to the Beach Shop in a golf cart.  All the guests were there ready and waiting, it went by so fast I wish I could have stopped time and soaked it all in...it was absolutely beautiful and breath taking!! Everything was all that I ever wanted it to be. 

We had the trio band play during the ceremony and afterwards.  I had originally wanted to play my own music but decided that the sound system there was not that good (no one would be able to hear much anyways, so I didn't mess with it)

The Trio Band did an amazing job and we were very happy with them.

TP captured all the moments that I wanted, after the ceremony he took as many pictures as requested and then as we did our "couples shots"  the guests enjoyed the yummy appetizers on the beach.  Afterwards we joined them & visited with everyone until our hour was up.  We then met an hour later at the Santa Fe Restaurant for our reception.  We did not have a big reception/dance, we were happy with the private room they provided to keep it quaint with our families. 

The wedding cake was DEVINE!!! My favorite was the white cake with strawberry filling....I could've eaten the WHOLE cake! YUM!! 

We then met at the Taino bar for a few drinks before heading to our room.  (we spent most evenings here, it was a nice little quit place for our small group of adults to meet)

Our room was decorated with rose petals and we had champagne & fruit waiting upon our arrival.

 

Sunday June 1st: We did receive our breakfast room service which was nice.  Hildrebranda did ask when to have it delivered during our Wednesday meeting and they were very prompt.

 

Ladies, I will chime in just like all the other brides....DO NOT WORRY!!! They are there to make it easy and they want to do their best.  I'm SO happy we chose BBPD and cannot wait to go back!! 

 

I know our wedding was very small but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.  Happy planning ladies and wish I could go back today!! 

 

Couple extra things:

* Wifi can be purchased if you are not Club Premium.  We purchased because most of our guests had iPhones and we were able to message each other.  Wifi is spotty but works most of the time.  5 days = $35.00, 6 days = $40.00 ect.

* most restaurants require reservations which fill quickly.  Although Hoyo 19 did not require reservations and the food was very good. 

* We were able to group the photo package with our wedding package & pay by credit card at the welcome desk BUT any additional pictures we purchased outside of the package quantity had to be paid to Tropical Pictures.  We paid in cash to avoid an additional 18% sales tax if paid via credit card. 

*If you have children with your party.  They are given a wrist band upon their arrival for the Pirates Island Water Park.  Keep in mind, which we did not know, they must use their free entry the following day.  If they do not use it then, you loose it.  It cannot be used later during their visit.  

*kayaking, wind surfing & paddle boats are all included with your stay

[Feath07]

@@Huskergirl9  Thanks so much!  This is an awesome review! So helpful!  

@@teli73 Such a great review!  Thanks so much for posting!

@@Huskergirl9  Thanks so much!  This is an awesome review! So helpful!  

@@teli73 Such a great review!  Thanks so much for posting!

 Oh and forgot to send you Ladies a BIG CONGRATS!!!

@@LovelyGemini This is such a great review!!

 

How did you like the way your hair and make-up came out?  Were your BM's happy with their hair as well, especially since they went outside the resort?

 

I'm sure you're also still waiting to receive your video back from TP, but were you happy using them?

 

Thanks again!

@@LovelyGemini This is such a great review!!

 

How did you like the way your hair and make-up came out?  Were your BM's happy with their hair as well, especially since they went outside the resort?

 

I'm sure you're also still waiting to receive your video back from TP, but were you happy using them?

 

Thanks again!

[DrVic]

Hello Ladies,

 

Got back from my wedding week a few weeks ago, but just getting around to writing my review. As many brides before me have said, you really do not have anything to worry about. I had 94 guests, including the bride and groom. We reserved the club premium junior suite and were upgraded to the club premium master suite. The master suite was very large and had two Jacuzzis, one outdoor and one indoor. We requested a room change because we were on the first floor, and the balcony opened up to the Cielo Bar/Pool and our beach view was obstructed by people in the pool, and we felt we didn't have privacy, so they put us in a junior suite. We were much happier because it was on the second level,  so we had ocean views and the room was still quite large, we felt we didn’t need the second Jacuzzi anyways, ha!.

 

My wedding coordinator was Aris, and she was absolutely amazing. We arrived on Monday, May 26^th and our wedding was on Friday, May 30^th. We met with Aris the day after we arrived. We went over some final details and dropped off our cake toppers, programs, menus, table numbers, bubbles, and guest book. As soon as we met Aris, we knew that everything was going to turn out well and we were able to relax for the rest of the week.

 

We originally were planning on hiring DJ Mannia, but after reading the poor review on this forum , I was feeling uneasy. Aris said that if she does 30 weddings in a month, they probably use DJ Mannia for two of those and she has not had any negative experiences with the DJ that the resort provides. So we decided to trust Aris and we canceled DJ Mannia.

 

We met with our guests for welcome cocktails at Carey Lobby Bar on Wednesday. Perfect place for meeting guests since it is very large and I swear they make the best drinks, the Espresso martini was very yummy. On Thursday, we were planning on meeting everyone at the Roof Top area but there was a wedding so we relocated to the Carey Lobby Bar once again, but everyone enjoyed themselves since they have large seating areas with couches, so we didn’t mind.

 

On wedding day, I met with Aris to drop off the wedding favors and crazy hour props that I had shipped to my aunt’s house in Dominican Republic since the hotel doesn’t accept shipments. My mom met us at Bar Higuey with the items. My mom didn’t tell me she was going directly to Bar Higuey, so Aris and I were waiting around in her office but it turned out to be better so that Aris didn’t have to transport the heavy boxes on her own.

 

We hired Tropical pictures for pictures and video. I got ready in the Spa, and the photographer and videographer met me there after shooting my husband getting ready in our room. We were married on the garden gazebo by Pastor Rick York. Cocktail hour was in the garden area while we took pictures on the beach. Then everyone was escorted to Bar Higuey.

 

The DJ and MC did an excellent job. The MC was bilingual, so he was perfect and he always ran everything by my husband and I. I told him that I wanted to take advantage of the time and really wanted to make sure we had enough time to party.  We had already added the extra hour of the reception. We are very pleased with how he orchestrated the timing of everything, so there was a good flow to the reception. I had emailed Aris a playlist which she provided the DJ. He had all of our songs and had people dancing all night. He also added transition between songs so it didn’t feel like just having a playlist playing and added some other music as well.

 

We added a few extras to the reception that we felt really made it special. My husband's only request was to have the cigar roller which our guests really enjoyed. Also we had the crazy hour dancers, which in my opinion are a must. The  dancer on stilts was my favorite, he gave out the props which I felt really made the night special.

 

A few things that I wish I would have known…It is soooooo hot at 4pm at the garden gazebo. Absolutely no breeze. None. The reception was a little better  but it was still very hot. We had a great time  and may the best of things, but everyone was absolutely drenched in sweat by the end of the ceremony. I don’t know if I would had changed my venue to beach ceremony and a ball room, which would have been the cooler options, but I think I would have had my wedding on a winter month, maybe. The guests have told me they really enjoyed themselves despite the heat.

 

My pictures from tropical pictures are very pretty. I just wish they were more “crisp” or clear, but in general I’m happy with them and glad I didn't have to pay an outside vendor fee. We picked the package that included 150 pictures so we went to their office the day after the wedding and selected the “best” pictures, which worked out well. The did charge us $150 extra for express editing fee. I just received the wedding video and I love the way they edited it and cannot get enough of it, the sound and visuals are great.

 

This is the longest review ever. I’m so sorry but just wanted everyone to know that you will have a great time. The resort is beautiful and the wedding coordinators do a great job, especially if you have Aris

[andy83]

Where has everyone purchased there shoes from? Currently looking and can not find anything. Looking for shoes in the color of my bridesmaid dresses possibly

I purchased my shoes (badgley mischka) at 6pm.com. They ship them to you in less than a week