PalapaGirl

Esmeralda got back to me very quickly--always within 24 hours. I'm getting married at Dreams in a couple of weeks and she helped me schedule hair appointments for myself, 7 bridesmaids, MOG and MOB--she definitely had a hard time fitting us all in. Question--our wedding and reception are on Seaside Beach. I have been to weddings before where the bride placed a basket of beauty products in the ladies bathroom for her guests to use throughout the evening (like hairspray, lotion, floss, tissues, etc.). I'd like to do this as well, but I have no idea where the ladies' room is in relation to Seaside Beach, and if this would really work (i.e., would other guests leave the basket alone?). Thoughts? Also, are anyone's guests getting upset about the new US State Dept. Travel Warning posted 4/22? I've received a couple of emails from concerned guests, and I'm not sure what to tell them. We had been planning to do a pub crawl downtown after our bonfire on Thursday, but now maybe that's not such a good idea.

Lilly, I would also love to hear what Dreams tells you about the taco cart. I would really like to do something like that during the afterparty after my reception (since we have to be off the beach at 10:30 we're planning to go to the Sports Bar for our afterparty, and I think it would be fun to have a taco cart show up there around 11pm or midnight). Dreams has been all over the place on outside vendor fees, so who knows what answer you'll get. I've been told different things by each of the 4 wedding planners I've had over the last year. Also, has anyone done the Old Town Art Walk? (See: http://visitpuertovallarta.com/events/art-walk-season/ and http://vallartaartwalk.com/menu.html) Was if fun/did it go smoothly? I'm thinking about recommending this as an activity for our guests on the Wednesday before the wedding.

I'm using Tamara and Patty at Chic Concepts for my wedding at Dreams in May, and they have been great and very responsive so far. Here is their email: [email protected]

I'm having my rehearsal dinner at Le Kliff in May (wedding is at Dreams), and have heard such great things but have never actually been there. Could anyone share some of their guests' favorite dishes? We are having about 60 people, so Carlos is having us pick three menu items each for appetizer, entree, and dessert, for our guests to choose from, and I'm having a hard time with my selections!

All-- I'm getting married at Dreams in about a month and a half, and I was wondering if anyone has recently gotten a Dreams groups coordinator to help organize a pub crawl or club outing in downtown PV. We are having a welcome bonfire ($250, quoted by Rebeca, the old Dreams wedding coordinator, in July 2010) on Thursday from 8:30 to 10:30, and then afterwards, we were thinking the young people could go party downtown. The problem is I have no idea which clubs are fun/safe/not super-expensive/require bottle service, etc., and which clubs would be OK letting in a group of about 30 people. Any recent brides, did you have any favorite bars or clubs downtown? Especially ones that are not really touristy? On another note, does anyone have any pictures of the "Sports Bar" at Dreams that they could share? I understand our wedding has to be off the beach by 10:30pm, and we plan to continue the party at the Sports Bar, but I have no idea what to expect/if I should try to bring some sort of decorations, etc?

I have a follow-up to Crystal1880's question---did anyone try any of the fish dishes included in the gold package menu, and were they good? I'm offering my guests a steak option (the chicken and steak combo in marrow and black pepper sauce, minus the chicken) and a fish option (I can't decide which one!). Here are the options Louise sent me: MAIN COURSE Chicken breast filled with fine herbs and mushrooms Fish filet Provence style in a sweet mango sauce BBQ chicken served with mashed potatoes and various buttered vegetables Combination of steak and chicken with a flavorful bone marrow in a black pepper sauce Fish filet "Vizcaina Style" filled with zucchini accompanied by Parisian potatoes Chicken breast forester (mushrooms, little onion and bacon) Chicken breast Provence style stuffed with vegetables and served with buttered potatoes Fish filet stuffed with cheese and green pepper mousse Chicken stuffed with squash blossoms Also, here are the Mexican Canape options she sent me for the cocktail hour, which all sound delicious. Did anyone have a favorite? COLD Ceviche in chalup Guacamole and salsa with totopos Tostadas of beef salpicon Panela cheese in chipotle sauce Chile stuffed with tuna salad Acapulco shrimp ceviche on tartlets HOT Mini tamales Mini tacos dorados Chicken and cheese turnovers Sopes with Mexican sausage Chile popper

I think the policy on outside vendor fees may have changed recently. Here is what Rebeca told me back in August: [Rebeca] actually it is a $500 usd surcharge fee PER OUTSIDE SUPPLIER you decide to bring into the property and you can not bring more than 3. But here is what Tania said in November re the fee: "If you decide to hire your own photographer will be fine, but when you hire an outside photographer the hotel will be charging you a $100usd fee to let him in property since we have those services in house."

First, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread--it has been incredibly helpful to me in my planning (I'm getting married at Dreams on Seaside Beach in May). It's time for me to start contributing! I was nervous about not having my own personal wedding coordinator because there is another wedding the same night as mine, so I hired Tamara and Patty from Chic Concepts (http://www.chicconcepts.com.mx/index.html), who Kristen at Dazzling Details recommended to me (she was booked my night). Tamara and Patty have been extremely helpful so far, and are very familiar with Dreams weddings, so if anyone is thinking about hiring an outside coordinator, based on my experience with them so far, I would totally recommend them.