Dreams La Romana

[uninspired1979]

MissTaken- if you stay in the Prefered buildings the wifi is included. You just get a slip from the Prefered Club concierge and go to the cafe where they give you a sign in code that is good for 10 hours. Once you use that up you just repeat the process again for 10 more free hours. There are computer stations in the cafe, and also 4 stations set up in the prefers club. The preferred club is open from 8:30am-11pm so it is very convenient. If you are staying in the regular rooms you have to pay for the wifi, if I remember correctly it was $4 usd for 10-15 minutes, or $60 usd for a week. We stayed on the preferred side and took our iPad with us, it did come in handy. Especially right after we got there and I realized that I needed a few extra things and was able to email my mom who wasn't there yet to bring what I needed. It was just an extra perk not having to leave the room to use a computer. Also what was good about having a computer with us was when we got stuck in the airport for 6 hours on the way home, had something to keep us busy. We flew into Santo Domingo and in part of the airport there was free wifi, thank goodness.

[uninspired1979]

Hi All, We are back from an incedible trip. I had an amazing 3 hour nap this afternoon, and hubby is asleep now, so I figured I would write my review. Travel/Transfer: We got lucky since we left before the holiday madness. Our flight was early in the morning, and it was a total breeze. Once we were through security, we shopped the duty free stores, hung out a bit and got on the plane. There were 14 of us flying from NY, so my aunt had taken it upon herself to make sandwiches for everyone, that was wonderful. The flight was just fine, we napped most of the way. Once we arrived in Santo Domingo my girlfriend who had made this same trip last year ran to the store in the airport and bought beers and got a bag full of ice. She had planned ahead and taken a cooler bag with her in her carry on, so she filled the cooler with ice and put the beer in the bag. We got 1 big bus to drive us since we were so many people, and off we went. A few family members had bought snacks with them, and some others had bought alcohol in the duty free, so we partied the whole way over to the resort. The ride took about 1.5 hours, honestly in the last 20 minutes everyone was getting stir crazy, but we made it. Arrival/Check In: We were greeted with champagne and damp towels, that was great after traveling for so long. Since we were all staying in the Prefered sections the bell hops loaded up all of our luggage and walked us over to the Prefered club building for check in. The girls who work in the Prefered club are sensational, they had us all checked in in about 15 minutes. It would have been even faster had my uncle not disappeared with the bag of everyones documents, lol. As we were each checked into our rooms we were escorted by a bell hop to the rooms and left to relax. Rooms: We stayed in a Prefered suite. As I posted while we were still there, my god it was so worth the extra money, it was just spectacular. The only issue we had was the location, we were facing the main pool where there was entertainment at around 4:00pm and 9:30pm almost every night. It only really bothered us the first night when we were totally exhausted and were already in bed at 9:45. I took earplugs with me just for this sort of thing and I did fall asleep. Hubby has slept through cars exploding and cars crashing back home, so it didn't bother him. Most of our party stayed in the Prefered section, a few people stayed in the basic rooms and they weren't bad at all, so I guess it's just a preference. You do get a lot more perks if you stay in the Prefered section, though we didn't use all the perks every day it was nice when we did, and good that they were available to us without extra costs. Hotel/Grounds: The hotel is immaculate. All day long you saw people "taking care" of the resort. Oiling wood, painting, wiping windows and glass, etc. Even the restroom that was by the beach bar was always spotless. I was very impressed with the level of cleanliness and care that that staff uphold at this resort. The hotel grounds are just beautiful, my brother who travels to the Florida Keys regulary and has been to a few wonderful resorts said he had never been anywhere so beautiful. The property is really picturesque. My favorite spot was right behind the SSG there is clearing and all there is is ocean in full view, no obstructions, just so picture perfect. All of the restaurants are nicely decorated, each one has it's own special feel, I liked that a lot. There are many places in the resort where you can just sit down and relax and not be bothered, such a plus. Our group hung in the lobby most nights, the furnishings in the lobby are so nice and comfy. Most people end up in the lobby in the evening since the lobby bar is the last one to close, but also because it is such a nice atmosphere to chill in at the end of the night. Casino/night Club: The casino is small. There are 3 tables, maybe 4, and a hand full of machines. All the boys went one night to play in a poker tournament, that was about it. The night club was nice inside, but I never really spent any time there. Most nights they play Spanish music, the only nights they played English music where our first night when we went to bed super early and the night of our wedding. Check the daily schedule and you will know what is going on in there. Food: Let me preface this with "we acknowledge that we are spoiled New Yorkers". the food for us was just average. We are spoiled living in NY the quality of food we eat on a daily basis is better than what was at the resort. But, you will always find something that you like, and food is plentiful. What I did like were the portion sizes at the restaurants, they were just enough to be satisfied, not stuffed, I really prefer it this way.I ate fish almost very day and loved it. Meat is cooked well almost all the time, I just got into the habit of telling the waiter to bring my meat bleeding, that way it would show up a drop pink. My aunt who was our travel agent, and I, both read reviews for all the months leading up to the trip. Most reviews said that they didn't visit the Spanish restaurants, funny thing was that our group liked the 2 Spanish restaurants the most. So make sure you visit all to figure out what you like best. One afternoon we were having lunch at the SSG and I told my girlfriend that between all the things on the menu I could see the components of a fish taco, since she spoke Spanish she told the waiter nicely what I wanted and they actually made fish tacos for us, that was awesome. Ocean/Pools: The ocean was wonderful there. The only draw back was that the first few days because of the storms that had passed the weeks prior the shore was littered with sea shells and a bit uncomfortable to get in the water. But as the week went on the sea shells got pulled out to sea, and the water cleared up significantly more each day. The day we left you could see straight down to your toes. As for the pool, as well kept and beautiful as they were, for us they were too cold. Not once did either of us get into the pools. But we also never spent a lot of time sitting in direct sun, so a cold plunge was never needed. It's just a preference, when there is such a stunning ocean I really have no interest to sit in a pool. The one thing I loved at this resort was that there as a good amount of tree cover on the beach. We were looking to possibly go to Punta Cana for our next trip, but there is no cover on the beach and that is a turn off for me. Even the 3 pool areas had enough shaded or covered areas here where you could sneak out of the sun for awhile, huge plus. Spa: I am not much of a spa girl, though I have been to quite a few since my mom likes to treat me to a massage every now and than when we get a chance to go away together. My honest opinion is that they need to close it down for a few weeks and revamp it. The spa is clean and tidy, the service rooms are fair enough. But the beauty salon is a sad area. The poor girls don't even have good tools to work with in there. It is passable at best, but felt me feeling sorry for the stylist. Mom and I had a reflexology massage one day, which was wonderful, I highly recommend it. She also shared my couples massage which hubby didn't want to go to, that was just ok. The first massage was done in an outside hut, it was very peaceful and serene with the sounds of fountains around us. The second massage was done in a room, it was a bit stuff and the beds uncomfortable. Though I didn't love the spa itself everyone who works there is wonderful, so don't stay away. Everyone who got services there from our group really had a good experience. It's just the actual spa that I feel is in real need of an upgrade. General Service: I have traveled, but I have never been somewhere where the service was so spectacular. Everyone always has a smile on their face, and they are always out to please. Since we had taken a certain amount of cash with us with trips, but didn't end up going on any trips, we just used it to tip all the service staff. It is a pleasure to tip when you are treated that well. We never changed money always tripped with US dollars and the smiles we got were always worth it. You will hear the words "it's my pleasure" uttered so many times in the day that you will get sick of it. Absolutely incredible service, we might even disregard the food and go back just because of the service. For the hotel this is it. Tomorrow I will review the wedding. I came home to a dead computer, so I have to use hubbies computer to upload wedding pics so that I can write the review, pain in the butt. Hope this helps with the hotel questions. More to come tomorrow!

[dcairns]

Hey Alla,

 

Sounds wonderful and can't wait to hear more and see more!!

 

- Dana

 

[dcairns]

Hi Chanelo,

 

I've booked HDC and this is the info Arnaud sent at the beginning. I don't know if prices have changed or if packages have changed since I booke awhile ago.. but here you go.  I am being charged 65$ for a day pass for the photographer by Dreams. And I also believe if you get a videographer that you will need an additional pass for them. Just contact Arnaud directly, he's very nice and prompt. The website is... http://www.hdcphoto.com/

 

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY PACKAGES:

SILVER PACKAGE includes:

• 3 hours Coverage (Preparation of the Bride, Ceremony, and

Photo Session).

• 1 DVD with your pictures in high resolution that you can print at

any lab and in any size. The DVD includes approximately 300

pictures (Originals & Edited).

• 1 Slideshow of your best pictures on DVD (with titles and music

of your choice).

• 1 set of 100 printed pictures in 4 x 6 or 75 printed pictures in 5

x 7 or 50 printed pictures in 6 x 8.

• Online Photo Gallery for 60 days (private access code for you,

your family, and your friends).

690 US$

GOLD PACKAGE includes:

• 3 hours Coverage (Preparation of the Bride, Ceremony, Photo

Session).

• 1 DVD with your pictures in high resolution that you can print at

any lab and in any size. The DVD includes approximately 300

pictures (Originals & Edited).

• 1 Slideshow on DVD of your best pictures (with titles and music

of your choice).

• 1 set of 200 printed pictures in 4 x 6 or 150 printed pictures in

5 x 7 or 100 printed pictures in 6 x 8.

• 1 set of 30 printed pictures in 8 x 12.

• Online Photo Gallery for 60 days (private access code for you,

your family, and your friends).

• 1 Digital Photo Book of 50 pages containing approximately 150

of your best pictures. The Hard Cover Photo Book is

personalized with your names and a text you can eventually

add.

990 US$

PLATINUM PACKAGE includes:

• 5 hours Coverage (Preparation of the Bride, Ceremony, Photo

Session, Cocktail and Diner).

• 1 DVD with your pictures in high resolution that you can print at

any lab and in any size. The DVD includes approximately 450

pictures (Originals & Edited).

• 1 Slideshow on DVD of your best pictures (with titles and music

of your choice).

• 1 set of 300 printed pictures in 4 x 6 or 225 printed pictures in

5 x 7 or 150 printed pictures in 6 x 8.

• 1 set of 30 printed pictures in 8 x 12.

• 1 set of 5 printed pictures in 12 x 18

• Online Photo Gallery for 90 days (private access code for you,

your family, and your friends).

• 1 Digital Photo Book of 100 pages containing approximately 250

of your best pictures. The Hard Cover Photo Book is

personalized with your names and a text you can eventually

add.

1350 US$

TRASH THE DRESS SESSION includes:

• 1 hour Photo Session (usually the day after your wedding)

• 1 DVD with all the pictures in high resolution that you can print

at any lab and in any size. The DVD includes approximately 150

pictures (Originals & Edited).

• 1 Slideshow on DVD of your best pictures (with titles and music

of your choice).

• 1 set of 50 printed pictures in 6 x 8.

250 US$

WEDDING VIDEO PACKAGES:

SILVER PACKAGE includes:

• 90 minutes Coverage (Ceremony, Cutting the Cake at the

Ceremony and Garden & Beach Photo Session).

• 1 edited DVD of approximately 30 minutes.

• Possibility to customize your video (music of your choice,

Names, Titles, etc.).

• 1 custom DVD cover and label with your picture, names, date

and place of the wedding.

350 US$

GOLD PACKAGE includes:

• 150 minutes Coverage (Preparation of the Bride, Ceremony,

Cutting the Cake at the Ceremony, Garden and Beach Photo

Session)

• 1 edited DVD of approximately 40 minutes with custom menu.

• Possibility to customize your video (music of your choice,

Names, Titles, etc.).

• 1 custom DVD cover and label with your picture, names, date

and place of the wedding.

450 US$

PLATINUM PACKAGE includes:

• 6 hours Coverage (Preparation of the Bride, Ceremony, Cutting

the Cake, Dances, Speeches, Photo Sessions, Cocktail Hour,

Dinner and Party)

• 1 edited DVD of approximately 60 minutes with custom menu.

• Possibility to customize your video (music of your choice,

Names, Titles, etc.).

• 1 custom DVD cover and label with your picture, names, date

and place of the wedding.

700 US$

HIGHLIGHT VIDEO OPTION includes:

• This is a mini-movie video montage showing highlights of your

wedding. The duration of the video will be the time of the song

that you selected for this video.

150 US$

EXTRAS:

• Additional hour: 150 US$ / hour

• Additional CD or DVD copy: 30 US$

NOTES & CONDITIONS:

• It’s important to note that we can customize your wedding

package, just let us know what your needs are.

• We also offer discounts for a combined Photography and Video

Packages.

• To confirm your reservation we need you to previously deposit

20% of the total amount of the chosen package. It can be done

through wiring at a Bank of America account in the United

States or through PayPal online).

• The Pictures and DVD will be delivered to your hotel 2 or 3 days

after your wedding.

• A Digital Photo Book is a book that we create thanks to a

software (it’s totally different from the Traditional photo album

with the pictures stuck on the pages). This book will have the

pictures of your wedding professionally printed on the pages. It

will be a 11 x 8.5 inch hardcover book with photo-wrapped

cover and matching dust jacket. The hardcover book uses a

traditional bookbinding style – complete with a striped

headband – just like books from the bookstore. This is also

called Coffee Table Book.

• The Photo Book included in the Gold and Platinum Package will

be delivered at you address approximately 3 weeks after your

wedding free of charge (via FedEx or UPS).

• For the weddings that take place inside a hotel, the hotel

charges a Day Pass for the photographer and the videographer.

The customers will have to cover this cost.

[uninspired1979]

My wedding review: First meeting with Yanna: We met Yanna the day after we arrived. Thanks to Nancy and her hubby who met us the night before and gave us the low down about how their wedding was we already felt at ease. Yanna met us in the lobby, she had all of the paper work that was pertinent to the event, and some photo albums to show us. We reviewed a bunch of things with her. She showed us pictures of set ups of other weddings. She showed us pictures of flowers so that we could choose what suited us. Since I did want want to pay more for flowers than I expected, I just chose from what she showed us. I chose cream color roses for my bouquet, the corsages, and the boutineres. She had a wedding the week prior that had centerpieces that fit my color scheme so I just chose those. I guess there had been a misunderstanding in my choice of ceremony location. I had thought we were reserved for the white gazebo, she thought we were reserved for the beach gazebo, make sure you are clear when reserving this, since I didn't know that there were 2 gazebos. Since I didn't want to change the time of the ceremony or be on the sand, she gave us the option of the ceremony to take place on the pier. It worked out for the best because when hubby had seen the pier he had really wanted to get married there, so it worked in our favor. Yanna took us to the pier after the lobby to make sure that's what we wanted. Once we confirmed that we went to her office with all the things that we had brought with us for the wedding and showed her what everything was and explained to her how to use everything. We were with her about 1.5-2 hours, she told me to call her if I needed anything and that was about it. Spa Hair: I had a hair trial the day before the wedding, Maria at the spa did my hair, she is a lovely girl, she tries so hard. The trial was good, and I felt confidant that the wedding day hair wouldn't be an issue. Sadly though on the wedding day it didn't go as well as the day of the trial. When my mom and I got to the salon there was an entire wedding party of African American girls getting their hair done. It was packed and insanely hot in there. I could see that Maria was frazzled, and I felt so sorry for her. My room was close to the spa, so I had just come out of the shower with my hair wet thinking it would save time on a wash. Thank goodness I had done that since she was running late. WARNING; the hair spray that they use in the spa in an unmarked bottle is like shelac, Nancy warned me of this but once I realized what was happening it was too late. What I had wanted was my hair down in soft waves with a side braid. Maria did a wonderful job of it at the trial, but the day of the wedding she started spraying strands of hair with the crazy hairspray and curling it on a curling iron, I ended up with Goldielocks curls which were terrible. Anyway this is partially my fault, since I know my hair does not respond well to this sort of treatment, but I simply didn't realize what she was doing at the time. If you are planning an updo, or a specific style I think you won't be disappointed since the stylist are very good at these types of things. The bridal party that was there before me all had updos and they looked amazing. But if you are going for more of a natural style like I wanted, don't bother, just do it yourself and have someone help you. They are also GREAT with blow outs at the spa, 5 minutes flat and no frizz, that I was very impressed with. My mom was supposed to use my makeup appointment since I was doing my own makeup, but everyone was running late that day so she ended up doing her own makeup, so I can't tell you how the makeup application is at the spa. When I got back to my room I wet my hands a few times and ran them through the crazy curls, luckily I had bought Bobby pins with me, so I twisted the mess of curls into a messy French Twist and left it at that. It all worked out for the best in the end, since that night it was really humid and I would have ended up with my hair up anyway. Preparation for that Day: I had tried to contact Yanna a few times through the operator that day but never got a hold of her. While I was in the spa my mom went and got her, she reviewed a few last details with me while I was getting my hair done. I gave her my iPod and an explanation of the play lists, than she went up to my room where hubby was and got a few remaining things. She told me that she was off to check on the set up for the ceremony, she also told me that the video guy would be at my room at 4:30, that she would come and bring the flowers up to my room once they got there and she would come and get the bridal party at 5:00. That morning I had made a few lists and designated a few friends to take care of some things, mostly it was to make sure that certain things were ready and set up the way I wanted. Make sure you do this if you bring a lot of wedding things with you or you have a large party. Some things weren't were they needed to be, but since my girlfriend had the list she was able to quickly remedy everything. Also make sure you always have Yanna or Tiaras phone extension on hand as I think the operator just kept transferring me to the wrong phone, she was always in her office when I went there. Really thats my fault. Ceremony Decor: Since we were getting married on the pier I had asked Yanna just to do white chair covers with white sashes. It is such a beautiful setting that I didn't want the chairs to take away from it. Everything else was set up exactly as I had asked too, so no worries here. An employee had come and set up a speaker and a mic, he played our wedding music just fine, and the mic was perfectly loud for everyone to hear us. We had a tiny wedding party so we only played 1 song for all of us to walk down the pier, hubby and best man were already standing on the pier waiting whenI got downstairs, so 1 song was enough. Cocktail Hour: since the pier has a few small deck areas at the beginning (I'll post pics of this), Yanna set up cocktail hour for us on 1 of the decks. It was a lovely set up, they had a bar table set up with a bartender, and a separate table with hors devours. The music trio played while everyone drank and ate and took pictures, the sun had gone down and it was just so lovely. It really did work in our favor that we ended up on the pier, it was such a romantic setting to have the ceremony and the cocktail hour there. Reception: We had our reception at the Oceanariums restaurant, as I posted while we were still there is was wonderful. The Oceana restaurant is located right behind the swim up bar pool, though this area is jumping during the day, at night it doesn't get much traffic at all. Since we had 41 people Yanna closed down the restaurant for us for that evening so it was really a private party. What's funny is that I was having so much fun already by the time that we got to the reception that I had totally forgotten that we had also paid for an open bar durning the reception. The Oceana restaurant has it's own bar area, so it worked out so well. We had table service and we had bought extra bottles of liquor to put on the tables too, but since our group was half older and half younger the bar was definitely used by the younger crowd once the party really got going. Yanna had everything set up just as I had explained to her, I had no issues with anything. I had explained to her in our meeting that I absolutely did not want the normal wedding service during the reception. I come from a Russian family and the way we do parties is very different, we don't sit and eat the entire meal than dance, we break it up the entire way. I wish I had a copy of what I gave her, but basically once we got to the restaurant and everyone was seated we did our first dance, than the father daughter dance. Than we ate the salad, than we did the Jewish circle dance where the entire party dances around the bride and groom and they lift us in chairs. Than we went back to the next course, did a few toasts, the waiters took the dinner entree order, and we had the dj turn up the speaker and started off the dancing. The entree came we ate, had a few more toast, the dj turned on the dancing music again and on to the dancing again. Same thing with dessert. By the time dessert came everyone was TRASHED, we had a lot of alcohol. No one noticed that it was close to 11 and someone spotted that the dj looked like he was packing up, so we stopped him because we hadn't even cut the cake yet. Everyone was having so much fun that we simply forgot about it. The dj was kind enough to stay through the cake cutting and to play our last song. They will try to shuffle you out at 11pm, the dj does not want to hang out for much longer than that. Be aware that the dj is just a guy sitting at a table with a computer and your iPod hooked up to it shuffling your music. He had another guy with him just to keep him company, and he looked bored stupid the entire time he was there. Since he doesn't speak much English and doesn't actually have a dj set up like a dj would have at most weddings, his job is not very exciting. We did tip him and his buddy at the end because hubby and I just felt sorry for him. Also this is a major thing that we didn't think about; there is no MC for the wedding since the dj doesnt speak English. Not a big deal if you have a small group, but if you are a significant group make sure that you designate someone from your group before hand to lead the party. Luckily my friends just took this upon themselves and chose someone to MC, than everyone pretty much took it upon themselves to take over when something needed to be announced. Once we were done, hubby, my dad, and even a few friends tipped all of the servers at the restaurant. We actually were not planning on it since the tax and serves charges on the wedding are already so steep, but they took such good care of us that we felt like we should. Our personal waiter never let our drinks go dry, and he kept taking my food back since I spent most of the time dancing. Whenever hubby would drag me to sit down and eat the server would bring me a fresh warm plate of food, he was excellent. There was so much cake (dont order extra, it is huge) that on our way out I asked the head waiter if they would bring the cake to the lobby for us, "no problem miss, it would be my pleasure". The servers had so much fun with our party at the reception that when we were leaving they kept asking us to please come back again before we left. My family did go back there one night for dinner, but a good number of people had gone home already, the servers kept asking where everyone was, they were sad that most had gone home already. Food/Cake: As I mentioned in my previous post, the portions are just enough to satisfy. We had a salad, soup, a choice of 2 entrees, and dessert. Everyone was nicely full, my uncle wanted a second entree (he is a big man, lol) and they had no problems bringing him a second plate. Hubby loves pumpkin soup and since that was an option on the gold menu we had to have it, it really was delicious. All the food at the wedding was tasty and very nicely presented. Check out my comments about the resort food in the last post, for anyone who thinks it is not right to charge extra for food at an all inclusive you will get better quality food at wedding, so it is totally worth it. The cake was delicious. We got chocolate cake with some sort of butter cream, it was amazing. Yanna asked how many tiers we wanted and I told her just one. But the bottom tier is so big it could easily feed 60 people. When the cake was delivered to the lobby, hubby and I were actually up in the room changing and taking a little breather. My mom fed about 20 strangers in the lobby and there was still 1/2 of the bottom tier left. A friend took the cake and put it on top of the bar and told the bartenders to serve anyone who wanted cake and for them to enjoy it as well. Honeymoon Room: When we got back up to the room after the reception the room was decorated with balloons. There was champagne and a plate of chocolate covered grapes. Yanna had also put a fresh arrangement of cream and purple roses in the room for us, that was lovely. I had asked her that day to make sure that 1 of my vases made it back up to the room so that I could use it to put my bouquet in when the night was over, it was there ready and waiting already filled with water. Photography/Video: We used the hotel photographer, and the hotel video. Since we bought the Ultimate wedding package we didn't really want much more. Hubby and I aren't really picture/posing people, it stresses us out more than anything, also we just wanted to party with everyone, so taking time out to take pictures seemed like a drag. The video guy came when I was still getting ready, I was running a little late so I made my MOH send him away. He went down to the pier and took some video there, than came back up just as I was ready. He was a very nice guy and very easy to work with. The photographer was Kiko from the hotel photography staff, he was very professional and got some incredible shots. We had talked to him before the wedding, what is included in the package is 50 shots of the ceremony only. He said he would stay for a little while after the ceremony and take some additional shots, and if we wanted more than 50 they would be $15 usd per print after the first 50 prints. We went to Kiko a few days after the wedding, he has a kiosk by the main pool, and he showed us the pictures. I guess he had just chosen the 50 best shots and that was enough for us. We went back the next day and picked up the print outs. WARNING: Kiko charges $200 usd to put the pictures on a CD, we opted out of this since that price was just too crazy, and no you can not haggle with him. I did go to Yanna before I went to pick up the pictures and asked if this was normal and she said yes. When all was said and done Kiko did take some amazing pictures, when I have them scanned in I will post them for you all to see. The video is very cute and sweet. The guy asked me before he left to give him a song title so that he could put it over the video. He got the reception and than asked people to give us their wishes also on the video while everyone was at the cocktail hour. I had no idea that we would actually get 2 copies of the video, so that was a nice surprise when Yanna handed me 2 dvd's. Now the other reason we weren't stressing out over pictures was because my best friend had promised me that he would bring down his equipment and take pictures. He is a photo journalist and we knew that he would get shots that were much better and more fun than any photographer would. He has only sent me some and we were not wrong, what he did for us was amazing. When we spoke to Kiko about the price of the cd transfer I went to talk it over with my dad and he told me to forget about it, he said what my friend would have would make up for it. A few tips I have in regards to photos; Clip pictures that you love and want to take and bring them with you, I only had 5 or 6 must take pictures, and I had looked at them so many times that I had them memorized. Ask someone in your group who you know has a good camera to come right behind the photographer and take the same pics as he is. My MOH did this and has a few of the same shots as Kiko got of us and her quality is just as good. Lastly, make sure that you start a file sharing account before you go. Within days of getting home we already have close to 600 pictures. We use dropbox.com, you get 2GB of free space when you sign up, than you can purchase more space, it is super easy to use, and so easy to share files. Finally, hubby had a few suggestions he wanted me to post on here so that you all can pass on to your future husbands. There is a liquor at the bars called mamajana, it goes down way to easily, but the payback is terrible, tell your guys if they get a chance to try is to limit it to 2 shots only, trust me, lol. When your hubby is getting ready that day, make sure he eats and hydrates especially if we drank the night before. Between the heat and the nerves your guy needs to make sure that he is phisicaly feeling good that day. Finally because hubby was already waiting on the pier he said staring out at the water instead of looking out over the guests helped him greatly, it calmed his nerves just in time for me to come down the walkway. I will try to post pictures later in the day. I hope this review is helpful to you girls. I know it's long but I hope the details are worth it

[dcairns]

Hey Alla,

 

Great Review!  For the wedding cake, did you order more? I have 48 people coming at this point and wondering if I should order more. Let me know.

[3degrees]

This was a great review and very helpful!  Thank you so much and congrats!

[uninspired1979]

dcairns- do not order extra cake, I repeat, do not order extra cake, the basic cake with one small tier on top fed my 41 guests and we gave cake to about 20 people in the lobby. Even after that there was still 1/2 of the bottom layer left. Trust me there is a lot of cake. It looks small in everyones pics, but it is actually a large cake.

[uninspired1979]

here's an idea of the size of what they consider a 1 tier cake.

 

[taylorbabe]

Hi uninspired!

 

Thanks so much for the review, love the detail and there is some important info in there in regards to the photography aspect, thanks for that.

 

My hubby to be is a carpenter, I think your saw is adorable! Do you remember where you got it?

 

Thanks again

 

Sheri