Hi Nells,

Many congratulations to you and your new husband, Im so glad to hear how well your wedding went, sounds like you had an absolute dream wedding and Ines and Marin were worth every penny (I'm happy to say we chose them too), yay what more could you ask for
I think you might be the girl we met out there in April, we we're staying in the neptun too, anyway if its not you's, sorry!!

If so can I ask you a few things about neptun?
We really liked the neptun when we we're there and have picked it for the base for us and our guests but there are a few things that we're wondering about? One thing that stood out when we we're there is that they wouldn't give us a drink after 10.30pm, was this different during peak season?

Did any of your guests have children with them? If so what how did they find costings etc..?
We feel that it doesn't seem very child friendly in ways, they are charging us €95.00 extra per night to have our toddler share a family room with us in the neptun, we think this is a bit extreme considering in a double room adults are less that €60.00 each.. maybe we are just spoiled here in Ireland as we've spent many weekends in lovely hotels were children under ten always go free. Did your guests with children stay in the hotel or did they find alternative accomodation nearby? If so is there any you could recommend?

Regarding the entertainment did you have band or dj? What would you recommend? We still haven't decided.

Did you fly with aerlingus? How did you carry your dress over?

Did you arrange transport for your guests from the hotel to the church? If so was it expensive?

I am really looking forward to reading your wedding report , I love reading about all the weddings that have taken place, thay all seem so fabulous and make me really excited about next may

Thanks in advance for answering my question

Congrats again

Hi I dobrovnik...
Yes, that probably was us that you met in April...you stay in the same hotel as us..I'm glad you got things booked and all sorted...
To answer some of your questions, most of the guests stayed in the neptun/suites.
The majority of ones with kids stayed in the suites as there were 3 kids with them..Others just got a cot in the rooms with them..TBH i cant remember it been that expensive for a child..but you need to negotiate hard with them...there are lots of apartments around Lapad.
The beach bar stays opened till 12 everynight but if your drinking lots they stay opened late.I don't think they managed to close at 12oc any night...
Night of weddings they stay opened till 3am.
We had no problem getting drink anytime...if the beach bar is closed you can get drink at reception too.
We had a band...see report...
Yes we arranged a bus to bring people from the hotel to the Church (think it was 130e for 50 seater bus)

I will post up my report now but if you have any other questions after it feel free to ask...
Chat soon..

Hi all...
I am just back after my wedding in Dubrovnik and 2 weeks after travelling around Croatia so here is my report...i hope it helps some of you...
It was the best decision we ever made to have out wedding in Dubrovnik. It was such a ball from start to finish and everyone enjoyed it which makes things easier too. We could not have asked for anything else.
We went over about 5 days before the wedding and a few of our friends came with us then....There was no problem with the dress on the plane (Aer Lingus) , if there are any free seats them hang them across them. Our flight was fairly full but they always find a few free seats. There was another bride on the plane too.
The party started as soon as we arrived...Cocktails in the beach bar in hotel Neptun (where the majority of guest stayed and where we had our reception)
Every day more people arrived, so more partying...I got a throat and ear infection as soon as I arrived, so I got antibiotics to clear it before the wedding.
We had Ines and Marin from Dubrovnik Event as our wedding planners and they were superb..they have everything under control , so I did not worry about anything...I left it all to Ines...and she did a fab job on everything.
I thought we would be rushing around doing stuff but all we had to do was met the priest and that only took 10 mins maybe. The priest was Fr Peter and he was a nice man..my sister gave me the child of Prague to get him to bless it and I think he thought we were a bit nuts...he blessed it...and sure enough with tradition: we left it outside on the balcony and it didn't rain. :-)

Day before the wedding:
After meeting with the priest, we headed back to the hotel for a bit of sun bathing and relaxing...
Then all the girls got their nails done at 7oc... and me and my husband headed out for dinner on our own, it was the first time we got time to ourselves all week...we just realised that we were so busy making sure we had talked to everyone else, we had not spoken to ourselves at all...so we went out for a nice bite to eat and a btl of wine and they headed back to the beach bar....and when we arrived about 60 people were there waiting for us for more drinks...it was so exciting then...Its funny it was only then that I realised...' I'm getting married tomorrow' and then begun to get excited....I was v chilled all week...Everyone kept saying ' your so not stressed'....which made me think....'should I be stressed?'..... Anyway I couldn't help it....the atmosphere was just great...all out guests mixed so well and were a great lively bunch. Went to bed about 12oc... I was determined to be in bed before 12 so I wouldn't be tired the next day.
Slept till about 3AM.... :-( I was not stressed but there was lots of things going around in my head....slept an hr on and a hr off.....then 7oc checked my phone and was sister was texting me...so think I got up about 8oc...peeped out the curtains ....Sunshine!!!!

Day of the wedding:
Weather was fab....I was so excited....was really looking forward to getting married then.
Went for Breakfast with all and then went for a swim and lay out in the sun for the a while...then about 11oc ..I said my good-byes to my husband and said I would see him at the alter...He took his clothes out of the room and headed to the boys room...
They didn't have to start getting ready till about 1oc..
Hairdresser arrived and the girls start getting their hair done...I was nearly last....so the waiting around made me get a bit nervous....
My sister was taking my photos so she was down at the pool getting pics of the boys jumping in...some great pics...
Then she was up with me doing other shots....she was between the 2 rooms, she wanted to get as much pics of both of us as possible. We didn't even notice her!!!
Flowers arrived and they were fabulous.. at that stage i couldn't even remember what i had asked for but they were lovely and the colours i wanted.
I got my makeup done last then..and it was nearly 2oc then...so we rushed to get me into the dress, so my sis could get the last photos before heading off with the lads to the church. It was all taking place then....my brother was waiting until we were dressed to come into the room..as he was giving me away. We had some champagne then and was nearly ready.
2.30 ..it was time to leave the hotel...I went in the car with my brother and my BM'S went in a car with Ines. All arrived at the Ploce gates at the same time and all walked in to the old city...I was told about the attention you get walking in but I never expected the warmest and well wishes from everyone...and then they would start clapping and a whole tour would be clapping as you walk by.....it was unreal......!! we thought we were celebrities!! And they all thought my brother was my husband..so he was a but embarrassed...it was funny...!!
My sister came to meet us on the walk in and took more pics...its a bit of a blur really but then we turned the corner and hit the steps of St Ignatius and I could see a lot of my guests at the top of the stairs taking pictures ....wow...it was exciting!!
I was quite hot coming up the steps...I should have remembered to take it slower!!
As we waited outside the church Ines said 'it was time'..I could hear my song being played Sigur Ros and I knew it was time...They opened 1 door and let the kids in and closed the door again. then the same for the BM's...then when it was my time..they opened both doors and me and my brother walked in.....this was it.....!!! I wasn't expected the next bit....I started off well and smiling as there was no people sitting at the back , then when I reached half way and the guests I started to get v nervous...and I could see my husband at the alter and he look nervous too..which made me v v nervous....I started panicking abit but I kept it together and kept smiling and palpitating at the same time....I don't remember seeing anyone only himself and my mum...then I looked at my sister and she had started crying too....oh god....Once I got up to him and gave him a kiss , I began to settle down a bit...thank god...I didn't want to be a mess!!! and he told me later he was trying to keep it together too....(as the boys would give him stick if he ever cried, which I have never seen)
I was grand then....I said to myself...enjoy it and take in the music.. We had a string quartet and we chose all the music so we wanted to take it all in...It was beautiful!!
Mass went well then..although it was quite hot in the church...we had fans for the girls which was great!!
It only took about 45 mins for the mass....and then we walked out to be greeted by all our guests....there was such a nice breeze when we came out of the church and we were in the shade....so nice!!!
Next we took a few group shots and then the guests went to Revelin bar while we got our photos done around the old city.
We got back to Revelin bar and got a beer to cool down and got family photos done there and tossed the bouquet (got a toss bouquet, didn't want to toss mine )
We had told no-one we were getting a boat back to the Neptun, so we all followed Marin to get the 'Bus' back and he headed into the harbour...everyone was looking at us thinking , does he know where he's going...? And then we arrived at the boat... This was a great surprise for everyone...although it was a bit choppy out there and we had a few people feeling a bit sea sick..but it was only the minority.. It was too choppy to dock close to the hotel so we had to dock at Gruz harbour and get a bus back...it wasn't really a problem. Everyone was in great form at this stage.
Back to the hotel and it was all set up fantastically. We did the speeches first....so the bridal party could eat without been no nervous.
Food was superb...we had gone for a taster meal when we were there in April and it was terrible, so we were a bit worried but we had read about others that had the same experience.
We had the band Teatar. They were good. Got people up dancing and everything. V similar to a good Irish wedding band.
We were not sure about having a band or not but it went well....great and lively and they kept things going.
After dinner, my cupcakes cake came out....wow wee....I had not seen it till now ...and it was gorgeous..was so happy with it.
Then first dance and danced for the night then. The band finished at 12.30 and went all moved down to the beach bar fairly quickly. We had a playlist created for there and we put that on and we danced like it was the last night ever to dance ....this was 'our' music and it was just brilliant...we danced and danced all night ( there was a Belgium couple having a nice quiet drink there and then even got up dancing with us)
Everyone kept filling the tip jar and the bar stayed opened...at 4o'c I sat down and I was getting really tired, so we headed off to bed...I think everyone partied on for another hr or 2 after that.
It was such a fantastic day, night and week...We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it...it was so more than what we expected.
Night after:
We had a BBQ in Babin Kuk the day after...we all met up in the hotel at 6oc and walked over just 5 mins walk which was handy and the food was so good...platters or bbq'd food and home man chips..perfect for a hangover!! 10e per person...well worth it.

We had a few more nights after that with out family and friends, then we heading off travelling for 2 weeks in Croatia...we had a fantastic time, Croatian people are so friendly and helpful .. we were sad to leave Croatia after 3 weeks but all good things come to an end and we were happy with the end result.

I know I'm babbling on loads but if anyone has any questions or queries let me know...My planning time is over now...but if I can help any of you new brides I will...
I wish you all the best in planning for your wedding next year and make sure you enjoy it all...Its a great time and worth enjoying!

If I have forgotten anything but ask away...

Hi Nells,

Firstly thanks for answering my questions, it was a great help. I was wondering did you have to try and get your dress into a hand luggage case, so its great to know that they let you carry it on

Your wedding sounded so amazing, you have a great way of telling it, I actually got goosebumps..
My brother will be giving me away too so can imagine people might think he's the groom too .

Did you do the legal wedding at the same time or did you do that before you went over?

Where abouts in Babin Kuk did you have your bbq the next day? Sounds really good as no fuss and within walking distance. was there a bar available?

Congrats again, you'll probably miss all the planning now or maybe not

Hey again. Glad I was able to help u. To answer your other questions.
I carried the dress on the plane in a dress bag and I also had a carry on case too. The air hostesses are so used to it and will help u get a spare seat for it. I wouldn't worry about it.
We did the legal part in Ireland before we left. It was so much easier...they dont ask u for much to get married in Ireland. We had started looking at getting all the documentation together for the foreign affairs but it seemed too much hassle so we did it here. U neef to make ur apt for intent to marry 3 months in advance.

I can't REM the place we had the bbq but ines will help u with that. It's beside a few shops and restaurants and only 5 mins from hotel. We only booked it the day before the wedding .yes there was a bar there.
Don't really miss planning. I had a great time doing it but its nice to get back to doing ur own things again and being able to buy clothes for urself again.. all our savings were going on the wedding the last 11mrs so in a way its nice not to be planning anymore but it was great at the time.
Things will fall into place as long as u don't stress too much about them.
If u have anymore q give me a shout...

Hi Girls!!I am on the very last day of our honeymoon, boooo. So I figured I hop on here and have a catch up, Im going to do a proper report over on that forum when I have a few more photos and a bit more time but I said I'd log in to say congrats to Nell again, great report, I was thinking of you when we flew over that morning. To be honest you sound like you were way less stressed than me, I didn't really enjoy the last two days before the wedding, I found it all a bit overwhelming and people were asking me a million questions, and I was shattered. But that said in the end I had a fabulous day and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was kind of emotional in the build-up too which is fairly unlike me so I didn't feel myself. Thankfully on the day that went away and once the ceremony and formal photos were over I had a brilliant time. Dubrovnik is so beautiful and the weather was perfect. Our guests loved the boat, they were all raving about it and I think plenty of people will go back to Cavtat. Anyone who is currently planning a wedding for Dubrovnik it's a great choice and although I am biased I have to recommend Kristina from Dubrovnik Luxury Weddings, I found her so professional. Posting a few pics that I have from fb below, I will post again when I have my full report done. The pice below are from the night befroe the wedding, and the reception etc, pretty obvious what the rest are, a few of my friends against the AMAZING view from our reception terrace in Hotel Croatia. O and my table plan which I made and was extremely proud of, ha.

Great pics, Stylefreak!
I'm getting really excited about my wedding (even though it's so far away). I'm still trying to pick my date; is anyone else on this forum getting married in July? I'm afraid it will be too busy but it seems to be the best time for everybody. Also wondering if anyone is thinking about Sponza for their ceremony and/or Grand Villa Argentina for their reception. How was Hotel Neptun? So many decisions! I haven't been to Dubrovnik since 2005 so I'm doing all of this online, which can get a bit overwhelming. Any advice would help

Big congrats StyleFreak....Glad everything went well...i'm sorry you were stressed before the wedding but i'm glad the day went well for you.
Your photos are fab...you look gorgous....
Well done on the table plan...great work on it...

Was it NZ u went on Honeymoon for the world cup?....hope it went well...shame about Ireland!!!
Looking forward to reading your report....hope its not too bad being back at work... :-(

Miss Croatia,

we are getting married in July in Dubrovnik. We have been strongly advised to have a 4pm wedding because temperatures will be on the uncomfortable side earlier that day - expect mid 30s in the shade. We are having the nuptials in St Ignatius and the reception in Neptun.We went over recently and visited both places. We loved them. The food is beautiful in Neptun and the facilities are top (especially the spa) but the views, especially the sunsets, from the balcony are incredible.

We have arranged everything with Ines from Dubrovnik Events.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Wonderful reports Nells and Stylefreak! You've brought it all back to me. Congratulations to you both.

I've only just realised I never wrote a report or anything, and it seems too late now, but I thought I'd leave a little summary/review in case it's of any use to anyone.

We got married in Sponza (symbolic ceremony), followed by a boat ride on the Vedrana and then a reception on the Palm Terrace.

We used Ines and Marin from Dubrovnik Event. Due to my exams, other family weddings etc we ended up planning for nearly 2 years and they were fantastic the whole time through. Ines had her baby almost exactly a year before our wedding and not long after we had to tell her to stop worrying about us and go have some time off. If she hadn't mentioned that she'd had a baby we never would have known, the email replies never slowed down or got less informative. She's a superhero!

We stayed in the Hotel Lapad as did most of our guests, we can definitely recommend them. We also had a bbq in their garden the day after which was lovely and relaxed.

The ceremony in Sponza was beautiful, everyone was crying which surprised me! Ines and Marin did a great job decorating it (not that Sponza needs much decoration) with flowers that tied in with the bouquets (which had a special sentimental meaning to them and were perfect). The music (piano and cello) was beautiful and got rave reviews. We then had sparking wine and canapes in Sponza - done very professionally with smartly dressed waiters etc. We had expected something much less impressive, we were very happy!

We then went around the town with Veronica (who's amazing) and the videographers (who didn't have the easiest job with us ) while our guests finished their nibbles and then got an ice cream and headed to the boat. I'd definitely recommend the boat if it's in your budget, it set a lovely relaxed tone to the day, everyone just chilled out and took in the views. Everyone kept saying they'd never been to a more relaxed wedding, which is exactly what we wanted.

We then walked to the Palm Terrace which was even more spectacular than we'd imagined. We hadn't asked for anything in particular in terms of decorations for the reception (I'd decided from day 1 that I wasn't going to worry about little things like that due to the difficulty in transporting them), but Ines had done a beautiful job with candles, lanterns, petals etc. We had organised flip flops for the ladies (which Marin sorted, he was very proud ) which went down a storm, even the men were talking about it cos the girls were so happy. I tell you, you spend a fortune on a five course meal in a five star hotel, a free bar, coaches here there and everywhere - and all anyone will talk about is ice cream and flip flops.

The food was amazing, one of the nicest meals I've ever eaten and I genuinely don't think that's just because of the day that was in it. I remember looking around thinking how gorgeous it all was, and how everyone was smiling and happy and how there was nothing more I could ever want for.

I know the Excelsior have changed the contract they offer for weddings now, but if anyone is considering it as a venue, I certainly have no hesitations in recommending it.

I can't recommend Ines and Marin enough, they made the whole thing for us. And as well as being brilliant at their job, they're just so nice. Trust me, you'll enjoy their company. And want them to come back with you to organise the rest of your life

If anyone wants to know anything more, please just pm me, more than happy to help. I know this thread was a goldmine when we were planning.

Hi Nells31

Your report was great, thanks for it. Just wondered if you could elaborate on the band Teatar, they have been recommended to us but the sound bite we were sent was not great. What type of music did they play? so long as everyone gets up and dances we'll be happy, but a bit afraid of forking out so much for a band we are booking only on recommendation.

Thanks so much

Hi Miss Croatia and sevenseventwelve

We seem to be getting married at around the same time next year, I'm getting married 2nd aug!!! St Ignatius and then Palm Terrace, very excited. Would love to hear how you are getting on

Hi All,
This is my first time ever using a forum.......however reading through everyones stories is just fantasic and getting me very very excited. Im also getting married next June in Dubrovnik marrying in St. Ignatius church and then the Plam Terrace in the Excelsior Hotel. Can anyone recommend hairdressers and make up artists to me please. Plus also would you be able to recommend Photographers?

Hi all, im just back from Dubrovnik where I met with Paula from DLW, she was great, showed us tons of venues etc... and we have just confirmed our date for 16th June 2012, we are planning on getting married in St Nikolas Church in Cavtat and our reception will be in The Spinaker at Hotel Croatia...by the sounds of things this is relatively a new venue and i cannot find any reviews or reccomendations about it. Can anyone help????

Hi tweetypie,

We've got the same arrangements as you for Sat 5th May. Are you using a planner? We're with Ines of Dubrovnik Events who comes highly recommended on this site. If you are she'll be able to advise you on anything you need otherwise PM me and I'll send you on some details once I go through my (very large) wedding folder