Wedding CALLING DW BRIDES WHO HAD HOTEL RECEPTIONS

[pocahontas]

What time did your reception have to end? FI and I are so disappointed ‘cause we just found out ours has to end at 11pm. Honestly, 11pm?! Are you kidding me

We know in the big scheme of things this isn't a big deal, but it's a big deal to us

FI and I love to dance as do our families and friends, and the idea of having to move our party to the hotel disco with random guests is so not what we imagined our reception to be like. I guess this is to be expected given the DW aspect, but we honestly thought we’d be able to pay to have a private party run later into the night, but apparently that’s not an option. ARGH

So our questions are: did you have a similar time restriction? If yes, what did you guys do afterwards? Did you hang out in the lobby? Disco? Did you do something else? We are looking into having our reception at a local restaurant instead, but I’m not sure how much later they’d be able to accommodate us.

ETA: I thought it was funny that FI asked "what did the girls on the forum say?" LOL - you know you're addicted to PS when...

 

[MsSassy]

our reception was scheduled to end by 11 but we opted to pay an additional 500 bucks per 1/2 to stay later. I just came back from a wedding that ended at 11 and they just rented out a lounge that was down the street.

 

[Gwyn]

11 isn''t that early. I think that my sister''s ended around 11, granted it started at 5pm (coctail hour at 4) so it was still quite the long evening. Afterwards a few of us crashed a party that was still going on in the courtyard. We then went up to a hotel suite and drank and then broke into their pool. Yeah, we are a classy bunch. Honestly, the hotel could have saved themselves some trouble by just giving us the room longer. Then again, I honestly don''t know if she could have opted for later and just chose not to and allowed the DJ to leave at 11.

Our wedding isnt til mid October, however times are set. We have the room until 12am. Only an hour longer. We have our ceremony starting at 5pm (same location) then cocktail hour and reception all in the same general area. The Inn we are getting married has two restaurants with bars, we will probably move the party back to one of those places or a room for those still up and wanting to party. Personally, I kind of like the idea of crashing in on strangers with my "posse" from the wedding. I know my sister had a blast and was the "belle of the ball" so to speak at the other event we hit up after hers. I think a bar or disco would give you a good welcome.

Is it that you think 11 is early or is it that you don''t think you will have enough time for the dancing and such? You could always start your reception earlier if it was the latter.

Oh, some background, hers was in easter Massachusetts and mine will be in Los angeles area (in case you were trying to figure how late places in certain areas let you stay up and party). I think that the local "last call" is 2am in both cases.

If I were in an area like Buffalo, NY where last call is 4am, I would be a little concerned about a party ending at 11pm. In most places though, I would think 11 would be just fine.

 

[Sabine]

I didn''t have a DW, but my reception ended at 10! It was because it had to start with the cocktail hour at 5, and we would have had to pay a TON extra for any extra time. I was really upset about this at first, but on the actual day, I was so grateful when we ended early because I was exhausted. Some of our younger friends went out to a bar afterwards, but DH and I were totally ready for bed.

 

[sap483]

Ours had to end at 11 because of noise ordinances in the area. At first I was annoyed by this as well because I love to dance the night away; however as Sabine just said I was so happy the day of because I was so tired. It''s really a long day when you''re the bride!

 

[pocahontas]

Hi ladies, thanks so much for your responses

Mssassy, I wish we could pay the extra money to extend our party, but the hotel won’t let us. FI and I are getting married in the Dominican Republic so renting out a local lounge isn’t really an option, but thanks for the suggestion.

Gwyn, you’re too funny! Thanks for the suggestions. We’re getting married at 4pm, followed by a cocktail hour from 6-7pm and then dinner at 7pm. I just think by the time we get through the dances, speeches and dinner there won’t be that much time to party privately as a group, ya know what I mean? And, unfortunately, starting everything earlier isn't an option because of our priest's availability. All the weddings I’ve ever been to the real dancing doesn’t get started until about 10-11pm and lasts until about 1-2am. We’re just bummed because it’s the DR and we never imagined our party having to end that early.

Sabine and Sap, thanks for your words of wisdom and assurance. I hear you ladies about being tired, but I just can’t imagine we’d be ready to go to bed at that time because that’s never the case at home and despite the stress and fatigue of the day, I think we’ll be coasting from the adrenaline of vacation mode, ya know?

 

[galvana]

we have the same restriction, starts at 5p - ends at 11p
so, we rented out the two Presidential Suites at our hotel and are having a HUGE after party there, it will go til late late

 

[pocahontas]

Date: 10/2/2008 1:04:39 PM
Author: galvana
we have the same restriction, starts at 5p - ends at 11p
so, we rented out the two Presidential Suites at our hotel and are having a HUGE after party there, it will go til late late

Alicia, I like the way you think

That''s one option we hadn''t considered and is worth looking into - thanks

We''re also going to check with our wedding coordinator whether it''s possible to reserve a section of the disco for our group just so we can sit together when resting in between dancing. It''s good to know that this time restriction is pretty standard though.

 

[mrsv]

My wedding is not until next week but ours is ending at 11pm. Our wedding is at 5:30pm, so dinner service is not until 7pm. However we are doing a smaller more intimate wedding of 24 people (plus the two of us!). We are a quieter couple more the stay in type, we are not even having dancing at the wedding. We had the option to have things extend out but we had to tell them at the outset of the planning process. Is there no room for negotiation? How did you pick your location is this a place that holds significance for you?

 

[pocahontas]

Mrsv, we’re having a pretty small wedding too (20 to 40 guests), but it’s a group that likes to dance. Unfortunately, there is no room for negotiation – trust me we’ve tried, which surprises us ‘cause it’s an all-inclusive resort with 24 hour service. In terms of picking the resort, no, it doesn’t hold any significance for us other than it being a beautiful resort. In any case, we did inquire at other hotels and it seems this 11pm time restriction is pretty standard, and even generous in some cases. Oh well, looks like we’re just going to have to extend the party into the disco if a local restaurant is unable to accommodate us. Thanks for the suggestions though. By the way, where are you getting married?

 

[mrsv]

Date: 10/2/2008 3:31:34 PM
Author: pocahontas
Mrsv, we’re having a pretty small wedding too (20 to 40 guests), but it’s a group that likes to dance. Unfortunately, there is no room for negotiation – trust me we’ve tried, which surprises us ‘cause it’s an all-inclusive resort with 24 hour service. In terms of picking the resort, no, it doesn’t hold any significance for us other than it being a beautiful resort. In any case, we did inquire at other hotels and it seems this 11pm time restriction is pretty standard, and even generous in some cases. Oh well, looks like we’re just going to have to extend the party into the disco if a local restaurant is unable to accommodate us. Thanks for the suggestions though. By the way, where are you getting married?

Oh, I am sorry! That is unfortunate. I am getting married at Sea Island in GA. Its small but lovely and a favorite of mine.

 

[ilovethiswebsite]

I don''t think 11 is that bad... Depending on what time your ceremony starts at. I was just at a wedding that started at 2pm and by 9pm everyone was dead tired... By 12 no one was left...

 

[pocahontas]

Mrsv I''ve never been to Sea Island, but I have seen pictures and it looks gorgeous! Yah for you, what a perfect location

 

[pocahontas]

ILTW, thanks! I know you ladies are right about 11pm not being that early. It just isn''t what we wanted so we''re disappointed about that. Our ceremony doesn''t start until 4pm so it''s not super early and we specifically planned it this way figuring we''d be partying into the early morning hours. Oh well, FI and I have resigned ourselves to the fact that it is what it is and we''ve just got to work with what we have. No sense getting our panties in a knot over something like this, right?!

 

[ilovethiswebsite]

You know what - since you are having a destination wedding, it may actually be fun for you to move the party over to a late night club... It will change the atmosphere a bit and you can mingle with other party people in the club - i think it will be a great time!!!

 

[pocahontas]

Date: 10/5/2008 4:12:03 PM
Author: ilovethiswebsite
You know what - since you are having a destination wedding, it may actually be fun for you to move the party over to a late night club... It will change the atmosphere a bit and you can mingle with other party people in the club - i think it will be a great time!!!

ILTW, you''re awesome! Thanks for the positive perspective. This is exactly how we''re hoping the night will end up

 

[mrsv]

Date: 10/5/2008 3:54:43 PM
Author: pocahontas
Mrsv I''ve never been to Sea Island, but I have seen pictures and it looks gorgeous! Yah for you, what a perfect location

It is perfect! The island is lovely, secure and the planner highly organized! Have you ever seen the chapel? Its small and perfect for a wedding of our size...or I think so anyway!


Did you say where you were getting married?

 

[pocahontas]

Date: 10/5/2008 9:12:30 PM
Author: mrsv

Date: 10/5/2008 3:54:43 PM

Author: pocahontas

Mrsv I've never been to Sea Island, but I have seen pictures and it looks gorgeous! Yah for you, what a perfect location

It is perfect! The island is lovely, secure and the planner highly organized! Have you ever seen the chapel? Its small and perfect for a wedding of our size...or I think so anyway!

Did you say where you were getting married?

No, I haven't see the chapel, but I'd love to. Do you have pictures? We're getting married in La Romana, Dominican Republic. We'll be getting married in this church, it's small too and like you, I think it's the perfect choice for us https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/yah-i-have-an-announcement-to-make-too.94972/

 

[mrsv]

Oh thats lovely!
GIve me a few minutes and I will start a little thread with some photos from my last trip down there in August!

 

[CDNinNYC]

Date: 10/2/2008 3:31:34 PM
Author: pocahontas
Mrsv, we’re having a pretty small wedding too (20 to 40 guests), but it’s a group that likes to dance. Unfortunately, there is no room for negotiation – trust me we’ve tried, which surprises us ‘cause it’s an all-inclusive resort with 24 hour service. In terms of picking the resort, no, it doesn’t hold any significance for us other than it being a beautiful resort. In any case, we did inquire at other hotels and it seems this 11pm time restriction is pretty standard, and even generous in some cases. Oh well, looks like we’re just going to have to extend the party into the disco if a local restaurant is unable to accommodate us. Thanks for the suggestions though. By the way, where are you getting married?

pocahontas, our reception also has to end at 11pm. I think it has to due with noise. Our reception will be outside and the resort doesn''t want the music to inconvenience the other guests who may be trying to sleep.

Luckily for us, our resort is right next to town, so those guests who want to continue the party can do so.

How long is your ceremony? Ours is at 4pm as well, but our cocktail hour(s) will start at 4:30pm, hopefully.

 

[pocahontas]

Date: 10/6/2008 11:05:40 AM
Author: CDNinNYC

Date: 10/2/2008 3:31:34 PM

Author: pocahontas

Mrsv, we’re having a pretty small wedding too (20 to 40 guests), but it’s a group that likes to dance. Unfortunately, there is no room for negotiation – trust me we’ve tried, which surprises us ‘cause it’s an all-inclusive resort with 24 hour service. In terms of picking the resort, no, it doesn’t hold any significance for us other than it being a beautiful resort. In any case, we did inquire at other hotels and it seems this 11pm time restriction is pretty standard, and even generous in some cases. Oh well, looks like we’re just going to have to extend the party into the disco if a local restaurant is unable to accommodate us. Thanks for the suggestions though. By the way, where are you getting married?

pocahontas, our reception also has to end at 11pm. I think it has to due with noise. Our reception will be outside and the resort doesn''t want the music to inconvenience the other guests who may be trying to sleep.


Luckily for us, our resort is right next to town, so those guests who want to continue the party can do so.


How long is your ceremony? Ours is at 4pm as well, but our cocktail hour(s) will start at 4:30pm, hopefully.

Hey CDN, the noise thing is exactly what our wedding coordinator quoted as the reason for the time restriction. Our resort is walking distance to a small town too so that''s definitely an option. We''re getting married in a church so our ceremony will take a bit longer and then we''re planning on taking pictures in the surrounding village that''s why we won''t start cocktails until about 6pm. I noticed on your STD''s that you''re also getting married next year, but in Playa del Carmen. What''s your wedding date? By the way, I''m in Toronto so it seems we have quite a bit in common

 

[CDNinNYC]

Date: 10/6/2008 12:02:33 PM
Author: pocahontas

Hey CDN, the noise thing is exactly what our wedding coordinator quoted as the reason for the time restriction. Our resort is walking distance to a small town too so that''s definitely an option. We''re getting married in a church so our ceremony will take a bit longer and then we''re planning on taking pictures in the surrounding village that''s why we won''t start cocktails until about 6pm. I noticed on your STD''s that you''re also getting married next year, but in Playa del Carmen. What''s your wedding date? By the way, I''m in Toronto so it seems we have quite a bit in common

We''re getting married May 29/09. How ''bout you? (Don''t mean to threadjack, but how are you getting along with your guests'' flights? I''m a little worried at the cost of tickets out of Pearson International right now. We''re at the mercy of Air Canada.

)

I don''t know how it is in the Dominican Republic, but in PDC, the night clubs don''t open until about 1am so there may be some time in between the reception and the after-party. I''m thinking of using this time to change out of my wedding dress into something a bit shorter.

I think it''s a great excuse to buy a second dress. I''ve been eyeballing this one:

 

[Idealistic]

We had a hotel reception. Our reception had to end at 11:30. Afterwards, we had an after party at my parent''s house. By the end of the night, pretty much everyone was pooped out. There was already a lot of partying and drinking at the reception.

 

[pocahontas]

CDN, we're getting married April 23, 2009. We haven't booked our flights yet, but prices for one week all-inclusive look like they're going to be about $1500-$1700 (taxes in), which I think is pretty reasonable considering the high rating of the resort. Have you begun booking tickets yet? FI and I are going to meet with a travel agent at the end of the week and discuss what group discounts might be applicable. I'm not sure when we should actually start booking tickets though. I know what you mean about Pearson - it always seems the fuel surcharge and taxes are the same or more than the actual flight/package (slight exaggeration, but you get the point).

I think the clubs in La Romana open around the time our reception ends or just after. In any case we have the hotel disco that opens at 11pm so it'll be a pretty smooth transition from one place to the other. I love the dress you're considering - you should definitely get it. Yep, I love to be an enabler

For myself, I think I'm going to keep my wedding dress on all night even if we move our party to a club. I don't even care if I look stupid, I figure I'll only ever have one wedding night and I love my dress so much that I want to wear it for as long as I can. I keep joking with FI that I'll be wearing it on the flight home - lol! By the way, have you been to PDC? It's gorgeous there and there's so much to do. Also, are you traveling down for one or two weeks? FI and I aren't sure if we want to stay for a mini-honeymoon, or come back and spend that time getting settled in our new home. Sorry for all the questions, it's just really great to talk to someone getting married in a similar way around the same time line

 

[pocahontas]

Idealistic, thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately, FI and I don''t have the option of going back to someone''s home because it''s a DW. What I''m hearing from most brides so far is that 11pm isn''t a huge deal as most people are tired at that time anyways. In any case, I''m pretty sure FI and I will be moving our party to either the hotel disco or a local club, and for anyone who wants to go to bed early they''ll have the option to do so.

 

[Keepingthefaith21]

I''m not destination but we are ending at 11 PM at the venue. We''re moving the party to a hotel that is about 2 miles away from our venue which offers "rooms" that are actually studio apartments complete with kitchens and couch areas. We''ll get to change into more comfy clothing and hang out with all our friends. We''re going to have the caterer deliver platters of snack food to the hotel so we can all stuff ourselves all over again

 

[pocahontas]

Date: 10/6/2008 3:15:36 PM
Author: Keepingthefaith21
I''m not destination but we are ending at 11 PM at the venue. We''re moving the party to a hotel that is about 2 miles away from our venue which offers ''rooms'' that are actually studio apartments complete with kitchens and couch areas. We''ll get to change into more comfy clothing and hang out with all our friends. We''re going to have the caterer deliver platters of snack food to the hotel so we can all stuff ourselves all over again

Oh, I love the way you think! Galvana had mentioned she''s doing something similar so this is definitely another option FI and I are going to look into. Ours is a group that likes to eat, drink and dance so it''s no coincidence our resort offers 24-hour all-inclusive. However, FI and I are going to look into the possibility of having snacks catered later into the evening as well should we decide to remain on the resort after our reception ends. The other option if we go into town is to eat some yummy and very greasy food at 4am

Can''t you just imagine it? Me in my wedding dress and everyone dressed up sitting on some plastic chairs eating out of a plastic container - lol - honestly, we have a pretty easy going, fun group so I think either way we''re going to have a blast.

 

[CDNinNYC]

Date: 10/6/2008 3:07:15 PM
Author: pocahontas
CDN, we're getting married April 23, 2009. We haven't booked our flights yet, but prices for one week all-inclusive look like they're going to be about $1500-$1700 (taxes in), which I think is pretty reasonable considering the high rating of the resort. Have you begun booking tickets yet? FI and I are going to meet with a travel agent at the end of the week and discuss what group discounts might be applicable. I'm not sure when we should actually start booking tickets though. I know what you mean about Pearson - it always seems the fuel surcharge and taxes are the same or more than the actual flight/package (slight exaggeration, but you get the point).

I think the clubs in La Romana open around the time our reception ends or just after. In any case we have the hotel disco that opens at 11pm so it'll be a pretty smooth transition from one place to the other. I love the dress you're considering - you should definitely get it. Yep, I love to be an enabler

For myself, I think I'm going to keep my wedding dress on all night even if we move our party to a club. I don't even care if I look stupid, I figure I'll only ever have one wedding night and I love my dress so much that I want to wear it for as long as I can. I keep joking with FI that I'll be wearing it on the flight home - lol! By the way, have you been to PDC? It's gorgeous there and there's so much to do. Also, are you traveling down for one or two weeks? FI and I aren't sure if we want to stay for a mini-honeymoon, or come back and spend that time getting settled in our new home. Sorry for all the questions, it's just really great to talk to someone getting married in a similar way around the same time line

FI and I have put a deposit on our flights and accommodations only because we found a great deal on the flight. None of our guests have booked yet. I'm hoping the reason the flights out of Pearson are 3X what we're paying out of NYC is because it's still early and the prices will drop a bit. I would be extremely happy with $1500-$1700 taxes in.

I have communicated with a bunch of travel agents for discounted/group rates and none of them have given me better prices than what I can currently find online. I'm thinking the only benefit to getting a group rate is that the rate is guaranteed.

BTW, I LOVE your dress.

The ruffles are awesome; perfect for a DW in the DR.
I've been to Cancun and the Mayan Riviera but not PDC specifically. Can't wait.

We're only travelling down for one week. FI can't talk more time off than that until August. We'll do something then where it'll be just the two of us. If we had the option, I would prefer to take the two weeks. Have you been to the DR before?

No worries about the questions. Keep 'em coming. I got questions of my own.! Are you hiring a DJ/Band? We're expecting about the same amount of guests you are and prefer a DJ vs. ipod but don't know if it's worth it for the small group attending.

Cheers!

 

[pocahontas]

CDN, thanks for the dress comment - I LOVE it too! Have you bought your dress yet? I couldn't find a dress thread for you. FI and I haven't been to DR and that's actually one of the reasons we chose there. We're definitely hiring a dj and possibly a band (musical trio) too. The dj's only $250 for 4 hours, which we think is pretty reasonable. The band is more expensive obviously at $350/hour, but we love the idea of having live music so we're probably going to do that too. Imho, it's totally worth having a dj and/or band even for such a small wedding; somehow I think it makes the day feel just that more special.

 

[CDNinNYC]

Our venue just started a new "no outside vendors" rule that I''m trying to fight since we booked our wedding before this rule came into effect. Their DJ charges $1000 for 5-6 hours. We also wanna have a mariachi band for the cocktail hour and that will run us about $400. eek! But I totally agree with you that the music can make the night very special; the idea of an ipod just doesn''t appeal to me.

I did pick my dress already. You can find a model pic here. I took photos of me in it with my parent''s camera while we were overseas this summer and they just got back; hopefully they can forward me a copy soon! I hope I love it as much as I did when I bought it. I''m coming home (my dress is at my parent''s house) in November so I''ll see then...