Aistule

Ladies,

my review is finally up in the review section! http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/dreams-puerto-aventuras-resort-spa-all-inclusive/reviews

Let me know if you have any questions--I know what it's like to be planning a wedding from afar!

Ladies,

it took me long enough to come back to the site to write a quick review.  Everything at our September 2, 2011 wedding went really really well--Sandra ended up being our coordinator, and the girl knows exactly what she is doing!  The staff and the location were PERFECT for our group.  All of our 50 guests kept asking whether we've been to the resort before because they couldn't believe that we picked it remotely just based on research and online reviews.  I think everyone enjoyed themselves tremendously.

The night before the wedding we did a "welcome" dinner at the World Cafe--they just held one side of the restaurant for us so that we wouldn't have to pay extra and everyone could enjoy the buffet and drinks.  It was great for us, and for our guests, so no regrets! After we were done with speaches and dinner, we all joined the beach karaoke and had a blast.  It was a great night.

Wedding day it rained during the day and I have to say--I got a little nervous, but as is common for that area, the clouds cleared up and it turned out to be a perfect, cooler day (which was great because it was really hot all week).  Our wedding was at 5pm, a perfect time for daylight, followed by sunset, and then darkness that led into dinner and dancing.  Our ceremony was at the wedding gazebo, and although it was a bit hard to hear what the minister was saying, with the wind and the waves crashing, everyone said it was a fairy-like moment.  All our guests were absolutely mesmerized by the surroundings and said it was a bit surreal.  I was really happy that we decided to hire a saxophone player because it added a lot to the mood.  We originally thought about violin, but so happy we changed our minds because I dont know if you could've enjoyed the sound of violin the same way (again, because of the noises in the natural surrounding).

After the ceremony, we took some pictures with the family, etc. (which you'll have to tell the photographers exactly what you want!) and then had a mini romantic photo session.  We joined our guests at the Barracuda bar for the cocktail hour, with the Mexican Trio entertaining them--it was great.

Since we decided to do a dress change before we sat down for dinner, we left our guests a little bit early and went to change into my party dress.  When we came back, Sandra had everyone seated at dinner tables (which were beautifully set on the sand right in front of the Natural Pool), and did  a nice wedding couple introduction, which led right into our first dance.  Dinner afterwards was perfect--perfectly timed, with our family and friends giving speaches, mother-father and son-mother dances, etc.  At some point, I think even before the desert, we all just got up and went off to dance on the sand (Sandra ended  up giving us a great deal on the DJ so we decided to go with it and it was an excellent choice).  Literally, again--people were speachless.  Dancing under the moon, with the stars, with sounds of a dark ocean--it was unbelievable!  We finished off the party at the pool with champagne!!!

All in all--everything was amazing.  One minor thing which our guests insist they didn't even notice was the table settings.  They weren't set exactly as I wanted them to be, and I think at some point they miscounted the settings and ended up adding some tables at the last minute.  What that did was the new tables didnt have the table runners which we brought with us! (we did two long tables of 25).  So that kind of pissed me off, but since everything else was perfect--I decided not to care and enjoy the party.  Apparently, our wedding was featured in a local Quintana Roo newspaper, which we couldn't get our hands on (although it would've been fun to do!)

Here are some pictures from our Trash the Dress session which we did a few days later in Playa Del Carmen.  LOVED IT and are so happy with our decision to hire La Luna for that session (sister company of Del Sol):

http://lalunaphotographers.com/blog/gallery/laluna/portraits/aiste-christopher/

And the pics below are from the Dreams PA photographers, which we also liked.  If you have any questions at all, send me a message!!

Ladies,

I leave in 3 days....and my wedding is in a week from tomorrow!  Bags are mostly packed (well, at least the wedding stuff) and we are starting to pack many of our outfits, etc!  I will post a review when I get back.  A few things I wanted to add:

1. We are going to Coco Bongo in Playa del Carmen on one of the nights.  It's pricey, but all inclusive (resort pick-up, entrance, drinks) and you can look it up on youtube--it looks like a lot of fun!

2. Make sure you check out the live cam for DREPA before you leave. I've been comparing it to the weather report (which shows rain every day) and it couldn't be more opposite!  Most of the days it's beautiful!

3. Utilize the DREPA page on Facebook to get your questions answered--E Concierge Rebecca is amazing and extremely responsive, and she will help you find out answers to local questions, etc. too.

Wish us luck!

AMAZING pictures! And you looked so gorgeous! Ahhh..I cant wait! 8 weeks (I never thought this day would come!)

Welcome to the forum, Mrs. Robinson and congrats!  I think if you read through all the previous posts you will find a ton of great information.  And as our dates come closer-we'll be sure to share!  One big note--don't expect to hear quickly or often from the resort at this point Once it gets closer to the date-they get better about responding!
 

Originally Posted by MrsRobinson12 

Hey everyone!

 

I just booked Dreams PA for my March, 2012 wedding

 

Any suggestions / comments / concerns?

 

Thanks!

I agree! Even though you guys didn't get to do the gazebo/beach, it looks like everything was awesome!  Great pics!  Our date is fast approaching--September 2 is just around the corner

Nairay,

amazing pictures!  I forgot to ask--how was the Sunset Catamaran Cruise? We are looking to do something fun with our bridal party instead of giving them gifts.

Nairay-

how long did your dinner last? And how many people did you have?  We are expecting about 40, so I'm trying to gauge the length.  Also, how was the Mariachi band?  We are thinking of hiring the Mexican Trio for dinner.
 

Originally Posted by nairay 

Dinner ran much longer than anticipated so it ended up looping (we allotted 1.5hrs of music for dinner and 2hrs for dancing).

Awesome! Can't wait for a more detailed review.  Was the wedding coordinator there to tell you (and your groom) when to go down, etc?  Or do we have to plan that ourselves as well?  I don't want to be sitting in my room waiting or coming down before my groom does!

@Tifuhhknee,

We are having our wedding in September at 5pm too. We wanted this to be a sunset wedding--was the sun already setting for yours? Also, how did you break up the evening?  We were thinking:

17:00-18:00 Wedding Ceremony
18:00-19:00 Cocktail Hour
19:00-22:00 Reception

It seems stretched out--would be interested in hearing on what worked for you!

After the reception is over, i want to take my guests to a pub/club/bar in Playa Del Carmen.  Anyone has any suggestions on a good location that is open late?

Ladies,

I just had a HORRIBLE experience buying from www.topbridaldresses.com and wanted to share my experience with you all.  I've looked at some other posts that talked about this site and others like it, but wanted to make sure I refresh this in 2011 (most of the posts were from 2008-2010).  If you think this site has changed since-don't be fooled.

I ordered my dress and it arrived within a month, and I thought to myself: “Great!†That is until I opened the package.  The wedding dress I was sent looked nothing like the original, which I tried on at the store.  The fit was off and on top of it—it was embroidered in black! It looked like a high-school project, maybe worse!!!  The customer service said that they would discount the dress if I wanted to find a place in the US who could fix it, but to get it right would’ve cost me the price of the original dress.  I insisted on the full refund.  They requested that I send the dress back, which I did and it cost over $50 via USPS (Fedex and UPS charged over $150!) They got the dress, sent me an email and said that they agreed the dress wasn’t right.  They “ensured†me that the person who made the dress would be held accountable and offered to re-make the dress.  After seeing version 1 of the dress, I continued to insist on a full refund—with only 5 months before the wedding, I needed to order the dress ASAP from an authorized dealer (I used www.bestbridalprices.com which I’ve used before for bridesmaids dresses and was very happy about. They are located in IL).  They told me they could only offer me 50% refund because that is their return policy.  I insisted that I’m not returning the dress “just because†but because it is not the right dress.  They wouldn’t budge.  I haven’t received the refund yet, but when this is all over I will have lost over $150.  In my opinion—not worth the headache.  If I ordered from the store I ended up ordering from, I would’ve only saved about two hundred dollars, and with my little experiment I ended up losing just about the same amount.  Send me a message if you want to see the pictures or if you have questions.  Good luck!

Ladies,

I just had a HORRIBLE experience buying from www.topbridaldresses.com and wanted to share my experience with you all.  I've looked at some other posts that talked about this site and others like it, but wanted to make sure I refresh this in 2011 (most of the posts were from 2008-2010).  If you think this site has changed since-don't be fooled.

I ordered my dress and it arrived within a month, and I thought to myself: “Great!†That is until I opened the package.  The wedding dress I was sent looked nothing like the original, which I tried on at the store.  The fit was off and on top of it—it was embroidered in black! It looked like a high-school project, maybe worse!!!  The customer service said that they would discount the dress if I wanted to find a place in the US who could fix it, but to get it right would’ve cost me the price of the original dress.  I insisted on the full refund.  They requested that I send the dress back, which I did and it cost over $50 via USPS (Fedex and UPS charged over $150!) They got the dress, sent me an email and said that they agreed the dress wasn’t right.  They “ensured†me that the person who made the dress would be held accountable and offered to re-make the dress.  After seeing version 1 of the dress, I continued to insist on a full refund—with only 5 months before the wedding, I needed to order the dress ASAP from an authorized dealer (I used www.bestbridalprices.com which I’ve used before for bridesmaids dresses and was very happy about. They are located in IL).  They told me they could only offer me 50% refund because that is their return policy.  I insisted that I’m not returning the dress “just because†but because it is not the right dress.  They wouldn’t budge.  I haven’t received the refund yet, but when this is all over I will have lost over $150.  In my opinion—not worth the headache.  If I ordered from the store I ended up ordering from, I would’ve only saved about two hundred dollars, and with my little experiment I ended up losing just about the same amount.  Send me a message if you want to see the pictures or if you have questions.  Good luck!

We are booking through Liberty Travel and it is going well, so far.  33 booked already for 9/2/11 wedding!  My friend just told me, who is having a Punta Cana wedding in June, that their travel agent out of Chicago is giving them a free flight and a free room if they have their guests book the travel through them. It's a nice perk, so you might want to ask your TA about that!  I know I'll be bugging ours!
 

Originally Posted by Tifuhhknee 

We have booked through a TA and I feel the prices were extremely fair. She offers price matching, so I was able to shop deals online and she did everything in her power to make it just as affordable to book through her. I'm sure you could find a thread with a good checklist.  Everything I have is in magazines (such as the one on this site http://www.destinationweddingmag.com/) but I'm sure they have plenty of information even on their website.

Tissey,

did you end up having your wedding on the beach? I'm having my wedding almost exactly a year after you! (9/2/2011) and am also considering having my reception on the beach.
 

Originally Posted by Tissey 

Wish I could help you but I'm afraid I'm in the same boat.  Originally I wanted to have mine on the beach but have been having second thoughts.  I've heard it can be pretty windy.

The good news is that you don't have to actually decide until you get there.  Jacy told me that she will show us all the spots when we arrive and we can make our final decision after we have a chance to see it in person.  So I hope that helps put you at ease a bit.

Jessica,

if it's not too late, and you know what dress you want to order, I highly recommend http://www.bestbridalprices.com/.  I've ordered from them on more than one occasion, including bridesmaids dresses, and they were always excellent and the prices are great.

I'm getting married at DPA September 2, 2011!!!!
 

Originally Posted by jessicap 

I'm visiting my last dress place tomorrow, so hopefully will have a dress picked out soon. I feel like once that is done, everything else will fall into place.

 

Thanks for such a detailed and honest review. I'm getting married there on September 2, 2011.  Can't wait!

When is your wedding? I'm getting married on September 2, 2011! Maybe we can share "do's" and "dont's"

Sorry! i couldn't reply to your message directly since I'm still only allowed to send only one message a day?!?!?

Now Jade is definately on top of our list.  We are also considering Dreams Tulum (love the long secluded beaches, not so fond of the ceremony location) and Dreams Puerto Aventuras (they have a funky looking gazebo for the wedding and I like the rocky vs. sandy beach option, as well as snorkeling right off the hotel grounds).  Now Jade attracted us because of an amazing decor and their wedding locations--http://caribbeanjourney.blogspot.com/2010/05/wedding-location-options-at-now-jade.html--the gazebo is EXACTLY how where we want our ceremony to take place, but I am not sure about the lcoation of Now Jade. It's in Puerto Morelos, and most of the reviews talk about bad sand, etc.

Have you done a site visit? I wonder what the beach is like and what the lcoation is like--if there are things to do around the property.  Any insight you have would be great! We are thinking Sept-Oct of 2011, but dont have the date yet. 

I'm new so I have to post once before I can send you a message but can't wait to get in touch to hear all about the Now Jade!