ZachJess2013

Doesn't the beach bar close at like 6p tho?

Yes hair should be dry - one of my girls ran late and her hair was still a little damp they dried it no big deal - but I'm pretty sure they charge to dry generally - we had 31 total (paid for 32..1 was a no show.. don't ask.. haha) and we had our reception at Seaside Grill (we did not pay a fee for the location)

Just checked up dos for long hair is 65 short hair is 55 make up was 55 - oh and I wanted the 15% discount applied that comes with the ultimate package but of course they were like that can only be used for the couple-I was not happy and got them to give me 10% off

The cigar roller was 400-my husband got into it with them during the cocktail hour because they tried to put a limit on how many cigars we got-they ended up giving us more-they never specified anywhere how many you get so you might want to get that info squared away-we tipped them too-it was like 110 or 120 per girl for hair and make up-and yes we paid for it along with the dresses and flip flops and barefoot sandals and jewelry-it was our gift to them, sort of a thank you for coming-and since our group was small enough we included all the girls even the few not in the actual wedding party-made it fun for everyone and then everyone was included-luckily we had our wedding on a Thursday and ended up being the only wedding that day :-)

Definitely get a videographer-after the wedding it's all you have to relive the day! I am really looking forward to getting ours and getting to see it all over again :-) we planned an hour and a half for photos and ended up running out of time-give yourself lots of time

We We played Man and Wife by Michelle Featherstone-check it out :-)

And when I say we paid for 32 guests-20 were included-so we paid for 12 extra guests-do you have the budget excel spreadsheet ? That will help you plan exactly-I can email it to you if you want :-)

Oh and we had the DJ for three hours of course-wanted the fire dancers but I think it was like 800-we didn't want to spend that-they had fire dancers some nights as part of the resort entertainment, good enough for us :-) we didn't upgrade my bouquet or the cake-just used what came with the package

We had the ultimate package and paid the 500 deposit-we had 32 guests total-our final balance was like 7400-which included the light up dance floor, like 25 lanterns, 7 lights for under the tables-8 bridesmaid bouquets, 9 boutineers, pedals for the isle, flowers for the hair which I did not use-the cigar roller for the cocktail hour-the sound system for the ceremony-we brought our own decor-bows, isle decor and table center pieces-I gave them an idea of what I wanted for bouquets and told them to keep them 50 max each-we tried to keep it super simple and didn't add a ton-we used an external videographer and photographer so that was not part of the 7400-we paid an additional like 3600 for them-and then an additional 1400 at the salon for 13 girls for hair and makeup including my trial run-our room for seven nights was covered by our group block credit which was awesome-the 7400 also does not include any tips which we probably spent a good $500-so I hope this helps give you an idea-we were a good 13,000 for the actual wedding

Hi th Hi, the tanks I ordered off of etsy (love esty)-unique and trendy was the name :-)

FYI-we used a credit card to pay our room charges which included about 1400 for hair and makeup-we have had credit card fraud since-not sure if this is related but a few other girls posted this-I think opening a card just to use for dreams may be a great idea

Ha, well I would suggest some sort of wedge that is strapped to your foot, I'm sure you could make that work :-)

We all wore barefoot sandals which was fun!

V

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLwVgefTsP8 rehearsal video from adventure photos

Aw thank you! We actually were waiting to watch yours, and now it makes sense you were running late, we waited and waited and gave up haha our wedding was a crazy party, I can't believe how much we danced and how much fun we all had !

I actually have a lot of hair and makeup photos lol I was pretty happy with the turnout of our group-my husband's mom wasn't super happy with her makeup, we had them redo hers, it was just too thick and heavy. I was really glad I had them use my own makeup and told them to keep mine very natural and light. My sister also thought her makeup was a little over the top and had to tone it down a little. You just have to be very clear and tell them how you want it. The make up artists are the same girls who do your hair. I recommend water proof mascara too :-)

I definitely recommend up-dos if you want your hair to last, our group turned out pretty good, I have pics up on facebook if you want to see .. Jessica Rogo (or Rubidoux) .. I had them use my make up, hair spray and bobby pins, but only because I am super picky loll

the lanterns you need 25, yeah I think it was $250, we also paid for the lights under the tables, we had 3 tables of 10 and did 2 lights per table plus 1 for the cake table, 7 total

we had 14 get hair and makeup - they allowed 4 girls at a time - 4 9a, 4 11a, 4 1p, and 2 3p - shouldn't be an issue !

We did the buffet, planned 45 minutes for dinner, definitely stuck pretty close with 31 guests. I wouldn't pay for the extra hour to DJ, we went to Desires afterwards, we owned that place LOL

August is HOT, we just got married August 1 but honestly we didn't care !! we were all sweaty messes !! It does cool down a bit.. I was worried about the heat but it was totally fine, you are in mexico :-)

Hi everyone! We just had our wedding at Dreams last Thursday, August 1 and it was absolutely amazing! We literally had ZERO issues. I am so happy we chose not to get married on a weekend, we were the only wedding that day which made me completely relax. We could pick any of the venues and did not have to worry about any other weddings or minimum number of guests. We were also the only wedding getting hair and make up so we didn't have to worry about running behind schedule (and there were 14 of us!). I had the trial run for my hair which I am glad I did, I ended up making some adjustments and it turned out fabulous day of the wedding. Piece of advice if you are picky like me, I had them use my own makeup mainly for foundation, powder, and mascara. I also brought my own hairspray. If you are not sure on the ceremony location, 100% for sure go with North beach. The Saturday we arrived there were three weddings lined up on the beach so we got to see our options. The south beach in my opinion is not the best choice, it is right next to the children's play ground and the swing bar so there were people and children everywhere, you literally walk right down the middle of all the chaos! This is not to take anything away from any of the weddings, every single one we saw was absolutely gorgeous. We made a lot of friends around the hotel and they ended up all coming to the ceremony, they actually created a wall with their beach chairs blocking us from the rest of the beach, it felt incredibly private. After that first night we almost changed our reception to the beach terrace bc the set up was stunning (I am not a fan of the pool terrace). However we stayed with our original plan which was seaside grill and I was so so so happy with that location. We did not have to pay anything extra, I was prepared to fight that but it never even came up. I made them include seaside grill in our original contract before we even paid the deposit. We also hired outside vendors for photo and for video and did not pay any fees, I was also prepared to fight that, never came up. We used the photo and video from the ultimate package Adventure Photo for the rehearsal which was great. Claudia was our coordinator, she was our third coordinator. When we arrived we were taken right to VIP checkin, we were upgraded to a master suite, we had booked an ocean room. The master suite was perfect, plenty of space, we had so much stuff !! my very large bridal party hung out there and got ready there. They would not let us use the presidential suite to get ready (we asked) but they did let us walk out from there which was nice because we were all able to stay inside. For the rehearsal we went to oceana grill which is close to the north beach. I had let the hostess know we would be coming earlier that day, they of course don't take reservations but she said for us to arrive 15 min prior to opening and we would be the first seating, worked out perfectly. We did have some issues with our guests getting sick, seemed to hit everyone in our group at one point or another, not sure if it was the food or the water or the alcohol (might have been all the crazy shots we took). The layout and size of the resort I thought was great, never really had any trouble finding one another. Desires nightclub was our hang out spot pretty much every night. I have learned that the riviera maya is basically a swamp, so there are no waves, the water is bath warm, and I have a million bug bites even with tons of bug spray. We are up at Live Aqua now in cancun area and not one bite, the water is much cooler, and the ocean has clear blue waves. Also on a side note we booked a group excursion on the Dancer Cruise (instead of paying for a rehearsal dinner) and that was a ton of fun. Anyway I could go on for days! All I can really say which is what every bride says after a wedding at DREAMS is AMAZING, it was absolutely perfect, best decision EVER. Dreams really does cater to weddings, the service during our reception was above my expectations. The DJ which we had Mauricio was spectacular, I am glad he was there to keep us on schedule bc once our group hit the dance floor that was it LOL. Enjoy your day, it will be perfect, like a DREAM honestly. Jess and Zach -> P.S. Great meeting you Noelle :-)

I I have also booked Mike for August 1 and I had to fight fight fight I also told them that I would switch resorts.. Had to do the say for my photographer.. I just emailed and emailed relentlessly until they said yes and then printed the emails to take with me lol I agree it's super annoying and I refuse to pay a dime

One thing I have learned from this site is that I am not playing any games! I feel like I have spent the last three months battling with the resort .. But here's the deal, it's my wedding and they will do what I want or I will go somewhere else! I have read so many conflicting posts about whether you can book seaside grill or not whether outside vendors are allowed or not .. Some brides are paying extra, some are booking rooms, some have purchased day passes, some have paid a 30% commission fee! I am not paying a thing. I told them what I want and who I am booking and got them to agree. Period. I will print all the emails and bring them with me and if they try and charge me a penny I will say absolutely not. Right now my latest and greatest drama is they are telling me I can not use the photo and video services included in the package for the trash the dress session. Who are they to tell me what I can have them take pictures of ?! I paid for one hour and I will not forfeit those services. I think my point is .. This is Mexico .. And I think it is important to be very direct with them and don't let them tell you what you can or can't do. It would be one thing if their policies were clearly stated and they followed them, I absolutely believe they have the right to call the shots .. But not when they are making exceptions and bending the rules left and right! It's obnoxious! And as much as I do not want to have to change resorts, we are nine months out and we will do what we have to do. My advice is to be aggressive with what you want and get the things that are important to you locked in up front. I am not taking any chances, and let me tell you it has been a battle, but so far I have gotten everything I want.