Recently I managed to get away from the wind, rain and muck of Great Britain; to the beaches, sun and sea of the Dominican Republic.

It▓s what I definitely needed and if that meant attending a wedding then why not! We could only go for a week but my mum▓s friend Maureen (the mother of the bride), Andy (the groom), Donna (the bride) and Maureen▓s grandson Kyle all had a week▓s head start on us. At least by the time we arrived, they▓d got to know the area and so were useful tour guides for us!

Trying to fit everything in the suitcase is always the worst bit in my point of view. After all the excitement and happiness, you▓ve got the mad packing and the mutters of what we▓ve forgotten. The 9 hr flight was a breeze and even the 2 hour transfer to the Dreams Hotel (La Romantica) wasn▓t that bad. After pit stops for beer (not for me of course!) and the toilet, we eventually arrived at our destination.

With the weirdly-long drive way, the hotel looked heaven-sent. Donna and Kyle were chasing lizards at the entrance and gave the porters who were about to carry our luggage something to laugh about. Way too quickly we▓d started eating dinner but we were happy and blissfully unaware of the jet lag that would eventually set in. After that the rest of the days have all got a bit mixed up and I can▓t remember them in any order. Some of the funny moments still stick out in my mind.

The day after the wedding, some Americans who were a bit self-centred, got married on the windy pier. Admittedly, lots of people including ourselves were having a good old nose! Just as they were taking their vows, the wind blew and the champagne glasses started smashing on the floor. Everyone started to whisper one word (apparently I can▓t repeat that word) making a few people snigger.

One of the great things about the hotel was the ▒funny money▓ you just randomly got for taking part in any type of game. Kyle had already got 3,000 by the time we had arrived but had 40,000 when we left. Everyone seemed to collect the money and then just give it to him. One game saw me paired up with a happy looking French man; he had mastered the art of throwing a real egg to me which I caught without breaking it. Unfortunately, when he had to turn round and throw it backwards, he wasn▓t quite as talented √ he missed me completely and hit a defenceless man passing by!

The hotel had everything including resident flamingos and peacock, an infinity pool with swim-up bar, basketball, pool, ping-pong, giant chess, table football, Xbox 360, Playstation3 and my favourite ┘ a trampoline in the sea! During the mad rush just before the wedding, everyone was nervous and Donna the bride was shaking; I don▓t think she realises just how pretty she looked. I was a bridesmaid for the first time and carried the train. It was the dream wedding you▓d imagine if you want it to be abroad; set under a white gazebo overlooking the sea with brilliant sunshine.

There was only one last minute hiccup; neither the bride nor groom had any reason to be late (after all they were getting married at the hotel) but nobody anticipated this √ the Judge who was performing the ceremony was late! My dad was in charge of the video camera and Maureen had already started sniffling. A passing speedboat caught dad▓s attention and the video followed it but as Maureen said, ⌠it all added to the fantastic wedding!■

Christina Moorby (pictured with bride, Donna and young Kyle)

Until next time, Christina (Age 14) x