WEDDING REVIEW March 16th, 2013

RESORT

Check in/out - After traveling for 14 hours and getting no sleep the night before, we were thrilled to be transported in a private van (with air conditioning) to the resort. VIP had white roses and a bottle of champaign chilled and waiting for us in the van which was a sweet surprise!! The transfer to the resort was smooth and we were greeted with cold towels upon arrival as our luggage was taken to the preferred club concierge. Our original plan was to stay in a standard room for the first three nights and then move to the honeymoon suite for the final four nights (starting the day of the wedding); but luckily we were upgraded to the honeymoon suite for our entire stay!! Another wonderful surprise!

The Honeymoon Suite - The suite was large and spacious with more room than necessary, though it was perfect for getting ready the day of the wedding. Having a master bath and a second 1/2 bath was perfect so that some of us could shower while others got prepped in the 1/2 bath. The only negative aspects of the room were poor lighting (many of the lightbulbs were burnt out) and humidity (but we're in the Dominican so you can't expect too much more). Some of our guests did have other small issues such as the safe not working due to dead batteries, bathroom scales not working, shower doors not closing so water leaked out unless a towel was tactfully inserted. The last three nights we were there we received 'bar service' in our rooms - rum, M&Ms, and pringles were dropped off in our room. I'm not sure if we were supposed to get this service the first 4 days.

The Pools - We primarily hung out at the swim up bar pool and the preferred club pool so I can't comment on the others. We were surprised that the swim up bar was never busy... we were often the only ones there! I think this had to do with the pools being a bit colder than the ocean but once you were used to it, it wasn't bad. Most of the time we secured a group of chairs on the beach (there were plenty and this was usually not difficult to do) as "home base" where we would come and go. The pools were clean, and the only downer was that the preferred club hot tub was not actually hot and despite the kid-free claims, there were quite a few kids splashing about. I'm all for kids, but it was a bit annoying since it was particularly chilly/windy that day. 

The Beach - I haven't been to any other all-inclusive resort but it's my opinion that the beach was wonderful. There were Bail beds in the preferred club sections, securing lawn chairs were never a problem, the seaweed was raked up every morning, the sand was find and white, and the water was a fabulous shade of blue/green. It is a public beach which means people from the other resorts and the locals are allowed to walk the beach and sell items, but they are not allowed to walk up towards the beach chairs. Some of the locals that were selling items did tend to be a little pushy but most were friendly and left you alone after declining their items. 

The Food - Our favorite restaurant became the seaside grill which is open to everyone for dinner but only preferred club guests in the morning and afternoon. In general the food at all the restaurants was great but the desserts were subpar. I think the sugars used in the Dominican are vastly different than here in the states but who needs desserts when you're drinking wine and Miami Vices?!?! I absolutely loved the coffee shop and their pastries. The greatest part of being in the preferred club was the private bar and appetizers that were available throughout the day, though fries, nachos, and burgers were often available at the beach grill. 

The Entertainment - In the evenings there were opportunities to participate in a few shows, movies on the beach, casino, disco, etc. but our group typically had the most fun enjoying each others' company. During the day, there were activities such as water aerobics, stretching classes, spanish classes, etc, but again, we typically most enjoyed hanging out on the beach, at the swim up bar, or in the ocean. We also chose a deep sea fishing excursion which proved eventful... good and bad. There's so much to do, but with the wedding planning, hanging out with friends/family, we didn't participate in many of the resort's activities. Perhaps we'll go back next year so that we can experience even more!! 

The WEDDING 

SPA - The women in the spa were accommodating and pleasant. Although they don't all speak English well, communication was never an issue. I had a trial of my hair performed the day before the wedding with Rosa. She was wonderful and my hair turned out perfectly the day of the wedding! The morning of the wedding I scheduled a spa event for myself and the 7 other women that came down to the Dominican for our wedding. We all had 25 min reflexology massages performed in the private spa/pool area with Mimosas and appetizers. I also scheduled a french manicure which was perfect. Later that week, my husband had a couples deep tissue massage which was glorious and super relaxing. I definitely recommend visiting the spa!

CEREMONY - Despite the weather being windy and a little rainy, the beach was a perfect location for our ceremony. The wind and threat of rain made the ceremony even better as there weren't as many people on the beach and I was never hot in my dress! The huppa was not included in the wedding package, but well worth the added cost. We made the aisle chair decorations (raffia, starfish, ribbon) and brought with us the turquoise chair sashes to save on cost.

COCKTAIL HOUR - The cocktail hour immediately followed the beach ceremony and was located at the pool island. The pool island was the perfect location for our party of 20. There was an intimate feel at this location and it was far enough from the beach that it wasn't too windy (it was particularly windy/rainy and the beach would have been too chilly I think)  During the cocktail hour we were taking some photos on the beach with our photographer, signed our marriage license, and mingled a little before the cocktail hour ended. I was pleasantly surprised that they made a special drink for the cocktail hour that was blue (our wedding color) and delicious! 

RECEPTION - The three hour reception at the pool island was perfect and far exceeded our expectations. Our buffet was upgraded to include a huge dessert table, an open flamed grill with steak and chicken (not originally planned) and a 3-tiered cake (only one tier was included)!! There was enough food to feed 3x the amount of people we had and it was delicious. Overall our wedding coordinator and staff went above and beyond to make the reception amazing. We did chose to have a private table for the bride/groom which was a decision I was hesitant about, but so happy we did. It gave us quite a bit of time to take in the day, reminisce about the ceremony, and spend some quality time together. My cousin, Mike, took charge as our personal DJ and MC which was wonderful as I never expected to have a formal introduction, formal cake cutting, or announced 1st dance. Disco/strobe lights were even brought in and set up at Mike's last minute request! We were having so much fun dancing the night away that strangers joined in on our party. The night ended with our friends jumping in the pool right before it down-poured. 

Overall the wedding was magical, the resort was fantastic, and I couldn't image doing anything different!! We highly recommend having your wedding at Dreams Palm Beach!! 

Kelly and Chace Donathan