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Posts posted by hjack
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I am very sorry for the length of this review and I will have a few pictures to follow. I hope that it helps future brides. And thank you to everyone on this thread; you have all been such a tremendous help throughout the planning of my wedding.
I returned a week ago from my wedding at DLR. We were there for 2 weeks and had 22 guests stay for the first week. The resort is amazing and all guests were extremely happy with everything. Most guests stayed in Block 2, some of us in Block 4 and a few in the preferred section in Block 7. Out of all of our guests rooms the ocean front suits (also included in the preferred club) in Block 4 were by far the best. The view was amazing and the room was large and gorgeous. The garden view rooms in Block 4 were ok. Not the nicest rooms I have stayed in but they did their job. The rooms in Block 2 were the oldest of all the rooms I saw. They had the tub/showers which were rusted. A few of my guests said that they had issues with the sinks and tubs not draining as well as our air conditioning wasn’t working the first day, but after a call to reception the problems were quickly fixed.
The food was very good for an all inclusive resort. The choice of al a cart restaurants was fantastic and the no reservation policy was great. We had a group of 24 going for dinner most nights and it was never an issue to get us all in at the same times. We had either tables of 10, 6 or 4. My favourites were the French, Seaside Grill, Asian and Mexican. I only ate at the buffet for one dinner (Mexican) and it was quite good. Others in my group said that the buffet was good when they went. The free room service was great and came in handy quite a few times.
The beach was fantastic!!! Although it is not very long for walking, it was more than big enough for the size of the resort and there were always loungers available. There is fantastic snorkelling right off the beach. You just have to swim out from the center of the beach, passed the swimming ropes/buoys and out to the white sticks/markers. I have a large interest in snorkelling and scuba diving and this size of reef right off the resort’s beach was great. There were not many corals, but there was some and there was numerous fish always around. This was also a little snorkelling around the pier.
We went on 6 dives with Gri Gri Divers (the dive shop on site) and they were fantastic! We also booked a group tour for snorkelling and scuba diving at Catalina Island and it was well worth it. I would definitely recommend a trip to Catalina Island. Even if you don’t scuba dive or snorkel it is a beautiful island with an amazing beach. We also had the entire group do a sunset booze cruise with Gri Gri Divers for our stag and stagette. All the guys went off to the Chavon River and the girls went to Saona Island. Our boat drivers were so much fun and helped to make the night memorable.
I thought that the spa was good. I have never been to a spa at a resort before but I was happy with this one. I had my hair and make-up done at the spa for my wedding. A complimentary hair trial was included and was a great touch. It made me feel more relaxed and confident in them doing my hair for the wedding. There was a little communication barrier which was a little frustrating but nothing too serious. I was just honest and if I didn’t like what they were doing, I immediately told them and it was changed. I think my hair dresser’s name was April (maybe Arial). They supplied 3 fresh white flowers for my hair for the wedding day. I think they did a fantastic job on my make-up and was very happy with it. My mom had her make-up done as well, but I think it was too much. She normally doesn’t wear make-up (like me) but she did not tell them it was too heavy and dark, so that is what she got. It looked good in pictures; it was just a shock in person. My husband and I got a couples relaxation massage in a hut beside the gazebo. It was great!!! Just make sure you catch the spa staff by the pools when they are handing out coupons. We were able to get 50% off, so it turned out to be $80 US for 50 min for the both of us.
WEDDING
Here is a quick intro into what I had for my wedding. There were 24 guests and the ceremony and reception were on the beach. The ceremony was at 4pm and was very beach casual. We had the Caribbean music trio for before and after the ceremony, including for when I walked down the isle. A rose petal isle, we brought our own champagne for the toast and had the white wooden chairs. The reception was at 7 on the beach. We paid for the bar service, had the silver menu and brought a Bose iPod dock for music. There was also a screen provided for a surprise slide show (surprise for my husband and I) and we had tiki torches.
I met with Yanna three days before the wedding in the lobby. She had all of my communications with her and Tiara and there were no discrepancies between anything we had. I had prepared a timeline of the wedding day (as suggested by a fellow BDW bride) and it worked out great. I would suggest to any future brides to do this. She had a book with some pictures of bouquets, centerpieces, etc. However, there was not that large of a selection to choose from. I would suggest bringing down pictures of what you would like if you have something particular in mind. My bouquet had red and yellow roses and pink and white lilies; I was very happy with it. I had the natural arch and one centerpiece and all I said I wanted was tropical. They were both very nice and included sunflowers among many other flowers (sorry I do not what kind of flowers they were). The centerpiece also had Birds of Paradise in it. They also didn’t have any pictures (that I saw anyway) of the wedding cake. She just asked me if I wanted vanilla, chocolate or strawberry and I wasn’t sure what it was going to look like. It turned out fine. It wasn’t really fancy but I wasn’t too bothered. Again, if you have something particular in mind, I would suggest bringing a picture of it. We had to pay for the bill before the wedding and it was paid at reception.
There was a DJ service to play your ceremony songs for you and for the use of a microphone. I did not use a DJ as I had the Caribbean music trio for the ceremony. The ceremony was located in the center of the beach (which I was not fond of). I asked if we could have the beach ceremony and reception at a more private beach location, but Yanna said that this was not possible. There were on-lookers for the ceremony which are in the background of the pictures. However, I did not really notice them throughout the ceremony since I had much better things to look at and my photographer said that he can photoshop them out of the pictures. There was also yellow caution tape surrounding the ceremony location to keep people out. The ceremony was very quick, maybe 10 min. The natural wedding arch was very nice. The only complaint I would have is that when it came time to sign the documents they placed them in front of us to sign and it ended up that we signed them bent over in front of all of our guests; not the best photo op. I did not have a rehearsal and maybe if I did this would have been sorted out.
The reception was very nice. It started at 7pm and was on the beach. It was very private and we had the bar on the beach open till 11pm at a charge of $3 US + 26% taxes per person. They placed the natural arch behind the head table and the centerpiece which was on the ceremony table onto the head table. The Bose iPod dock worked well. However there was a resort beach party at the other end of the beach that night so we were sort-of competing with them so we could hear our music. But no big sweat, I was able to hear it and my feet were in the sand, so I was happy. There were plug-ins for the docking station all over the place and the extension cord that I brought wasn’t even needed. Dinner was great! We had the Assorted Dominican Appetizers (which included chicken wings ... a big hit), wild cream of mushroom soup which was fantastic, beef tenderloin and some pineapple cake dessert. I was never told (or never asked) if my guests could have a choice of the entree. The tiki torches were a nice thought but were not worth the money; the wind kept blowing them out. We had the beach until 11pm and I finally noticed the time once the waiters told us the bar was closed at 11:15pm. It took the group a while to clear the beach and the staff was very pleasant about it and did not “kick us offâ€.
Yanna was with us from before the ceremony until well into dinner, maybe even cake cutting. I was quite happy with her and she was very confident in her job. For most of my planning down there I wasn’t sure what I wanted and I just kept telling her tropical. I had no idea what to expect and everything was beautiful.
I am sure that there is some information that I have missed and if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Happy Planning and Weddings to everyone and you will definitely not be disappointed in your choice of Dreams La Romana!
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I am doing a scrapbook style guest book. We are going to have our photographer take a picture of every couple/guest and then we will paste them into the book once we get home. We got the pages printed on card stock at Staples for $13 and I am going to have it hard cover bound with a leather cover for $40.
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I am having this same problem; however I would like it if at least some of the words are in English. Also, I am looking for a slow salsa (mambo) style of song. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated; I leave for the wedding in 2 weeks!
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jenne,
I am sooo excited for you!!! I can only imagine what you are feeling right now! I wish you the most fantastic, stress free, rain free wedding!!! Congratulations!
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brbr.bo,
I have not tried to be in contact with Tiara for over a month now since I'm pretty sure I have finished my planning, except for what needs to be done there. Have you tried to contact the new WC? Hopefully she will be able to help. Has your wedding been given to her as well?
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Tiara told me that the price of the chairs includes the use of them for both the ceremony and reception; therefore I will be asking for as many chairs as there is guests (including the wedding party). This way there may be extra for the ceremony but there will be enough for the reception.
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GEM,
The bar service costs $3+26% USD per person. I was unaware about the charge for the bar service as well. I was confirming everything for the millionth time with Tiara, and somehow it came up. I am not sure if this only applies to the beach reception or if there is a bar service fee is for a restaurant reception as well.
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For the reception we are having the Silver Menu served to us and paying for bar service. We are bringing a Bose iPod system for dinner and dancing music. I am also having 10 tikki torches placed around the reception area.
lreyes07,
I have had the beach ceremony location reserved since I put my deposit down about 6 months ago. -
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We are giving the guys an engraved lighter, a cigar cutter and then buying their boardshorts for the wedding. We are giving the girls robes with their names embroidered and then buying their shorts for the wedding. I am also thinking about flip flop slippers for the girls.
brb.bo, I am getting my groom a watch that he has been eyeing for quite some time. I bought it from watchshopuk.com. They have a great selection (it was the only place that had the watch), they extended the exchange policy for me, it was a great price and shipping was crazy cheap and super fast. I highly recommend this site for anyone that wants to buy a watch. -
I am going to buy mine from Michaels. There are a bunch to choose from (casual to elegant) and they are pretty cheap.
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Quote:
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LaRomanaBride - Feb 2010 - CONGRATULATIONS!
Bridget - March ?, 2010 (sorry Bridget, I forget your date!)
jlcoon - April 13 2010
Jenne - April 21, 2010
LaRomanaStacey - April 22, 2010
Odarcka -April 26, 2010
Amy - April 28, 2010
Maybride2010 - May 3, 2010
hjack - May 7, 2010
brbr.bo - May 7, 2010
Heather (dolphinluck) - May 15, 2010
VallieR - May 29, 2010
LizzyJane- June 7, 2010
GEM - July 9, 2010
Andrea (sunandsand) - July 14, 2010
Nadia - Sept 3, 2010
LastMinuteCouple - Jan 12, 2011
KPEG - ?
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We are having a very untraditional wedding. I am in a knee length dress and everyone else is in boardshorts. I have 2 guys on my side and my FI has his brother and little sister. I always knew I wanted a knee length dress but I was unable to find one without all the lace and what-not. I ended up buying a bridemaids dress in white and had it shortened.
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Originally Posted by Sunandsand As for the chuppah --- 800?? Is that with flowers? I only want the wooden beams with some cloth ... and I can bring my own cloth.
Anyone know what the $800 includes?
This is a picture Tiara sent me. I believe it is the chuppah for 800, but I don't have conformation on that.
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I have chose the Dreams La Romana. I also may not be of much help since I am going getting married until May 7, 2010.
My FI and I chose DLR for its beach, good snorkeling right off the beach and there is a PADI Dive shop on site. I will let you know what they are like; but I have heard they are fantastic.
Tiara is the wedding coordinator there and I have found that she is pretty good. Some responses take up to a couple weeks to hear back, which can be frustrating (I am always so excited to get a response). The best way to get all your questions answered in an email is to number them each with their own line. I have heard other good reviews about her from other BDW members.
Hope this helps.
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These are what I am deciding between. When I went for my trial, my hairdresser suggested that I can have both easily. I would start with the first one (hair half up/down) then for the reception I can just pin up the bottom to get the second look. Now I just have to figure out how to pin it up! I also would like to have a flower in my hair, just not sure what kind yet.
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I have my hair and make-up appointment made for 1pm for a 4pm ceremony. The spa manager said that with a 1pm appointment I should be done by 3pm so that I will have about an hour to chill and have a few drinks before the ceremony starts. Hope this helps.
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We are buying the guys their boardshorts for the ceremony and then a cigar cutter and a nice lighter.
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My ceremony is scheduled for 4pm.
I haven't been in much contact with Tiara as I think I am pretty much done until the final details once we arrive. I have received a quote from Tiara and here are some of the prices that she gave me (all prices are in USD):
Chuppa $800 (I think they are beautiful, but I can not justify that price for a 15 min. ceremony and maybe 5 pics)
Tikki torches $7/torch
Rose petals $100 - to make an isle with (see suggested $200 worth, but I think that may be too many petals (and too much money) since a basket of petals is $15)
Bar service $3 + 26% per person
Wedding cake $30 per pound (which she suggests feeds 10 people)
Head table centrepiece $70 (starting at) - I am going to be using the same centrepiece for the ceremony and the head table at the reception
Boutonnière $20 each
Corsages $25 each
Natural Arch $175 (for the ceremony)
Caribbean Trio Band (1 hour) $350
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I hope that you come to a decision that fits you. Happy Planning! -
An idea to kill some time with no music would be to play a game. I have seen this done at a few different weddings and it is a great time.
You get the bride and groom to stand back to back with the bride and groom holding one of their shoes and one of their others shoe. They are then asked questions and whoever they (the bride and groom) thinks fits the question best, that shoe is raised.
An example question would be: Who controls the cheque book? or Who cleans up the dog poop? and the possibilities are endless.
It is a great game and gets a lot of laughs.
Dreams La Romana
in Destination Weddings in Dominican Republic
Posted
We are also trying to decide between April 2011 or May 2011. Is the weather in May a lot more risky? The price point seams to be much better.
Sara