northernflasher

WEDDING SET UP: 9/10 I think the chapel is beautiful and totally private I highly recommend it. The really good news is that on our last week at the resort they installed brand new air conditioning, making it more of an option in the hotter months. Our set up included a Memorial poem and photo of my mum, Memorial candles, Sand Ceremony, Also each person had a place setting in the chapel with a personalised handkerchief, order of service, fan and maraca to shake at the kiss. If you have very strict ideas about how you want things to look bring lots of pictures and very precise instructions. I started off being mega thorough, before we left I did mock set ups which I photographed and included these photos with detailed instructions written on the reverse and I bagged everything together, unfortunately I ran out of time towards the end and just gave her verbal instructions for some of things which didn’t turn out so well. Just minor details really but David had to move some stuff around in the chapel cos he knew it wasn’t set up like I wanted. Some of the items from the guest’s seats in the chapel were missing and she set up my memorial plaque for my mum so that you couldn’t see the picture properly. They were also quite late setting up so when I sent my sister down 40mins before the ceremony to check out the set up and light her memorial candle for mum the chapel wasn’t ready. The end of pew aisle flowers were included, I originally wasn’t bothered for having these because the only promotional picture I’d seen of these they were big and garish but mine were discreet, matched my colours and very pretty. PEW END FLOWERS http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...lum121-1-1.jpg They also included two small flower arrangements and tea-lights on the candelabras, which are located either side of the ceremony table in the top corners of the chapel and really add to the ambience. We also had one small floral arrangement with a candle in the centre on the ceremony table. This was originally supposed to be our memorial candle centrepiece but there was some confusion with this. Aurora told us it was included but without candles, we brought the candles thinking they would incorporate the floral arrangement around the base but Natalia had added $65 dollars plus tax extra to our contract for this as the arrangement included in the ultimate package is much smaller and other than specifying preferred flowers and colours, cannot be changed. I think this was one of the issues that got lost in translation between Aurora and Natalia. It didn’t look like the one we had picked in the flower brochure which was number CP-002 and we didn’t care enough about it to pay the extra so we stuck with the one that’s included, placed our candles around it and got the charge removed. CEREMONY TABLE ARRANGEMENT http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a.../MD789-1-1.jpg Had I thought to bring a copy of the Dreams flower catalogue I could have argued that the advertised arrangement was supposed to be included but I was so stressed by the details at this point that I didn’t want to get into it. We left everything set up in the chapel afterwards and asked Natalia to look after it for us. It was delivered to our room a few days later in perfect condition. CEREMONY TABLE SET UP http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...CF5603-1-1.jpg MORE TO COME....

SPA HAIR STYLING 9/10 This was included in the ultimate package but as I have very short hair I gave it to my sister who was my MOH. She brought photos and diamante hair jewels and they did a fantastic job, only issue was that the only hair flower they had available was off pink which didn’t go at all with my colours and a bit wilted looking around the edges. I basically think when I booked the service the reception hadn’t made a note of it and they were winging it with a leftover flower. http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...ages/MD131.jpg Unfortunately my hair, which I did myself, didn’t go so well, partly due to not doing enough pre-wedding practice, mostly to do with the wind. Basically it stuck to my forehead with sweat and I hate my hair in the wedding video and almost every photo. I have 3 words for you ladies… HAIRSPRAY, HAIRSPRAY, HAIRSPRAY! No-one used the make up service and I forgot to ask if I could trade it for another service so I kind of missed out on that one. FLOWERS: 9/10 I requested with Natalia that the flowers be delivered asap for photos. I wasn’t too fussed but asked for shades of white and green, that they all match and specified that I wanted a small bouquet that was light enough so I could hold it in one hand. I chose number B-003 from the flower brochure and was pleasantly surprised. I thought they were lovely. It should have been the kind you hold over your arm but I asked her to have it made into a posy instead The men’s buttonholes were number G-002 also really nice but the ladies wrist corsages were number C-007 and had too much ribbon on for my liking and the bracelet part was a bit of a weird fit. If this is an area that’s important to you bring photos and be specific. I think this is especially important with regards to the table decoration flowers included in the package which for our event were not very impressive. We saw some truly beautiful bouquets at various weddings whilst we there, it seems that anything is achievable. We saw all shapes, styles and colours. Not sure if these brides had paid a lot extra for these but rest assured if this is an area you are worried about they rival any I’ve seen in the UK. MY BOUQUET http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...es/MD951-1.jpg BUTTONHOLES http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...es/MD312-1.jpg LADIES WRIST CORSAGES http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/MD73-1-1.jpg MORE TO COME....

WEDDING REVIEW: 26TH MARCH 2010 . ULTIMATE WEDDING PACKAGE = $2,760.00 SET UP CHARGE $3 PER PERSON (WE HAD 15 PEOPLE IN TOTAL) = $56.25 INC TAX CAKE UPGRADE $50 + TAX = $55.50 TOTAL = $2,871.75 OTHER CHARGES: BLOOD WORK: $175 PER COUPLE JUDGES TRANSPORT FEE: $60 MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE TRANSLATION: $120 26TH MARCH 2010 PRE-WEDDING EMAIL COMMUNICATION: 5/10 Due to distance and prices from the UK there was never an option of a site visit so we did the whole thing “blind†which added to both the stress and the excitement. We booked our wedding date with Dreams shortly after we were engaged, 20 months in advance because we really wanted our specific date. Natalia said we were lucky to get our specific date and when we told her how far ahead we booked she said this is the only way to be assured the date you want at this time of year. With this in mind communication really was slow and stressful because it was so far ahead of time. In those early days I got the majority of my info from this forum. The communication got much better closer to the date but often things were lost in translation or frustratingly vague. Several pieces of information we were given turned out to be incorrect when we arrived at Dreams. They do work very hard but this is an issue that needs to be addressed. All my communications from 9 months out were with Aurora but my actual WC in the resort was Natalia. I believe it would be a better system to have couples assigned to an individual WC that deals with you from start to finish. PREPARATION OF WEDDING OUTFITS: 8/10 I requested the outfits be returned 2 days before the wedding in case of any issues. I just sent my dress as the train was detachable and pleated with a diamante floral detail which I didn’t trust them with. I had requested with Natalia and pinned instructions to my garment bag that the dress was to be delivered back to my sisters room due to reading on here a few brides who were gutted when there dress was hung in full view in there room for the groom to see. Natalia said it would be laid out on the bed with a sheet covering it. Im so glad I sent it to my sisters room and highly recommend this to all of you cos they just hung my dress from her bed canopy in plain site. I mentioned this to Natalia and she tried to say it was because it had gone to my sisters room and they didn’t think it would matter but beware, I think this is standard practice. Other than this both my dress and David’s suit were returned in perfect condition. PRE-WEDDING MEETING WITH WC: 9/10 Natalia had left a welcome letter and appointment at reception for us when we checked in. We met her at 10am the next day. You just need your passports, birth certificate and tourist visa, bring your witnesses with passports and tourist visas, they only need to be there for about 10 minutes. You will also be taken for your bloodwork if it’s a legal ceremony so bring $175 cash which you pay direct to the Doctor. It would also be useful to bring your wedding planning file with photos to this meeting. Natalia walked us around the resort and talked through our choices, locations, preferred setup etc. At this point I would double check locations and timings for other weddings and entertainment scheduled for your day. We then met Natalia the day before the wedding to review the contract, pay the balance, hand over all our decorations and do our informal rehearsal. Bring copies of everything, double check your contracts, be prepared for elements of your plans to change slightly. Be prepared to go with the flow. Speak up about extra charges and don’t be afraid to omit things if you’re not happy. When we reviewed our contract we had chosen two floral arrangements which Aurora had told us were included but actually were $65 + tax extra, we decided not to have them and got the charges removed no problem. We tried to request the Portofino wine cellar as our rain location but were told by Natalia the manager wouldn’t allow it. It seems to us now that the only rain locations are to hire the seaside grill (conditions and extra charges apply) or use the convention centre. Luckily for us our wedding day was the warmest, with the clearest skies all week so this issue never crossed my mind but a few days after our wedding we went to see the convention centre in an attempt to review it here. It is locked up unless they are hosting an event so we couldn’t get in but I can honestly say that if you are having a small to medium sized wedding I would certainly consider the convention centre entrance as your covered location. It is beautiful and very private surrounded by lovely gardens. It reminds me of a smaller version of the lobby with a semi circle arch balustrade with steps leading up to it and a floral display in the back. You approach it past the spa through a lovely tree lined pathway. I don’t know if this is a possibility but I would certainly recommend considering it. As I understand it there is no extra charge for using the inside of the convention centre so provided there is not another wedding inside I cant imagine why they would charge to use the entrance. You would also be able to string lights up and I think it could really be made to look spectacular. Not sure if anyone has ever used this area before but if not I think Dreams are missing an opportunity. TREE LINED PATHWAY TO CONVENTION CENTRE http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC_7451.jpg CONVENTION CENTRE AND SURROUNDING GARDENS http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC_7446.jpg SIDE VIEW OF TERRACE http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSCF0185.jpg TERRACE DETAIL http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC_7457.jpg MORE TO COME....

BEACH: 8/10 Lovely beach, not the softest sand, a little bit rocky entering the water but fine once you’re in. The sea was lovely and warm and looks stunning from the shore all shades of blue and green. It was often too choppy to go snorkelling but on the one day our photographer went out he saw a stingray and lots of fish just off the beach. We walked up the beach (to the right if facing the ocean) and its very quiet with only a few other walkers and further up some apartments which are virtually empty. If you’re up for it we walked this way for about an hour and just past the white apartments (which you can see in the distance from the beach at dreams) and there is a deserted looking hotel with the most beautiful area where the herons nest and the rocks form your very own private cove. Take plenty of water, towels and sunscreen cos there are no facilities here we had the place to ourselves apart from a family of locals. We did a self portrait TTD session here on our last day and it looks stunning. Wear beach shoes for the walk, some areas on the way get a little nasty with rubbish, rocks and shale. THE VIEW ALONG THE BEACH TO THE RIGHT. REALLY NICE, QUIET AREA AROUND THESE APARTMENTS IN THE DISTANCE. APPROX 1 HRS WALK. http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSCF0249.jpg OUR SELF PORTRAIT TTD WAS SHOT AT THE ABOVE LOCATION. Self Portrait TTD :: Our Self Portrait TTD slideshow by northernflasher - Photobucket POOLS: 9/10 Both pools are really nice. Lots of activities going on in the Dolphin pool, all day, every day if you like it loud and fun this is the one for you. All the entertainment team are based here and do a fantastic job. The relax pool is definitely not an adults only pool but doesn’t ever have any activities going on so you can swim lengths and relax. The relax pool starts really shallow which is appealing for young children. Our main issue is that both the pools and the beach need more sunbeds and infuriatingly people are so selfish with claiming the sunbeds which is a practice I HATE and strongly feel that it should be banned. The staff would occasionally move towels that had been left unattended for a while but were nowhere near vigilant enough with this issue. There are literally no loungers free by 7.30am with people saving them and then not turning up until the middle of the afternoon. We started off very polite and then got wise and ended up dumping peoples stuff on the sand or moving it all onto one sunbed. More often than not it would still be there in the evening when we were leaving our area meaning the beds would have stayed empty the whole day AAARRGGGHHH RANT OVER!!!! SPA: 10/10 The spa is beautiful, a truly relaxing and pampering environment. We had the couples full body massage which was included in the ultimate package and wonderful, probably the best I’ve ever had. We enjoyed it so much we did the same later in the week. Our therapists were Francis, Flavia and Nidia who were excellent. Leave plenty of time for booking in, reception was always busy and the computer booking system seems so confusing that the staff struggle with it and mistakes are made. You are advised to use the facilities, steam, sauna, Jacuzzi etc before your treatment and it takes a minimum of 1 hour to do it the way its recommended. I suggest getting to reception a minimum of 90mins before your treatment. Some of the attendants don’t speak English at all so it can be a bit confusing when you enter the locker rooms. Once you’re changed into your robe go through to the main area where you can take your steam and sauna together with your partner. My parents in law won a spa day while we were there but the attendant made out like they had to use the male and female designated facilities inside the individual changing rooms and nobody pointed out that there were joint facilities in the main area so they didn’t really enjoy the day. Activities and Entertainment: 10/10 Hubby and I are really not the kind of people that need organised entertainment but based on our groups opinion and the things we did see, there really is everything you need at this resort. There is something going on all day every day but unlike other all inclusives we've been to the entertainment staff here respect your privacy and will not hassle you into participating. Our favourite was the fire show. The first week we watched it on the beach chilling out on beanbags which was awesome and made for a fantastic atmosphere. The second week it was too windy on the beach so the show moved to the patio, it was a different group but still excellent. We also enjoyed the capioera show at the plaza. Activities and entertainment our group tried and enjoyed were: Aqua aerobics Salsa Canoe races in the Dolphin pool Tequila Tasting Tequila Darts Taco making Beach football and volleyball Mexican Theme Night Mechanical Bull Riding Caribbean Theme Night American Idol Live Rock Band in Desires Disco My one recommendation would be to double check when you get to the resort what entertainment is organised for the same night as your wedding, at what time, in which location. They of course have to cater for the entire resort not just the weddings so all the entertainment goes ahead as planned regardless of where the weddings are located. In the time I was there I saw a few things that could possibly affect the atmosphere of a wedding or reception. If you would like to know whats on when I saved approx 10 days worth of Dreams entertainment news sheets from my stay. Excursions and sightseeing: 10/10 I will post a full review of all our excursions in the main Riviera Maya section but we really enjoyed everything we did. Tulum Ruins Tulum town Xcaret Hidden Worlds Cenotes Playa Del Carmen Diving both in Playa Del Carmen and with Dreams Diveshop Xel Ha The main thing is that the hotel is really well organised in this respect. All the fares from the hotel are regulated so your driver knows what he will be paid, no haggling, no hassle. For return journeys you pay the driver when you return to the resort. We hadn't organised transport for the majority of our trips and we just went to the bellboys in reception and within minutes they had organised cabs, mini buses etc. As you exit the gates the security take the taxi drivers name and ID and also the guests room number. They do the same on the way in, kind of like a clocking in system and also in case you have any complaints about your driver they have his details so you always feel really safe. It seems to be a system the taxi drivers respect and are familiar with so I really dont think any of them will be willing to ruin there livelihood with negative feedback. MORE TO COME....

PORTOFINO (ITALIAN): 9/10 Formal dress. Delicious food, amazing service when just the two of us, horrendous slow service when we booked a table for 13 of us in the wine cellar. Our waiter several times in the last week was Mauricio and he’s wonderful. The crusted salmon and tiramisu are amazing. HIMITSU (ASIAN): 9/10 Casual dress. Delicious food. They were definitely the most accommodating to a large party and would often say there was a wait and then seat us within 15mins. EL PATIO (MEXICAN): 8/10 Casual dress. Better in the evenings but overall probably my least favourite in terms of service, portion sizes and menu choice. COCO CAFÉ (COFFEE SHOP): 9/10. Amazing frozen chocolate and frozen baileys. Really cute cakes, cookies and sandwiches. Really nice place to keep cool and chill out with a book or to catch up with the girls. http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSCF0022.jpg BORDEAUX (FRENCH): 9/10 Formal dress, we did see people turned away due to dress code. Delicious food. Its advertised as adults only but we ate here on our 2nd week with a 15year old without issue. SEASIDE GRILL (SEAFOOD AND STEAK): 9/10 Casual dress. Once again I preferred the menu here in the evenings. Steaks were delicious. Open sided feels like you are dining outside. GOHAN (SUSHI): None of our party tried here. ROOM SERVICE: 9/10 Always well within the 30 min turnaround. Always hot. The burgers and club sandwiches with fries are delicious. My tip is be specific when you order, one day we ordered the American breakfast but didn’t specify each item individually and all we got was eggs and a hash brown! BARS AND DRINKS 10/10 We went through the cocktail menu, they are the best I’ve ever had at an all inclusive hotel. They will also make virtually any cocktail without alcohol which were delicious and refreshing throughout the day. You can also tell them what cocktail you want and what’s in it and if its not on the menu they’ll make it up for you. No probs getting International brands e.g Jack Daniels. The only thing we struggled to get was Baileys which they only appear to have at Coco café. House wine is always available but the premium wines in Portofino are at extra cost and expensive. As a condition of us being able to book a table for 13 in the wine cellar the manager requested we buy a few bottles of wine. We ended up paying $25 dollars a bottle for the same brand we buy at home for $9. Not sure if you can get champagne at the bars as part of the all inclusive, we never tried. The bar staff are fantastic. Our favourite was the open air sugar reef down by the beach and pools. http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/Tulum032.jpg The only issues we had was that they are constantly running out of drinking straws which makes it really difficult to drink frozen cocktails. And they work so fast and hard that the cleanliness of the glasses was a bit dubious. I would advise you to ask for drinks without garnish or remove it, more often than not it had insects on. Also on our wedding night in the desires disco my sister got a toe/finger nail in her mouth from her drink !!!! Our Travel rep assures us that all the ice is made from purified water. MORE TO COME....

FOOD AND RESTAURANTS: 9/10 We found the food to be plentiful and delicious in all the restaurants at all times of the day. Without doubt the best quality food I’ve ever had at an all inclusive. Our main issues were that the food temperature was often inadequate even in the a la carte restaurants and that there are no real arrangements for vegetarians. We had 2 in our party and thankfully they are not too precious because quite frankly they would have starved! I must stress here that this seemed to be true of everywhere off the resort too and not just Dreams in particular. We all had “dodgy†tummies at various points throughout our stay and my sister had a week off work with food poisoning on her return home but she does have ongoing digestion problems which always flare up when she travels. I don’t want to put all that down to food alone, I think it was a mixture of over indulgence, alcohol, heat, dehydration, nerves etc. The hotel was fully booked for our weeks. As a result as a party of 15 we really struggled with getting tables in restaurants, even though we told them we were happy to be seated at several tables rather than one big table. David and I found the service and whole experience to be much better on our last week when it was just the two of us. A tip for you is that they often over exaggerate the length of time you will have to wait in order to put you off so you will go elsewhere. We were often told our wait may be 1-2hrs so we would put our names down on the wait list, go get a drink and go back in 30 – 40 mins and get a table. Sometimes you are given a pager which recalls you to the restaurant when your table is free. They dont seem to have many of these per restaurant and for whatever reason we were never given them. I personally think you get seated faster the closer you stay to the restaurant. WORLD CAFÉ (BUFFET): 9/10 Casual dress. Great for breakfast and lunch, we didn’t eat here at night. Be aware that on the fiesta / theme evenings the world café is closed and all the food is served outside on the terrace. You must get there early or you will not get a table, the area does not appear to be able to cater for the number of guests wishing to attend these theme nights. We managed to get into the Caribbean night on second week by being there an hour before it was due to start and standing in line. The food was delicious but when the rest of the family went on the Mexican night they were not as impressed with the food. World cafe entrance view with doorway to left annex: http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC_7473.jpg World cafe central view: http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC_7471.jpg Natalia did mention that it may be possible to use the side annexes in the world cafe as a wedding reception location on fiesta nights when its closed to the public. I think they are really pretty. Left side annex inside World Cafe http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC_7470.jpg Right side/bar annex inside world cafe http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC_7474.jpg MORE TO COME....

ROOM 3106: 7/10 Everything as room 4125 but this room had terrible problems with mosquitos and despite being fumigated twice by the hotel they still persisted. We couldn’t figure any reason why they had such an issue in this location as the majority of our party only had problems with mosquitos out and about. The air con also flooded the room twice. Unfortunately for my sister who is NOT an early riser the cleaner always insisted on coming really early every day and because they didn’t have a privacy button would knock on the door until they opened up! ROOM 1107: 7/10 Everything as room 4125 except they had to request a hammock several times. The coffee machine was also broken and after asking reception several times they borrowed the one from my dads room as he doesn’t drink coffee. This was also one of the makeshift twin bedrooms so as it was originally set up for 2 people they had to request everything for three, towels, robes, coffee cups, etc. They squeezed the single bed into the gap between the king and the wall which made it mega cosy at bedtime and meant that they could only use one side of the king to get in and out but they really wanted to keep the free space by the sofa and patio doors. I didn’t see this room until the last day but in hindsight if I were them I would probably have asked to see a “downgraded twin room†because I really don’t think there’s such a thing as a bad room at Dreams and I think they would have been much more comfortable in a room designed for three. http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC_7374.jpg http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC_7377.jpg ROOM:...WE CANT REMEMBER SORRY! 7/10 Everything as room 4125 except it’s on the 1st floor. This was also a makeshift twin bedroom but as they are aunt and nephew they kept the single bed pushed up against the sofa so they could access their balcony but not use the seating area. It also meant that the nephew couldn’t watch TV unless he sat on his aunt’s bed. Again I think they would have been more comfortable in a room designed for twins. This photo was taken kneeling on the makeshift single bed. http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC_7373.jpg http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC_7371.jpg I suppose in hindsight we could have got Natalia our WC involved but everyone was so tired the night we arrived and none of them made a big issue of it to me throughout the holiday so I assumed they were comfortable. It was only when I saw these rooms on the last day that I felt bad and wished I’d been firmer at reception and demanded they sort out a better alternative. In view of the fact that we all paid a lot of money for the same grade accomodation I think Dreams should have done better. MORE TO COME....

ROOM 3110: 9/10 Ground floor, Twin beds, Garden view. Didnt get much info about this room but they all seem pretty consistent and the guests didnt have any complaints. http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/Tulum034.jpg http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/Tulum033.jpg ROOM 4125: 9/10 Ground floor, Garden view room, Hacienda section, Mexican feel décor which overall was actually a more spacious, nicer bedroom and had more furniture than our room in the Dreams section. Enormous King bed, single sink, basic bath and over bath shower in a nice recessed tiled cubicle, bidet. Terrace with 2 chairs, table and a hammock. http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC_7363.jpg http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC_7367.jpg MORE TO COME....

Firstly let me say that our wedding day truly was the happiest day of my life. I know that’s what people expect a bride to say but I can honestly say it’s the truth. Of course this means I could easily mark the whole thing 10 out of 10 and leave it at that but I have tried to be really honest and objective here. I would like all future brides to know that I would recommend a destination wedding at Dreams Tulum to anyone. Even the areas where I have pointed out the negative were minor issues that in no way affected our wedding day or our holiday overall. I guess that what I’m trying to say is that any wedding, anywhere, will have issues, mishaps and hiccups, but if you go into it with the right attitude then it really will be the perfect day you hoped for… I also send out my thanks to this forum and its fantastic members. I gained so much inspiration and so many invaluable ideas from here. I really don’t think my wedding would have been such a success without your help. If any of this info helps one other bride the same way it did for me I’ll be thrilled. Let me know if you have any questions, I’d love to spread the joy… HOTEL REVIEW DREAMS TULUM OVERALL: 9/10 It’s the most beautiful location. One of the most relaxing and laid back hotels I have ever been to. Our party ranged from 11 – 63 years old and everyone loved it. By far the best customer service I have ever received at an all-inclusive resort. We never once felt obliged to tip, although we did because so many people deserved it and are genuinely grateful for whatever they were given. Everyone works so hard to ensure that the guests have everything they need and we felt really well looked after the whole time. The place is immaculately kept, though the overall structures and décor are a little tired looking in certain areas. The gardens are lovely and attract an abundance of butterflies, birds, geckos and iguanas! TRAVEL AGENT: THOMAS COOK: 2/10 They get 2 points for getting us there and back again. They were awful and made the whole booking process so stressful and upsetting. We will never travel with them again. U.K brides feel free to PM for details. WELCOME AND CHECK IN: 8/10 We got the usual wonderful welcome on arrival, fresh towels, champagne, cookies and juice for my stepson. We were also given complimentary upgrades for our whole party which the majority of us were thrilled with. Unfortunately despite my sending them the required room configurations 3 times prior to our arrival they had assigned all our guests into king rooms despite one of them being aunt & nephew and the other being parents with a teenage boy! Our room was correct, we requested two beds as my 11yr old stepson was with us for the first week but the other people requiring 2 beds were given the option to downgrade or pay for further upgrade into rooms with an extra bed. At this point I started to object and the on call manager came over apologised, assured us it was not a problem and said they could organise an extra bed to be delivered to the rooms. We gratefully accepted this and imagined they would deliver another queen bed but unfortunately the rooms were purely set up for one king bed so when they delivered it was a makeshift single bed which they put in the lounge area which blocked access to the patio doors and the sofa. Luckily the boys were ok with their single beds and they all made do with not being able to move around the rooms as freely as would have been normal. Had the people assigned the single beds been older, bigger or just a bit fussier it would have been totally impractical and we would have been back to the issue of downgrade or pay. OUR ROOM: 9/10 We were given room 8310 Top floor (3rd) in the Dreams preferred section which looked onto the back of the hotel lobby and the fountains with a distant view of the sea from the balcony. We had a walk in shower big enough for 2, twin sinks and a 2 person Jacuzzi bath which had wooden shutters that opened out into the rest of the room. Full sized toiletries and fluffy robes in the bathroom. The overall décor was basic but nice, except I was almost taken out on my wedding day by the wooden door on our TV unit which came off its hinges as I opened it and slid down the room to the patio doors! The balcony was a great place to people watch and would have been perfect if we’d had a hammock. Unfortunately none of the rooms in that section have hammocks, not sure why because the balconies and terraces are big enough, that’s probably the only thing I would have changed about our room. Everything in working order except the Ipod dock had poor volume and the alarm clock was set to go off at midnight which it did for the first 4 nights until we figured how to change it! Privacy button by the beds which was always respected for the entire duration of our stay. I highly recommend using this as the cleaners can come any time between 7am and 5pm and turndown service from 5pm-8pm. Our cleaner was Wilfreda, she was really friendly and despite the language barrier always tried to accommodate or assist us, she did an adequate job with the time she had available. We tipped and I made her up a gift bag before we left with nail varnishes, hand cream, manicure kit etc. Some noise from the disco every night which is located underneath the lobby but it closes at 12-12.30 and wasn’t loud enough to keep us from sleep. I would say if you are a light sleeper, go to bed early or have young children it may be an issue. Our Jaccuzzi through into bedroom: http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC_7188.jpg View from balcony towards ocean: http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSCF0003.jpg View from balcony towards lobby: http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSCF0002.jpg View out back of our room from our staircase and hallway: http://i913.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/DSC_7391.jpg MORE TO COME....

Quote: Originally Posted by clinicalgal Thanks everyone, Aurora finally did get back to me, which is good. One of the things i asked her about was substituting items in the packages. I am opting for the the "Dreams of Love Wedding" but don't need a lot of the things included (like the judge since we're doing a symbolic ceremony). I wanted to use the money these items would have cost towards something else, like food or center pieces, but Aurora said no. Is anyone else having this same problem?? Has anyone gotten a different answer to this sort of question? In my opinion gone are the days when Dreams would happily trade services or add on freebies. When reading through older posts it seems that once upon a time this happened but not so much now Are you sure that its not better value for you to do the free wedding and add in your "wants" rather than pay for a package and take away your "dont wants"? That being said I did find them very accomodating and I do think that they do everything within reason to make the most of your day:) I have included below some of the things that we requested and they were more than happy to do. It may help give you an idea of whats do-able and what not. 1. We swapped my hair styling for my MOH's (like for like really which is the kind of thing I think they will do no probs) = no extra cost 2. Cancelled a floral centrepiece with less than 24 hours to go because we realised it was extra cost = no cancellation charge 3. Swapped Hors d'Ouvres cocktail hour menu for mexican style tapas = no extra cost 4. Added refreshing towels to be given out after the ceremony. Natalia our WC was waiting with these herself as we exited the chapel she did think there would be extra cost for this but whether she forgot or the manager waived it im not sure = no extra charge 5. Offered our guests the choice of 2 entrees, 1 salad/1 veg salad, 2 meat mains + a veggie option, 1 dessert = no extra cost 6. Requested extra lighting for our reception, admittedly they were spotlights and not "mood" lighting but they did the trick = no extra cost. Hope you manage to come to a solution soon

Quote: Originally Posted by Meitra I love all the beautiful colors, but what about an all white bouquet for the bride? Has anyone done this? I think it could be really elegant. Here was mine, not all white but I think the green really made it stand out.

Quote: Originally Posted by mimi73 I am starting to think about things to put in the OOT bags. Does DT use swipe cards as room keys? I am wondering if I should get little plastic card holders or if this will be a waste of money. Any help is appreciated Yes they use credit card sized room keys. I wished I'd done holders, I kept forgetting/loosing my room key! LOL

Quote: Originally Posted by Ashley* For those of you who didn't use a DJ & used your IPOD, how did you & your guests know when Father & Bride, Mother & Groom, etc. dances were? I don't really want to hire a DJ, for the sake of costs. But, don't want to miss out on those important things. Thanks! We organised a specific 3hr playlist for our reception in the order we wanted songs to play and made sure not to press "shuffle" when we started it off. We were really informal so we just started our reception playlist with the father & bride dance, I got my dad up onto the sand and the groom pressed play. We followed it with the mother/groom dance and then just let the music play on from there. If you dont want or have time to do an entire playlist devoted to the reception why dont you just do a mini playlist with first dance, into father/ bride, into Mother groom and put someone in charge of pressing play?

Quote: Originally Posted by clinicalgal Does anyone know how long it typically takes Aurora to reply to emails? I sent her my official "wedding planning document" (that she requested) about two weeks ago with lots and lots of questions and haven't heard back. Our wedding is less than 2 months away... and i'm getting a bit nervous (but super excited!!) Not long now... The answer to this varies greatly. You are in high season at the moment so I assume responses will be slow. They got much better at responding in the 6-4 weeks before the wedding. Why dont you post some of your questions here and see if we can help?

Quote: Originally Posted by annakoonce Hi all, I am wondering how late the Sugar Reef Bar is open? The night before our wedding we want to have an informal meet and greet at the bar after our rehearsal since all our guests will have arrived by that point. I have been waiting for over a week to hear back from Aurora at Dreams---They have yet to get back to me. Any insight from you all would be great! Thanks! Anna (June 3, 2010) Hi Anna, According to the Sundial (Dreams daily newsletter) the official closing time is 1am every day... Hope this helps

This thread was invaluable to me in my planning. Its my turn to give back.... WOULD DO AGAIN:..... * Choose our wedding date based on our 10 years to the day we met anniversary. * Announce we would be having a destination wedding asap but have a two year engagement to allow family to save up. It didnt mean we had any more guests, just that we didnt feel so guilty about the expense incurred by the guests that did attend. * DIY projects, as much as they stressed me out I was so pleased with the results except... see what I wouldn't do below. * Arrive as close to the wedding day as was legal (4 days prior) so I had less time to stress and more time to relax with our guests afterwards and make a "holiday" of it. * Destination Wedding at Dreams Tulum. * Ultimate Wedding package. * Small intimate wedding with lots of personal touches. * Go on a full day excursion with all our guests to Xcaret the day before the wedding. I didnt have time to get stressed and we were all tired enough to sleep soundly. * Get my dress returned to my MOH's room after it had been steamed because they left it hanging on her bed canopy in full view! * Get a pre-wedding make up trial, treat myself to the products I wanted and do my own make-up on the day using products I know and love. * Ask my dad and sister to present me with their completed "from you to me" books early in the day so we could all have a family moment and a good cry without risking ruining make up or getting red eyes. From You To Me Journals | Gift of the Year | Home * Walk up the aisle with my dad on one arm and my sister on the other. * Wedding ceremony in the Spanish chapel. * Bring our photographer Christian Sinkinson from home for the ceremony and use the resort photographer for the reception. CJ Photography * Write our own personalised ceremony including sand ceremony and coins ceremony. * Set up a photo props table for guests to amuse themselves whilst we had our official photos done. * Learn salsa for our first dance and perform at the front of the chapel at the end of the cocktail hour getting it over before the reception so we didnt have to worry about sand or be nervous all through dinner. It also made it feel much more informal once the reception started so everyone got up to dance together. * Reception on the beach. * Mariachi Trio to play at our reception rather than the cocktail hour. We got to enjoy them too and they got the party started in full swing. They were excellent, everyone left the table before our main meal was served to start dancing. I actually ate my dessert on my feet.. dancing! * Maracas as wedding favours but.... See what I wouldnt do below. * Not pay any extra for chair bows / decorations or centrepieces for the reception. Our guests didn't care and were too busy dancing barefoot in the sand and shaking there maracas to notice. * Not have official speeches to get stressed about, various people made impromtu toasts as the night went on which was really sweet. * Not buy an expensive wedding dress so I could relax, have fun all day and have no intention of wearing it again. * Trash The Dress. * Buy a really cheap, full length veil which looks fab for photos without the expense. * Stay for an extra week after the guests left for our honeymoon. * Leave our breakfast in bed for the last week so we could really enjoy it in "privacy" and not worry about showing up for our guests. * Upgrade the cake to chocolate and baileys with edible flower topper. It was the most delicious cake I've ever eaten, our guests are still raving about it. * Ipod playlists for everything: Cocktail hour. Chill out background music whilst eating dinner. Dancing queen for reception. We asked all our guests to choose their 3 favourite songs to dance to for the reception so there really was something for everyone. We have listened to this numerous times since the wedding and it makes us smile every time. Its so nice that we get to keep this forever and have wonderful memories of all our guests dancing to some of our favourite songs. If you do one thing, do this but... read what I wouldn't do below. WOULDN'T DO AGAIN:... * Book with Thomas Cook travel agents. * Take on the responsibility of booking for the entire party, collecting in outstanding balances and making payments. It was all so stressful, took so much valuable time and caused a lot of fallouts and friction with our family beforehand. * Waste so much time procrastinating about my DIY projects and leave everything until the last minute despite having a 2 year engagement. * Waste weeks of valuable time sourcing, buying and personalising maracas. DONT DO IT! You can buy the nicest authentic ones in Playa Del Carmen. My guests loved mine but would have been just as happy with bought maracas and personalised tags and to be honest I much preferred the style of the ones in Mexico. * Allow my step son to get sunburnt on the first day, not only does he look so sore in the wedding photos but we had to spend the rest of the week being extra cautious and keeping him out of the sun. I regret this enormously. * Decide not to hire the speakers to play our Ipod through for the reception. We brought a docking station that sounded well loud enough at home but just didnt cut it at all on the beach. It didnt spoil the atmosphere but we would really have liked to be able to crank it up!!! THINGS TO DO DIFFERENTLY * Ask our judge to hand her microphone to us during our vows and to guests for our readings. There is virtually no sound on our wedding video except from the judge who's English was awful!!! * Spend less time on my DIY projects in the last few weeks and more time practising my hair style with my veil. * Get my hair done professionally and put my sister in charge of sorting it out for me before I walked into the church and before the photos. I hate my hair in both the video and almost every picture, I know its a small thing but its so annoying!!! Its ridiculous if you saw how short my hair is but my fringe stuck to my head with sweat and stayed there all day! * Take our wedding cake to the disco with us for a midnight feast. * Write a must take photo list. Its crazy that this is what we do for a living so we were convinced we had it covered and would remember to ask Christian to shoot everything but on the day we were thinking like bride and groom not as photographers so we missed key shots. Its the one thing I insist to couples to make the day go smoothly and yet we didnt do it!!! I think thats everything. Basically our wedding day was the best day of our life and even with the changes we would make, we were ecstatic at how our day turned out. Hope you find something here to help you along your way. Happy Planning.

This thread was invaluable to me in my planning. Its my turn to give back.... WOULD DO AGAIN:..... * Choose our wedding date based on our 10 years to the day we met anniversary. * Announce we would be having a destination wedding asap but have a two year engagement to allow family to save up. It didnt mean we had any more guests, just that we didnt feel so guilty about the expense incurred by the guests that did attend. * DIY projects, as much as they stressed me out I was so pleased with the results except... see what I wouldn't do below. * Arrive as close to the wedding day as was legal (4 days prior) so I had less time to stress and more time to relax with our guests afterwards and make a "holiday" of it. * Destination Wedding at Dreams Tulum. * Ultimate Wedding package. * Small intimate wedding with lots of personal touches. * Go on a full day excursion with all our guests to Xcaret the day before the wedding. I didnt have time to get stressed and we were all tired enough to sleep soundly. * Get my dress returned to my MOH's room after it had been steamed because they left it hanging on her bed canopy in full view! * Get a pre-wedding make up trial, treat myself to the products I wanted and do my own make-up on the day using products I know and love. * Ask my dad and sister to present me with their completed "from you to me" books early in the day so we could all have a family moment and a good cry without risking ruining make up or getting red eyes. From You To Me Journals | Gift of the Year | Home * Walk up the aisle with my dad on one arm and my sister on the other. * Wedding ceremony in the Spanish chapel. * Bring our photographer Christian Sinkinson from home for the ceremony and use the resort photographer for the reception. CJ Photography * Write our own personalised ceremony including sand ceremony and coins ceremony. * Set up a photo props table for guests to amuse themselves whilst we had our official photos done. * Learn salsa for our first dance and perform at the front of the chapel at the end of the cocktail hour getting it over before the reception so we didnt have to worry about sand or be nervous all through dinner. It also made it feel much more informal once the reception started so everyone got up to dance together. * Reception on the beach. * Mariachi Trio to play at our reception rather than the cocktail hour. We got to enjoy them too and they got the party started in full swing. They were excellent, everyone left the table before our main meal was served to start dancing. I actually ate my dessert on my feet.. dancing! * Maracas as wedding favours but.... See what I wouldnt do below. * Not pay any extra for chair bows / decorations or centrepieces for the reception. Our guests didn't care and were too busy dancing barefoot in the sand and shaking there maracas to notice. * Not have official speeches to get stressed about, various people made impromtu toasts as the night went on which was really sweet. * Not buy an expensive wedding dress so I could relax, have fun all day and have no intention of wearing it again. * Trash The Dress. * Buy a really cheap, full length veil which looks fab for photos without the expense. * Stay for an extra week after the guests left for our honeymoon. * Leave our breakfast in bed for the last week so we could really enjoy it in "privacy" and not worry about showing up for our guests. * Upgrade the cake to chocolate and baileys with edible flower topper. It was the most delicious cake I've ever eaten, our guests are still raving about it. * Ipod playlists for everything: Cocktail hour. Chill out background music whilst eating dinner. Dancing queen for reception. We asked all our guests to choose their 3 favourite songs to dance to for the reception so there really was something for everyone. We have listened to this numerous times since the wedding and it makes us smile every time. Its so nice that we get to keep this forever and have wonderful memories of all our guests dancing to some of our favourite songs. If you do one thing, do this but... read what I wouldn't do below. WOULDN'T DO AGAIN:... * Book with Thomas Cook travel agents. * Take on the responsibility of booking for the entire party, collecting in outstanding balances and making payments. It was all so stressful, took so much valuable time and caused a lot of fallouts and friction with our family beforehand. * Waste so much time procrastinating about my DIY projects and leave everything until the last minute despite having a 2 year engagement. * Waste weeks of valuable time sourcing, buying and personalising maracas. DONT DO IT! You can buy the nicest authentic ones in Playa Del Carmen. My guests loved mine but would have been just as happy with bought maracas and personalised tags and to be honest I much preferred the style of the ones in Mexico. * Allow my step son to get sunburnt on the first day, not only does he look so sore in the wedding photos but we had to spend the rest of the week being extra cautious and keeping him out of the sun. I regret this enormously. * Decide not to hire the speakers to play our Ipod through for the reception. We brought a docking station that sounded well loud enough at home but just didnt cut it at all on the beach. It didnt spoil the atmosphere but we would really have liked to be able to crank it up!!! THINGS TO DO DIFFERENTLY * Ask our judge to hand her microphone to us during our vows and to guests for our readings. There is virtually no sound on our wedding video except from the judge who's English was awful!!! * Spend less time on my DIY projects in the last few weeks and more time practising my hair style with my veil. * Get my hair done professionally and put my sister in charge of sorting it out for me before I walked into the church and before the photos. I hate my hair in both the video and almost every picture, I know its a small thing but its so annoying!!! Its ridiculous if you saw how short my hair is but my fringe stuck to my head with sweat and stayed there all day! * Take our wedding cake to the disco with us for a midnight feast. * Write a must take photo list. Its crazy that this is what we do for a living so we were convinced we had it covered and would remember to ask Christian to shoot everything but on the day we were thinking like bride and groom not as photographers so we missed key shots. Its the one thing I insist to couples to make the day go smoothly and yet we didnt do it!!! I think thats everything. Basically our wedding day was the best day of our life and even with the changes we would make, we were ecstatic at how our day turned out. Hope you find something here to help you along your way. Happy Planning.

Quote: Originally Posted by Mccrary Are you able to buy other things there at playa de carmen? I am thinking of doing the whole Mexican thyme with Maracas and the colored small blankets for the tables as decorations and was wondering if we could also purchase those there. Or what other cool thing you saw to purchase as decor. Thanks If you are thinking of bright colours and a mexican theme there is nothing you cannot buy in PDC! Tons of traditional styled stuff such as colourful pottery, tableware and linens. Also a massive assortment of mexican themed novelties perfect for favours such as mini tequilas, cigars, hot sauces, sweets and dried spices. Most are gift wrapped up nicely already and sold as souvenirs. You can also get really nice stuff for gifts such as leather goods, jewellry, beaded items, handmade photo albums and designer goods. If you have a full day I would recommend you shop around, there are gift emporiums selling ALL the above goods under one roof which is great for convenience but less likely to haggle. The shops available their range from back street market stalls to designer boutiques! Go with an open mind and the nerve to haggle and I guarantee you wont come away empty handed. Most goods on the street stalls (and in a lot of smaller shops) are massively over priced so definately dont pay sticker price! If I had my time again I would buy everything in PDC and spend far less time stressing about it at home. Happy Shopping! Quote: Originally Posted by BrideBarbie Thanks for the tip on buying the maracas in PDC! I'm getting nervous thinking about all of the stuff we have to take with us just for the wedding. I do have a random question if anybody can put their two cents in.... I have been reading that people recommend water shoes for the beach at Dreams Tulum. Do ya'll agree who have been there? I have heard that the beach and shoreline changes slightly depending on season. At the time we were there you didn't need water shoes for the hotels beach. There was approx a 1 metre wide area that was a little shaley and rocky underfoot as you enter the sea but nothing too awful and once past this it was soft sand bottom. I would recommend water shoes if you plan to walk up the beach away from the resort boundary in either direction as rocks, rubbish and wierd sharp thorns (that im assuming blow in from the jungle) are common. Its also worth noting here that on one of our daily walks I almost stepped on a hyperdermic needle!!! No-one appears to own or maintain this area but if you stick to the shoreline its definately worth the walk. I also recommend water shoes if you are planning on doing any trips such as xel ha, xcaret, cenotes etc. Hope this helps.

Quote: Originally Posted by turtlegirlie I just finished reading through all the posts on this thread and I am so thankful I did! I got a lot of questions answered and a lot of good ideas! Thanks so much ladies! Quick question. I wanted to do maracas for the wedding, is there anywhere to buy them in Mexico? I don't really want to bring them with me. Thanks! Hiya, we took a trip to Playa Del Carmen where you can buy maracas everywhere! They are the really nice round authentic ones in a wide varietyof colours, assorted shapes, most with cute handpainted scenes on one side such as fish, birds, flowers etc. They range from $1 - $2 each and you will definately get a better price for bulk orders. If I were to change one thing about my pre wedding planning it would be to schedule in a shopping trip prior to my wedding and buy my maracas in Mexico. I wasted so much time, stress, energy not to mention valuable luggage space bringing them from home. Save yourself the hassle and go authentic when you get there. Happy shopping Michelle

Hi, anyone having trouble seeing my attatchments check out my blog. I originally posted my planning thread there and all the attatchments appear to work. Also if anyone knows how I can edit my original post to redo the attatchments please let me know. Thanks for looking happy planning michelle

Hi, somebody requested via PM if I could provide my wine glass luminary template, im sorry but I deleted your message by mistake. Please get in touch again and I'll be happy to help.

Quote: Originally Posted by roo66 Well done your wedding looked fab.Who would of thought about dying the shirts a great tip.Your dress looked better than the original loved the details can you go into more detail about what you had and where you found all the stuff for your photo booth.All ive found so far is a flower lei? thanks maria x Thanks roo66 Our photobooth items were as follows: Mini White board and dry wipe markers for guests to write messages on and photograph themselves instead of having a guestbook. Sombrero Heart shaped sunglasses Inflatable guitar which was very popular, we should have brought several of these! Assorted fake moustaches* Monster and animal stick on hand tattoos* Mirrored empty frames for people to stick there faces through. I got everything from assorted discount shops except stuff marked with * which came from utility.co.uk Happy hunting! I'm also sorry but none of my attatchments seem to be working. I emailed the administrator but any advice would be appreciated.

Hi, heres the Legal Ceremony attatchment again, I cant seem to be able to edit the original post. There must be an easier way of doing this? http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...l-ceremony.doc

Quote: Originally Posted by erinrachel I am getting so excited! My wedding is June 21st at 6pm. It looks like there will be close to 20 of us. More would be fun, but I'm kind of looking forward to having a smaller group. Has anybody else been married or getting married soon at DT with fewer than 25 people? I am interested in hearing about your reception and also what your experience was for getting dinner reservations for the group. My understanding is that less than 25 people can get reservations together at any of the restaurants? I am hoping to have a group dinner the first night everyone arrives, but that will be Sat. night so if it happens to be a fiesta night we would probably just meet on the patio. Not long now Erinrachael We were only 15 in total and we ROCKED the place!!! I was really worried about having such a small group but our day was perfect. I would say the great thing about having a small group is being able to think and do things a bit differently without feeling you need to be super formal, you get to spend quality time with each guest and everyone can be relaxed. All our guests said it was the best wedding they had ever been to. Our resort photog Teo was gobsmacked at the atmosphere at our reception and kept saying how much he had enjoyed it. You will have the most wonderful time. With regards to restaurant reservations our party ranged from 15 the first week to 10 the second week. The restaurants always tried to be accomodating but are really not set up for groups. We ate all together at the same table 4 times in a fortnight, this included the wedding reception. The rest of the time was a mixture of 2-3 tables in the same restaurant but not always together. Dreams have a "No reservation" policy which means you are assigned a table as and when one becomes free. You are asked if you wish to be added to the waiting list which you are sometimes told may be 2 hours long, sometimes you are given a pager and asked to go to the nearest bar to wait to be called, sometimes you are told to come back in an hour. They often seemed to over estimate the wait times, sometimes I feel in a bid to dissuade you from joining the wait list. I would recommend either staying around the restaurant or that you return much sooner than they suggest, whenever we did this we got seated pretty much straight away on our return. We were always pleasant and friendly and sometimes even after being told it may be an hour wait just loitered around the entrance or bar, not in a hassling kind of way, more a touristy, not sure what we are supposed to be doing kind of way and often within 15-20 mins, before we had finished our first drink they seemed to have found us tables, not sure if its because they realised they weren't getting rid of us, ha ha It often helps to mention you wish to sit with your "wedding" party and a smile and a few phrases in Spanish do wonders! When we were there (22nd march - 12th April) the following were fiesta nights Tuesday = 6.30pm Mexican fiesta night, open air buffet and entertainment at the patio, world cafe closed. Friday = 6.30pm Caribbean Party night, open air buffet food was really good and decorated really nice, world cafe closed. Be there much earlier than advertised to get in. Tables seat 8-10. We waited in line for these on our 2nd week from 5.30pm because on our 1st week we got there at 6.45pm and were refused entry cos the place was full! The patio doesn't seem to be able to accomodate the amount of people requiring seating. Saturday Night = Capioera show 9pm at the plaza. Events at the plaza are entertainment only with rows of chairs set out as if to face the "stage". On this night your option would be The World Cafe or ask your WC for assistance but this will likely result in being charged the group fee. If you are happy to wait and poss be seated seperately then any of the a la cartes will be fine. Quote: Originally Posted by krista.baird Hey Sunbride! THank you soooo much! That is super helpful since I was wondering what the dreams restaurant policy was for large groups. For the buffet, what are the food options like? I want to have a really nice sit down dinner where we are served - rather than having to go through a buffet line. That's why I was thinking probably SSG for wedding dinner, but we can't make reservations for a group table can we? We would just have to wait until a table for 10 opened up? The buffet is nice but food temperature varies, the waiters in world cafe seem to really take care of larger groups, bringing shots of tequila, replenishing drinks etc but you will have to go through the buffet line. Our nicest experience of the buffet was at the Caribbean party night on fridays. If you wish for something sit down I would ask to speak to the restaurant managers ahead of time, hubby's mum did this and managed to get us all together into the wine cellar of portofino which was nice and private. The condition of this was that we bought wine from the cellar rather than drank all inclusive. The cheapest was $20 a bottle, we were a group of 12 and we just bought a few bottles at $25 each. Im not sure if this would have worked out cheaper to go through the WC and try to have her organise a group booking but his mum did it as kind of a gift so we didn't enquire. Our only issue here was that the service was painfully slow and they seemed to have accepted our group booking, and of course our money, without having the staffing available to cope. From past positive reviews I assume this was a one off, maybe staffing issues, but I would hate for it to happen on your wedding or rehearsal dinner. If you want SSG for your wedding dinner I would say definately get your WC involved to ensure the level of service is up to scratch.

Quote: Originally Posted by KimmyD Everything looks amazing! Great Job Michelle! I am very very interested in the legal ceremony wording - the link to that attachment seems to not work. The other attachments worked fine. I really want to change the wording a little also. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks for all the lovely comments ladies and KimmyD thanks for the heads up about the link,i'll try to redo it tonight. I'm really bad at this, it took days to figure out how to attatch stuff and there's still a lot I don't know how to do, I thought the wedding planning was hard until i tried to document it all here ha ha!!!