This Dominican Republic photo shoot was really special one for me for professional and personal reasons. One of the wonderful things about running your own business is the opportunity to be involved with and give back to the communities where I live and work. Back in April, I gifted three photo sessions which were auctioned off at a fundraiser, El Futuro II, for La Academia Internacional de Cabrera , here in the DR. Their fundraiser was held at the luxurious private villa, Casa Kimball and I’m thrilled to say that I was able to help raise close to $2,500 for the school! One of the sessions bids was won by the law office of Garcia Blcanco & Asociados.

The law office is just meters from the beach, in the town of Cabarete in the North Coast of the Dominican Republic. So it was only natural to keep the beach vibe with all the employees in light, comfortable clothing, with a beautiful backdrop of water and greenery. This is a serious law practice, with a lighter side which is evident in this shoot. One cool feature of this law office is that they support local schools and education. We visited the 3 Mariposas Montessori School, in town, to take photos with the children. This is a school which the law office has a personal relationship with and helps keep the doors of the school open. After connecting with the school and the kids, I began my own visits to the school, teaching photography to the youngsters…more on that later.

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Last minute I ended up going to the Dominican Republic in search for the dream wedding locations.  I really wanted to highlight the beauty of this country and demonstrate that it is fine to visit despite the devastation in neighboring  Haiti.  My brief 5 day trip to the DR came as a call for a story from a popular destination wedding publication.   The story is still being finalized, so I will make another post once the article is published.  Lina, my traveling companion, and I had a rented car and had meetings in the mornings, would relax on the beach in the afternoons, and usually drive the next destination in the night. We covered the Northern Coast as well as the Southeast of the island.  When I started gathering information for the article my focus was on the big resorts, and although big resorts have their place, I quickly found some amazing alternatives to the typical island wedding.  We met with an amazing event planner, and an awesome luxury villa rental company. The dollar goes so much further in the Dominican Republic, that you can have a multi-day wedding in your own private villa for the same price as an average wedding back in the States.  One such company I highly recommend is North Coast Management, with a shot of their luxury villa Castellamonte bellow.

The beauty of a customized wedding, pretty much anything is possible, including a helicopter bringing the bride to the altar.  In Cabarete, we met with Richard from 4TW wedding planning, an amazing wedding planning business in the Dominican Republic. Richard is an American expat, living there for the past 13 years.  His resume is impressive, and he is just an all around great guy, helping couples realize their dream wedding.  I highly recommend him for your Dominican wedding.

As far as resorts go the most impressive one was Casa De Campo. We got an amazing four hour tour and an extremely enjoyable lunch with their marketing team. This 7000 acre property has a world class golf course, a marina, polo fields, stables, church, 5000 private villas and homes, hotels, restaurants, you name it. Its a city in itself, and was by far the most amazing resort experience.  Tons of celebrities own property there.  We also visited Casa Colonial, Barcello Puerta Plata, Blue Bay Puerta Plata, and Dreams La Romana. They were all pretty much on par with each other, with Casa Colonial standing apart from the rest. Its an ultra exclusive resort, with amazing architecture design and world class spa amenities. Dreams La Romana had a pretty nice vibe, with a spectacular gazebo with flowing curtains.  We stumbled on a few hidden gems, ideal for smaller weddings in a beach setting. One was in Bayahibe, a small fishing village, a few minutes away from Dreams La Romana.  It is a boat shaped bar and restaurant named Barco Bar. With the right planning it would make a great wedding venue, with many guest rooms available in town or the resort accommodations up the road.

Last, but not least, I just want to acknowledge all the great people we met on this trip.  Its a long flight from California, but trust us, it is so worth it!
Even more photos from the trip on my site!

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