David and Laura

I love the dress! You are going to be a little hot no matter what. I wore a silk taffeta dress, and was hot at first, but it was fine when the sun went down. If you love the dress, go for it. It's def. not too dressy.

Your pictures are awesome! Beautiful wedding! I love the tabletop pictures with the candles in them.

OMG, my face turns BRIGHT red after I workout. I hate it, but I've gotten used to it. I always thought it might have something to do with mild rosacea because my face gets red sometimes when I drink red wine or eat spicy foods, which are also signs of rosacea, but I have never been diagnosed.

Wow!!! Your pictures are incredible. Everything looked so perfect. I love your dress! Congratulations!!!

I loved my photographer. I was married in Tulum so he knows the area well. He work is awesome and he is reasonably priced. Here's his website: Jean-Marcus Strole - Photography You can check his availability here: Yahoo! Calendar - cpdcrsdr Here are some samples from my wedding: He also did the picture in my signature.

Great pictures! I love the horses in the water!

HIGH CLASS [x] You have gone tanning. [x] You own an iPod/mp3 player. [x] You like Starbucks. [x] You have been called a brat. [x] You have tons of shoes. [ ] You hate buying things that are on sale. [x] You have a laptop. [x] You love shopping. GOTHIC [ ] Black is one of your favorite colors. [ ] You wear chains. [ ] You like heavy metal. [x] You've shopped at hot topic [ ] You have worn black lipstick. [x] You have/had/or wanted piercings. [ ] You own a pair of Tripp pants (big baggy pants) [ ] You have at least one unnaturally colored haired friend. PUNK [ ] You can skateboard. [ ] You like plaid. [ ] You have Converse. [ ] You hate mtv. [ ] You have/had/wanted blue, orange, pink, red, purple, or green hair. [ ] You love mohawks [x] You like Music. [x] Hate people who pretend to be something they are not EMO [ ] You have been/are depressed a lot. [ ] You have dark colored thick-rimmed glasses. [ ] Sometimes you cry easily. [ ] You like emo music [x] You've kept a journal/diary. [x] You have written a sad poem. [x] You have dyed your hair [ ] You're sad when you're drunk sometimes GHETTO [ ] You love the Jerry Springer Show [ ] You have said "Fo Sho, Fo Shizzle, Fo Sheezy, etc." [ ] You have worn/wanted a grill. [ ] You have participated in or been present at a free styling contest. [ ] You have worn your shoes with the tongue flipped out. [ ] You work outside on a corner [ ] You know most of the lines from Boyz N Da Hood [ ] You own a huge gold chain with a giant gold pendant HARDCORE [x] You like loud music. [ ]You love/like the Ninja Turtles. [ ] You have slip-on shoes. [ ] You like Norma Jean. [ ] People have called you a freak [ ] You know how to "hardcore" dance or mosh [ ] Your hair has been dyed more than one color. [x] You wear jeans a lot. PREP [x] You LOVE Laguna beach/ The hills. . [x] You had/have/want a tiny/small sized dog. [x] Your usual outfits consist of pink. [x] You like buying shoes.. [x] You've shopped at Hollister.AE,and/or Abercrombie [x] Getting your nails done is a fun thing. [x] You have big sunglasses. [ ] You can't go anywhere without your hair perfect. ATHLETIC [x]You watch/have watched the Superbowl. [x] You own track shoes or cleats other sports related shoes. [ ] You collect jerseys. [ ] You have/had a special shelf for trophies and awards. [ ] Your garage/shed consists of sports equipment. [ ] You belong/belonged to a team. [ ] You have a specific number preferred for your jersey. [x] You have played/are playing a real sport . [ ] Judge people by the sports they play. REDNECK [x] Gone four wheeling. [ ] Shot a gun. [ ] Owned a four/three-wheeler or like, etc [ ] Like to go fishing. [x] Eat beef jerky sometimes [x] Ever said GIT-R-DONE. [ ] Listened to the song Redneck Woman. [x] You have rode at least 1 thing(horse, bull, dirt bike...)

Wow, great pictures!!! You look amazing! I love the one with the lighthouse in the background.

Quote: Originally Posted by neen Really helpful review - thanks! (and i echo that your pics are gorgeous!). Question - did you get the impression that they would have honored your requests had you known, ie setting up an actual bar and actually passing the hor d'oeurves during the cocktail hour? Just curious if it would be a battle... I think they will do anything you ask them to do, but there may be an additional charge.

Try on the dress! I lost a few pounds in the few days between picking up my dress and my wedding and it showed a little. It has been a month since you tried yours on. I don't think you are being a Bridezilla, just being smart. Try to negotiate if they try to charge you anything for the alterations. Everytime I went back they had to re-alter mine b/c I was losing weight. They charged a flat fee, not an inexpensive flat fee, almost $600, but regardless, it's standand to only charge you once.

Quote: Originally Posted by AlmostMrsForbes Quick question for all of you experienced TTD girls ... how did you talk your FI into it/keep him somewhat serious? I love the pics, but I can only imagine what my FI will say/do! :-) David was not into the idea, but once we started taking pictures he was more into it than me. I was like "ok, that's enough pictures" and he wanted to keep taking more. Just tell him you really want to do it. If you can just get him to agree to try it out, the hard part is over.

Thanks so much everyone! We had so much fun shooting them. They turned out better than our actual wedding pictures.

You did all of that in six weeks? Wow! Everything looked amazing. Congratulations!

Quote: Originally Posted by Just Martha I cannot wait to TTD! Your pictures are wonderful! May I ask who your photographer was? My photographer was Jean-Marcus Strole. He was awesome and reasonably priced. Jean-Marcus Strole - Photography

Wow, those are amazing! I did something "similar", but yours are MUCH nice. Did you do them yourself?

Quote: Originally Posted by AlmostMrsForbes these are beautiful! quick question - did you take them the day after your ceremony? and, if so, did you use your actual wedding dress? i've heard a couple of girls say that they just went and bought a cheaper white dress for the TTD session. can't wait to see the rest! Yep, they were taken the day after, and I did wear my actual dress. Most people only wear their dress once and I wore it twice so I feel like I got twice out of it what most people do. My parents paid for it and they love the pictures, but my mom still cringes a little bit when she looks at the dress in the water, haha.

The pictures in the water were down the beach a little ways from the resort. There was no one there. There were some people at the ruins, but not a whole lot b/c it was raining. Most people stayed out of the way, and the ones who didn't were photoshopped out by my photographer.

Beautiful wedding!!! Thanks for sharing.

Here are some of my trash the dress pictures from Tulum...

This review is a bit overdue, but better late than never, right? Dreams Resort -- A The resort itself was the perfect place for our wedding. We were greeted with champagne upon our arrival and upgraded to an ocean front suite. The staff was warm, friendly and very accommodating. We had 40 guests at our wedding. Two of the couples had minor issues with their rooms; both were given new rooms, but did have to put up a bit of a fight to get them b/c the resort had no availability (there was wedding with 200 guests on Saturday). I accidentally booked my photographer at Dreams Cancun instead of Dreams Tulum and they made room for him in Tulum, which was a life saver. The rooms were beautiful, the food was good, the drinks were good (and plentiful) the beach was nice; no complaints. Our group was very diverse; some young, some not so young , some world travelers and some people who had never been out of the country. The resort was very nice, but not too stuffy; the perfect combo for our group. Rehearsal Dinner at Portofino – B We had our rehearsal/welcome dinner in the wine room at Portofino. We had to pick a set 5 course menu (no choices for the guests) site unseen. Overall the food was good, but some of it was not so good. It felt like a restaurant trying to be 5-star by throwing in some exotic touches, but falling short. The room itself was beautiful and perfect for a group; very private. Spa – A- Massages and facials were included in our wedding package. I have had about 10 massages in my lifetime, and this one was the best I have ever had. David said it was the best he’d ever had as well. The massages get an A+. Make sure you request a female masseuse if you have a preference. The manicures and pedicures were a different story. I was just not impressed with either. The french manicure was not done very well. I am not super picky, but I had to ask her to re-do a couple nails because the white line on the top was shorter than my natural nail; it looked weird. My pedicure didn’t turn out all that great, either. Hair and Makeup -- B I bought several photos of hairstyles I liked as a source of inspiration for the stylist. That seemed to confuse her. Make sure you have pictures of exactly what hairstyle you want from all angles. The stylist did not speak any English. I speak decent Spanish and was still having a tough time communicating. I don’t wear a lot of makeup so I only asked her to do my eye makeup. I I just showed her a magazine photo and told her I wanted it to look natural. She did an excellent job; exactly what I wanted. Ceremony and Reception – B The ceremony and reception were just ok. Maybe my idea of a destination wedding was not what itshould have been, but the whole thing felt very unorganized. No one knew where to go; people were standing around for awhile. Fortunately I was in my room during this so I had no idea it was going on. We did not do a rehearsal (Sandra said it wasn’t necessary) and it showed. Have a rehearsal of some sort, I wish we had. Another thing I recommend is having Sandra walk you around to the available spots for the ceremony and reception at the time you plan on getting married before you make your choice. We were married on the beach near El Patio at 4:30 and there were still people in their bathing suits lounging on the chairs right next to us. It was so hot and the sun was blinding. I was squinting through the ceremony. I had to stand in David’s shadow which didn’t make for the greatest pictures. The ceremony music was awesome. We went with the violinist, and she gets an A+; she can play anything. The wedding party walked to “Heaven”, and I walked down to “Canon in D”; I can’t remember what the recessional song was, but she played it well. The cocktail hour was disappointing. I thought there would be waiters walking around with the hors d'oeuvres, but they were just sitting on the table with saran wrap on them. They did not look appetizing. The trio was good, but I would recommend paying more for the mariachi band if it’s in your budget. The reception was held at El Patio; great location. When we got there after taking our pictures everyone was sitting around and there was no music playing. Fortunately it was fiesta night so you could hear the music from that at El Patio, but I was still very disappointed. The DJ was sitting at his booth smoking a cigarette (no joke). We had an Ipod there for him to use, but he did not have the cord to connect it to the stereo so he was sitting there doing nothing. My brother had to go get a cord from his room for the DJ to use. Sandra knew we were using the Ipod so I am not sure why there was no cord. Also, there was no microphone for speeches. Make sure you ask for one if you plan on having speeches. I am not sure what options there are for an outside DJ to be brought in, but if it’s in your budget and you are particular about the music or want things played in a certain order, I would recommend looking into it. The food was awesome. We went with the surf and turf (steak and shrimp; lobster is an extra $20 per person). Everyone loved it. The only bad thing was the tortilla soup was super spicy, and I like spicy foods. The cake was not the prettiest cake I’ve ever seen, but it tasted fabulous. It was dulce de leche with strawberries in the middle. I’m used to wedding with an open bar being at an actual bar. All of our drinks had to be ordered from the waiters. I would have preferred a physical bar setup that people can order from. Be sure to ask specifically for this if you want it. Photographer A+ I saved the best for last. Our photographer, Jean-Marcus Strole (Jean-Marcus Strole - Photography), was awesome! First and foremost, he is an amazing photographer. Not only is he good, he loves what he does. We wanted to capture the experience of the time together with our friends and family; not just the wedding day. He shot us every day we were there (Thursday through Sunday). He takes care to make sure every shot is perfect, and he shot over 3000 photos. All of my guests loved him. He really is like having an extra, fun guest at the wedding. I think this helped him really capture people in each photograph b/c everyone was so relaxed and comfortable around him. Even though he was fun, he was still very professional. He never drank even though we were at an all-inclusive resort. He was always on time and dressed appropriately. He was a real life safer on the wedding day. He ordered room service while we were getting ready to be sure I ate something (I was not hungry; nerves). After we had taken our post-ceremony pictures and were walking through the lobby, David stepped on the back of my dress and it ripped a 6 inch tear right where the hooks for the bustle were. Jean-Marcus got a sewing kit from the lobby and sewed up my dress. It took a good 15 minutes and he poked himself with the needle a couple time. He really does put his blood and sweat into his work. Overall, the destination wedding experience was amazing. Our families were able to get to know each other in a low-stress environment and we were able to actually spend time with all of our guests. We enjoyed every day we were there. The things that went wrong were not noticed by most other people. Everyone had an unforgettable time. Dreams is a great resort. Don’t expect a “U.S.” style wedding where everything is planned to a T. Make sure you are extremely clear about what you want and keep an open mind, and your wedding day will be all you’ve dreamed it would be. Please feel free to ask questions. -Laura

Quote: Originally Posted by urbangirl5 Hi Laura, You're pictures are just gorgeous!! Congratulations. I'm getting married at Dreams Tulum in 19 days and was wondering if I could ask you a couple questions: What did you do for music/dancing? Did you use a DJ? If you used a DJ did you have to bring CD's or an Ipod? or did the DJ have a good selection? I'm trying to figure out if I need to bring music down with me. I don't have an Ipod and don't want to have to buy one just for the wedding if I don't have to. I was thinking of havng my reception at El Patio as well, did you have to have a dance floor setup? Amanda Hi Amanda, We did use the DJ and we brought an Ipod with all of our songs on it. It was a bit of a disaster to be honest. The DJ didn't have the cord to connect the Ipod to the stereo so my brother had to get one from his room. The DJ had some of his own music. He had a decent selection, but not great. At the very least, you should bring a couple CDs with the songs you really want to hear; especially first dance songs, etc. There was an area to dance at El Patio. It's basically just an area in front of the DJ. There is plenty of room to dance. Feel free to look through all my pictures for a better idea of the setup. Visit Collages.net Home, and fill in the following information: Username: Laura David Password: 15095 Let me know if you have anymore questions. Congrats on the upcoming wedding! -Laura

Quote: Originally Posted by trisha0612 Those photos are amazing!! Beautiful work! Laura, Did you use the bouquet offered from Dreams? Who did your hair/makeup? Where was your reception held? Sorry for all of the questions.....I'm just in awe at your wedding! Hi Trisha, Ask as may questions as you want; I am happy to answer them. Yes, I used a bouquet offered at Dreams. It was included in the cost of the package. Dreams did my hair. I had them do my eye makeup, but I did everything else. I don't like heavy makeup and was afraid it would turn out that way if I let them do it. I just used some bare minerals and little baby powder and corn starch combo to try to fight shine (although it was impossible in the heat). My reception was at El Patio. Let me know if you have anymore questions. -Laura

CONGRATS!!! I hope everything goes perfectly!

I love it!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by coreyphil Sorry for one more question - but did you wear your wedding dress for your TTD session, or is it a different one? I couldn't tell from the pic and I'm still deciding on what to do about mine ... (the duiponi silk apparently won't survive the water pics ...) I wore my dress to the TTD. Mine was a silk tafetta. The texture of the dress is a little different now, but all in all it survived the sand and saltwater fine from what I can see. I haven't taken it to be cleaned yet. My best friend's parents own a dry cleaning chain and they said the salt water prob. ruined it. I guess we will see. I went into the water with the idea that if it did ruin the dress, I was ok with it. Most people only wear their dress one day; I wore it two in a row. I figured I already got 2 x what most people get out of it. My mom had the hardest time with the pictures b/c she and my step-dad paid for the dress. If plan on saving your dress forever and keeping it in great condition, get a second dress for the shoot.