starlitk

Amazing review! Future DT brides will be incredibly lucky to benefit from your detail and wisdom! Congrats on a wonderful wedding!

Quote: Originally Posted by Mccrary Are there any brides here who had rain on their wedding day? And if you did how did this change your plans? Did you opt for the chapel? I just have a concern if there are multiple weddings the same day and it rains does everyone use the chapel and have their times changed around? It rained on and off all day for our wedding day. Thankfully, it was not raining during our ceremony time, so we did not opt for the chapel. (There were 44 of us, so we wouldn't have fit, anyway). I'm not sure what other brides did. They were going to set us up in the convention center for the reception b/c they refused to close the Seaside Grill from the rest of the resort guests even though the resort was not booked at capacity. I couldn't bear to have it indoors, so we decided to chance it outside. It ended up raining on our reception (by the adult pool) right after dinner, and we just moved to the disco. There is more about rain in my review (link in my signature).

Quote: Originally Posted by angie_tx I have never heard of anyone using extension chords for their paper laterns. most bride on here have used battery powered lights or made L.E.D. throwies... which i still haven't made for mine yet...seems a bit confusing... i'll let you know how they turn out. i know there is a thread on here somewhere that teaches you exactly how to do it. We had our reception by the relax pool and had paper lanterns. We lit them by assembling LED throwies, so we did not need extension cords. The link to instructions on how to create them can be found in my planning thread. I think there is a link to it in my signature. The resort supplied the string/cords that hung them above our reception. Those cords are heavy duty and worked really well. If you want to see pics, there are some in my review and planning thread links.

Quote: Originally Posted by AchiCAp0547 Hi everyone, So I´m down at dreams right now... I´m online because it´s raining out... it´s been raining for the past 4 days and it doesn´t look like it´s going to let up. Just so sad, the only thing I didn´t want to happen was RAIN and it´s like a hurricane out, it´s so depressing. Our room is great, the resort is great, the food is great, the drinks are cold. Aurora is so nice. Natalia is too busy for us, was late to our first meeting and never showed up to our "payment" meeting. There are too many weddings going on here at the same time, brides are crying because of the weather, it´s so gross out, I hope to dear gosh it doesn´t rain come Friday, but it most likely will. I didn´t realize they make you pay $150 fee for set up PLUS $3 per person ($134 total for 35 people) for set up as well when you are still paying a lot for the ultimate package, so the bill is just racking up when it´s not a "dream destination wedding", it´s more like having a wedding in a convention center in New York State while it´s raining out. Eh, sorry to complaing... just a bit depressed about this.... I will write a review upon my return in a couple of days. Cross your fingers the weather clears up pleease!!! Achica, I'm so so sorry to hear about the rain. It rained on our wedding day and I can empathize with the feelings you have right now. You are right that they are just not prepared to cover all of the weddings when it's raining. There were three weddings on our day and they were not adequately prepared to relocate them all with the rain. That being said, everything did end up working out and we had a wonderful wedding day - despite the rain. I believe you will, too! Your wedding may take a different shape than you envisioned, but you absolutely can love the shape it will take - stay positive and focused on being surrounded by the people you love! Now, when it comes to the WC, my advice to you is to complain. If they are not taking care of you, be the squeaky wheel. We had a lot of trouble and aggravation with the resort and finally, at one point, I just had to kind of turn into bridezilla. I definitely didn't get everything I wanted, but we did escape some of the nickel and diming they are prone to these days. Good luck! And try to stay positive!

Quote: Originally Posted by AchiCAp0547 Hi Starlitk, thanks so much for the info. I looked through your wedding pages NUMEROUS times lol!! (btw, it was gorgeous and I would love love love for my wedding to look like yours! So I am stealing SOME ideas ;-) but not all!) I will bring down some white Christmas lights... I should have bought them when they went on sale in December, errr, I hope I can find them now. xoxo Thanks! I'm happy to share templates if you're interested. Just PM me! Also, I finally posted the link to our pro photographer's entire gallery. I was thinking that it might be helpful for brides to see the lighting/darkness in our photos by the relaxed pool. The link is now in my signature, but this is it, too: Kristina and Matt Presented By http://www.leografia.com/ In these pics, you'll be able to see pictures from: - Our welcome dinner at DT's Caribbean party which includes tons of pics from the fire dancer show (under "day before"). - Our cocktail hour at the Patio Terrace (at the beginning under "reception") - The lighting at our relax pool-side reception ("Reception") - I'll give a warning that some pictures near the end of the "reception" folder will seem strange for a wedding reception. It downpoured rain at our outdoor reception (right after our first dances) and we had 42 crazy/loving guests with us. Near the end of the pics, we are drenched! Some guests were already soaked, so they jumped in the pool, someone rescued our cake (which we ate with our hands at El Patio) and then we all moved to the disco to dance the night away (so you can also also see photos of what "Desires" the disco looks like). It was strange and not as we planned it, but it was our wedding (and I loved it as it was).

Thanks so much everyone! There are more pictures of our stuff at our pro photographer's website: Kristina and Matt Presented By http://www.leografia.com/ In these pics, you'll be able to see pictures from: - our OOT bags - our welcome dinner at DT's Caribbean party which includes the fire dancer show (under "day before"). - Cocktail hour at the Patio Terrace (at the beginning under "reception") - The lighting at our relax pool-side reception - You'll also see what happens when it downpours rain at your outdoor reception. The end of the pics, we are drenched! Someone rescued our cake (which we ate with our hands at El Patio) and then we all moved to the disco (these are the photos of "Desires").

Quote: Originally Posted by violetvixen We're three months out from the wedding (yay!) and some questions have come up that I'm hoping the already-married ladies can answer for me. 1) is the "aisle" sand for in the processional area packed or soft? Also, is it too hot to walk on with bare feet? (our ceremony is at 3pm in June) 2) what kind/brand of products do the make-up artists use? I'm still on the fence about having my face done in the salon vs. doing my own makeup. 3) does anyone know if the makeup artists will do a false eylash application? thanks all The aisle sand is soft. At our wedding (late June) it was warm, but not too hot. My wedding was a cloudy day, though, so another bride should confirm that it'll be ok. Not sure on the makeup product brand - I didn't look too closely. But, it did look like a professional line.

Quote: Originally Posted by AchiCAp0547 I'm sorry, I should have asked this in my last post.... When you went for your site visit, could you possibly tell me some information on what the "relaxed pool" looks like? I've read some things on this site, but still do not have a good feel for what/where that pool is. Our reception is going to be at the relaxed pool, so I want to make sure there is going to be enough lighting for a 6p-9p reception. And is it terribly far from the Bar? At our receptions, how do we get our drinks? Are there waiters that go to the bar for us? Hey Achica - I haven't been on in awhile. I just read your question on relax pool receptions. I did have my reception (for 42 people) there. You can see pics in my review and planning thread. It IS dark, but we made it work. I believe we had tiki torches, luminaries in paper bags on the ground, candles and light-up table numbers on the tables, and paper lanterns. Also, the resort had the fog lights on. I still would have liked to have more (and softer) lighting (the fog lights are a bit harsh). Looking back, I wish I would have asked them to string white christmas lights on the cords they hung our lanterns. Not sure if they have them, but it might be worth checking into. With that extra lighting, I think it would have been fine. Let me know if you have other questions about it! The relax pool is fairly close to the Sugar Reef bar. But, we definitely had our own waiters to bring our guests drinks.

I realized that I never posted the thank you cards that we sent to our Tulum guests after the wedding. I designed them myself so, I'm including images from those. The pictures are all from our pro photographer, Leografia Weddings. Also, this is the thank you card that went to AHR guests. I used a Snapfish template for this one.

Quote: Originally Posted by Amymarie wow, everything looks beautiful. So what did you think of having your reception at the relax pool? Would you have done anything differently? Also did you choose your flowers for the walkway in your reception or do they just put what they feel like, i have noticed a few girls had different ones. Thanks for the review Thanks! I did not choose the flowers in the walkway. We never discussed it with our wedding coordinator - she just picked them out, I think! I enjoyed the wedding reception by the relax pool. The only thing I would have changed was the lighting. I had been worried about the lighting, and - in hindsight - I probably should have insisted on stringing up white Christmas lights to add to the lighting. The other lighting options they put in (candles on the tables, our paper lanterns, fog lights, bagged luminaries and tiki torches) just did not provide all of the lighting that I wanted. Otherwise, I think it was a perfect place for the reception. Well, until it rained. But, we still had fun with that. Thanks to everyone for all of their kind words! To answer another question... we had 42 guests at our wedding. Let me know if you have any other questions!

We have 50 chair bows / sashes from efavormart.com that we're interested in selling. We'd love to sell them all together. We're asking $30 plus shipping. Here is the site we ordered them from: Satin Turquoise Chair Sash And here are pics of the sashes: Contact or PM me if you're interested! Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by lolosmama StarlitK - if you still check this thread, can you tell me if you used the binders for the LED throwies instead of the strapping tape, or in addition to the strapping tape? Also, did you just assemble these the morning of the wedding? How long did they stay lit? Thanks so much for all the help you have provided!! We used binders only. The strapping tape does not give pressure to hold the led prongs to the batteries. We were going to assemble them the night before b/c LEDs will stay lit for over 24 hours. The one we tested beforehand at home stayed lit for closer to 48. It does depend how many LEDs you have on each battery. I would recommend testing them at home before! However, when we gave Anabel all of our stuff at DT, she offered to assemble the LED throwies herself, so she did. We were VERY grateful for that. I don't think they charged us for it, but that could have been b/c I had expressed being really disappointed in DT at that point (the whole three weddings on my day thing). Kate&Devon - We borrowed a HUGE suitcase from a friend and had 2 big suitcases each. (4 total, plus our carry-ons). It all fit!

Quote: Originally Posted by dallasbride Hi When I click on your link for the review it doesn't pull up. I'm still new to this forum-am i doing something wrong? Thanks for letting me know. I corrected the links, so they should work now.

Quote: Originally Posted by giraffexx Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts starlitk!! As much as I like the resort after reading your review I think I am going to eliminate DT as an option. There are tons of beautiful hotels in the area to choose from. I'd rather not have to stress over certain planning that can be taken care of prior to getting there since I'm sure I'll already be nervous enough. I'm glad you found my review helpful. As Sunbride mentioned, most brides did not seem to report the type of issues that I encountered. Despite our issues, we still did have a beautiful wedding at DT. But, choosing the right resort is definitely a personal decision. Some brides wouldn't have minded the things that happened to us, and some would've thought they are unbearable - its just about knowing what you are looking for! Good luck wherever you go!

Quote: Originally Posted by giraffexx It seems that Dreams Tulum hosts more than one wedding per day. For those who were married there...did you find it to be a problem or less special because of multiple weddings taking place? I really like this resort but I'm not sure how much attention my wedding and reception will get if the WC is working with multiple events. They host up to three weddings per day. You get your own wedding coordinator, so you aren't sharing that. There were three weddings on my wedding day, and I personally did find it to be a problem. I'd recommend reading my review for more specific info on the matter. There is a link to it in my signature.

Quote: Originally Posted by BellaBeachBabe Hi Ladies! I got the worst news possible today! I have to change my wedding date! This was so unexpected......... Soooo sorry to hear that! Thank goodness you are a DT bride! These girls have been through governmental closures and the swine flu, so I don't think you could find a better support group for this kind of thing. Hang in there, and just remember that it will work out - no matter which day it happens, it'll be fantastic.

Quote: Originally Posted by jmb0902 Okay this might be a very silly question - but on your tags and program, how did you get the white writing? Did you print on white cardstock and then just print the blue and green background on them? I hope that question makes sense! Yes, that makes perfect sense! We did print them on white cardstock, so the white writing is like empty space between the color printing. In MS Publisher, we just created blue and green squares and chose white as our font color. When we printed it, we just cut inside the borders (so that it looked like the entire paper was blue or green). We ended up using quite a bit of color ink for this wedding! Although, that project didn't use nearly as much as the bags did.

Quote: Originally Posted by honeybear Ladies I need to ask for some advice as I am really torn on whether to do our reception on the beach or by the relax pool. For those who did their reception on the beach: Did you have any trouble with it being windy, not private enough, or not enough lighting? What did you do for dancing? For those who did their reception by the relax pool: Did you have any issues with it not being private enough, or tables & chairs set up too close to the pool's edge, etc? Thank you so much for all of your help! Our reception was by the adult/relax pool. We had 44 people including us, and did not have any issues with it not being private enough, nor with the tables being too close to the water's edge. Quote: Originally Posted by Tisha316 To the ladies, Honeybear, and ESP Sunbride:) 1) Which bar should I have everyone meet at before the reception that would be NICE and close to the beach wedding and our reception location...which brings me to my next question... 2) Where to have the reception...? I saw a beautiful set up on Starlitk's by the pool, but not sure which one it is, and which pool is the one with the arch walkway? We are having 42 guests so what would be the best option? 3) I don't think we are having a DJ. Just bringing the ipod...i have seen some girls do that and it worked out great. Can I have music as I walk down the BEACH:) to my hubby? 4) How do we set up the Ipod...should I bring my own BOSE docking station...it's pretty loud...? Or do they have something I can use and what would be best? I want to avoid ALL extra or hidden costs as possible because we are ALSO having a Stateside reception which is enlarging our budget!! thanks ladies:) Love this forum!! Love all of you...and can't wait for the Oct 10th wedding pix and review post!! 1. Nicest and nearest to the beach - your best option is the sugar reef bar. None of the bars are really "fancy" but that one has a good atmosphere. 2. Thanks! Our reception was by the relax/adult pool. Our wedding was the same size, and I think there is more room by the relax/adult pool than there is by the dolphin pool (the one with the arch). 3. You can have ipod music as you walk down the beach, but you have to pay to rent the speakers. 4. The resort has what it needs to hook up the ipod to their speakers - you just have to pay to rent the speakers. If you think your own sound system is pretty loud, then that might save you the money it would cost to rent the speakers twice (b/c you have to pay the fee to rent them twice - once for the ceremony and once for the reception. Good luck!

Quote: Originally Posted by ddk5576 Starlitk- You have me crying over here on the East Coast in SC (the pics captured when you saw your now husband for the first time)! The pics are great! Your dress is beautiful and you look so great and happy and it looks like you all had a blast!! Thank you for sharing and posting and all of the great info you have given has been so helpful!!! I am back to being a Tulum bride!! Yey! May 30th, 2010 Thanks so much for the kind words, everyone! So sweet! Congrats on being a Tulum bride, ddk!

Quote: Originally Posted by Tisha316 Calling all DT brides...If you did the ultimate dreams package for your wedding, how long did it take until you recieved your 30minute DVD of your ceremony from the resort and what about the pictures the resort photographer took...how long did that take? Can I take them home with me when I leave? I am trying to figure this out due to our state side reception and I would like to have my wedding ceremony video to show and also add the resort photographers pictures to our slide show! As of right now the stateside reception is scheduled the weekend after we get back, but now i am thinking maybe we should schedule it further out if i have to wait on these items...? Thanks for your help!! Tisha - You will receive the DVD and the pictures (which they print and burn on a CD for you) before you leave DT. I'm not sure how long it actually takes them, but we picked them up a few days after our wedding day. So, as long as you don't leave DT right after the wedding, you should be able to get everything in hand.

Quote: Originally Posted by Tisha316 O wow I am totally impressed...how many guests did you have!!?? It looks absolutely beautiful and makes me so excited to use dreams!! Did you bring your own chair bows too? Thanks everyone! We had 42 guests, and we did bring our own chair bows because it was far less expensive to buy our own than rent them from the resort!

I just uploaded some new pictures of our set up for those who are interested in seeing shots that are a little more closer-up. These were taken by the resort photographer, Frederico. Also, this picture is in my review. You can see our guestbook/wish jar in this picture:

Quote: Originally Posted by jmb0902 I was wondering if any of the previous brides has an answer to this question: Is there room at both the adult/relax pool and the dolphin pool for a dance floor area/DJ or is one better than the other through your experience?? Thanks! Hey JoAnn - I would say there is definitely more room at the relax pool for a dance floor than the dolphin pool. However, I would say that you don't really need one for the relax pool . The ground is cement/stone, and has kind of a design that divides it into squares. So, if you use the corner "square" it can look sectioned off enough for a dance floor (in my opinion). You can sort of see this in our photos (particularly one that is in my Review). Our tables were along the width and length of the pool, and the corner - in between the two areas of guest tables - was left open as the dance floor.

Quote: Originally Posted by carmen2009 Tthere are some reasonably priced paper lanterns at Luna Bazaar. http://www.lunabazaar.com. You can buy about 20 12 inch paper lanterns for $2.95 each and a single LED light (makes lanterns up to 14 inches Battery Operated!) for each paper lantern is $2.45. Does anyone know anything about using the LED lights and should I get 12 inches or 14 inches? Natalia told me 15 paper lanterns would be enough for the pool reception but it seems like most brides have brought 20-30. Any thoughts? I think the number of lanterns you need depends on your preference. I wanted a lot of them. We had our reception by the adult pool, and we used 30 lanterns of varying sizes and colors. We got most of them from Paper Lantern Store and some from Hobby Lobby (b/c PLS was out of turquoise at the time). We used: 6 12" green 6 16" green 8 12" white 3 16" white 6 16" turquoise We lit them with LEDs, and it was actually easier than I thought it would be. In my planning thread (which you can get to from my signature), I have links to the websites that gave instructions on how to use them. You can also see pics of our lantern setup in my planning thread and my review.

Thanks everyone! Quote: Originally Posted by jerzygirl85 Everything looked so beautiful!! I can't wait for my wedding! I am getting married at DT also and was thinking about having my reception by the adult pool. Was there enough lighting after dark and do you remember if the pool lights up? The adult pool does not light up, so it will look dark. As for other lighting, I was very concerned about it, but it did turn out decently lit. We had lighting in our paper lanterns, light in glass lanterns on the table, tiki torches, and there were also bright lights (like street lamps) that they turned on, that shined down onto the space. In hindsight, I think I would have insisted on stringing white christmas lights around the wire that was holding our lanterns. I think that would have done it. I will mention that our photographer was not happy about the street lamp lights b/c they do create big shadows. And I agreed - they were ugly, but we had to have them on or it would have been too dark.