funsocks

mimiq ... thanks for the comment! Yes ... "to each their own". we made the right decision for us and i'm certain you'll be super happy with your images as well. Good that you figured out a way to show "K A T Y A' S" name on the comments. Not sure why the blog hides her name. Maybe concerned about eslf promotion or something, i havent been on here enough to understand the ins and outs. Best of luck on your big day!

***** Nova!! When my husband and i started looking for a photog for our Oct 2011 DR wedding I became an expert at scouring the internet and reviews. (exhausting!) I hated the notion of being pushed toward the resort "preferred" vendor just because that photoographer paid a fee to the resort or hands over a portion of the booking fee. I wasnt going to be influenced by that when it came to documenting our wedding. It became even more disheartening when I saw pictures from "said photographer" that were so photoshopped they looked like one of those spraypaint portraits you can buy at the exhibition or fair. The back ground was "created" with so much photoshopped enhancement I knew that wasnt for us. And the "poses" ...oh the poses. As I watched each new set of pictures come up, the bride and groom were in the same poses each and every time. I knew my husband wouldnt be up for placing his hand on his hip and lunging towards me with spot lights illuminating him and thats what i LOVE about him! It just wasnt us. We were getting married in the DR on the beach and i wanted, well, the beach and the beauty of the day ... something very natural. Photo journalism. Moments we didnt even know would be captured. The photographer i kept coming back to was ***** Nova. She was in the process of moving her business from Canada to the DR with her husband Rob and they are now established there. Her pictures are natural ... there is no "posing" ... there is no excessive photoshopping ... she lets you be yourselves and catches moments that are real and intimate. She is sweet and gentle and passionate and fun and asks about your love and brings out smiles and emotions and has a reassuring calm about her. Having ***** document our day was the choice my husband and I look back and and are very grateful for. Our pictures and *****'s blog .... http://www.*****novablog.com/mickie-sheldon-majestic-colonial-punta-cana-wedding/

Sabine32 - We started our communication with her by sending her an email (on her "contact us" option on her blog site) and she got back to us within the day ... I've also used skype to chat. much better than paying $4/min calling the DR. [email protected].

It seems several of the resorts are trying to force you into using their "on site" vendors by charging you an fee if you try to bring an outside vendor. We were married at the Majestic Colonial in Oct/2011. To use outside vendors they want to charge a $300 fee per vendor, and if the vendor is bringing an assistant, the assistant also needs a day pass ($100). So right off the bat you're paying an extra $400 to get your choice of photographer/videograpaher/DJ/etc. T They do this because they take a a portion of the $$$ made by the on-site vendors or resort recommended vendors - the mini-monopoly they've created. To make sure they don't lose that $$$ by you bringing in someone else, they impose the "fee". They are particularly sticky with vendors that are local to the DR/Punta Cana ... because those vendors are direct competition to their on-site vendors. There has been a lot of discussion about it on the Majestic Colonial Brides FB page. Not great news, but the way the game is being played, unfortunately.

We used Katya Nova for our photos and were thrilled with our images. She is one of the most genuine people you could meet and her photographic abilities are truly amazing. She brought a calmness and serenity to our day that helped offset the stress the "resort recommended" videographer created with all his "do over" requests. We chose her for her "not posed" and unique images ... and have authentic and natural moments captured that reflect "us" ... as opposed to images that hilight what a photoshop program can change our image into. The link to our pics on her blog: http://www.katyanovablog.com/mickie-sheldon-majestic-colonial-punta-cana-wedding/ www.katyanovablog.com

Our wedding was Oct 17th at the Majestic Colonial and we had Katya Nova do our photography. We paid via etransfers (online banking) and it was perfect! No muss/fuss and she had our images to us before we left for home. If you want someone to shield you from stress, laugh with you, naturally capture moments that are not posed or contrived and inspire you to be yourselves (because SHE is so genuine!!!) ... then this is the woman to talk to. It was important for us to keep our images authentic ... her photographic talent shines by way of respecting the image and not editing it into something that is unrecognizeable. We cannot say enough about how treasured our images are and how wonderful the experience was. Our pics are posted on her blog (Oct.21.2011) www.katyanovablog.com