At last - I’m posting images from Ashley and Josh’s destination wedding at Dreams Punta Cana Resort, Dominican Republic that took place on October 15, 2010. Enjoy!

Yikes. My computer got struck by lightning on the big June 4 storm so I was out of commission for 1.5 weeks. So much for investing in a really good surge protector - evidently they don’t work too well and this is actually the second time one of my CPU’s has been hit by lightning. It was quite disastrous this time though - pooched the motherboard (but luckily both my hard drives were fine). Anyhow, things are back to normal.

And back to blogging…..

Finally - Tiffany and Dustin’s big day! October 9, 2010 on Renaissance Private Island, Aruba. You are going to love this location. It’s 40 acres of exclusive island paradise with lots of pink flamingos.  It was insanely hot (like 100 degrees Fahrenheit which is 37.7777778 degrees Celsius), but everyone survived.  I enjoyed this island and would definitely visit again.  I particularly enjoyed staying at the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino because they had a Starbucks in the lobby which was the only one on the island!

I’m thrilled Tiffany and Dustin invited me to be their wedding photographer.  Enjoy their photos!

I started off the day at Tiffany’s beautiful family home where she was getting ready.

No lawn to cut in the side yard (pool) and backyard.

Make Up: Ashley Shind of The Make-Up Artists, Boston MA

Hair: Jennifer Guild, Boston MA

Pnina Tornai wedding dress. Stunning details to say the least.

Swarovski crystals.

Tiffany’s transportation to the boat.

Flamingos are definite weight loss inspiration - LOL.

Dustin.

Sunset ceremony on the island.

Anticipation for his bride.

Loved these.

Reception at Marandi Restaurant with fabulous fireworks during the evening.

I am back from Aruba!  I spent the weekend there shooting Tiffany and Dustin’s wedding.

Aruba is a whole new game compared to the Dominican Republic. I was glad I could finally experience shooting a destination wedding in a country other than the D.R. (just for something different). Unlike most Caribbean countries, Aruba is one you can actually go out and about in and not really have to worry about getting mugged or murdered. I think Aruba is actually a country I would consider going back to explore in further detail. I did not have any time to myself over the weekend so I did not get to do any sightseeing.  I would go back for the ATVing alone!

Once airborne in Toronto, Aruba is about a 5 hour flight. I wasn’t able to get a direct flight for a short duration, so I had to fly via the U.S. which I had never done before.  I switched planes in Newark (New Jersey) and was so incredibly thankful my checked luggage did not get lost, delayed or stolen.  I stayed at the Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino - Tiffany and Dustin were married on the private island portion of this hotel.

Other than price, I am not sure why more Canadians don’t vacation or get married in Aruba.  I think the biggest misconception might be the whole hotel star rating thing.  In a place like the D.R. or Mexico, you don’t want to go any less than a 4.5 star (generally speaking), but in Aruba a 3 star is still very acceptable. The Renaissance Aruba is rated as a 4 star and it was a million times nicer than an alleged 5 star resort I once stayed at in the D.R.  I suppose it’s all just a matter of opinion and preference, but that’s my opinion and preference.

Anyhow, here’s a sneak peek of Tiffany and Dustin’s trash-the-dress session and wedding day!

Trash-the-Dress session.

Sunset wedding on Renaissance Island - 40 acres of exclusive island.

Samandy and Manny’s wedding was the 7th wedding I’ve photographed in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. It was also the 5th wedding I’ve photographed at the Majestic Colonial/Elegance Resort. One of my goals when shooting in the Dominican Republic is to ensure I try new things so everyone’s wedding images don’t end up looking all the same.  As a photographer, it’s a good thing to challenge yourself during each and every shoot.  As you will soon see, there was a very different component during S & M’s TTD session : )

We agreed to meet the morning after their wedding at 6am.  The clock in Samandy and Manny’s room was set wrong so when they thought is was 6am, it was actually still 5am!  They waited outside in the dark for over an hour - ooops!  (Kind of funny, but it really wasn’t).  It was still too dark at 6am so we didn’t actually start shooting until 6:30am.  I am the furthest thing from a morning person so sunrise sessions are a challenge for me right there.  To top it all off, I only got about 3 hours sleep because I spent the night downloading all my memory cards onto my laptop and backing up the images for extra safety before going to sleep.  Contrary to popular belief, destination weddings are not a vacation for wedding photographers.

Here are just a few of the images from Samandy and Manny’s Sunrise Trash-the-Dress Session - enjoy!

I guess it’s not obvious that it’s brutally early in the morning here since Samandy and Manny are giggling like school kids : )

I think there’s a really good chance they might end up having really cute kids! : )

Loooove this one - the H20 almost looks delicious here.

One of those images that looks fab in colour and black & white - I still can’t decide.

They were such great sports - going in and out of the water.

And willing to do pretty much anything for the shoot!  I love working with couples that are eager beavers.

The biggest advantage of doing these sessions at sunrise is that there is barely anyone around to distract you.

Lost.

I was so glad this palm tree was still here - it is just super cool.

I always like to do my rendition of “Blue Lagoon” (a family friendly version of course). Samandy and Manny weren’t even close to being born when that movie was out though!

Ok, now that you are over the complete shock they actually ripped and tore the dress, try not to judge. Personally, I think there are worse things than ripping a wedding dress - like married couples that don’t wear their wedding bands - actually, don’t get me started on that! : (  If I was a wedding cop (if such occupation existed), I would gladly hand out demerit points to married couples that don’t wear their weddings bands “because it’s just a piece of jewelry”. Sigh. Major pet peeve.

Tearing the dress actually wasn’t for our photo shoot. Since Samandy’s dress was soaking wet, it was SUPER heavy and hard to move around in so removing a few layers just made things easier. I thought while I was standing there, I might as well document it.

We wrapped up the session on this fun bed of coconuts.

By the time we finished, it was almost 9:30am. Samandy and Manny were total troopers and very fun to work with!  I really love working with couples like S & M that are willing to push the envelope with me.  Congratulations to both of them for committing their lives to each other with the blessing of marriage.  They flew home the next day and then were off to a fabulous honeymoon in Paris!

Although my visit was short, it was sweet and I was super honoured that Samandy and Manny invited me to tell the story of their destination wedding experience in the Dominican Republic.  I was truly thrilled to be a part of their wedding day!  I hope you have enjoyed viewing their images.

My next 2 destination weddings are scheduled for later this year, so there is more tropical fun to come!

Part 2 of Samandy and Manny’s wedding day at the Majestic Elegance Resort, Punta Cana, D.R.

The beach!

So I have to say, I just loved Manny’s suit.  Not only did it go with the beach theme, but it totally jived with Manny’s personality as well.

And of course, I loved Samandy’s dress too.

Night came, but that didn’t stop us! I’m a huge fan of night shots and Samandy & Manny were totally into it just as much as I was (they actually skipped dinner with everyone and ate it later! : ) ).

The main lobby building of the Majestic Elegance Resort.

As I mentioned previously, the suites of the Majestic Elegance are totally fantabulous!  We did a few images here before heading to the reception.

Looooooove that couch and the light/art piece thing above it.

Mee-yow.

We had Salmon, Lobster and Octopus for dinner. Would you believe it was one of the best wedding meals I have ever had? Yep, true story. I was quite shocked myself (especially the octopus part). Normally I am quite scared to eat anything in the D.R. that has a face (ie. meat), but when you are “Starvin’ Marvin” you’ll eat anything that is put in front of you. Actually, any of the weddings I’ve eaten at in the D.R. have all been really great, but the salmon, lobster and octopus was extra YUMMY!! (Now I’m totally hooked on lobster which is going to be an expensive habit). The octopus was cut in super small pieces so you wouldn’t have known you were actually eating parts of this big squid fish creature.

Up next, Samandy and Manny’s Trash-the-Dress session!