kimberl07

Dreams supplied the scarves on the bamboo poles. They didn't charge extra because we were already suppose to get some gazebo decorations with the Ultimate package (we couldn't fit in the gazebo). I am happy to say there were no surprises when the final bill came- that was a relief. Our wedding was at 5:15 and we had about 30 minutes to take pictures while the sun was setting- the photographer (who was fantastic at a great cost- Eva Sica) got the most amazing shots of the sunset. I can't think of much that I would have changed; it really was better than I had hoped for. I hope Jaimie's experience was just as good. I can't wait to hear. Dreams Villamagna Nuevo Vallarta (our honeymoon location) was a nice resort but the food was not nearly as good as Dreams PV and the beach was not very good at all. Here is a YouTube video that one of our guests posted showing the end or our reception (before the pool plunge). YouTube - Braun Wedding - God Bless the USA

Greetings all! Just a quick update to let you know that our week and wedding at Dreams was absolutely awesome. Ninety guests all said it was the most fun they ever had at a wedding. Don't worry about anything- your wedding there will be wonderful. That's not to say that everything happened according to plans- it didn't, but my best lesson was that it can be great regardless if it doesn't all go as planned! The worst thing that happened was that one of our guests fell through a hole in gazebo floor during the reception. She was taken to the hospital and treated nicely, but was laid up for the remainder of her trip. Our beach cocktail Welcome event was moved to the ballroom because it looked as if it might rain (it didn't). We had appetizers, cocktails and the Mexican trio in the ballroom where there was AC and comfy chairs- it may have been even better than the beach. I had a manicure and pedicure at Toya's in town for $28. Although they did a great job, the polish barely lasted one day- it began peeling because it had been thinned. I wouldn't recommend them unless you ask for new polish. We did our legal ceremony and it was fine- they help you through all the details and provide a translator. Our wedding was at 5:15 and the clouds began to roll in, but thankfully it never rained. The waiters were wonderful; although they made a few mistakes on the dinners- no one really cared. Everyone was ready to dance and the dance floor they arranged at Las Palmas was very adequate even though we were at capacity with tables for ninety. We were not crowed at all- so no worries about the size there. Our request for the last song was Lee Greenwood's Proud to be an American (it's a tradition among our friends to end with this). The DJ began playing a LeAnn Rimes rendition! That was not going to work; luckily one of our groomsmen had the correct song on his iPod and the DJ played it. Ninety of us stood in a large circle singing "Proud to be an American" while they displayed fireworks on the beach- it was a perfect finish to a great wedding. Although I had stated that I wouldn't do it, more than half of us ended up in the pool afterward - it was just too tempting after all that dancing. It was so much fun! I will let you know later how the video and photography turn out- our photographers seemed very good- I'm waiting for the proofs. We used the photographer from the hotel as well as contracted photographers. The flowers were good. The bridesmaid bouquets were made large enough to use at the tables during the reception- it looked very pretty. Rebeca provided clear vases filled with Navy colored water and those gel ball things. Rebeca is wonderful- she stayed nearby throughout the entire reception. I am leaving table decorations with her for 10 tables- full organza covers and satin runners in navy and aqua. Also 24 aqua tea lights. If those are your colors, perhaps she will have them at the resort for you to use. We are now on our honeymoon - three days alone at the Dreams Villamagna Nuevo Vallarta- they are giving us a good deal. I will let you know more later! Here are some (amateur) photo links provided by one of our guests: Snapfish: Share Snapshow:Registration http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...22282_3076.jpg http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...22282_3076.jpg http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...22282_3076.jpg http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...22282_3076.jpg http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...7/DSC04558.jpg http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...7/DSC04555.jpg http://i757.photobucket.com/albums/x...7/DSC04587.jpg

Hi! We leave Saturday- the time is nearly here- that is unbelievable! Rebeca has been super accommodating. I email her nearly every day now with a question or a change. She is quick to respond and always so nice. The $1000 is the extra contract fee for having outside vendors; the DJ charge was another $400. It was not cost effective with the resort charge to hire the outside DJ, so we're going with theirs. The preparations for the legal ceremony were not too bad. We went to pick up our birth certificates and took them to get the apostille documents at our State building. The company that facilitates the legal ceremony will take care of everything else once we get to MX for the $350 charge. That pays the company and the Judge. They come to pick us up at the resort to get our blood work and watch the required video on marriage. The representative from the company also comes to the wedding and translates in case our Judge doesn't speak English. They also help get the papers processed. It would have been easier to have a legal day before the day, but for many reasons, we couldn't get that arranged. I'll let you know how it all works out.We are going home to Nebraska to visit families over the holidays and will have a private (parents and immediate families only) church wedding. We just discovered that we need to come up with a way to let the wait staff know which meal the guests have ordered. Has anyone got a good plan to do this? I am thinking that we may have to color or number code the place cards in some way... not sure... any suggestions?

Hi! We leave Saturday- the time is nearly here- that is unbelievable! Rebeca has been super accommodating. I email her nearly every day now with a question or a change. She is quick to respond and always so nice. The $1000 is the extra contract fee for having outside vendors; the DJ charge was another $400. It was not cost effective with the resort charge to hire the outside DJ, so we're going with theirs. The preparations for the legal ceremony were not too bad. We went to pick up our birth certificates and took them to get the apostille documents at our State building. The company that facilitates the legal ceremony will take care of everything else once we get to MX for the $350 charge. That pays the company and the Judge. They come to pick us up at the resort to get our blood work and watch the required video on marriage. The representative from the company also comes to the wedding and translates in case our Judge doesn't speak English. They also help get the papers processed. It would have been easier to have a legal day before the day, but for many reasons, we couldn't get that arranged. I'll let you know how it all works out.We are going home to Nebraska to visit families over the holidays and will have a private (parents and immediate families only) church wedding. We just discovered that we need to come up with a way to let the wait staff know which meal the guests have ordered. Has anyone got a good plan to do this? I am thinking that we may have to color or number code the place cards in some way... not sure... any suggestions?

two lighted candies symbolize your separate lives, your separate families and your separate sets of friends. I ask that you each take one candle and that together you light the center candle. The individual candles represent your individual lives before today. Lighting the center candle represents that your two lives are now joined to one light, and represents the joining together of your two families and sets of friends to one." MANDEE AND NICK HAVE CHOSEN TO INCLUDE STONES INSIDE THE VESSEL IN WHICH THEY WILL BLEND THE SANDS. THE STONES SYMBOLIZE GOD STRENGTHENING THE MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP. ( i.e. “a cord of three strands is not easily broken.â€) NICK and MANDEE, today you are making a life-long commitment to share the rest of your lives with each other. Your relationship is symbolized through the pouring of these two individual containers of sand; one, representing you, MANDEE and all that you were, all that you are, and all that you will ever be, and the other representing you, NICK, and all that you were and all that you are, and all that you will ever be. Blending of the Sands Each one holds its own unique beauty, strength, and character. They can stand on their own and be whole, without the need of anything else. When the two are blended together they represent an entirely new and extraordinary love relationship. Each grain of sand brings to the mixture a lasting beauty that forever enriches the combination.

Hi! I leave next Saturday; I can't believe the time is nearly here!

Congrats and welcome to the Forum! You will find SO many ideas and tips here.

Congrats and welcome to the Forum! You will find SO many ideas and tips here.

Congrats and welcome to the Forum! You will find SO many ideas and tips here.

Congrats and welcome to the Forum! You will find SO many ideas and tips here.

Congrats and welcome to the Forum! You will find SO many ideas and tips here.

Congrats and welcome to the Forum! You will find SO many ideas and tips here.

Congrats and welcome to the Forum! You will find SO many ideas and tips here.

Congrats and welcome to the Forum! You will find SO many ideas and tips here.

Congrats and welcome to the Forum! You will find SO many ideas and tips here.

Congrats and welcome to the Forum! You will find SO many ideas and tips here.

Congrats and welcome to the Forum! You will find SO many ideas and tips here.

Congrats and welcome to the Forum! You will find SO many ideas and tips here.

Congrats and welcome to the Forum! You will find SO many ideas and tips here.

Welcome- your tips are appreciated!

Congrats and welcome to the Forum! You will find SO many ideas and tips here.

Hi Ladies! I just realized how long I have been MIA from the Forum- it took me the past hour to catch up! I started a new job last month and have been crazy busy and stressed with last minute planning details... just when I thought I had it all figured out, something new is added to my "to do" list. I am tempted to add the bathroom decor, but better not give myself another task. Nice touch though. We had our "recon" to Dreams last weekend. It was at 70 percent occupancy and it was an ideal time to try out all the restaurants, etc. Rebeca is so great to work with; she found time for us even while in the midst of 2 weddings that were happening. The food was fantastic. The resort was all I had hoped for. I'm so glad that we went and will include some random bits of information that may be of no use to you, but were significant for us. We were going to use a local DJ until Dream's gave us a contract for outside vendors that required us to pay an additional $1000; we are going to use their DJ. Our options for outdoor reception space were limited to Las Palmas (which is small for 90 people) and the World Cafe (which is semi public). The beach is booked for the Mexican Fiesta night. Rebeca and her manager came up with a plan to fit our 90 guests at Las Palmas- at least it looks good on paper. They will set up the DJ area and dance area after dinner, move a bar area and serving area, and make it comfortable. They promise they have done it before without difficulty. I have no choice but to trust them to make it great. I don't want to move it to World Cafe. We can't use the gazebo for the ceremony because there is not enough room for our large wedding party and guests, so we are going to have it on Oceana beach...it is beautiful. We were going to charter a boat for a sunset cruise the day prior to the wedding. We met with the tour guy and it all seemed so sketchy. We decided to do a bonfire with a bar set up on the beach during the sunset hour. The sunset is amazing. We are going to use our included Mexican trio for this prenuptial beach event so we can all enjoy them. Otherwise the wedding party and parents would miss the whole thing due to wedding pictures during the cocktail hour. So, we are skipping the cocktail hour between the wedding and the reception and hosting it on the beach the night before. Guests not in the wedding party, can either make a quick trip to their rooms or go directly to their tables and order a drink for that hour. I just received my table covers from efavormart.com. They are perfect and will make such a difference. Thanks so much for that tip! I bought both navy and aqua organza table covers to add some color. Rebeca is letting me use vases to hold the bridesmaid bouquets for 6 of the centerpieces. I only need to bring some of those colored gel balls ( IDK what they are called or where to find them) to put in vases. We are doing the legal wedding, and I think I finally have it all arranged. Dreams actually contracts with an outside company to make the arrangements. It cost $350. The details from Patrica at Incredible Weddings and Events follow:  You must obtain original certified copies of your Birth Certificate. The copies need to be dated one year or less before the wedding date. IMPORTANT NOTE: The name that appears on your birth certificate must be the exact same name you have on the photo ID you will be identifying yourself with, as they will not accept your documents otherwise. (Original certified copy and copy). USA: If you have a USA citizenship certificate instead of the birth certificate, you need to get a recent (one year or less) notarized copy of the certificate of USA Citizenship and send it to be apostilled) Canadians: If you have a Canadian citizenship certificate instead of the birth certificate, you need to get a recent (one year or less) notarized copy of the certificate of Canadian Citizenship and send it to get the legalization from the Mexican consulate (Stamp and sign). (NOTE: Once you have your recent certified birth certificate, please scan and forward to us along with your picture ID so we can make sure all info is correct before you go through any other procedures such as getting the Apostille from your Secretary of State’s office or legalization through the Mexican Consulate (depending on your country of origin). Please check info below: Canadians: Must have their long form of the birth certificate stamped and signed by a Mexican consulate (legalized birth certificate). Other foreigners: These then need to be sent to the Secretary of State office in your State of Origin (where you were born). The Secretary of State has offices that issue a document called APOSTILLE, document which is mandatory in order to get married legally down in Mexico. This will be stapled as a cover page on top of the certified copies of each certificate. VERY IMPORTANT!  Recent original copy of the certified death certificate or divorce decree from any previous spouse. (The copy needs to be dated one year or less before the wedding date). If your divorce decree indicates after how much time you are allowed to get married again, these indications are valid for a marriage in Mexico, if there are no indication at all, please not that at least a year must have be passed since the death or divorce before you can remarry here… This document needs to be send to get the Apostille too (Or certified stamped by a Mexican consulate if your country doesn’t use the apostille)  Clear copies of your passports  Two witnesses over the age of 18 (who are not Parents or Grandparents). They will need to provide Passport copies when they get to Puerto Vallarta.  FMT tourist card (This document will be given to you by the airline and stamped by the Immigration Officer upon arrival in Mexico).  Blood test must be performed in Vallarta before the wedding.  Couple must attend a chat given by a social worker at a government office (DIF)  Translations of all the documents (the translations of the documents must be done by the official translator of the city hall in Puerto Vallarta). •Please check with your local marriage license office to see what they require to register your foreign marriage license. Some States ask for additional certified copies of the license. This would take 2 working days, $5.00 US per copy, and an additional cost applies if we need to FEDEX if you are gone the following week. If you need your marriage license translated into English, the cost for translation is $35.00 US. Important note: FYI, the ceremony can only be booked with the judge for a certain day until we receive the original documents, which is when we can request an exact time for your ceremony to be held by the judge. We cannot confirm an exact time in advance and times are subject to availability from the judge’s office so please take this into consideration when scheduling your event. Important note: Your Mexican marriage license is Legal; it is accepted in most countries/States. However you still need to inquire with your local marriage license office on how they will enter your marriage license. Here you are entered in the books, but Mexico does not send over the information to the US. This is up to you! Note: You need to arrive to Puerto Vallarta, up to one week before to your wedding date to take you to a pre-marital video watching (DIF) & mandatory blood test

Congrats on the upcoming wedding and welcome to the Forum! You will find great tips and ideas here.

Congrats on the upcoming wedding and welcome to the Forum! You will find great tips and ideas here.

Congrats on the upcoming wedding and welcome to the Forum! You will find great tips and ideas here.