sjmacphe

For sure I think #1 is way more flattering on you - it's my fav for sure. The way #2 hits your stomach is just not as flattering, in #1 I think you have a much sleeker, womanly silhouette! I agree a sweetheart would be pretty, you should think about trying some on, I don't think it would take away from the detailing. Good luck with your decision

Congrats Courtney! That's super exciting

Wow you are super on the ball, you did a great job with everything! I love your dress, you look gorgeous in it! Also, I really love the pink sandals, do you know the name/where you got them? I would love a pair in green!

Yes I agree #2 is my fav, but I would have to see you in them to know for sure !

Hey Courtney,

I am from Halifax, well Dartmouth but close enough . My FI and I both did our undergrads there, hoping to move back cause both of our families are there. Hope you get it soon!

Hi Courtney

My FI is here with me in Winnipeg, we're both in school full time, he doesn't have any role with military for a couple more years - he's just getting paid by them to go to school which is pretty sweet. Man it is going to be stressful when we are trying to get posted, I will have a career to worry about too...we're hoping to go back to Halifax so he could work on either a naval or airforce base there...but we'll see!

His brother is in the military now, he's training to be a pilot, he has been gone for the better part of 3 years now (he's home some too...) - it is rough when they are training eh?? I have no idea how much notice they are going to give us before Luke gets his posting...I'm guessing not a lot (I mean like how many months before you have to leave do you know where you are going?).

Jeni, it sucks that your hubby can't fly right now, but there is probably a pretty good reason why he shouldn't be for now, so it's probably for his own safety too. Hopefully he gets a clean bill of health soon, at least you guys do have some time together in the mean time .

Hey ladies! I would agree that engagement photos are nice to have, I plan to make photo books for our parents and also use these to make a nice guestbook - also I think it will be really neat because we get pics in the city where we have been living for the past three years (which I think I will appreciate later as we plan to move in a couple years) and at our destination.

Here is a link to the photos my friend took for us (I posted them in another thread), I think she did a great job .

http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t49377

Oh my goss Jessica - that's so funny - my fiance is in medical school now and joined the Army as they have a lot of great options for medical students (pay you a really good salary throughout school and a big signing bonus, etc). I know exactly what you're feeling trust me. It's all good for us right now we are both in medical school (I don't want to sign up for the military, I want to do pediatrics so unless they have a child army then it won't work out lol). It is going to be tricky once he is finished his training (ie med school and residency) he will owe them 4 years of service, we don't know where he will be posted and he will most likely by deployed to Afghanistan if we're still there. It is going to be tough, but my mom did this program too - and there are a lot of really good opportunities (ie travelling - my mom was a doc in the military and our whole family lived in Germany for 4 years which was pretty cool!). I think he should really think about what career path he wants to take, but just know that for the next 6 years at least he won't be going anywhere (unless their program is vastly different than ours which I doubt). But I just wanted to say hi and let you know that it's not selfish, I am worried about this stuff too, but I think we can work with it - it's not necessarily a full career commitment, if he doesn't like it after 4 years of service he can get out.

Good luck to you both, so glad I don't have to go through the application process again (at least until residency) it is a stressful time!

Hey Erin, here is a post from a little while ago where Ashley answered your question . Also, you should check out the facebook group (Melia Las Dunas Brides), a lot of brides have posted some of their wedding photos and many of them are done by the resort photog. Good luck! - Stephanie

I have a question about photographers - How much did it cost for the photographer?

$100 CUC for the resort photog. They will take photos for about 15-20 mins of "getting ready", the entire ceremony and then about two hours of pics afterwards. (They don't really have time limits, so keep them as long as you can/want.)

Do I have to book a photographer ahead of time?

Like everything else at MLD you book it all when you get down there-- however, after I did some research I realized that I wanted Alfredo as our photog, so I specifically mentioned this to Melissa during our convos via e-mail. And we got him, hooray!

Do they give you a CD with all your pictures?

With the package you get 24 color prints tucked into a photo album. For an extra $5 CUC (yes, I said 5) you get every picture that he takes on a DVD.

Should I get one of the picture packages they offer?

It is soooo worth it, and-- if you don't bring your own out-of-country photog, it's also your only real option.

Who got a videographer?

Yup-- he was great. The music tubbing the video was kind of sappy, but it's really nice to have it. He caught some beautiful moments when we were getting ready, and its nice to be able to watch the ceremony later. We will likely dub over the music with something more appropriate. lol

Were they happy with the finished product? Was it worth the $$?

Yes and HELL YES. Feel free to read my review, it gives a pretty good outline of the videographer and photog. (quoted from Ashley's post!)

Just make sure to bring an epi-pen just in case! Even if you eat it that might be enough to trigger a rxn in your hubby - which would be unfortunate for your first night together as newlyweds!

Thanks ladies - yes we did end up having a lot of fun!

Sept 2009

Shawna & Andre - September 29, 2009 - Melia Las Dunas

Oct 2009

LIW - October 28, 2009 - Melia Las Dunas

Nov 2009

itsfinallyhere - November 16th, 2009 - Sirenis La Salina, Varadero

Blooroze (Beth) - November 25, 2009 - Iberostar Varadero

Dec 2009

ltoxopeu (Lori & Don) - December 3rd 2009 - Playa Pesquero, Holguin

Niclec - December 16/09 - Melia Las Dunas Santa Maria Cuba

Jan 2010

Melissa & Kent - January 5, 2010- Playa Pesquero

Kat & Daryl - January 17, 2010 - Tryp Peninsula

Amelie & Chad - January 20, 2010 - Breezes Bella Costa

C & I - January 22, 2010 - Playa Pesquero

Feb 2010

Kevin and Dwana Feb 03, 2010 Bella Costa Varadero

Mark and Lolita Feb 12 2010 Iberostar Laguna Azul, Varadero.

Lori and Travis-February 14th, 2010-Barcelo Marina Palace

March 2010

Lillian & Mike - March 4 2010 - Blau Varadero

jackobelle - March 17th 2010 - Blau Varadero

Michelle and Jason- March 17th- Location to be confirmed soon!!

April 2010

Lana&Craig- April 28th, 2010- Iberostar Varadero

Krista & David - April 2 - Melia Varadero

Siobhan & Robin - April 27 - Iberostar Laguna Azul

Jenny & Casey - April 15 - Barcelo Marina Palace

Eric & Sylvie - April 27 - Melia Las Dunas

Stacey & Ron (staceyg) - April 27 - Iberostar Varadero

Melidell- April 28th - Melia Las Dunas

May 2010

Krista & Josh (K'osh) - May 4, 2010 - Playa Pesquero

Amanda & Adam - May 4, 2010 - Melia Las Dunas, Cayo Santa Maria

Lisa & Paul - May 5, 2010 - Iberostar Laguna Azul

Grace and Adrian - May 6th, 2010 - Iberostar Laguna Azul

Jill & Alex (JTAlberta) - May 19, 2010 - Playa Persquero

Chantelle & George - May 18, 2010 - Melia Varadero or Iberostar Laguna Azul

June 2010

Stephanie&Luke - June 2, 2010 - Melia Las Dunas, Santa Clara

July 2010

Sarah&Shaun - 12th July 2010 - Iberostar Varadero

Oct 2010

Crystalballl - October 20, 2010 - Playa Pesquero, Holguin

December 2010

Krishna69z - December 1, 2010 - Iberostar Laguna Azul

April 2011

Janet and Larry(JNL)- Unknown

They look really nice, I like the ones of you by the water - I think they are the most flattering of both of you. I think you should use him especially if he's going to be at your wedding anyway! It looks like he's got a good eye and a nice camera .

Ok, well that makes more sense...but maybe you could ask for a quote for a connecting flight so they don't have to drive? We got connecting flights from our TA for about $120 for both ways so it would be cheaper than driving/parking !

Hello Ladies,

I want to start by thanking you all for convincing me to drag my reluctant FI to get these done, I really do think it was worth it - I am still not an expert with photo sizing so I hope these turn out ok. My very good friend also happens to be quite talented with a camera and has started her own photography business - she was so much fun to work with. Although we both felt a little awkward at first it ended up being a really fun experience. These shots were taken at The Forks, in Winnipeg (amidst a WHOLE bunch of mosquitoes!) - my FI ended up being a very good sport and I know he's actually very happy we did them too! Can't wait for her to shoot our wedding in June!

Here are a sample of some of my faves:

That was so cute!! You guys rocked

I agree with the other ladies, he is free to travel from Montreal, it shouldn't really be an issue - you can get really cheap connecting flights if he wants to fly to Toronto first - but if they have the option of going direct then why not let them take it? Even if you're on different flights, as long as they make it for the wedding then I would say let them do what they want. At least they are all supporting your decision - something to be happy about (even if they are somewhat stubborn I really don't think he's making a ridiculous request, seems fair to me!). Let us know how it works out though

(PS I feel your pain, we all have to go to Toronto for our trip in June from Winnipeg/Halifax - it sucks, we have an 8 hour lay over on the way back, but oh well!)

You looked so beautiful Virg, I'm so jealous of your tanning abilities - I will be far whiter lol, but it makes me even more excited to get married at MLD! Yay!

Wow, I hadn't really considered this as an option but it seems like it might be a good way to get some nice BM dresses! Has anyone used Dragon Orient? They have a lot more color selections than Light in the Box so I was wondering if anyone here has used them? Thanks! And congrats ladies

Hi future ms2010, I'm wondering where you found these - those are pretty good prices, if they come in green that would be great!

Hi Rhea, congrats, I've never been to Cuba but I've heard really great things about the landscape, culture and people. Lots of resorts to choose from, check out the Cuba subforum for lots of ideas. The most popular seem to be the Iberostar and Melia chains, but there are lots of options out there. TAs with lots of experience in weddings can help you sort out what you want most out of a resort. I know it's overwhelming, but once you pick the location everything else is pretty easy in comparison. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions, I have been there!

Hi Courtney, I can sympathize for sure and I totally agree with you on Paloma, I bought one so obviously I love the line (mine was a more simple one, not QUITE as expensive, it's style 3906 - but it was the most flattering). One option is the Mikaela line (sp?) they are the sister company of Paloma and they are usually about $500 cheaper so it may fit into your budget. Some of the styles are almost identical but the material is satin which is not as expensive as the raw silk. Good luck, and keep looking!

Hi Scuba! I just started a thread about this a few days ago b/c I was struggling with the EXACT same thing. In the end I won, we did them and I think it's worth it. From what I have seen they turned out very nicely, he was a pretty good sport - I would just try to keep it brief and make sure he's well fed lol (men are like children, they start to get very grumpy when they are bored/hungry). I was able to get about 1 hour out of him and I think it was enough to get some really nice shots (when I get the edited ones I'll post some). I think you should go for it for sure. Good luck, and bribes usually help too!

Hey guys,

I had a slightly different situation JUST happen to me - but it brought up some of the same sort of feelings (I think). Friends of our just got engaged last week, they were thinking of coming our DW anyway but now have decided to have it AT THE SAME RESORT as us, probably the week after (so they don't have to travel twice). I feel a little weird about it, cause I picked this resort - they are just going to jump right in and get married at it too - and now our pics are going to be similar and we'll probably have the same venue...I dunno, I was just a little sort of disappointed because I understand the practicality but I wanted to feel a bit unique (also if they don't like it, I feel like it's sort of my fault, I picked this place...). Anyway, I think I'll keep other things to myself to avoid us having the EXACT same wedding. As long as I look hotter then it's all good, right? haha - kidding (sort of lol). Sorry for the rant - guess I just want to say that I see where you're coming from, and I agree it's sort of shitty feeling. But, as long as their are elements that are unique to yours - it will be special, plus you will have your own friends/families their which will make it great too!

Great job Foxy!