jstock311

We did our OOT bags for each room but had enough goodies in each bag for each person. My sister's family had her and her husband and their 2 kids so we just put things for all of them in one bag. The night before the wedding we handed the bags out to everyone at dinner rather than having them delivered to the rooms. That worked out perfectly.

Quote: Originally Posted by BethAnne you will be flying in the day we leave! Aren't u so excited? =) I think I'll get more excited once it gets a little closer. There has been so much going on. Just got back from my bachelorette party in Vegas last weekend and then our legal ceremony is at the end of the month. Once all of that is over, then I'll be able to start really getting focused and excited about Mexico!

Quote: Originally Posted by allegraapple I totally agree. I think there should be a Frequently Asked Questions page on the DRC website for brides/wedding inquiries. They could have so much info listed there and I'm sure it would reduce the ridiculous # of e-mails Ana and Yasmin get on a daily basis. It's so silly because I'm sure they get asked the same questions over and over again re: reception/ceremony locations, spa prices, table sizes, menu options, flower/bouquet/centerpiece options, etc. They just need someone to create this for them because they don't have time to do it! Ahhhh - maybe one day. If management were smart, they'd do it soon. Absolutely!

Quote: Originally Posted by BethAnne Hi. My wedding is Jan 2011. At first she would e-mail and say she was "holding" my date. Then I emailed back and stated firmly that i want to know our date is secured! She finally sent me the charge authorization document in an e-mail for the deposit- i filled it all out and sent it back- online as attatchment and faxed it 3 times. I got no response for about a week. Then she said "ok all is good, will process your deposit on your charge card today!" well that was a week ago and it still isnt showing up on my card statement =( I just hope this all works out for us in the end ladies!! I'm kind of stressing =( My wedding is in January too. I emailed Ana a few times asking about the deposit also. She emailed me a couple weeks ago saying that she would take our deposit next month. I wouldn't worry too much about it. It will all work out

Quote: Originally Posted by LeydiBug The same thing is going on with me. Where are you going to select for your reception. She gave me the El Patio and Portofino options. She offered me the jacuzzi area, beach, or one of the restaurants. I told her I wanted the jacuzzi area (provided our group is less than 30) and if not, then I will use the restaurant. I just did not want the beach at all. She hasn't confirmed the jacuzzi area and I've sent her 2 emails but I'm not too worried about it. When she had given me options about other things previously and I was waiting for her confirmation, she always had it set. I think she makes note of these things even though she doesn't get back to you right away. I think when you first contact Dreams about having a wedding there, they should inform you that reception locations need to be reserved far in advance. I didn't even think to ask about it before we reserved our date. Maybe they should put some of that kind of info on the website so people know what to ask prior to reserving a date. And other things could be on there like the menu options, etc. so you don't have to wait for Ana to get back to you. Oh well, something for the suggestion box I guess

Quote: Originally Posted by roxmysockz Meh, same thing happened to me I booked in January of this year thought i'd wait until at least a year to go before asking for any details etc. Requested the pool deck in April and now 3 months later she replies saying its taken... Shows that sometimes you try to be considerate to other brides and not take Ana's time but then you could loose out. Wonder what location etc I would be left with if I didnt read this forum and know to request it beforehand! I think it will work out ok for us. Ana said that we could use the jacuzzi area if we had 30 people or less. I told her we would like that if our number of people is low enough. If not, we'll take the closed restaurant. Don't worry though. Wherever our receptions end up being, it will be wonderful. The grounds look gorgeous so I don't think we'll have any problems having a beautiful recpetion. Did she get back to you and let you know what spots are available for you?

Quote: Originally Posted by lilly129 Ohh that stinks I'm sorry. I've been told that to be fair to everyone getting married that day, the bride and groom who booked first get first choice for location - it still stinks but at least you know they're being fair and it's not just Ana taking too long to get back to you. Your reception is going to be amazing no matter where you have it The whole resort is beautiful and I'm sure she'll find you a perfect location!!!! Thanks. I know it will be great. It's just hard putting all your trust in someone and not knowing what's going on until the last minute! From all the reviews though, I know I have absolutely nothing to worry about. Yours is coming soon....

Quote: Originally Posted by cindyshininger The jacuzzi area is beautiful. It is in the center of the resort, like a garden area. The restaurant worked well for us, either way Ana makes the setup gorgeous. OK wonderful! Thank you so much!

OK, Ana emailed me back and said the jacuzzi area is available outside for our reception but can only fit up to 30 people. I think we should be ok with that...I can't imagine more than 30 people will be going but who knows? Does anyone have pictures of the jacuzzi area? If we don't do it there then I guess we will use one of the restaurants. Either way, it will be wonderful.

Quote: Originally Posted by Boo Awww that does suck, maybe if she wasnt responding to you for a month she wasnt responding to the other party on the deck in the mean time either, I would like to think that for brides that are getting married around the same time she is answering emails in sequence, sucks in any case - another option is the pool area, its a little higher than the deck, you would be quite close to the other party but depending on the size of both maybe you would feel like you are seperate enough? hang in there, its going to be great ultimately I actually really liked the pool area so I hope it is available. I know it will be great. Just a road block. Time to move on!

Quote: Originally Posted by ebernard4985 When I met with Ana she told me if we did a sit down dinner you need to pick ONE of the choices and everyone gets the same choice. They guests do not get to pick between two. We ended up doing the buffet because it gave the guests more choices because they would not let us do split menus. Thanks. I just got an email back from Ana last night about it. She did say we could mix and match between the three options they had but only one entree choice....that really sucks. I think the buffet is the way to go now. I just need to vent for a minute too. Ana said the pool deck isn't available for our reception. I don't want it on the beach. I'm just kind of bummed because I feel like maybe if she had gotten back to me over a month ago when I first emailed her we could have gotten the reception where we wanted it, maybe not though. I just can't see paying all this money and then not having the big things the way you want. I can see some small things maybe not going so smoothly but the reception location is a big deal to me. I emailed her to see what other options besides the beach were available. Now just waiting to hear.

Quote: Originally Posted by AlisonJimmy Another question for you all....I just ordered all of my overlays and have they are fuschia. I realized I did not order any napkins to match and the site did not have any at all. It is going to look silly with white napkins and I am afraid that if I order from another site, they will not match. I don't think white napkins will look bad. I'm planning on just ordering overlays and then the matching chair sashes. Someone else on here (can't remember who) said they didn't order colored napkins and the white looked fine. The other thing you could do if you have enough time is wait until you get your overlays and then if you find fuschia napkins on another site, you could just order a sample to see if it matches your overlay?

Hey Ladies, I've emailed Ana four times I think and she still hasn't gotten back to me so......I'm hoping one of you can! I'm going to have my invitations printed up very shortly but before I order them, I needed to know if I have to put the entree choices for my guests on the response cards. We are doing a sit down rather than the buffet with the Ultimate Package, and I know you have a choice of two entrees. Do they ask the guests at dinner which they would like or do I need to include it on the response card so the resort has that information ahead of time? I've been to weddings where it has been done both ways so I'm not sure!!! Thanks girls!

Quote: Originally Posted by SDbeachgirl I purchased tote bags and had "Riviera Maya, Mexico May 2010" printed on them. We created a CD of songs we liked (Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Jason Mraz, etc...) and customized the cover. We had chapstick with spf. A granola bar. A welcome letter. A cute tin that had mints in it. The tin was personalized with our photo. They are so cute, I am still using it for a pill box. Each guest had their own. The resort hands them out at the front desk upon check in. They will pass them around the rooms if you want but it is an extra fee. Because I had guests arriving on different days, I had to bring up the bags to Ana each morning and she would take care of it. We only had 2 kids (flower girl and ring bearer). We got them special personalized duffle bags and filled them with fun kid stuff. Sounds great! Thanks, for the info on the distribution of the bags.

Quote: Originally Posted by AlisonJimmy I would like the same thing...for the guests to get the bags as they check in. i got these awesome beach towels from Kmart...couldn't believe it. They aren't personalized but they are really nice,brightly colored towels. A few weeks ago they had them on sale for $3! Couldn't beat that! That is a great deal! I read a post by someone on here that said reception gave the wedding programs out at as people checked in for them so I would imagine they wouldn't mind giving a bag, unless they take up too much room behind the desk or something. We will see

Quote: Originally Posted by pbjwed OOT BAGS... Cute bag from dollar store for girls.. hot pink liner and Guys a Jute bag... Luggage Tag Memo Pad with pic frame and pen Passport Holder Survival Kit ( bought first aid kits from dollar store and will add aspirin, tums, rolaids, gas ex) bought all this on Medco website 10.00 off first order! It was a great deal check it out! Energy drink Crossword Puzzles Flip Flops (couple, singles, and families) Nerf water foorballs ( dollar store) two pack.. (for kid bags) 2010 fun sunglasses neon and bright colors (oriental trading) Playing cards Candles Bath & body works lotions/hand santizer (on sale now) Mexico magnet Mexico post cards we will go to costco and get water and candy bars to add to bag! So far thats it... Any other suggestions Great ideas! Are you giving each person their own bag or are you just doing one bag per room? I have been to one destination wedding and we got one bag for both of us. Maybe for people with kids we could just add extra kid stuff to those bags? Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by ddemayo We are doing the Starfish with the Place cards!!! I got my starfish for only 60 cents each! My mom got them down the shore and i also got two brown wooden trays from TJMAX, they are awesome and were only $10! so don't order them from the shore chic, you can find them cheaper. Although, that is were i got my idea from! What is everyone doing for thier OOT bags? I was going to do towels that say, "Dreams 11/13/2010", a personalized mug, a just in case kit and then just a welcome note with the wedding details. How about everyone else? I like the towel idea! Where are you getting the towels and personalization done? We're definitely doing a just in case kit with tylenol, bug spray, sun block, aloe...things like that, but I haven't thought about any of the other fun things to put in it. I was thinking I would look for a tote bag with maybe a clear front pocket to slide the welcome note into it. I'm going to ask Ana if these could be handed out by reception as people check in rather than be put in their rooms. I hope they can do it. For some reason I like the idea of them getting something right as they check in.

Quote: Originally Posted by Boo I went back and fourth with this too, so far we are at about 30 people with about another 10+ to book. I saw a lady here who had drink umbrellas in sand with white sticky on the stick with the name and table number, we are going to do that for our sitting plan. There is going to be a small mound of sand and these are going to be stuck into it. I am also spending some time on my table number project, but then I am leaning towards no place cards. The ones I like are a couple bucks each, thought its an easy pass from that perspective. Happy planning. I love the umbrella idea! Very cute. Your guests will love that!

Quote: Originally Posted by wisconsinbride2010 we have about 45 people coming. I decided to use sanddollars with our guests name written on them. I thought it was a simple beachy touch. We are going to have them in a box filled with sand and just have them propped up so each guest can choose their name and put it at whichever seat they would to sit at. We are having our own table for just the two of us though. Good idea. Thanks

Quote: Originally Posted by SDbeachgirl Our place cards also served as wedding favors. We bought small picture frames and decorated them with shells. Each person (or couple) had their names in them along with the table name (Cancun, Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, and Dreams). Then each table had a larger frame decorated with shells too. The table name was written in the center of that frame. I guess the guests all took them home because we didn't have any left. The only thing was, we forgot to tell Ana to put all of the frames on a side table. She just set them up at the tables. Not a big deal, but the guests had to look around the tables for their names. They were really pretty and I thought it added a little something to the table decor, since we only had a very simple centerpiece. We only 34 guests (including ourselves). I like the idea of the tables being named....that's really cool and makes it fun. I really like the idea of the dual place card/favor. I may do something similar. A couple of my guests did mention that part of the fun is finding where your seat is rather than just picking one. Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by AlisonJimmy I am only having about 30 people so I am not going to do place cards. Figured I would just have people sit wherever they like. Thanks! I think I'll skip the place cards also. We're going to have around 30 people too.

I'm getting ready to order my invitations soon but I just thought of something. Do I need place cards? Anyone else doing them or did you just let everyone sit where they wanted to for the reception? Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by AdrianaPhil61711 I just joined this forum but I too am having my wedding at Dreams Riviera Cancun on 6/17/11! How many weddings do they have a day? My understanding was that there were only 2, so it must just be us that day Welcome to the forum! There is so much helpful information on here and if you can't get in touch with Ana, everyone here seems to have the answers to your questions. From what other brides have said that have already been married, they have up to 3 weddings a day. I wouldn't worry about it though even if there are that many. Reviews have been great and all the brides have said everything turned out perfectly for their day

Quote: Originally Posted by rdsjcr Are all you ladies having veils? This is something that I have gone back and forth with and I still can't make up my mind.. haha I was going back and forth with it also but I don't think I'm going to wear a veil. I think the wind will blow it around too much and I don't want it to be too distracting or annoying if it's blowing all over the place!

Quote: Originally Posted by jstock311 Yeah, maybe kids just aren't free for us because of the time of year we will be there. I looked at the specials they have now but I'm wondering if a) you need to book through the resort to get them and are they just the specials for right now and won't apply for our wedding in January. We're using Amex Travel for our group rate and they price match or beat prices and special offers if you find them elsewhere. I'm going to ask our TA about the specials posted on the site and see if they will apply for us. I just checked the terms and conditions on the website specials and they are good through December 23, 2010. Some of the resort credits and room upgrades we did get with our group rate but I am going to ask her about the free kids. I'm sure the resort will have specials for 2011 soon. We'll just have to keep checking back and then inform the TA.