Thomasjsgirl

I'm posting this today with mixed feelings. Misti Abner (now Douglas), formerly of Expressions by Misti and now operating as Douglas Studios, has turned out to be a huge disappointment. Like others who have hired her, she was absolutely great to work with in the beginning. She responded to every email promptly, she was friendly and enthusiastic and myself and Chika (another member on this site) were excited to have her shoot our weddings. As Chika and I were getting married one day apart we decided to share her services. The price was right, her work appeared to be OK, and she was seemingly thrilled to be joining us. Well, I guess the old cliche "if seems too good to be true ...". I waited almost a year before letting Misti know that it was time to finally order my album. In my defense, DH and I were a little busy -- renovating and selling 2 houses, then purchasing and renovating a third. I was comfortable knowing I had the CDs of my wedding pics, and that there was no deadline in our contract for when I had to have my order in. Granted, Misti left our link up on her site a few months longer than 9 months (as per the contract), and I did appreciate that. To make a long story short -- she eventually took it down, but when I asked her if she could re-post for a short time as one of my CDs had gone missing during one of our moves, I never heard back from her again. It seems I've been stiffed. You might think this is my fault since I waited so long, but unfortunately, I'm not the only one she has stiffed. Chika ordered her album over 1 year ago -- she's still waiting. Misti won't return her emails (I think phonecalls too, but not sure). Then I did a bit of research, and guess what? This is becoming her trademark. I don't know if she's overwhelmed with work and can't keep up, or if she's a scam artist who takes your money, mails you some CDs and then is never heard from again. Either scenario is unacceptable. Luckily for me I had backed-up my CDs onto an external hard drive. So even though one CD is lost, I'm safe. I've since dug out the hard drive and will no doubt have a grand old time trying to figure out how to make my own album. I'm disappointed, upset and at this point, really mad. This is no way to run a business and she owes me an album, or a refund. I'm not holding my breath for either. What I will do though, is share some of the things I've found. I invite other brides who have been treated this way by Misti to reply to this thread. Together, we can help others from falling into the same trap. From The Knot: TheKnot Boards From Wedding Wire: Expressions By Misti Reviews & Ratings, Wedding Photography, Tennessee - Nashville and surrounding areas Misti's Better Business Bureau rating (Surprise!! It's an 'F'): BBB Review of Expressions by Misti in Hendersonville, TN I will also delete my post singing her praises shortly after she originally mailed me my CDs. If I can't do it, I will ask one of the mods to help me out. Moral of the story -- research, research, research. If I had known her history, I NEVER would have used her. It's too late for me and Chika, but not for YOU.

Your flowers are stunning! How will you get them to PC without crushing them? Do they pack them in special travel-proof boxes for you?

Quote: Originally Posted by KHarrod Hi Thomasjsgirl, Im using Misti also as my photographer in September. She does awesome work and really takes pride in her pictures. Hi! Did you get your album from Misti? What has her response time been like?

There are plenty of pics of that resort on here. It's a popular place (and I'm not saying that just because I was married there!). As for a photographer, if you don't want to fly one in, photosouvenir, a local photographer, does postiviely exceptional work at a decent price. I was unable to use them for my wedding as they were already booked on that date. That's a decision I regret. Had I known better I would have simply selected another date! You can get married on any day of the week, so it's not like you're limited to Sat or Sun. Check them out - you won't be disappointed!

Great album! You've given me hope that a first-timer like me can actually create one as gorgeous as yours too. Our own photographer sent us the CD of pics, and then vanished into thin air! She won't return email and at this point, I'm not holding out hope that she will ever give us the album and portrait we paid for! I sent her one last email, and if she doesn't respond by tomorrow, I'll make sure to write another post about my experience with her so that other brides don't fall into the same trap. But, I digress ... GREAT ALBUM!!

Check out cheaptotes.com too! they're prices are amazing.

Quote: Originally Posted by robinkar Okay, I have a very silly question. If we are getting the paperwork for the Dominican, is there any paperwork to be done for Canada. Do we need to get a marriage license in Canada or do we just submit some type of paperwork that we get from the Domician after the wedding. We also used WEDO, and they were great to deal with. Once you get back, you'll have to get you will have to get your marriage certicate translated if you intend to change your last name or your marital status on your passport, etc. I used: Florinda Lages, ATIO Certified Translator, M.A., B.A., 11 Rothsay Ave., Toronto, ON M8Z 4L9, Tel.: 416-201-0390, Cell: 416-318-3792, email: [email protected]. Translation and taxes came to $59.01 and I had it back within 1 week!

Ladies - I was at the Riu Mambo for our first anniversary in November. This hotel is NOT a 4-star as advertised. It is, however, part of a threesome of resorts (Riu Merenge and Riu Bachata being the other two). The Riu Bachata (just down the beach) is much nicer, and has better facilities. There was a wedding at the Riu Mambo while we were there, and it was very low-key. If this is what you have in mind, and you're not looking for too many bells and whistles ('cause you won't find them at Riu Mambo), then you won't be too disappointed.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ginae618 Hi. I'm getting married in Punta Cana in May 2011. Right now are 3 top choices are Dreams Punta Cana, Paridisus Palma Real, and Majestic Eleganance. Anyone have any pros or cons about any of these? How was the service, food, flowers, space, dj, coordinator, hair, makeup? Any info will help. Thanks!!! Hi! I was married at Dreams Nov/08. Not everything turned out as planned, but this is to be expected. When it rained on our day, they had Plan B (indoors) ready and waiting. The food was good, the hair not so much. Flowers were acceptable, and we used our own ipod instead of a DJ. For the price, our guests were impressed. All in all, we had a great wedding - not perfect, but great. It's been a while since I've posted on here so I'm not sure if it's still readily accessible, but I posted a review of the hotel which goes into greater detail. There are plenty of other bride reviews also - check out the general section for first-hand commentary of the various options available to you in PC. It definitely helped me when I was trying to decide which hotel to choose. Good luck!!

Quote: Originally Posted by khomac My question was about the marriage certificate. I don't believe you can just bring in a translated copy. Notarizing the translated copy says "yes, this spanish document is the same as this new english document" I don't think the Ministry or any other place will just accept somebody's translated copy. They need proof that they are the same document. I believe that the Marriage Certificate needs to be translated and notarized? No? You don't have to have it notarized. I went to the ministry last week and showed them my certified translation, and voila! I have a new name!

Quote: Originally Posted by MilitaryMrs.s-to be Thomasjsgirl, How long did it take for you to get your Marriage licence back from the DR, or did you bring it home with you? It was actually pretty quick! They sent it by courier about 3 weeks later

Hi Ladies, After all this time, I still don't know how to reply with multi-quotes! So, I'll try to respond to a couple of the earlier questions here. When you are translating your documents (birth certificate, passport) to bring with you to the DR, these must also be certifiied through a Statutory Declaration. It's been a while, and unfortunately I didn't keep any of the emails from the Dominican Consulate (in Toronto), but having these docs translated, PLUS we had to translate our divorce certificates from our previous marriages, rang up to the tune of over $300 (or may-be even $500! I'll check my wedding bills and stuff at home tonight). The Consulate "legalizes" these docs as opposed to "notarizing" them. You can cut some of the cost by having everything translated first by ATIO, who also certifies them, then bring them to the Consulate for "legalization". You can download the forms you need from their site: D.R. Marriage Requirements. If I remember correctly, the Consulate charges $100 to legalize them. This is simply another way for the consulate to make money, because if you don't legalize them, they won't be accepted by the judiciary in DR. This thread was originally about translating your marriage certificate when you get back. You don't have to go through the Consulate for this. I'm planning to go to the Ministry this weekend to get my drivers licence in my married name, using the certified translation from ATIO. I'm not anticipating any issues, but I'll update this post with the results anyway.

Hi ladies, My first anniversary was fast approaching (Nov 24), and I still hadn't arranged to have my marriage certificate translated into English. As you may know from other posts on this topic, it can be quite pricey, especially if you have the Dominican consulate do it. Luckily, I read about a translation service on this site that turned out to be the most economical of all. The service is Canadian, but since it's internet-based, I'm sure they can help out our American friends too. The total cost to translate my certificate from Spanish to English was $59.01 (taxes in). And, I was mailed two certified originals in less than one week. The site lists all of their translators -- you just click on a name and their contact info comes up. I used a woman by the name of Florinda Lages and she was very helpful and professional. Here is the site address: Translation ATIO - Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario | Association des traducteurs et interprètes de l'Ontario, and here is Florinda's email address: [email protected]. I haven't taken it to the Ministry yet to change over my licence, but if I have any problems doing so, I will update this post.

I heard that you can just bring your marriage certificate to the Ministry of Transportation and get your licence changed over. From there, you can use your new licence to change your other forms ID. I've also heard that you have to have your marriage licence translated into English first. Has anyone from Ontario tried the first option yet? The only thing I changed so far was a bank account, and they didn't even ask to see my certificate.

Thanks ladies for all of your comments! I've definitely decided to go the soft-cover album route, may-be 10 pages total. I can customize them for each bridesmaid/groomsman to include specific shots of them. I will post one as an example, when I'm done. Thanks again!

For those of you who have already chosen which pictures to use in your album, thank-you cards, etc., is it still traditional to give a picture of the wedding party, to everyone IN the wedding party? Back in the day (I can't believe I just typed that), when I was married the first time around, this was a common practice. Just wondering if it still is. I was actually thinking of putting together a small soft-cover album with a few highlights of the entire trip (not just the wedding day) and giving that to each member of the wedding party instead. Any thoughts ladies?

Hi Haskinl, We didn't use the resort photographer. Another bride (who I met on this forum) and I shared a photographer. Her name is Misti Abner and this really helped bring our costs down. We were both very happy with the pictures. If you follow the link at the top of this thread, it will take you to her site (Expressions by Misti) and you can see some more of her work. As for Dreams, no resort is perfect, and neither is Dreams, but all in all, we had a great experience and don't regret chosing this resort. Here's the link to my review which goes into further detail. This area of the site is a wealth of knowledge as you can hear about other couple's experiences at different resorts too. Good luck with your planning and if you have more questions about Dreams PC, feel free to ask! http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t35102

Quote: Originally Posted by DreamsBride09 The pics are amazing! Thanks so much for posting these. I do have a question for you regarding Dreams PUJ... it looks like you had quite a few people there with you. Where did you have your reception dinner? Also, was there a set menu that you had? Or did your guest have choices at the reception? Im wondering if I should email my WC and ask this, i just don't want to have to run around the day before the wedding to ask everyone what their meal choice will be last minute!! Just let me know! Thanks again! Hi Dreamsbride09, we had our ceremony and the reception indoors because of rain. It was unfortunate, but what are you going do? The original plan was to get married in the Gazebo and have our reception on the patio outside of the Japanese restaurant. Our group was 44 in total and the patio easily accomodated a group this size. As for dinner, there are set menus that you can select before you go, or with the WC once you arrive all based on the level you have chosen (silver, gold, platinum, etc). There is some flexibility allowed (i.e. we didn't want the soup course and substituted it for a seafood platter -- we didn't quite get that, but again, what are you going to do!?). I posted a review (it's in the BDW General section) a little while ago which goes into more detail. Have a read, or if you can't find it, let me know and I'll post the link. Good luck with your wedding planning -- Dreams is a good choice

Thanks Morgan, hopefully I can figure out how to use both sites without having a nervous breakdown!

Quote: Originally Posted by Morgan thanks! shutterfly was better than snapfish in all catagories. i havent orderd my mpix book yet. i posted a review on the forum if you want more details. Hi Morgan, I'm thinking of using Lumapix for my album, and then Mpix to print. Did you end up using Mpix and were you happy with the results? P.S. your book layout is phenomenal.

Hi ladies, I've just posted my professional pics from my wedding at Dreams, Punta Cana. We were married November 24, 2008 and had a great time at Dreams. Misti, our photographer, travelled from Nashville to shoot our wedding and Chicka's wedding (hers was November 25, 200. Here's the link: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...552#post717043 If you have any questions about Dreams, or Misti, please feel free to ask away!

Hi Shelley!! Your siggy pic looks great! Thank YOU for finding Misti! KDB: I have some non-pro pictures in the pictures thread in this section. I'll be posting some pro-pics within the next few days.

Quote: Originally Posted by Gail I love your monogram- did you make it? Thanks, I love it too! It was designed by Sarah Sproullie of Sproullie Designs. There is a stickie at the top of the General Wedding Information thread with the details on how to order one from her.

Quote: Originally Posted by MarieSam Great review!! I'm so glad your Mom was ok despite that strange incident. That is awful that the resort staff seemed so unconcerned about it, and they really shoulda done more, but thankfully she wasn't hurt. I can't wait to see your pics, your TTD session with your bridal party sounds so fabulously fun ~ what a great idea by Misti to include them at the beginning Congrats Hi Mariesam, I included the incident in my review not to scare anyone, but just so that we remember to stay vigilant. Any time we travel we have to be careful because tourists are sometimes considered easy prey. Law enforcement standards are usually quite different in foreign jurisdictions than what we experience at home, so often we're disappointed by their lack of empathy. This is not unique to DR (Mexico is another prime example of this). I hope this doesn't change anyone's mind about chosing Dreams for their DW, because other than that one unfortunate incident, everything else was great.

Hi ladies, I was married at Dreams, PC on November 24, 2008. I posted some pics and my review here: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t35102 http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t34483 http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t34485 Feel free to email me if you have any questions regarding Dreams.