leigh2011

Meghan -  I can definitely imagine that the weather caused some extra meetings with you and the wedding staff.  I can't imagine the ball of nerves I would have been in your position.  Did you get to have all of your events where you had planned?

The tower definitely has a cute pool - which I think is supposed to be for tower guests only, but they certainly don't monitor that...and the beach near the tower is for everyone.  The beach at the tower is great for laying out or staying in the water, but not switching back and forth between a chair and the water.  The beach beside the tower is HUGE - and it is a LONG walk from the chairs to the water over some rough (ground up shells) sand.  But once you make it to the water, it is so pretty and calm (that is where we did the ocean part of our TTD session).  So few people actually go to the beach near the Tower that a lot of my guests didn't realize one of the resort restaurants (Seaside Grill) is located there - and that was our favorite restaurant (steaks at Seaside vs seafood at Oceana and Asian/sushi at Himitsu).  So all of you future brides - make sure you search out Seaside Grill !!!

Paul and I only paid for an oceanview room so we got upgraded to a Honeymoon Suite in the Pyramid - which I am sure isn't as nice as the suites in the Tower.  Basically our room had a different layout than a standard room, so it had a lot of extra space but no extra rooms (like a 2nd bathroom).  However, all of our guests (with the exception of my parents) were in the Pyramid, so it was convenient for us to be there.

We did the symbolic ceremony as well just to make sure there were no legal issues back in the US.  One question I have about making it legal in Mexico and having to wait for the paperwork, is whether that will mess up anything with "life event" changes at your work.  Let me explain.  After our legal ceremony here in the US, I worked with my HR department to get Paul added to my health insurance.  Well, it turns out that both my company and his give you a 30 day window from the marriage itself to get things taken care of.  Luckily I had my marriage license back in a matter of 3-4 business days here at home.  How would that work if it took longer than 30 days to get your paperwork from Mexico?  My HR rep required a copy of the marriage license to file with the insurance change request. 
 

Originally Posted by mgl27 

I also did not pay until the Saturday morning of the wedding.  We met with Claudia on Wednesday to go over final details.  (And since we were dealing with a hurricane, we met again on Fri for a final number count).  I only needed one corsage, so traded the rest for flowers for my hair and my bridesmaids (and she gave me extras for two of of my friends).  I also had gazebo decor and asked that she move it to use as centerpieces (I had six tables), so I only ended up purchasing 3 centerpieces which was nice.  She also added cute little seashells around the table which was a nice touch, I thought.  She also gave us a TON of extra food on our buffet which was awesome!!!  The food was excellent, all my guests loved it.  One thing I wish I would have done, was ask that the "appetizer portion" of the buffet be served later in the evening.  Once we pulled the food, they only thing left was dessert and I just wish I would have had "late night" snacks.  However, there is 24 hour room service!   I was also told that the outside vendor fee was $100, but that could have changed.

 

We stayed in the tower, in a one bedroom suite.  It was on the 15th floor.  The views were amazing and we had two balconies.  The only difference I saw with the two  buildings were, that the Pyramid is smaller (not as many floors), so guests that had ocean view could hear the waves, which I love.  In the tower, obviously the higher you go, the less you can here the ocean.  We couldn't at all, but our room was so big (we also had two bathrooms), it made up for it.  The tower also has its own front desk, concierges, pool, beach and continental breakfast.  It was nice because it wasn't as crowded.  But honestly, the only time I used the pool was the day of the wedding.  I told the guys that they had to stay on the pyramid side, which is where Claudia gave Scott his room for the day.  But some of my guests liked the Tower side for the beach as it is way more relaxing and quiet.

 

I believe that there is no difference with the symbolic ceremony and legal ceremony, in terms of what the pastor, judge (whatever he was) says.  We chose not to do legal because it was extra $, sometimes the judge does not speak English (and you need a translator).  Mostly because all of your documents are issued in Spanish and you have to pay and wait for them to be translated.  I went to wedding in Cabo last October and our friends waited almost a year for all of their documents to prove that they were legally married.  We didn't tell any of our guests that it wasn't "legal" and they were none the wiser.  We stilled signed a marriage document and did everything just as if it was legal.
 

 

Looking at my 10-day forecast was depressing as well (60% chance of rain for every day on the forecast), but as the days get to be 5 days or less the forecast gets a little more realistic.  So just take a deep breath - it won't be as bad as it looks.
 

Originally Posted by dfranklin 

The organizer is such a fabulous idea- THANKS!

 

Anybody traveling to Riviera next week???

Our wedding is the 19th- and the forecast shows lots of rain!!!!

Hoping the sun will shine!!!!!!!!!!!

Like Meghan said, you definitely don't need a dance floor on the Terrace - I think that is one big bonus for that location.  I also used the DJ service through the resort, but my DJ was named Luis.  He did a really good job of playing my music but noting the mood on the dance floor and skipping some of the songs.  My dinner ran a bit long so he had to fill in with some extra slow songs there and thus compensated by pulling the slow songs out of the dancing portion of the reception since we had less time.  I think it was a really good move as throwing slow songs in the middle would have brought the energy down a bit.

To be honest, no matter where you have your cocktail hour (I even saw one on Himitsu beach a couple of days before I had my reception there) you are never very far from a bar.  So worse case that your family/friends had to walk to get their own drinks, it would be fine.

 

Originally Posted by jwhite789 

Hi Ladies,

 

Thanks for the responses to my last post. I have been reading through this forum and it definitely eases some of my worries that I previously had about going forward with this resort.

 

Does anyone know whether a dance floor is needed on the terrace for the reception? Also what did everyone do for music during the reception? How were the DJ services for those who purchased them? What did those of you do for music that did not have a DJ? Any helpful hints on timing of the ceremony, cocktail, and dinner and including time for pictures? Mine are currently scheduled back to back (3, 4 and 5 p.m.) I want to be sure to have enough time for pictures and I really do not want to do pictures before hand. Just not sure where pictures would fit in! If any previous brides could comment on this that would be great and very helpful!

 

Good luck to all of the brides getting married over this next week! I am looking forward to hearing your opinions and reviews on everything! 

 

Thanks so much ladies!

A few weeks before my wedding I sent Claudia an email with the run down of the major expenses I knew would be on my bill (number of guests for extra charges, rehearsal dinner, sound system, DJ, dance floor) and she sent me a revised wedding contract (all of my info from when I booked my date had been a complete guess) that had a price on it.  Once there I met with her and we discussed flowers, upgrading the cake, a bag of rose petals, an extra bottle of champagne, etc. and those things were also added to the contract to get the final price.  If my fiance and I had taken our credit card to that meeting then I believe we could have paid then.  As it was we had to come back and meet her the day before the wedding to pay the bill.

There was absolutely no expectation that we paid before we arrived because of the number of things that can change at the meeting. 
 

Originally Posted by hairdos11 

Is anyone else paying when they get there for their packages or before hand through their travel agent? Just curious if it makes any difference?

I think there are definitely two different "levels" of what you get when you don't use a service.  If you are looking for a straight credit, then you get a lesser value compared to when you try and trade for another one of their services.  I traded the photographer in my Ultimate package for gazebo decor.  I ended up with 4 floral "corsages" (the big arrangements you see tied to the pillars in pictures) with the sticks in the front ones.  Looking at the planning document online, that was definitely >$240 value (the price of just 2 corsages).  But you know that didn't "cost" the resort that much money where as a credit is straight money out of their pocket.  The fantastic thing about my trade was that I only had 4 round tables at my reception (for 28 guests) and when I tried to tell Claudia that I wanted to buy centerpieces, she told me that they would just move the gazebo decor.  That saved me at least $300 because the centerpieces I was looking at were ~$75 each.

I am not sure if this is the case that you are talking about, but the photographer outside vendor fee might be conditional as well.  I didn't pay an outside vendor fee for my photog, but that is because we brought him from home and he was staying as a guest.  I think the vendor fee is required for someone local to Mexico that is just coming on the property for the day.  I thought the vendor fee used to be $100, but I wouldn't doubt that it has been raised to $150.

Originally Posted by K Martinez78 

Thanks I purchased the ultimate package. I blocked out 15 rooms. We tried to get preferred but it was all booked up already. I don't get it? I'm just going to see what happens? I just don't like how they seem to give everyone a different deal. I asked her about trading the photographer for something else and she said I only get $150 credit. Someone else got a $300. Then I asked how much for an outside vendor and she said $150. I read that someone else was told $100.

Side note:  another trade that I made was to get 1 BM bouquet instead of the 2 corsages and 3 bout's.  All of my guys (including Dad's) wore linen shirts, so the bout's would have been to heavy and pulled the shirts down.  And the corsages for the moms would have been too formal for our attire.

I brought a dress for every single night and didn't end up wearing a couple of them.  My resort was very breezy (it is on a point with water on 3 sides), so I found myself quite chilly at times.  The only pants I had with me were yoga pants that I had brought for the plane.  So if your resort is known for being windy, then I would definitely take along some pants.  Because I didn't have pants, I was grateful for my cardigan.  If you do pants/capris, then you could certainly take different tops and rewear the bottoms with no problem.  I did rewear one long jersey-type dress because I wore it once with friends/family and once when just Paul & I (and of course he wouldn't even notice such a thing, much less care).

 

Originally Posted by sxcT 

So what did (or will for Sarah) you bring to wear every evening?  All dresses? Any jeans? Capris? Shorts? Skirts?

 

I have a handful or dresses and two pairs of capris that are for sure coming but I am just wondering what others did.  Did you pack an outfit for everyday you were there or did you just bring a few and are re-wearing? 

I actually couldn't tell much difference in the inside of the rooms on the dolphin or ocean sides of the Pyramid when compared with the regular rooms in the Tower.  From what I could tell, they were the same size and had the same furniture.  I can't recall if the bathrooms were identical or not.

I didn't realize before I went that the pyramid was open in the middle with a lot of trees and other plants.  It was actually pretty cool...

Taryn - Believe me, I would have taken today off if I had the vacation days to spare.  I switched jobs this spring, so I only have my pro-rated number of days to work with....

Also, I have to take next Friday off for my AHR.  So although I would really like to sleep in and be lazy this weekend, I will have to be productive. 
 

My photographer said he will get me the DVD of pictures next week - I don't know if I am patient enough to wait that long.

Random travel tip that I got off of the what to pack thread that was great:  bring an over-the-door shoe organizer (preferably with clear pockets - I got mine at Walmart for $5-7) to keep all of your toiletries out of the way.  Not only did this keep Paul & I from going nuts with the mess, but it helped keep the room looking neater for the getting ready pics.
 

Originally Posted by sxcT 

OMG you look gorgeous!!  Absolutely beautiful pictures.  Can't wait to see the others.  So glad you had a great time. 

Congrats on being a MRS again!! 

 

Can't believe you got home yesterday and are at work already.  I fly home on Thanksgiving and I don't go back to work until the following Tuesday.  Taking all the time I can LMAO!! 

One thing I just thought of - I got my wedding video from Claudia before I left (they take 3 business days to edit, and will mail it to you if you have already left the resort).  If anyone knows of a good way to upload a 30-minute video online, I would be willing to share so you all can see what the video that is included in the Ultimate Package ends up looking like.

Hey Ladies (just Taryn and Sarah at this point I think) -

I got back late last night and am now doubly married!  My group had a great trip, but can I just say that playing hostess to that many people over that many days is exhausting!  Paul and I only had a day to ourselves on the beginning of the trip (and that was taken up mostly by appointments with the wedding coordinator and travel company) and one at the end of the trip.  I am so glad tomorrow starts the weekend, because I am exhausted.  I will post more later in the day after I get things started here at work (or at least the illusion of it), but I will post the 3 pics my photographer emailed last night as a welcome home gift:

Courtney

Hi Ladies -

I just got back from Cancun late last night and am back at work this morning.  I took a ton of notes while I was at Dreams, so I will have a lot to write up in a review.  But for now, know that even though there were some pretty big glitches in my wedding day, that everyone had an absolute blast.

I saw A LOT of weddings while I was at Dreams (most days were either 2 or 3 weddings).  So please let me know if you have any questions, because I saw a lot of different setups.  Claudia said that November & December are their busiest wedding months.  But they are slower months for tourists, so the resort isn't all that crowded - which is nice.

My photographer (who traveled with us and returned Tuesday night) sent a couple of teaser pics last night as a welcome home gift:

Alright ladies - I am getting ready to log off for the last time.  Time to shower, pack a few more of the toiletries I won't need tomorrow morning, and try to get a little sleep.  It is only a bit after 9pm, but my alarm will go off in less than 6 hours.

I hope all of you ladies that leave before the 11th have absolutely fantastic vacations and wedding days.  I will see you on the other side.....

(BTW - I am still not "excited", I am actually nervous!  I have been legally married for over 3 weeks now...why the hell am I nervous?!)

Adios!

From what I remember, the wedding coordinator lets you know if your date/time is available.  If it is available, then the deposit is required to officially hold the date for you. 

 

Originally Posted by BreMarie 

I have a random question, hopefully someone can help.  I sent my date request to Dreams this past weekend, do you know if you have to put down a deposit in order to pick the date?  Or does that come with the signing of the contract?

 

Thanks in advance

That is one thing you certainly don't have to worry about...I will put up a super long review.  If you have seen my planning thread, then you know I will bore you with details....

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/76481/leigh2011s-planning-thread-long-with-lots-of-pics/20#post_1691112

I plan on almost doing 2 reviews - one for staying at the resort (with picture of the facilities, etc.) and another one on the wedding (with pictures of the setups, etc.).  And between my camera(s) and the photographer that is coming with us, I will have a ridiculous number of pictures.

Originally Posted by futuremrsroo 

I am sooo excited for you girls gettin married this weekend! I hope you all have a safe trip, beautiful weather, and a LONG review with LOTS of pictures when you get back!!

Thanks so much for checking in on us during your wedding trip.  And I definitely appreciate the good news about the weather.  I will keep my fingers crossed that the forecast stays that way for Saturday - wedding day for both of us!!

Best of luck for a perfect wedding day...

Originally Posted by alysam4785 

Hey ladies, I'm here in (not so sunny at the moment) Cancun haha. Its a rainy gross day which is fine because I have my trial hair in 2 hours and my fiance/hubby is sick and needs to play it cool for a few. Our guests start arriving this afternoon yay! For those of you leaving in the next few days...you'll be excited to know the weather is supposed to be great from wed thru sun! If you guys have any questions ( for those Palace Brides) for the WC let me know, and I'll ask away. I'm sure today I'll check back frequently since its rain but once my guests get down here I'll prob be enjoying my time with them. Also FYI for some of you Palace Brides out there Barcelo Playa, Cancun Palace, and Aventure will all be converting to Hard Rocks pretty soon. Well thats what my WC told me yesterday!

Thanks Joanne!  In 24 hours I will be en route to Cancun...  I will get back on Thursday night (late) Nov 10th and be in to work on the 11th.  If I can manage, I will definitely try and post on the 11th - though only Taryn and Sarah will still be at home to read it!

For all the brides leaving between the 5th and the 11th, best of luck!!!
 

Originally Posted by JoanneIreland 

 

Good luck Alysa and Kelly who have left already. So excited for you! Post updates when you get back!!

Courtney you are next up, thinking of you and wishing you luck!

 

BDW Name	Real Name	Departing	Wedding Date	Location	Resort
Alysam4785	Alysa	October 30th	November 5th	Mexico
kelnces	Kelly	October 31st	November 4th	Mexico
leigh2011	Courtney	November 2nd	November 5th	Mexico	Dreams Cancun
JBean	Janine	November 5th	November 10th	Mexico
JoanneIreland	Joanne	November 6th	November 17th	Mexico	Barcelo Maya Palace
Carrieb258	Carrie	November 6th	November 10th	Mexico
Pucca	Eun-sil	November 6th	November 11th	Mexico	Coral Baja, Los Cabos
Danitha	Danielle	November 7th	November 11th	Mexico	Playacar Palace
Nadennec	Nadenne	November 8th	November 11th	Mexico	Cancun
82turtles	Sarah	November 8th	November 12th	Mexico
sxcT	Taryn	November 15th	November 18th	Mexico	Aventura Palace
SarahBen2011	Sarah	November 15th	November 18th	Mexico	Dreams PV

 

A mere 30 hours and I am off to the airport...so excited (and yet so tired!).  Thanks for checking out my planning thread.  When I get back I will hopefully have some good professional photos to  share...

Packing early is soo critical.  I found out I was too good of a packer.  2 of my 3 bags are overweight.  I had to take out some items to leave at home and hand off to my parents about 4 lbs of sunscreen.
 

Not sure what your taste in music is, but here is our play list in case it can give you any ideas.

Originally Posted by SarahBen2011 

Loving the pictures Courtney Leigh!  What a good idea - get excited again ladies!!!!  I finally started packing some things up in suitcases and I'm SO GLAD I started now.  This stuff takes up WAY more room than I thought!  EEK!!!  So far I have 2 checked bags just with wedding stuff (programs, seating cards, OOT bags).  How did that happen???  We need to buy more luggage! 

 

But, it does make me feel way better knowing that things aren't in random piles at my place anymore... at least it's organized chaos! haha

 

I'm mainly stressing about our programs.  I decided to DIY program fans (the kind w/ the stick in the middle) and these are taking so much longer than I thought they would :-(  Luckily one of my BMs is going to help this weekend.  Once those are done (and that damn play list) we'll be in good shape!

 

Hang in there ladies!

Griffin-Chang Wedding 05Nov2011.xlsx

Same here - I emailed a very few times, knowing that there was likely a limited number of responses I would get.

I tried to limit my communications to things I thought would need to be handled ahead of time - like changing my ceremony time, requesting a DJ, saying I don't need the photog (things that required coordination with other people), and scheduling a rehearsal & dinner.  I didn't bother Claudia with cake or flower selections (knowing that could be handled at the meeting) or letting her know what items I would be bringing.

All of the brides have come back and said the wedding coordinators are real pros and make your wedding day wonderful - so I am just going to assume that is true and not worry.  I will 100% be writing a review when I get back.  I even got a free little notebook from vistaprint so I can take lots of notes for you ladies.

 

Originally Posted by hairdos11 

I'm leaving in less then a week and must say that I hope my wedding is just crazy good because I'm highly disappointed with the communication with this resort.  I will have 3 questions and only 1 question will be answered in the email.  My travel agent even commented on how bad it's been lately. I've had to wait weeks even days, and still some questions never answered. Simple questions too! I wanted to switch resorts but I didn't want to last minute due to the guests, and all the planning I put into this. I never emailed her alot until the end just a few times here and there. Just hoping I return and it was all worth it in the end.

Thank you so much for your reply - that is exactly what I needed to hear. 

In 48 hours I will be in the air on the way to Cancun!!!!

 

Originally Posted by BreMarie 

Leigh,

 

You are correct, I stayed at Dreams this past April and drank the water at the restaurants with no problem.  However, I brushed my teeth with the bottled water provided in the rooms, just to be safe.  In my opinion, the water did have a type of smell to it, so I didn't want to put it anywhere near my mouth

Alright ladies - for those of you that have gotten married at Dreams Cancun, or those that have traveled there on vacation - what is your recommendation with respect to the water to minimize the chance of getting sick?

My thought is the following:  any water the resort provides in restaurants, at bars, or as ice in drinks is filtered and therefore safe for guests.  However, the water in your room from the sink or shower could get you sick, so don't drink that water.  Brushing your teeth with the water in the room is probably fine as long as you don't drink it when you rinse.

Does that sound about right?

Contact with your wedding coordinator will definitely be very slow until your wedding is close.  All brides have said that once you arrive at the resort and see how busy they are with all of the brides on hand you will understand why they don't have time for emails.  I will be getting married next weekend, so I will let you know my opinion in a couple of weeks.  Maybe a couple of the previous brides can let you know if they would change resorts if given the chance to do it over again.

Most brides that have found a good travel agent (that specializes in destination weddings) are very thankful for their agent.  I don't think anyone that has used a travel agent related to this forum (who are obviously DW experts) have been disappointed - so you should try them out.  And if you talk to one that is a Dreams specialist, they can give you a second opinion from an agent's perspective on the Dreams Cancun resort.

 

Originally Posted by jwhite789 

Hello all Dreams Brides!

 

I just came upon this website and this thread and have some questions for you all. I am getting married at Dreams in Cancun on November 10, 2012. I recently contacted a travel agent to inquire about helping me make travel arrangements for guests and I was a little disappointed with the response that I got back about the resort. I was told to really consider whether I should have my wedding here and that service and communication is just terrible. I have been in contact with Cecilia from the resort and communication has been really slow (took almost 6 weeks to get a response at one point). I am a little worried after hearing the travel agents thoughts on this resort and I am unsure as to whether I should go forward with this resort for my wedding. Wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this? For those who have had their wedding here, did you have a positive or negative experience and would you recommend going forward? 

 

Also any thoughts on booking travel with the resort or going through a travel agent?? Thanks everyone! Your help is greatly appreciated!

 

Jessica 

Alright ladies, because we have all been a stressed and having our difficulties (last night my fiance pulled his back while trying to beat me in bowling and can essentially do nothing but lay in bed - fan-freakin-tastic), so I thought I needed to remind us why we should be excited.  Hope this helps all of us:

Cancun:

Playa del Carmen:

I am hoping that the stress for all of us will end as soon as we get to the airport and they check our bags.  As we head for security with our dresses and carry-on in hand, it will be too late to worry about anything else.  I am hoping that is when the real excitement will return.  Fingers crossed ladies!!

We are all so stressed because we are trying to so hard to make our weddings perfect.  We have to realize that everything will be wonderful even if a few things aren't finished or they are forgotten.

 

Originally Posted by JBean 

 

I agree - I think this board is helping me keep my sanity, knowing that it's normal for the weeks up to the wedding to be stressful and less than "happy".

I am so sorry to hear that you are sick.  The good news is that you have 11 days until you leave, so you should definitely be feeling better by the time you head off for your DW.  In my opinion, if you feel like you need to stay in bed over the weekend, then you should do it.  I think recovering faster and then hitting the wedding-to-do list is likely going to put you further ahead than staying sick longer and being less productive.  We will all be sending good thoughts you way....
 

Originally Posted by meBonidie2be 

11 days away from flying out and I am still so sick. I have so much to do and all I really want to do is lay in bed. ugggghhh

I will leave work for at 5pm this coming Tuesday and on Wednesday at ~4am I will be leaving for the airport.  So I pretty much have to get everything done this weekend...wish me luck.
 

Originally Posted by carrieb258 

I am now only 8 days from departure date.... time really is flying. I finish work on Wednesday though, giving me 3 whole days to get the last minute bits sorted :-)

 

When do you girls finish work? x

Thanks!  Let's hope I don't have to find out!!

 

Originally Posted by futuremrsroo 

Leigh: I'm not positive about the rain plan, but I know they have several ballrooms, and they can do receptions in the lobby of the preferred tower (the inside part of the terrace). If it still looks rainy when you go, I'm sure Claudia will show you all the options. They have been nothing but amazing this week!

 

Dreamsbride: I will be flying in on the 12th! I will most likely see your wedding being set up