kellykellz

Originally Posted by WPGBride 

 

 

I was told not to worry about planning to early and when it was time to plan I was informed that there was another bride getting married the same day as me and she had chosen the ceremony location I wanted, the time I wanted, and the reception location I wanted. When infact I had booked my wedding and all guests well over a year in advance. I was extremely angry about this because I was told not to worry about details. In response to my anger however, I was given the Seaside Grill for my reception location for free. This turned out to be an even better location to have my reception, however, since they were using the restaurant tables instead of the ones I had planned measurements for I was short table decorations.

 

My advice is to lock down your times and locations as soon as possible and to save the email so if a coordinator mixes things up and gives it away to another bride you have proof

Thank you! I have locked down my location and have it in an email. I plan on taking every email with me, especially since they have switched coordinators on me. 

Hello! I had a question about tipping. I know we need to tip, but how much on top of the 15% service fee. Plus who do we tip?

Wedding coordinator?

Bar?

Photographer?

DJ? (who is already $300 an hour, I wish I made that much!! :-P) 

Server?

?? Any ideas?? 

Originally Posted by Savs1027 

 

I just got the word document from Lorena to start filling in details and I was just wondering if anyone else did this? 

How set in stone are these details?? It's really hard for me to tell them yes I want things if I have no idea how much they are... I was just planning on adding additional things once we got there after we found out about price. 

I just got the word document as well. However my planner has been switched from Eva to Gaby. She must be new?? 

How far in advance should I contact Eva? I realize they are busy with weddings everyday.  I last heard from her in May to finalize our deposit and reserve our wedding date and spot. However I want to make sure I get all the other details down. My wedding is December 8th. 

Originally Posted by catsummer 

 

Ahhh, this is the dress that I have wanted from day one!!! I have tried on multiple dresses, and ended up buying one however it can be returned.

 

 

This is the dress that I currently have, but after seeing the post by alj118, I am confused!!!

Should I keep the one I have, or return it and order the knock-off Vera one from China!?!?!?

 

Me in my current dress.

 

My current dress (I have to buy a sash like the one in the first picture)

 

ANY ADVICE WOULD BE APPRECIATED!!!!!

 

I think you should keep it! It looks gorgeous on you! 

Originally Posted by uhura526 

 

Jasmine's does it again!  They did amazing work on your dress and you look beautiful! I am so excited to get mine! I just ordered my dress last Monday.

Originally Posted by rawalter 

 

 

 

 

Wow! You look amazing! 

Originally Posted by Savs1027 

 

I know this has been asked here before but now I can't find it!

 

Can you pay for the wedding with travelers checks? Does that work like cash or do they prefer credit cards?

I was wondering the same thing? I do not want to take LOADS of cash? However I read on previous posts that some credit cards charge a fee outside the US. Let me know if you hear anything. 

Originally Posted by Savs1027 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the buffet menu  

Savs,

Could you email me the buffet menu? [email protected] I can't see attachments since I'm still a noob. Thank you!! :-)

buffet menu copy.pdf

Does anyone know what the options are for the reception dinner. I am getting the Ultimate Package and I have received the menu options for the plated dinner. I see that some people opt for a buffet? What does the buffet include? For previous brides, do you recommend a buffet or plated dinner for the reception? 

Thanks for the information on the seating chart and bubba kegs! :-) 

Does anyone know how many people the tables hold? Did you create a seating chart and give it to the planner? I am trying to figure out table numbers and place cards. Any help would be AWESOME!! Thanks in advance!  

Originally Posted by Savs1027 

 

we are doing them I think it's a nice gesture when everyone is coming so far for the wedding. 

We ordered the set of 20 bags from Wedding Chicks

http://shop.weddingchicks.com/bienvenidos-chevron-stripe-welcome-wedding-tote-set-of-20/

They run specials every once in awhile where you can get a discount. Ours turned out super cute! 

 

As far as the contents we are doing: 

-bubba kegs (for people to use at the pool and beach)

-koozies http://www.totallyweddingkoozies.com/)

-playing cards

-medicine (tylenol and pepto)

-chapstick

-kleenex

-underwater camera (this is still up in the air b/c we can't find good prices on them)

-sunscreen (we got travel sizes recently at target for 92 cents)

-aloe vera 

-hand sanitizer

-bandaids

-puzzle books (like sudoku, crossword puzzles, etc)

-welcome brochure/letter 

Savs,

Are you getting a logo on your bubba kegs? Where are you getting them from? We were also thinking about getting them, with maybe our logo on them

Originally Posted by liua 

 

Rach0636,

 

Congrats! We will be the January brides. The photographer you use is the one resort provides or the outside vendor? Do you know will the resort charge any fee if I decide to use the outside photographer? 

The resort will charge a fee for an outside photographer, or you have to book the photographer as a guest for 1 night. From my understanding, as long as the photographer is a guest at the resort, there is no additional fee.  

Originally Posted by Savs1027 

 

From what I've gathered from my emails from Lorena, they do not charge you to put on the chair sashes or table clothes. You can bring those yourself and they will do that for free. I asked about doing decoration for the gazebo though and she said it would cost is $600 even if you bring your own fabric. WHA??? I think I'll do without the fabric  

 

I don't have an answer for the bridesmaid bouquets, but the centerpieces are relatively decently priced in my opinion. And a lot easier than bringing all of my own stuff down. I didn't ask her about all of them but I asked her about a few so you can get an idea. 

Maya 22 - $60

Maya 24 - $85

Maya 33 - $80 

I told her I wanted the flowers in those centerpieces to match bouquet #16 (the bouquet I'm getting) and she said that was fine and gave me those prices. We are going to go with Maya 22 with hot pink flowers instead of the light pink. I really like the orange flower coming out of it (whatever that's called!) and it's in the bouquet #16 too. I think we won't have any more than 5 tables so that'll be about $300. To me, that's worth it to not have to worry about customs and extra suitcases and stuff. We are bringing sheer organza table overlays in teal, teal chair ties, and also 3 hot pink small glass candle holders for each table. We will probably add a picture frame in teal or hot pink with one of our engagement pictures to the centerpiece as well. 

 

I'm not sure about the spa... I think I saw the prices though on the Dreams Brides Facebook page? You could look there. I know people here have their email address though so you can make your appt. 

 

And if I were having my ceremony on the beach I would go barefoot  

Do you have the centerpiece catalog and bouquet catalog? If so could you email it to me. My email is [email protected].

My wedding is on 12/8/12. I asked Evangelina about booking the DJ, and if I should book him now, and she said I should wait. I am getting uncomfortable with waiting. Have you booked the DJ yet, and if so did you go through Evangelina? Also, did you make your flower arrangements yet, as well as food, and Centerpieces? I have the wedding ceremony and location booked, but as far as the others, I am left in the dark.... Any advice would be extremely helpful!! Thanks! :-)  

Originally Posted by JQLong 

 

O.K....

 

I am still letting my wonderful experience sink in and I want to give a thorough review...so for now....

We have our slideshow!!!

 

http://040712long.dreamsriveriacancun.adventurephotos.com.mx/

 

 

The entire experience was truly So Amazing!

I cannot say enough how wonderful this place is.  We feel so blessed to have had our family and friends join us.

I hope you enjoy.....

 

JQ

I LOVE your photos! You look very beautiful!! I see that you have maracas in your photo. Do you mind me asking where you got them from? Congrats again on your wedding! 

Originally Posted by Sarah-Jane 

 

Just sent it to you!

Originally Posted by EmilyT 

 

I finally heard back from Lorena... BUT some of the info she had on my wedding from Yamina was WRONG which really upsets me and she doesn't seem to know anything about the menu Yamina agreed to with me, which really pisses me off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I spent a lot of time going back and forth with her with that...

 

 

this whole thing is stressing me out.. i feel like I am going to miss something really important.. i try to organize my emails as best as possible but theres so many different elements and i keep realizing i am missing stuff or that im still unsure of a lot of things.. GRrRrR

 

 

sorry to be the negative person on here today- but i needed to vent lol.

 

 

if anyone has that official form that drc sends you once you make the deposit to fill out with the info like about the wedding party.. decorations.. locations and so forth please email it to me at emily [email protected]

 

thank you girls <3

What form are you referring to? I have sent my deposit in and have never received a form? Will you send it to me as well? My email is [email protected]. I am getting married there December 8th of this year. 

Hi again,

How long did it take you to get your dress? I am thinking of ordering flower girl dresses through this site... 

Originally Posted by kellykellz 

Wow! Your dress looks awesome!! They did a great job!!

Wow! Your dress looks awesome!! They did a great job!!

Originally Posted by juliboley 

Sorry!  I didn't realize the attachment would have limited availability.  Here is a picture of the dress (it hasn't been steamed/pressed yet so it is a little wrinkly):

Robyn,

Just sent you an email with some attachments! 

Originally Posted by RobynKelly 

My travel agent has just told me I have to arrange everything when I arrive in Mexico! I know it's 10 months away but I am definitely not waiting until I arrive!
Could anyone please email me menu options, flower options, cake options etc
Anything will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
[email protected]

What a fabulous review!!  Since you had an outside photographer, did the hotel try to charge you an outside vendor fee, along with getting you to book a room for your photographer?  I am also using an outside photographer. They originally told me it would be ok, if he was a guest at the resort, however now they are saying that I need to pay an additional outside vendor fee for him, which I think is absurd, since he is going to be a guest at the resort, and I am paying for his room.   

Originally Posted by CKNMVS 

Here is my review. if you have any questions message me i wil try to check. this forum has been invaluable to me! Best of luck ladies, its going to be great!

 

I want to say overall this a great hotel and I had a really nice time and would recommend coming here and having a wedding here! Still waiting for professional pictures and will post once they arrive.

 

I had my wedding here in May. The hotel is absolutely beautiful; it is actually nicer than in the pictures! Staff is very attentive, and I thought the restaurant- especially French were very good. The Mexican restaurant was a lot of fun but food was just ok (guacamole was very disappointing). The infinity pool is absolutely amazing!! The beach is disappointing, could have been all the rain (it rained for 3 days straight when I was there).

 

 Just some notes on hotel before I leave my wedding review for future brides.

I thought food was tasty, and didn’t experience any stomach issues, however the majority of our party did have some minor issues lasting a day or two. I attribute this to being at a new place and eating and drinking a lot more than the average person is used to. Most people were able to take some over counter meds and were ok within a day or two. There were 2 people who had more severe issues and were out of commission for longer and the stomach problems continued once they came home and they actually had to get antibiotics... One other guests has been home over  a month and is still sick. The doctors aren’t sure what it is exactly and she now has to go for even more testing. These are people who have been to other all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and Jamaica and never had a problem..

 

Also, DO NOT TAKE MONEY OUT FROM ATM IN LOBBY. I took out some additional American dollars to leave tips for wedding staff (also it doesn’t hurt to tip staff at hotel- they work very hard) and was charged $60 USD for taking out money. There is a sign on ATM that said 60 PESO. Before taking the money out I confirmed with front desk and they said PESO… Then I get home and I see $60USD withdrawn from account. My bank can’t do anything and Dreams is claiming no responsibility for this since they say they don’t own the ATM. I think this is extremely irresponsible of the hotel. It is robbery. How can you charge your guests such an insane fee? I am more upset that I have called and emailed the Dreams no one gets back to me. After bringing 33 people there and spending thousands of dollars to have my wedding, this is the response I get. It is really irresponsible of Dreams to allow this ATM company to rob their guests.

 

I stayed in Preferred Club and found the two women working at concierge to be extremely rude. I don’t think it’s worth the extra money. You have separate check in and a “preferred lounge†that has AC with some extra food and drinks (big deal). The rooms were nice and had a good view but I don’t think its worth the extra money.

Tip for brides: When booking your room, book a category below what you want, you will great free upgrade.

 

 

Now for wedding review:

 

Overall had a great wedding here. Wedding group did a great job. Future brides- the wedding department is very busy so don’t freak out if they don’t answer emails. Really you just need to reserve your date and wedding locations before you come down. Make sure you reserve the DJ and photographer and you are good to go. They also have a person on site to perform wedding ceremony if you are doing symbolic (which means you get married at home legally and have the vows take place in Mexico). Linda the wedding officiant has different ceremonies and vows you can use and customize to fit your needs. She speaks very good English. You don’t need to reserve her she comes with package. I had Ultimate package. Very good deal comes with free hair make-up and massages. If you stay in preferred club for over a week you get honeymoon package which comes with champagne on arrival and more massages and beach dinner- its awesome (all free).

 

In terms of details, you can choose centerpieces, bouquets and even food once you arrive. Gina or anyone of wedding coordinators can email you these things advance. It is advisable to do these things beforehand but rest assured you can change your mind or decide once you arrive as long as you get there a few days before the actual wedding. Just make sure when you meet with Gina/or WC that you are very clear. Gina was very organized and spoke great English. I wanted to have rose petals along the aisle I walked down but somehow there was a miscommunication and I paid for one bag of petals and the petals were on the table for dinner (which looked beautiful) but there were none on the aisle.  I wanted them to be in both spots but I didn’t clearly state that.. My fault. Also if you bring things to the wedding they willset it up for you (organza, chair bows, party favors, menus, etc without charge).  If you want these things back either take them yourself at end of wedding or make sure Gina knows you want them back. I got most of my stuff back but a couple of items that I forget about and wanted were lost bc I didn’t take them. Luckily my  husband grabbed cake topper but other props we had are gone…) They did give us back the sand from sand ceremony which is a nice memento.

 

It basically rained up until the afternoon of my wedding. I was a wreck but luckily things cleared up on time and I was able to have my wedding on beach and cocktail hour outside by Jacuzzi area. Because the weather report said it would rain later in night Gina, the wedding coordinator advised me to have the wedding indoors in the ball room which is plan “Bâ€. I was very upset about this bc I had planned to have it outside by pool deck. I was so happy I listened to her. They made the ballroom look beautiful, it was air conditioned and it did in fact rain. I do think ballroom is better option if you have older guests. The bathrooms by pool deck are  far from the party and require you to walk down the stairs next to Seaside Grill. Hopefully they clean this for wedding party but they were dingy during the day. Also it would be annoying for the bride to use this bathroom if she needed to freshen up. They may have other options but just a forewarning.

Also my guests were relieved to be inside bc it is very windy by water and a bit humid.

 

I had the hotel DJ, Rodrigo Barcelo spoke very good English and followed our requests. I provided him with a list of songs to play and he followed it and took requests. He set the night up so that we would do the speeches, garter toss, bouquet toss before the photographers and videographer left. The first half night was a little slow bc he had everyone sitting down to eat, then we did the items mentioned and once that was done the party got started. It was a lot of fun. Rodgrio even put on a funny song and got my husband do a strip tease for me before he took off garter- one of highlights of night. He is a great guy, lot of fun. I definitely recommend him. My only issue was that I wish there was a little more dancing in between courses, rather than having everyone sit, but I am sure this is something you can discuss with him.

 

 

The staff at Dreams was great and very attentive.  We had a sit down dinner at our reception and worked out well. We had 33 people at the wedding. When we were on the dance floor the staff brought shots, lot of fun!

 

I didn’t use the hotel photographer, I brought in an outside company called La Luna, I had seen them on a blog and followed their work and it looked amazing, I am still waiting for my pics but they were great with us and took very creative shots. I had to pay for a room for them bc the Dreams doesn’t allow outside vendors. I am very excited to see their work but I have read hotel has a good photographer also. I used the hotels videographer and they seemed to be very attentive capturing the night but I still haven’t received the video either.

 

Gina and wedding staff were great.  There were some small setbacks. I was disappointed that during our wedding there was a lot of seaweed on beach. I had spoken to staff and they said it would be removed. It may have been due to all the rain from days before but it was upsetting to see it in all the pictures. Also, if you are getting married outside on beach, either north or south, there is not much privacy just be prepared. North beach is a little bit better bc it is away from Baracuda bar and volley ball courts.  There is a wedding gazebo by pool area- however everyone at pool is watching your wedding, but you omit seaweed issue.

 

Also the spa is beautiful, and they did great job with everyones hair and make up. I didn’t even do a trial and I was so pleased with the outcome!

 

I definitely recommend this hotel and having your wedding here.

Originally Posted by WPGBride 

 

Hi KellyKellz,

 

Evangelina (Gina) was my wedding coordinator. On the day we arrived we dealt with Yamina and she is much better than Gina and speaks better english. We had a language barrier with Gina and certain things we told her we wanted done or didn't want done she blatently ignored or just did not understand. Therefore I suggest make sure she understands completly what you want and expect.

WPG Bride, Thank you for this information! I will be sure to have everything planned out with pictures, etc... 

Originally Posted by Rach0636 

 

Thanks so much for your help. Barbara is supposed to get back to me by Tuesday with rates!

Great! She is awesome and very quick at responding. Let me know if you have any additional questions. Happy to help! :-) 

Great! Hopefully I will hear back from them soon. Do u know if they offer any discount to the wedding couple based on the number of rooms booked? b

Originally Posted by Rach0636 

 

I'm just wondering if anyone has anyone has any good advice. I'm really stressing out about informing my guests of the rates for the hotel. We are working with a recommended travel agent but even then, they are asking $1,064 per person in a garden view room for 5 nights not including flight. That just seems like a lot to ask! Any insight would help Thanks

Rach,

That seems REALLY high! You might want to try another travel agency. I am working with Wright Travel, and my travel agent Babs is really wonderful! The prices I was quoted for a Garden View room was:

Four Nights= $613  (total for 4 nights) per person (Double)

Three nights – $598 (total for 3 nights) per person/single

            $475 (total for 3 nights)  per person/double

            $461 (total for 3 nights)  per person/triple

Additional nights - $179 per person/single

                             $138 per person/double

                             $134 per person/triple

If you would like to contact her, her email is [email protected]. 

Hi Ladies,

Question about the DRC wedding coordinator. I see that many of you talk about a lady named Yamina, however I have been corresponding with a lady named Evangelina....Is there more than 1 wedding coordinator? 

Thanks :-)