Real Wedding – Kristin and Colin’s Dominican Dream Wedding

Right from the beginning, Kristin and Colin knew that they wanted something different for their destination wedding. They were not the least bit interested in the standard, oversized all-inclusive resort, and certainly wanted something different than the cookie-cutter wedding package offered at most of these locations.

It was very important to the couple to find an eco-friendly location. After much searching, we found the perfect location – a small boutique hotel near Cabarete in the Dominican Republic called Natura Cabana. This family-owned resort prides itself on being entirely constructed of materials natural to the area, allowing guests to completely immerse in nature. Located a short drive from Puerto Plata, guests had the choice of individual cabañas (bungalows) designed for groups of two to eight. The oceanfront cabaña, Pierda, was absolutely ideal for our wedding couple, allowing them to hear the sound of the waves washing up on the shore outside their window. As Kristin said afterwards, the resort was truly everything they had been looking for, including the warm reception from the staff.

Although there had been rain each day previously in the week, the sun came out on their wedding day, as if it were specially ordered. The ceremony was set-up on the beach, with the waves washing up on the rocks in the background, just in time to catch the late afternoon sun. It was a beautiful ceremony, performed by a local judge in the area. Although the ceremony was in Spanish, he translated to English, so everyone could understand. Local musicians played native music, helping set the mood and atmosphere. Friends and family looked on as the couple committed themselves to each other in this special celebration.Kristin’s dress was an incredible find! On the hanger, it looked more suited for an elegant cocktail hour, but on Kristin it was absolutely stunning, and somehow blended in perfectly with the outdoor environment.We found an incredible photographer who came to the resort and took the wedding photos for the day. Arnaud Brichet , originally from France, owns his own studio in Punta Cana. While the guests were relaxing and being served cocktails poolside, he captured some amazing moments of the couple in their natural setting and took stunning photos throughout the day, including an entire segment with the couple on horseback (a favourite pastime of the couple at their home near Calgary, Canada) – talk about romantic!!! The moments he caught on film are memories that will last a lifetime.
Natura Cabana has a wonderful restaurant. Closing it to the public, so the group could have a private reception, they took advantage of the space and set one larger table allowing everyone to sit together in a more intimate setting. Centerpieces of tropical flowers, including ginger, birds of paradise, roses, and daisies were alternated with bowl containers with floating candles. The guests dined on local cuisine, followed by chocolate fondue to satisfy those with a sweet tooth. A local band was brought in to provide dinner music, and kept the party going late into the night. Thinking of something in line with their eco-sensitive resort, Kristin and Colin decided on wedding favours that their guests would be able to make effective use of – water bottles, engraved with the couples’ names and wedding date.
In lieu of a guest book, they bought postcards depicting various locations in and around the Cabarete and Puerto Plata area. The postcards were placed on a table, along with the centerpiece used earlier in the day from the ceremony. Bark pencils were scattered on the table, allowed guests to leave Kristin and Colin personal messages that can be added to their album later. It was incredible wedding! For couples wanting something a little more personal and unique, a small boutique hotel may be the ideal alternative to the big all-inclusive. It allowed them the private ceremony and reception they wanted, the option of choosing the vendors that would best suit their needs, and a ceremony that was reflected their personalities, the atmosphere, and the cultural traditions of the area. As the couple said afterwards, their wedding was a day of perfection. They couldn’t have asked for anything more!
On behalf of Del Sol Destination Weddings, we wish Kristin and Colin all the best as they begin this new chapter of their life together. Congratulations and happiness always!
If you wish to start planning your own dream destination wedding, please contact us at info@delsoldestionationweddings.com for more information.

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Cathy MacRae is a certified wedding and event planner, and owner of Del Sol Destination Weddings. Located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, she plans wedding for couples in and around the Calgary and Banff area. She is also a destination wedding and honeymoon travel specialist helping couples plan their weddings in paradise all around the world. For more information about planning your own wedding or for advice from Cathy, please contact her at cathy@delsoldestinationweddings.com.

You are welcome to use publish any of the articles above in other blogs or e-zines, but please ensure the signature file above is printed along with the article.

Allow Your Wedding To Tell A Story

Let’s face it! No one wants their wedding to be considered boring or, worse yet, the same as their friend’s nuptials. Everyone wants to avoid the trap of a “cookie-cutter” wedding, but few know how to actually go about it.

David Tutera, host of My Fair Weddings and international wedding planner extraordinaire, believes the key is creating a memorable wedding celebration is turning it into a story. As a child, he was captivated by stories. Now, he incorporates the same idea into plan ning weddings for his clients. “I believe every wedding is a story, too, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. And the storytellers? The Bride and Groom! Every couple’s wedding story should create a narrative that welcomes guests to join and enjoy its gradual, magical unveiling.”

So where does one begin in creating a story? Probably the best place to start is to think back to your relationship. What moments stand out in your history? What details are important to you? Ideas you may want to think about include:

• How did the two of you meet? Where did your first date take place? What made it significant or memorable?
  
• What kinds of things are important to the two of you? What are your favourite foods? Are there any special interests or hobbies that you share?
  
• Where did the proposal happen? What made it special?

The answers to these questions can act as the basis for your story and personalize your wedding to make it more unique. For instance, maybe your first date took place at an amusement park. What a fun idea to return to the same amusement park for the ceremony and reception. (Can you imagine the wedding pictures? It would also give your guests something to do between the ceremony and reception.) Other possible examples are the top of a mountain, or a beautiful lakeside ceremony.

Getting married in your tropical dream destination might be an important part of your story. If so, make sure to include cultural elements from the area to add to the atmosphere.One story-telling idea could be to include special traditions from the area. This can be especially meaningful at a destination wedding. Lisa and Kent recently married at the Marriott Waikoloa on the Big Island of Hawaii. It had been Lisa's dream to get married in a tropical location on a beach. After scouting a lot of potential destinations, they finally decided on the beauty of Hawaii.

Once they decided on the destination, they wanted to make it a special experience for the two of them, but all of their guests as well, so they decided to include many of the local traditions that make Hawaii such a special place. Talking with Lisa recently, she said one of the best parts of the entire day was her reception luau. From the hula and fire dancers, to the food and music, it was a wonderful way to celebrate their wedding and include the culture of Hawaii in the celebration. Talk about creating memories!

Another example is from one of our recent weddings. The bride and groom wanted to bring out their "fun" personalities. It started at the beginning of the ceremony with a special video that the groom (and some of his talented friends) prepared showing him getting ready for the wedding. Prepared ahead of time, it gave the illusion of him getting up in the morning and working through a checklist of things to do berfore the ceremony, including getting his haircut, mowing the lawn, working out, and reading a manual on understanding women. Of course, he gets so involed with all of these other tasks, he's almost late for the wedding, and it showed him frantically trying to get to the church. It had the guests in absolute hysterics right up to the point where the video ends and he bursts through the side door of the sanctuary ready to get married. It was an absolute hit and the guests loved it!

At the same wedding, it was a well-known fact that the groom was a cookie fanatic. Capitalizing on the groom’s special interest, the couple opted to forgo wedding cake, and instead, broke a cookie in half, and dunked their portion in champagne flutes filled with milk. It was cute and memorable, but better yet, it suited the two of them perfectly!

There are so many ways a wedding can be made special and more meaningful. Your history with each other can serve as the basis for coming up with ceremony and reception ideas that are unique to the two of you and will make your wedding more memorable for your guests. All it takes is some brainstorming and some creative ideas, and before long you’ll be writing your own wedding story!

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Cathy MacRae is a certified wedding and event planner, and owner of Creative Weddings and Occasions and Del Sol Destination Weddings. Located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, she plans wedding for couples in and around the Calgary and Banff area. She is also a destination wedding and honeymoon travel specialist helping couples plan their weddings in paradise all around the world. For more information about planning your own wedding or for advice from Cathy, please contact her at cathy@delsoldestinationweddings.com .

You are welcome to use publish any of the articles above in other blogs or e-zines, but please ensure the signature file above is printed along with the article.

'Say Yes To The Dress’ Five Rules To Wedding Dress Shopping

Every bride wants to look beautiful on her wedding day. You should be a vision of radiance, making your groom feel like he is the luckiest guy in the world as you walk down the aisle towards him. It’s your moment, and you deserve to look your absolute best!

However, with so many options on the market, how do you go about finding “the dress”?

Recently, Randy Fenoli, of TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress and fashion director of Kleinfeld Manhattan, did an episode on his advice to brides on how to shop for their dress. Here are his five rules to wedding dress shopping success:

1. Don’t try on a dress that is outside of your budget. If you fall in love with something that you can’t afford, everything else will pale in comparison and leave you feeling disappointed. Don’t set yourself up for disaster!
   
2. Don’t keep secrets from your consultant. Your consultant is working with you to make the most of your appointment and help you find exactly what you’re looking for. She/He is an expert in the field. Not being honest and sharing pertinent information, such as that you already have a dress that you have your eye on, or style concerns will limit the effectiveness of your shopping time.


3. Leave the entourage at home. The best dress shopping experiences are usually limited to one or two people supporting you. The more people you bring with you correlates to the more opinions that will be expressed which will often leave you feeling confused and possibly even overwhelmed. Include one or two people who are closest to you, and who will support you and your decisions, putting aside their own agendas and what they would choose for themselves.


4. Once you find the dress, stop shopping. With so many options out there, some brides find the dress of their dreams, but are afraid that they missed something and feel the need to keep looking. This can only lead to disappointment. If you find another dress, then comes decision time. If you choose to go with the second dress, then it means forfeiting the deposit already paid on the first dress. Trust yourself and your instincts and stop shopping when you find the dress!


5. Always wear underwear. What can we say? Your consultant will be in the room with you helping you in and out of the dresses.

Randy’s rules are great, but if I may, here are some of my own words of wisdom to keep in mind when you go shopping for your wedding dress:

• Make sure you establish a clear budget before you step foot in the bridal salon. Know what your price point is, and be sure to include room for alterations and accessories.


• Start shopping early. Unless you’re buying off the rack, you’re best to start at least eight to nine months before you’re wedding.


• Shop with an open mind. You probably will have preferences about the styles you like, but don’t rule out suggestions that your consultant makes. Trust her to lead you in the right decision.

Your dream dress is out there. It’s just a matter of finding it. Keep Randy’s rules (and mine) in mind and your shopping experience will be far more successful and enjoyable!

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Cathy MacRae is a certified wedding and event planner, and owner of Creative Weddings and Occasions and Del Sol Destination Weddings. Located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, she plans wedding for couples in and around the Calgary and Banff area. She is also a destination wedding and honeymoon travel specialist helping couples plan their weddings in paradise all around the world. For more information about planning your own wedding or for advice from Cathy, please contact her at cathy@delsoldestinationweddings.com .



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Including Children in Your Wedding Party

Children can be a wonderful addition to your wedding party. They are always cute and adorable, but even more so all dressed up in their wedding finery. With their innocent charm they can steal the limelight and make your guests “ooh” and “ahh”.

There are several steps that you can take to ensure that your young people will be successful in their roles as part of your wedding party. The preparation and careful decisions you make ahead of time will make things flow much smoother on your actual wedding day.

1. Perhaps most importantly, you must choose children who are able to handle the responsiblity, and let's be totally honest here, and sometimes "boring" aspects of the day. Is the child old enough to walk down the aisle unattended (or at least with the support of an older sibling leading the way)? Will they be able to get through the ceremony and photographs immediately afterwards before requiring a nap? Even children as young as four and five years of age can have problems going down the aisle amidst a bunch of strangers. Consider carefully whether the children are able to handle their assigned tasks when deciding on whether to include them or not.

2. It is critical that children are familiar with their roles on the big day! There are some great books for young children to help prepare them for their job duties. Linda Trace Brandon has written a wonderful story entitled, The Little Flower Girl. Linda Godwin has written a similar book for boys called The Ring Bearer. Both books are available through http://www.amazon.com/.

3. Another effective strategy is to buddy up the child with another wedding party attendant. That long walk down the aisle can be a lot easier if they see a familiar face at the end with a warm smile that they recognize. It gives them a target to aim for and someone they can stand with throughout the ceremony. (Although once the bride has made it down the aisle and the officiant has welcomed everyone, there is nothing wrong with sending the younger children to sit with Mom or Dad in the first row of chairs/pews.)

4. I can't stress the importance of having a rehearsal prior to the wedding and making sure that the children are included in the rehearsal. This should involve a complete run-through of walking down the aisle, and where to stand. If possible, even run that aspect of the ceremony a couple of times to make sure that everyone (and not just the kids) are familiar with the routine. Also, be sure to include, how to stand, where to put your hands, and how to smile, etc. It sounds silly, but you'll be glad you did when you see the wedding photographs afterwards.

5. For the ring bearer, get some dummy rings and put them on the pillow that he will carry, allowing your best man or officiant to hold on to the real ones. Is it really fair to ask a small child to carry a pillow with such expensive jewellry on it? If you are adamantly opposed to using fake rings, then at least make sure that the ribbons are tied with a double knot (that someone will have to untie at the front in an unobtruive manner) to prevent them from getting lost.

6. Make arrangements with your photographer for any of the photos including the children to get done first and out of the way so that mom and/or dad can sneak them away for some down time, or possibly even an afternoon nap, to rejuvenate them before the evening activities.

7. Plan entertainment for all of the children at your wedding. Try and come up with some way to keep the young people amused, especially once the speeches start. Some ideas include putting activity bags at their place setting with coloring books and crayons, hiring a clown or face painter, providing an alternate room with a DVD player and TV (with adult supervision), or hiring babysitters who can play organized games or supervise kids.

Just like the adult members of your wedding party, the little guys need to understand their jobs and the responsibilities that go with it.Flower girls and ring bearers can add so much to your wedding day. Just like the adult members of your wedding party, the little guys need to understand their jobs and the responsibilities that go with it. With proper planning and preparation, adding the special children in your lives to your wedding party can be an easy and rewarding experience.

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Cathy MacRae is a certified wedding and event planner, and owner of Creative Weddings and Occasions and Del Sol Destination Weddings. Located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, she plans wedding for couples in and around the Calgary and Banff area. She is also a destination wedding and honeymoon travel specialist helping couples plan their weddings in paradise all around the world. For more information about planning your own wedding or for advice from Cathy, please contact her at cathy@delsoldestinationweddings.com.

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Get Your Guests to Have a Blast at Your Destination Wedding

Every couple who is planning a destination wedding worries about getting their guests to attend their destination wedding. Will they like the location? Does it cost too much? Am I imposing on them to expect them to travel so far? Will they have a good time?
Here are 11 ways to get you guests to not only attend your destination wedding but to have a fantastic time while they are there:

1. Once you have decided on the location and the date of the wedding, send out a “Save the Date” e-mail or card. For best results, try and do this a minimum of 12 months prior to your wedding so guests can prepare and plan accordingly to attend.

2. In choosing a location, make sure that it is one that your guests will enjoy. Consider the cost, the travel time to get there, and the activities available for the guest once they do get there. You may enjoy the rustic Eco Lodge in the middle of nowhere but your guests might not. Try to plan a location where the travelling time is within 3 to 8 hours. Many of your friends and family will not want to spent two out of seven days sitting on a plane or in airports waiting for flights. You might love “ XXX Luxurious 5 Star Resort” but if the price is astronomical, a lot of you guests will not be pleased. Make sure that the activities that take place at the resort and in the area, are ones that everyone will enjoy. If most of your female friends love shopping, and the closest shopping area is 75 miles away, some girls could go into withdrawal. Your golfing friends may not be happy either, if they have to go without a game for 7 days.

3. Work with a travel agent who is familiar with destination weddings and planning travel associated with destination weddings. Such a person can arrange group rates for your entire party as well as give you valuable advice in making your special day fantastic. You may think that the resort you saw on the internet is a real find, only to find out when you get there that the service is terrible, or the food is really bad! You can do it yourself, but is it worth it? You have heard the horror stories where reservations were dropped by the hotel or passengers have missed flights with no emergency number. You don’t want that to happen to you, especially at your destination wedding! Make sure there is someone who will be looking after you and each of your guests in case something goes wrong.

4. Think about saving money for your guests by choosing an All Inclusive package which includes airfare and hotel accommodation as well as food and drinks. It is usually way cheaper than purchasing these items separately.

5. Try to choose a resort in the area that is more economical as some of your guests will not have the resources to stay at the more expensive resort you have chosen for your wedding. They will appreciate the fact that you have given them an option.

6. Keep you guests informed about your wedding. Send out frequent updates. You may even want to create a free wedding website complete with wedding details, personal stories, registry information, and a photo gallery. Use a free site such as http://www.honeymoonwishes.com/ on the http://www.delsoldestinationweddings.com/ website, http://www.ewedding,com/, http://www.momentville.com%20or/ The Knot Wedding website at http://www.theknot.com/. Another site for a small cost is www.weddingtracker.com. A lot or couples are using a Facebook Fan Page and finding that it works well.

7. Arrange to have the resort hand out an itinerary to your guests at check-in time or have them hand delivered to each room by a member of your wedding party. It is also recommended that you hand out a special welcome bag as a “special thank you for coming” which can include such items, as flip-flops, suntan lotion, mosquito repellent, bottles of water, candy, CDs of local music, small mementos, fun items, or a local craft. See the September Blog on this site called "Welcome Bags for Your Wedding Guests".

8. Plan activities which your guests will enjoy. You are asking your friends and family to spend a fair amount of money as well as giving up their vacation time to be with you so you want them to enjoy themselves. Create an itinerary that is suitable for all age groups. Make sure that the events you plan do not always start early in the morning as many of your “night hawk” friends will wants to catch some extra shut eye. Also make sure to give everyone some free time so they can do some things on their own.

9. Plan a welcome party with local food and music as a great way to get everybody to meet each other and begin the week in a fun-filled way.

10. Be a gracious and thoughtful host. Remember that the people you have invited to your wedding are your guests and it is your job to ensure that they enjoy themselves and have a good time. They have given of their vacation time and resources to be with you on your wedding day, and you want to make sure that they know how much you appreciate them for being there. Thank them for coming and tell them how much it means to you both. Don’t be resentful that you do not have of lot of private time as a couple. You have the rest of your life to spend together. Include a surprise during the week to add to the excitement.

11. Enjoy this special time in paradise sharing your vacation with your best friends and family. Remember to thank people for all of the things they have done for you. Make this event memorable and one that will be talked about for years when your guests tell others what a “blast” they had at your destination wedding.


Cathy MacRae is a certified wedding and event planner, and owner of Creative Weddings and Occasions and Del Sol Destination Weddings. Located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, she plans wedding for couples in and around the Calgary and Banff area. She is also a destination wedding and honeymoon travel specialist helping couples plan their weddings in paradise all around the world. For more information about planning your own wedding or for advice from Cathy, please contact her at cathy@delsoldestinationweddings.com.

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