karaandmatt

Hey everyone! I just posted my review of our wedding at Dreams on the review thread, so feel free to check it out! If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask...I am so excited for all of you and your big day We had the time of our lives and wouldn't have changed a thing for our wedding...and I hope everyone else feels the same way!!! I posted the review under: Dreams Los Cabos review Kara and Matt, and I will get some pictures on here this week! Take care, and good luck!

Sorry that it took me so long to write my review for our wedding. I guess life just gets busy after you get married! Ok lets start with the Dreams resort... We were married at Dreams on April 11, 2009, and Yarai was our wedding coordinator. Dreams Resort Overall A+ We had 25 guests stay at the resort and everyone absolutely LOVED it! Everyone loved their rooms, the restaurants, the pools, the beach, and the common areas. We stayed in a honeymoon suite that walked right out to the lawn, and then the beach. It was well worth the money! We slept with the doors open at night and could hear the ocean waves crashing on the beach every night. The resort was beautiful, and I couldn't ask for a better place for our wedding! Cascade Terrace - where we had the ceremony and the reception A+ The cascade terrace was the best place for the wedding and reception in my opinion. We had the ceremony on the bottom half of the terrace, facing toward the gazebo, and the reception on the top part of the terrace by the big pool. The ceremony was perfect with the ocean and gazebo in the background, and we rented the huppa which added the perfect extra touch! The reception tables were set up in a u-shape facing out to the ocean. It was the most beautiful reception and the most beautiful view! Even though the cascade terrace is sort of in the middle of everything, we had the whole thing to ourselves, and it was so wonderful to be right on the beach. We danced on the bottom part of the terrace, and had the dj set up down there too. I was concerned about being so close to the pool...but the only people who ended up in the pool at the end of the night were people who voluntarily jumped in Reverend Marco Arechiga A++ We absolutely LOVED rev. Marco...he is funny and thoughtful and romantic and emotional, and made our wedding day the best day of our lives. He is really lid back and loves to use humor and references to the ocean in his ceremonies. We actually picked one of his sample ceremonies, complete with beautiful vows, and it was perfect for the two of us! Rev. Marco always returned my e-mails the same day I sent them, and went out of his way to get to know us and our story. I just couldn't imagine anyone else marrying us...I feel that it was meant to be for us to find him! DJ Joaquin Virgilio B We really liked DJ Joaquin, and thought he did a god job playing the music for our reception. He was very receptive to my e-mails, and put up with my countless song lists. The music sounded good, and I thought he made good decisions on when to play which songs. The reasons he doesn't get an A are that he was on his phone a lot and wasn't paying attention to when he needed to stop the music for toasts, and he wasn't much of an MC...I actually don't think he said anything other than announcing which dances were coming up next. Overall he was good...but if I had to do it over I would find a DJ with more personality and energy. Photographer Tomas Barron A Tomas came to us as a part of the ultimate wedding package, and we also paid for an extra hour of photos in addition the the hour included in the package. I thought the pictures turned out pretty good, although I am really glad we got the extra hour because we really had to look through them to find ones that were not filled with people's eyes being closed, or people not looking at the camera. BUT in the end, all you really want are a few good picture anyway, and we got some that are just amazing! The dvd of our wedding is absolutely amazing...and everyone who sees it cries! It is just perfect, and the good thing is that we can take it to another photographer and have pictures made from the dvd...it's so cool! I would definitely recommend paying to have a dvd made, it really captures the whole ceremony and everyone who sees it later feels like they are there when they watch it! WC-Yarai A+ Yarai was absolutely amazing! We really didn't have to worry about anything because she had it all under control. She made sure the day was exactly what we wanted, and I just couldn't have asked for more. She always responded to my e-mails and was quick to send out pictures of fabric, cake, reception set up, ceremony props, and anything else I wanted to see. Yarai even put up with my husband's brother (who is a big jerk) when he accused someone on stealing his camera during the ceremony...someone did take his camera, but it was his own fault for leaving it out on the grass by the terrace for a few hours before the ceremony. He yelled at Yarai when he finally remembered where he left it and realized it was gone. She was very calm and polite and even helped look for the camera even though it wasn't her fault at all. Obviously if you leave a camera out of view for a few hours there is a big chance that someone will take it. Yarai handled the situation really well, and we were thankful to her for being so accommodating (even to our jerk guest). Food and Cake A+ We chose the surf and turf reception dinner and it was wonderful! Everyone commented on how good the food was, and Matt and I were stuffed by the end of dinner. Each of the courses came out hot and perfectly seasoned, and I couldn't have asked for more! I did pick and choose from a few of the menus Yarai sent me and ended up with salad with fruit, tomato soup, filet and lobster (which were both cooked perfectly) and chocolate pastry with bailey's touch. Our cake was the three milk Mexican cake with white frosting and strawberries, and it was also wonderful! It was so rich and creamy and moist...yum! I wouldn't have changed a thing with the food, and thought it was all amazing! Restaurants A We ate at all the restaurants, and were able to sit together even with our big group at most of them. Our favorites were the Japanese restaurant, and the restaurant right by the big pool, which is a steak house at night. Breakfast was good everywhere, and our lunch favorites were the restaurant by the big pool, and the one by the tranquil pool. Overall, the food and service was very good. A couple of times orders got forgotten or messed up, but if you tell them they will fix it and it's not a big deal. Pools A+ We LOVED all the pools! We spent most of out time in the tranquil pool because it was less crowded, warmer, and has hammocks and floaties! We were able to get sunchairs for our whole group and had a wonderful time drinking, swimming, napping, and relaxing. The big pool was fun too! We all had so much fun on the water slide, and hanging out at the ledge overlooking the beach, or underneath where the waterfall was. The hot tub was nice for warming up after the sun went down, and was never really crowded. Both pools have swim up bars, but our favorite bartender was Jose at the big pool bar. He was quick to fill our glasses with tequila many, many times Salon and spa A The woman who did my hair was great! I did bring a picture, and just made sure t looked like the picture as she did it. If she started to make it look different than I had in mind I just told her and she fixed it. I LOVED my hair and everyone else's and thought it was well worth what the salon charges. I also got a manicure and pedicure but it took two hours and I felt like I could have done a better job myself. I would just have one of my friends do my nails and toenails if I had to do it over. The spa was just great! We had a couples massage as part of our wedding package, and did the aroma therapy massage. It was heaven on earth!!! The spa does a great job of setting the mood for complete relaxation, and I would pay for another massage there in a second! Ultimate Wedding Package A+ I would definitely recommend getting he ultimate wedding package. It includes everything you need, and is the best deal for your money. There were a few extras like the huppa, ribbon chair ties, and the extra hour of photography...but it was still worth it! I think overall our entire wedding cost around $5,000.00 (maybe even a little less) which is pretty good for a ceremony and reception with surf and turf on the beach! Well...that's my review! We just love Dreams and wish we could have stayed longer for our honeymoon. We can't wait to go back one day! I am still working on getting the pictures on here...so I will post pics of everything as soon as I can. If anyone has any questions please let me know!!! Good luck everyone Overall wedding and stay at Dreams A+++ We couldn't have asked for anything more...our wedding was just perfect and we will never forget our wonderful stay at Dreams. It was the perfect place for our family and friends to get together, and share this intimate moment with us. Everything from the rooms, to the service, to the overall layout at the hotel was just wonderful, and we can't wait to go back someday!

I know that it has been a while since our wedding on April 11th, but I just wanted to say that it was more than I could have ever dreamed of! It was absolutely perfect, and everyone had the time of their lives! I have been so busy since we got back with family visiting, getting settled into our new house, and pouting a bit because we didn't get to take a honeymoon that I haven't done my review yet...But I will try and do it this week! Other than just freezing time so that we could live on those amazing moments together...I wouldn't have changed a thing! Good luck to everyone getting married at Dreams!!! I know it was before the big outbreak, but everyone in our party came back from Mexico happy and healthy!

We leave on Wednesday!!! We would have gone down there for longer, but my fiance is in the military so that's the soonest he could leave. We can't wait though...It's going to be so amazing to have the people who are closest to us there I will do a final post before we leave on Wednesday morning...Any last minute advise from anyone?? Good luck planning to everyone!!!

I am having my reception at the Cascade Terrace and there will be 25 guests. We are having a DJ but no dance floor...The terrace and Oceania terrace are really nice, and dancing on them wouldn't be much different than actually having a dance floor. I am bringing some flower strand decorations, sand ceremony items, place cards and holders, and programs. Everything else is done through Dreams. They do a good job, and we didn't really want a lot of extra decorations because the resort is already very pretty and elegant. We are having candles on the tables (through Dreams), but no flowers. We went with the Gold Package and it included almost everything except the DJ, sound system for the ceremony, an extra hour of photography, and the chair ties. I think our total cost is going to be about $4,000...Which isn't too bad for surf and turf and the reception on the ocean. Wow...I can't believe we are getting married in a week! Time goes by faster than you think

I got the flowers from Michaels and they are having a 50% off sale right now!!! I got all my flowers for $10! I LOVE sales I'm not sure how long the sale will go on for so you might want to check. It might just be for Spring.

Thanks for the help! Here are the pictures of the welcome book: I don't have a template because I just walked around Michaels and sort of just made it up I picked out some of the colored paper in the scrap booking section, grabbed some tropical stickers, palm tree hole punch, and some pretty ribbon to match. I printed what I wanted on the paper and then filled in the rest with the pictures and stickers. I hole punched every page and then just tied them together with the ribbon. I am not very crafty so this is a VERY easy way to make welcome books. You could definitely make them look better if you are crafty and have some time to do them! Here are some pictures of the flower strands: These were really easy too! I just picked out pretty flowers that I liked, which were already on a green plastic strand. I got two of these vine type strands and then some clear beading string. I took the flowers off the vine, cut the end of the plastic off to make a hole through the middle of the flower (which you can't see when it's all put together) and then just strung the flowers on to the beading string. I tied them in a knot when they were spaced out correctly. I made 6 strands with 8 flowers on each strand and kept the extra flowers to use as decoration at the wedding. We will string the flower strands on the back of the huppa for the ceremony. Hopefully some of this helps...I am not a very artsy person so these are very simple, easy, and quick. Let me know if you have any questions! Good luck everyone!!! ~Kara

Hey everyone! It's been forever since I posted, but I do read all of your posts every day! Things have been crazy since my fiance Matt got back from Iraq in January, and we are now down to just two weeks until we leave for Dreams and our wedding is on the 11th of April. I am so excited!!! I wanted to share my welcome books with you all...I decided to make these cute little books with information and pictures of Matt and I for all of our guests. I am sending them out today so that everyone gets them before they leave. I included little tips about traveling in Cabo...such as info on the airport and transportation, info about the wedding and wedding party, Dreams dress code and attire for the wedding, and some helpful English to Spanish translations. I had fun with the Spanish and included a translation for "I am not really related to those people!" hahaha! I took pictures of the books but I can't figure out how to post the pictures on here for you all to see...So if someone knows how to do that please let me know! I also made some hanging flower strands to go on the back of the huppa. I got the idea from another bride on here and they are just gorgeous! Michaels is having a great sale on fake flowers that look real - 50% off!!! I will post pictures of the flower strands too when I figure out this picture thing. Good luck to everyone, and I can't wait to post my wedding review on here soon! ~Kara

Hi KrazyK, I'd love to see your site visit pics!!! We are STILL trying to decide between the Riu and Dreams for our wedding July 2010. We have been to the Riu and loved it but based on wedding reviews, Dreams sounds better. However, the pictures I've seen of the grounds of Dreams don't look as nice as the Riu. So many decisions, but pictures are worth a thousand words!!! Looking forward to seeing the pics! Ange Ange, my fiance Matt and I just got back from our site visit to Dreams and stayed the rest of the week at the Riu. Personally, we liked Dreams better because it is smaller and more intimate. It is also a more upscale crowd at Dreams...for example: There were a few weddings at Riu while we were there and one of them took place at a gazebo at the Riu palace...Well, the gazebo happens to be right next to the swim up bar at the Riu Santa Fe (right next to the Palace) and the bride and groom received many screams and whistles from everyone who was trashed at the bar. Another couple got married down on the beach and walked through the pool area (also filled with drunken people) to take some pictures on the bridge. Not to say these are bad things...But for us, we have some older family members coming to the wedding and didn't think Riu was the best place for them to be. We did stay at the Santa Fe which is not as nice as the Palace...but since they are connected you really get the younger, more crazy crowd from the Santa Fe as well. We LOVED the Riu too...it was a ton of fun and we will definitely stay there again at some point...but overall, Dreams felt more romantic and intimate for the actual wedding. It mostly depends on what you want for your own wedding. I have lots of pictures from the Riu Santa Fe if you want to see them. We had an amazing room with the best view! Dreams also has good views too, though. Good luck!!! I will do a longer review of our visits to Riu and Dreams this week Kara

Hey everyone, I have a quick question. Is anyone ordering their wedding shoes online? Does anyone have suggestions as to which sites to check? Thanks all!

YAY! We are already booking rooms and people are now getting excited about coming to Mexico! Of course people have not completely gotten over the price of rooms and air fare, but everyone we want to come is really making an effort to be able to come I am thinking about making my own wedding invitations...Has anyone done this? I have no idea what I want to do, something tropical I guess. I don't like any of the ones I am finding in my price range, so that's why I decided to just do my own. If anyone has any advise please let me know...I am pretty much starting from scratch! One more question...When you do a dreams wedding package, do you get upgraded to the honeymoon suite for free? What is you book a regular room now, can you still get upgraded for free when you decide on your wedding package? We are expecting about 30-40 people, and are doing the whole reception and everything, so which wedding package should we go with? Thanks everybody, and happy planning to everyone!

Thanks for everyones help! I am definitely not as stressed now, and realize that the people we really want to be there will be...and that's all that matters! I also found out some of our San Diego friends are thinking about driving down...which will save them on costs if they want to do that. I am realizing that we are going to go broke helping people out...so the only people we are helping are my fiance's grandpa, who is like 85, and maybe his sister who is in the bridal party on my side. The rest of the people will just have to figure it out...and as much as our friends tend to drink...it is well worth the price of the rooms! I told the girls in the wedding that if they can't make it thats ok too, so they don't feel pressured. At this point, I wouldn't care if it were just Matt and I...and I am just so excited for the wedding and everything!!! Thanks again for everyone who replied to my post...We are the first people in our families doing a destination wedding, so it is really nice to talk to other people who understand the things that go along with destination weddings! I am so happy i found this forum...what would I do without all of you??

Thanks, that does help! Which hotels did you offer? I am not sure what else is around there. I need to be added to the list too, April 11th, 2009. Does anyone know if there is some sort of market or something near Dreams where we could find flowers? I am thinking of making the bouquets myself. Just really simple ones since I am not very crafty! haha.

So our save the dates went out last week and we already have people complaining about how expensive everything is to fly to Cabo and stay at Dreams. Many of my friends don't understand that its a really nice resort...I am not really sure what to say to them?? We are willing to help some of our friends out with rooms if they really can't afford them, but not if they are going to be calling me and yelling at me about the price of the trip! Has anyone else had this problem?? What did you do/say?? I was not happy when my maid of honor called and complained...but she has always been like that anyway I guess.

Are there any other military brides on here? Just thought I would check and see...we are sort of a little family!

Tammy, I hear you are the person a lot of people use as their travel agent? I am looking for a travel agent who can help all of our family and friends get their rooms booked, find flights, and find out about room blocking and how we do that. We are also all wanting to get travel insurance, so that if we have to cancel for any reason, we can get our money back for rooms, flights, etc. Of course, Matt and I won't be canceling so the wedding stuff is all finalized. We have family coming from Detroit, Virginia Beach, Orlando, Sacramento, San Francisco, Canada, and San Diego!!! It's gonna be crazy, but so fun! We are estimating about 40 people will come. Thanks so much!

Hey everyone, my name is Kara and my wedding is at Dreams on April 11th, 2009. I found this thread and am beyond excited to be able to take part in it! I have already gotten so many ideas, and had so many questions answered from reading the posts here, and I am looking forward to reading more of them. I will leave you with my wedding details: I am marrying Matt, who is an officer in the Marine Corps, and we got engaged June 1st of this year, right before he deployed. He will be back in February, and is very excited that our wedding is going to be in Cabo! We live in San Diego, and have never been to Cabo, but I have been to Cancun and Cozumel. We have reserved our date and want to have our ceremony on the bottom part of the cascade terrace, and the reception on the top part. (The gazebo was already taken) We are expecting about 30 guests from California, Michigan, Florida, and Virginia. I was wondering how people found flights for their guests, and how expensive they were. So far, what I have found has been quite expensive! Other than that...I am currently in the process of selecting vendors, and doing some of the detail work for the wedding. I already bought my dress, and ordered the STD magnets today! I am so excited!!! It's nice to meet you all!! Talk with you soon

Hey all, my name is Kara and I am getting married at the Dreams Resort in Los Cabos, Mexico on April 11th, 2009! I am very excited, and can't wait to start talking on the Dreams thread!