Ocean Blue and Sands

We got married on March 14, 2011 and stayed on the Sands side and we could not be happier with the resort, our wedding and vacation.

Resort

The resort overall is amazing. The grounds are super clean and very well maintained. The grounds are very large compared to the number of rooms so we never experienced overcrowding anywhere which was a great thing considering we were there during Canadian March break. There is a trolley that will pick you up to bring you back and forth but we only used it a couple of times as we enjoyed the walk and the scenery and truthfully it’s not that far.

Rooms

We stayed in the honeymoon suite and if you are getting married I would highly recommend. We had an ocean view, king sized bed with 2 floors and a double Jacuzzi tub that was used almost every night and the outdoor shower is great. I also saw some of the other rooms and they too were quite large and clean. Our fridge was always stocked with beer, wine and being part of the privileged club we had national brands of alcohol as well.

Staff

The staff are absolutely wonderful. They always have a hola for you and a smile on their face. They are hard workers so be sure to treat them well. I cannot say enough about our concierge Luis who helped me and my family out on two occasions by getting us into the restaurants we wanted to dine at. This may not seem like a big thing but we were a group of 23 so we couldn’t just walk in and all get seated without the reservations. As well, on our wedding day I told him that myself and bridesmaid would be getting ready all day and would need some drinks so he made sure to have wine, champagne and rum brought to the room before we even got there.

Food

The food was great and I can’t believe anyone could even complain about it as there is so much to choose from and the buffets were awesome. We went to Route 66 which was lots of fun and I had arranged for a cake to be made for my mother’s birthday and it was huge. The whole restaurant sang her Happy Birthday and the cake was so big that we asked that they pass out pieces to everyone in the restaurant for dessert. Loved the steakhouse and the beach restaurant at lunch was good and convenient. As part of our wedding package we had a romantic dinner on the beach which was really enjoyable. My biggest disappointment was the seafood restaurant which you have to pay for but we had as part of our package as well. The portion sizes were huge but the lobster brochettes were often not cooked enough and the food got cold fast with the wind blowing.

Wedding

The wedding was perfect despite the rain that occurred while we were getting ready. We were still able to hold the ceremony on the beach and the good thing was that the rain drove everyone off the beach.

We met with Ada the day before and picked out the flowers, cake, decorations, etc. I told her what decorations I had brought and how I wanted things laid out and it was no problem. She came to the room and picked everything up and everything was set up as I wanted.

The day of the wedding I was so calm and relaxed. I had my hair done at the spa and they did a wonderful job. We girls got ready in our room and the photographer and videographer arrived an hour before to take pictures. I could see everyone gathering on the beach from my balcony so that made things so exciting. Ada came to get us and it looked like it might start to rain again so I practically ran to the beach. We had the Dominican Trio to play me up the aisle and for the cocktail hour and they were great and our guests really enjoyed them. The rain held out and it was a bit windy but that was OK as I thought I would be really hot but I wasn’t. The judge did the ceremony in Spanish with Ada translating and we also got to say our own vows and then we were officially married.

We had a champagne toast on the beach with cocktails and appetizers for everyone while we had our pictures taken.

Photographer

We used HDC photography for the ceremony and the trash the dress and we couldn’t be happier. Arnaud was fun to work with and our pictures are stunning. With the clouds and sun setting it looks like the background was photo shopped in. He managed to capture us and our personalities while still looking like something out of a magazine. We also did the trash the dress two days later and I highly recommend. We had so much fun that day and we did it early in the morning with a bright blue sky so we are lucky to have pictures with the drama of the sky from the wedding day and the beauty of the blue sky and ocean for the TTD. The video is also very well done and I’m happy we got it as some of the ceremony seemed like a blur to me so it’s nice to have something to look back on. I highly recommend HDC for the quality and the price for the package we received.

Reception

We had our reception at LaBrasa and had the restaurant to ourselves which was great. It was set up with round tables with the dance floor off to the front.  The service staff was so great and the food was amazing. We were very impressed and our meal more than passed our expectations. We hired DJ Mannia and also got the lighted dance floor and both the DJ service and the dance floor were a big hit with our guests. DJ Mannia had everyone up and dancing from the beginning to the end. They also had a fun surprise for everyone that we were not aware of and will not share so you can be surprised too if you use them.

We had a great time and I would do it all again tomorrow if I could.