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Mrs. Sea Breeze, Vancouver/Dominican Republic Age in 2008 and Occupation: 30, Communications Manager Fiance's Age in 2008 and Occupation: 29, Experiential Marketing Director Engagement Date: October 6, 2007 Wedding Date: November, 2008 Blogging Since: July 17, 2008 Venue: Majestic Colonial Resort, Punta Cana About Me: Planning a destination wedding by the sea should be (oh no she di-in't…) a breeze (…*sigh* yep, she did) but when you've never been to the Caribbean, your powers of imagination are really put to the test. Luckily, I'm 90% resourceful, creative optimist (and kooky, neurotic practicalist-if-that's-a-word for the other ten). Other than writing about our week-long celebration of family, friends, laughter and love, I adore books, shoes and… you guessed it… long walks on the beach.
About Mrs. Sea Breeze

DW in the DR: Planning the Ceremony

January 22nd, 2009 @ 8:33 am by Mrs. Sea Breeze

Okay. So. Ahh… (digging her toe in the dirt). There’s, um, something I have to tell you.

It’s actually not a big deal.

Well, it sorta is. Actually, it wasn’t supposed to be a big deal, then it sort of turned into a sort of deal, more a medium deal than a big one, though. To us, anyway.

Mr Breezy and I were “officially” married a month before we left for Punta Cana.

Yep. One day in early October, Mr Breezy called his mom and said, “Hey Ma, whatcha doin’ tomorrow?… Is it ok if we get married at your house?”

So that day, straight after work, we went to Mr Breezy’s parents’ house and got married. (I will forever remember that it was a Tuesday because when I suggested Thursday, Mr Breezy said, “I can’t get married on Thursday - Smallville’s on.”)

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(Yes, I still tried to keep it real by wearing purple. Technically, both of us are wearing purple - Mr Breezy’s shirt is pinstriped.)

We tried to keep it a low-key affair, because we reasoned that it was just “doing paperwork” but even though I tried to tell myself that, it still felt like a momentous occasion. We also had my parents and Mr Breezy’s sister on speakerphone during the whole thing, which, in retrospect, I’m really glad we did. Then, to we celebrated with champagne and pizza!

To us, the true wedding would obviously take place in Punta Cana, but we decided to not actually tell anyone outside our immediate family that we’d done the ‘paperwork’ back home for fear they’d feel cheated or something. It was just easier that way.

So why did we get ‘married’ before our ‘wedding’? Good question!

1. It would save us a) $$$, and b) effort by not having to get our birth certificates and marriage license translated into Spanish and notarized before our departure.

2. We wouldn’t have to wait for the Judge to arrive before starting the ceremony (there was, until recently, only ONE Judge to perform marriages in the Dominican Republic, and he was notoriously late).

3. We wouldn’t have to have a generic, boring ceremony IN SPANISH, translated by the wedding coordinator (we really wanted something unique and special to us that we could, um, understand).

4. It would save us an additional $500 (the wedding package at our resort was $1500 but only $1000 if you didn’t need the services of the Judge)

5. It would save us more a) $$$ and b) effort by not having to get our wedding certificate translated back into English and notarized upon our arrival.

6. We would be guaranteed that we were married (last year, there was a big scam in the DR whereby a fake judge went around performing ceremonies; they only figured it out months later when couples who thought they had been married in the DR never actually received their wedding certificates).

All the above points are important, of course, but the most important to us was having the ceremony in English, conducted by someone who we loved, respected, and who’d really make the ceremony a reflection of who Mr Breezy and I really are.

It was pretty obvious to us who’d be perfect for the job, and when we asked our friend Brian if he’d be our officiant, he was stoked!

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We honestly didn’t give him much guidance at all before we left - we were so busy doing the ten million and one other things that just couldn’t wait. But we met up with him in Punta Cana to go over the ceremony, and we were positively floored with how much thought and care he’d put into researching what he’d say on our very special day.

We trusted him completely and the only input I gave was that first, we wanted it to be FUNNY because Mr Breezy and I are both big hams. Joking around is a big part of who we are and is what would make the ceremony “us”. Second, we wanted it to be a true “celebration of family, friends, laugher and love” (the wording is directly off our invites) so I printed off and gave Brian a copy of Mrs Lovebug’s incredibly touching ceremony text (which I adore - thanks forever, Mrs L) and told him I wanted our guests to somehow be part of the ceremony. Brian immediately went to work tweaking his ceremony. I wouldn’t get to hear it until two days later, though.

In the meantime, I had a photographer to meet!

Ceremony photos by The Breezys & Friends; picture of Brian by Photophil Steingard.

DW in the DR: Pack It Up, Pack It In
DW in the DR: Airport Confessions
DW in the DR: Bienvenidos a Punta Cana
DW in the DR: The Guest List Is In the Bag
DW in the DR: The OOTs in Action
DW in the DR: Planning the Reception
DW in the DR: Planning the Flowers & Cake

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41 Responses to “DW in the DR: Planning the Ceremony”

1.
EAQ219
Member
EAQ219 (message)  1,033 posts, Bumble bee

A few things:
1. Sneaky Breezy!
2. Friend Brian is cuuuute (hey, I can still look!)
3. I’m loving your recaps!!!

 
2.
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Guest
Susan

If I were getting married in another country, I would’ve done the same thing!

 
3.
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Guest
amy

Your at home ceremony looks super sweet and intimate. Love your outfit, too. You both look so happy.

When people ask about your wedding date, do you say the date you were officially married or the date of your DR ceremony/reception? Just curious.

 
4.
Mrs. Toucan
Bee
Mrs. Toucan (message)  984 posts, Busy bee

I am trying to be patient, but, seriously, i can not wait to see your wedding photos!

 
5.
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Guest
Elle

Congrats! You guys look super happy and isn’t that what it’s really all about? There was no big dress, no huge centerpieces, etc. Just two people who love each bound in marriage. I’m really happy for you!!!

 
6.
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Guest
Amy

uh oh…i see a lot of white roses in that last pic! i suspect some bad news is coming our way!

 
7.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss D'orsay (message)  1,293 posts, Bumble bee

good catch Amy! I’m dying to see the flowers too! I also can’t wait to hear more about your ceremony. :)

 
8.
hanmay
Member
hanmay (message)  60 posts, Worker bee

I have a technical question because after reading this we may just consider doing it this way ourselves. Did you travel under your maiden name or your new married name? Did you have to change your passport before travelling?

 
9.
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Bee
Miss Perfume (message)  1,630 posts, Bumble bee

this is very sweet, and you guys look adorable, SB…BUT YOU’RE KILLING US HERE! flowers! ceremony! we’re dying to see them! (you’re really good at cliffhangers!)

 
10.
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Bee
Miss Latte (message)  646 posts, Busy bee

I was wondering why the random phone was sitting there…makes sense now. And champagne and pizza??? Souns like my kind of celebration! Congrats!

 
11.
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Guest
Yach

I totally did the same thing. For me, it was mostly the financial savings and a very small part paranoia that the wedding certificate is fraudaulant or lost.

 
12.
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Bee
Miss Peep Toe (message)  1,636 posts, Bumble bee

I love your matching purple outfits!! But seriously, get to the good stuff already!

 
13.
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Bee
Mrs. Sea Breeze (message)  912 posts, Busy bee

@amy: The day we got married in Punta Cana and swore our commitment to each other in front of almost ALL our friends and fam is the one we use as our wedding date. The signing-the-papers-day was nice too but the other is more special to us.

@Elle: So true. I was surprised myself with how lovely it still was, without all the hullabaloo.

@Amy: Ha ha, good catch. Those are just some flowers Mr Breezy surprised me with. Honestly, it was so sweet, it didn’t even matter they were white roses. The bouquet that the resort had made, however…

@hanmay: We had booked my tickets under my maiden name so I traveled under my maiden name. I can still do this forever, if I want to, even though I’ve now assumed my husband’s name.

@Miss Perfume: I know, I know. There is so much that happened BEFORE the ceremony, though. It’s really like the wedding lasts 7 days instead of 1!

 
14.
Bee Icon
Bee
Mrs. Sea Breeze (message)  912 posts, Busy bee

@hanmay: Also, I should have specified that I had photo identification under my maiden name (i.e. my passport). If you switch over all your ID to your new name, your ticket has to be under the new name.

 
15.
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Guest
kenziegirl

That was very wise on your part! Our friends who had a DW last Feb. did the same thing. It’s a good secret to keep :)

 
16.
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Guest
kenziegirl

Hmm, I think Amy & Miss D’orsay are right — in the pic with Brian… I see lots of white roses…

 
17.
Bee Icon
Bee
Mrs. Sea Breeze (message)  912 posts, Busy bee

@kenziegirl: Oh, THAT pic. Wow, you guys are GOOD.

 
18.
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Guest
gemasa7

Brian is HOT!

 
19.
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Bee
Miss Duckling (message)  1,349 posts, Bumble bee

Fun secret and I love that you had champagne and pizza after. Can’t wait for the rest of the pictures….

 
20.
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Bee
Miss Bruschetta (message)  5,553 posts, Bee Keeper

@Amy: but wasn’t Mrs. SB’s mini ACTUAL wedding bouquet white roses as well?

 
21.
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Guest
Marina

We had to do the same thing.. got married in march to start with the immigration papers, “translated” the wedding for france (paperwork) and did the ceremony and reception in August! It felt awkward at first, but now we have 2 dates to celebrate. One day, we just went to get the wedding certificate and signed it a couple of days later… drank champagne (just the both of us) and had a nice dinner. It as a monday so we both worked and both had to work the next day.

 
22.
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Guest
Tea

i like that mr. breezy couldn’t get married because of smallville. lol!

 
23.
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Bee
Mrs. Pinot Noir (message)  772 posts, Busy bee

Mr. PN’s brother got married in Mexico and they also got married in the states (except it was after the Mexico wedding). I’m glad you guys kept it a secret so it wouldn’t take away from the DW experience for your guests!

 
24.
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Guest
Jess

I love these posts!! I’m dying to hear what happened… but don’t post it tonight.. b/c I too, will be watching Smallville!! We have a family night EVERY Thursday with the future in-laws.. we’re all hooked!!

 
25.
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Guest
Kat of JorKat

I feel so cheated!

 
26.
Bee Icon
Bee
Mrs. Sea Breeze (message)  912 posts, Busy bee

@Kat of JorKat: AHA! Finally, one of my guests chimes in!! So tell us, Kat, did it reallllly make a difference that we did the paperwork back home? (Say no, mmm kay?)

 
27.
chaikac
Member
chaikac (message)  128 posts, Blushing bee

lol! I noticed the white roses in the Brian photo too! Mrs. SB- I’m loving your suspenseful recaps! They are right up there with Mrs. Lovebugs recaps! Keep them coming….and quick!

 
28.
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Guest
Kat of JorKat

haha, NO! It didn’t make a difference at all. It was the most beautiful, funny, touching and personal ceremony I have ever been too. We would never have known you were already married!

 
29.
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Bee
Miss Hot Cocoa (message)  1,715 posts, Bumble bee

Ooh . . sneaky Breezy! And now you can celebrate two anniversaries! Two presents! Woo hoo!

 
30.
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Guest
Jor of JorKat

Rip-off!!! Farce!! ;)

The first ceremony looked like much more fun.

 
31.
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Guest
Deanna

I am lovin’ the detailed recaps!
I have been reading that you cannot go to the court house to have a civil ceremony in BC.
How did you find a marriage commissioner?

 
32.
Bee Icon
Bee
Mrs. Sea Breeze (message)  912 posts, Busy bee

@Deanna: Yep, they no longer do it at City Hall.

We went online to http://www.vs.gov.bc.ca/marriage/. On the left, click ‘Search for a Marriage Commissioner’. We picked the first one on the list for Vancouver - Diane Brown - and gave her a call. She was awesome!

 
33.
Guest Icon
Guest
DW in the DR: The Guys Get Groomed » Weddingbee » The Wedding Blog

[...] OOTs in Action DW in the DR: Planning the Reception DW in the DR: Planning the Flowers & Cake DW in the DR: Planning the Ceremony DW in the DR: Planning the Photography DW in the DR: Stag and Showerette DW in the DR: The [...]

 
34.
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Guest
DW in the DR: The Girls Get Gorgeous » Weddingbee » The Wedding Blog

[...] OOTs in Action DW in the DR: Planning the Reception DW in the DR: Planning the Flowers & Cake DW in the DR: Planning the Ceremony DW in the DR: Planning the Photography DW in the DR: Stag and Showerette DW in the DR: The Meltdown [...]

 
35.
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Guest
How many people?? - Best Destination Wedding Forum

[...] go with doing the legal stuff at home and then a renewal ceremony in the DR. Find the link here: DW in the DR: Planning the Ceremony Weddingbee The Wedding Blog Hope this helps!! :) __________________ Looking to share photographer Ben Harrison first week of [...]

 
36.
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DW in the DR: Mazel Tov! » Weddingbee » The Wedding Blog

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37.
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DW in the DR: Cake Wreck » Weddingbee » The Wedding Blog

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DW in the DR: Dinner Game Hijinks » Weddingbee » The Wedding Blog

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39.
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DW in the DR: Girls Gone Wild » Weddingbee » The Wedding Blog

[...] OOTs in Action DW in the DR: Planning the Reception DW in the DR: Planning the Flowers & Cake DW in the DR: Planning the Ceremony DW in the DR: Planning the Photography DW in the DR: Stag and Showerette DW in the DR: The Meltdown [...]

 
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DW in the DR: Here Comes the Bride » Weddingbee » The Wedding Blog

[...] OOTs in Action DW in the DR: Planning the Reception DW in the DR: Planning the Flowers & Cake DW in the DR: Planning the Ceremony DW in the DR: Planning the Photography DW in the DR: Stag and Showerette DW in the DR: The Meltdown [...]

 
41.
Miss French Bulldog
Bee
Miss French Bulldog (message)  6,063 posts, Bee Keeper

How did I miss this before? I love that your super secret paperwork wedding was performed by Mr SB’s mom, that is really nice :)
LOL @ Mr SB needing to watch Smallville!

 


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Mrs. Sea Breeze
Mrs. Sea Breeze Mrs. Sea Breeze, Vancouver/Dominican Republic Age in 2008 and Occupation: 30, Communications Manager Fiance's Age in 2008 and Occupation: 29, Experiential Marketing Director Engagement Date: October 6, 2007 Wedding Date: November, 2008 Blogging Since: July 17, 2008 Venue: Majestic Colonial Resort, Punta Cana About Me: Planning a destination wedding by the sea should be (oh no she di-in't…) a breeze (…*sigh* yep, she did) but when you've never been to the Caribbean, your powers of imagination are really put to the test. Luckily, I'm 90% resourceful, creative optimist (and kooky, neurotic practicalist-if-that's-a-word for the other ten). Other than writing about our week-long celebration of family, friends, laughter and love, I adore books, shoes and… you guessed it… long walks on the beach.
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