Hi, This thread has been amazing and helped me and the other half decide that we without a doubt want to get married at Dreams! We haven’t booked anything yet but are looking to get married in October 2014 and will be booking this in May 2013 once the flight plans are confirmed. There will be around 25 guests and we will be going for the Ultimate Wedding Package. There are so many questions I have before booking tho so I'm hoping some of you will be able to help me please... Thomas Cook So we are from England and will be booking our holiday/wedding all together with Thomas Cook, has anybody else done this? I've not heard any horror stories about weddings booked with Thomas Cook and we have used them in the past for holidays to Mexico and Cuba and were impressed , so I am confident that things will be okay but you never know. We are hoping to get a group discount as there will be at least 15 of us staying at the hotel for the full 2 weeks. And also a ‘Welcome Pack’ is also mentioned but I don’t really know what this is? Legal Stuff I'm a little confused about all the legal stuff... In the Thomas Cook brochure it advises to get all our documents translated in England then send them to Thomas Cook who will then sort everything out but on the Dreams website it says that the documents need to be translated in Mexico for them to be valid? This is the only thing that I'm really concerned about as I don’t want anything legally to go wrong or not be done before we fly. If anybody who has booked with Thomas Cook could let me know what the correct procedure is that would be great! Ceremony We were thinking of getting married on the beach, are there different parts of the beach you can get married on? And can we decide on the time the ceremony will be at or is that something the planner works out? I would love a violinist for the ceremony and don't mind the cost as it’s something I have dreamt of! Has anybody else opted for this? And as we are having the violinist, we wouldn't need the sound system but would like a microphone so people can hear us saying our vows, do they charge for the use of the microphone? Also it mentions in the Thomas Cook brochure that the person conducting the ceremony won’t speak any English and suggests paying for an interpreter, is this true? And I’d like to meet with them before hand to discuss the order of the ceremony and what will be said. For the decorations I want white drapes with flowers here and there, really simple and not too OTT so I’m hoping the hotel can supply with me the drapes and flowers? In regards to a rehearsal, can this be done the day before the wedding? As I have bridesmaids and a flower girl I really want a rehearsal so that everybody knows what they are doing on the actual day. Cocktail Hour We are thinking of having the Mexican Trio included in the package at the cocktail hour so our guests can have a boogie and take photos with them whilst we are off with the photographer. Can anybody suggest a place for the cocktail hour? As I would like this to be away from the beach for this part of the day. And what exactly happens at the cocktail hour, is it literally just drinks and the entertainment you choose? (Sorry if I sound clueless). Reception I would love the reception to be on the beach but have read posts about it being really windy at night time? Any other suggestions of where to have it would be great!. Even tho we are having a small wedding I would still like the DJ and light up dance floor because there a few party people in the group, what is the resident DJ like? And also would I be able to contact the DJ with a list of songs we would want playing at the reception? I don't mind splashing out a bit as everything would still work out cheaper rather than having a big English wedding like we were originally planning. For the reception decorations I would bring my own place cards, favours, table decorations and cake topper but was wondering what the tables and chairs at the reception are like? I would like one big table with all of us on but I’m not sure if they’ll be able to provide a table that big? And the flags and the lights that they offer, what are they like and are they worth the price because I really like the idea of them and it would save me bringing my own decorations over from England and with everything else I’m sure I’ll have minimum room in my suitcase! Also what is the latest you can have the reception until? There will be children at the wedding so don’t want it to be too late but would still like the day to last J Hair & Make up As the hair & make up is included in the package I defo want to take advantage of this, I have an idea of what I want my hair & make up to look like so will bring pictures of these along. I was wondering whether I should book a trial before hand? or just trust the people in the salon on the day? I would also like my bridesmaids to get their hair done at the salon so they feel special too; does anybody know how much this would be? Wedding Planner I’ve read some posts about people not actually making any decisions regarding decorations etc until they arrive at the hotel and also that the wedding planners aren’t that quick at replying to emails (which is understandable judging by how many weddings they do) so I was wondering whether it is worth emailing them asking for all the different options and deciding beforehand or just write down what we want and decide everything when we meet them at the resort? I know I have asked so many questions and probably not all of them can be answered but any answers/suggestions/tips would be greatly appreciated! I’m so excited for my wedding and just want everything to be planned down to the last detail. Thank you so much in advance! J