REBECCA

Quote: Originally Posted by EDYTA Rebecca - I'm a little late but still wanted to Wish you a big CONGRATS!!!!! I'm so happy that everything worked out amazing, your ceremony and reception looked so beautiful and honestly about the chairs for your ceremony I really liked them, I saw a set up for a ceremony on the beach with those kind of chairs covers but they were in a purpley colour (well I thought they were great) Hope you enjoyed your honeymoon and your arrival back home as a MRS...Yay so exciting.... Like everyone I can't wait to see your pics, hopefully they will be up soon Thanks Edyta!!! We had a great honeymoon!!! I just e-mailed Juan to find out how much longer on the photos!!

How many hours did you ladies book with your photographer? We did 4 hours. 3:30 - 7:30. I think Juan may have stay a little over, but I didn't look at the clock when he left. He had an hour before the ceremony (30 minutes with Marc and his GM and 30 minutes with me and my BM's). He got some hugging shots right after we said I do, then ther family & serious shots. I beleive he finished up right after the speeches, dances and I think got like 20 minutes of fast dancing. Before he left, he asked if we wanted him to stay and but we chose not to extend his services. I feel like we got a lot, but I won't know until we get the darn pictures!!!! AHHHH! I'm going to e-mail him right now and check his progress!

Awesome! Thanks!!

It is a surreal experience. Funny...I was so nervous like 2 weeks before, but like Tammy said, once I got there and spent time with my friends and family beforehand, my nerves were gone. I felt like I was just on vacation rather than getting married. I got a little nervous like a couple moments right before, but I held it together pretty well. Maye's husband married us and he kept fumbling over his words trying the read the ceremony. I didn't cry at all, just a couple of big deep breaths. My dad was really emotional! He was crying when he gave me a way and right after the ceremony disappeared to compose himself. That is what made me cry...him crying. Anyway, it will be here before you know it and gone that much faster. Trust me. GET A VIDEO. The ceremony is a complete blur to me. I wish I had the reception on video!

We used 30 total. Tell Mariana that you saw my pictures. They are very easy to transport. They come packaged flat as a pancake, so they are stackable. maye recommended using a couple different sizes. I am glad I did that, I like the way the two sizes looked!!

Quote: Originally Posted by host really? i had the palm tree lights up but didnt request them or put them up myself.... Really? Well I kow Meahgan brought some, so maybe she added to what they provide or something

Hey Natalie, Search the web for Chinese Paper lanterns to shop for the best price. But I found mine at The Paper Lantern Store 10" White Even Ribbing Round Paper Lantern The bigger ones in the pictures are 12" and the smaller ones are 10" inches. I don't think that Dreams has them, but I know Maye does! Mariana worked on the wiring for weeks. At first she didn't think she would be able to frame the dance floor, but figured it out and told me a few weeks before the wedding that it was going to work. Have i mentioned how great she is??!

Oh and Meahgan (from the forum) had her wedding the day before mine and left the palm tree lights up for me. It really added to the lighting (thanks Meahgan!).

I brought my own lanterns. Maye provided half and I bought the other half and I just left them all with Maye. Dreams charged me $180 for the wiring. I bought the lanterns online for like a couple bucks each. The chairs at the reception were the chairs I wanted for the ceremony. I assumed I was getting those! Maye provided the rose petals for me at $29 per dozen. I e-mailed Maye a picture of some hurricane candles from Pier One that I liked. She found some for me and charged me $10.00 a piece for them. She had the candles made for me in the color that I wanted. They were around $10 a pieces too.

Wow Janet! Gorgeous pictures!!! Bradley did a great job and you look soo beautiful and happy!! I like how organized you are with your photos. I don't know if I have the patience to do something like that But I should learn!!

Hey Nicole, Regarding the chairs, I'm sure if you specify, they will do either chair cover (the fitted or the flowing). If they'll give you the fitted ones for the reception, I don't see why you couldn't request those for the ceremony too? I just assumed. I do know they charge extra if you want the ties around the chairs. Also, FYI, my cocktail hour was included in the price of the ceremony. I think it worked really well with the Trio playing and their being a bar set up while we took photos. It gave everyone something to do! Regarding the slideshow that Juan does, yes, you have to request it. He just started charging for them because they are so time consuming. He charged me $100, but I think I was the first he started charging, so it may change. The honeymoon suite was really big. It was a one bedroom with a full size refrigerator, huge walk in closet, living room, dining table, sofa & coffee table. Very comfortable!!!! I put a quick Kodak photo gallery together of candid shots so you can see what I'm talking about on the chairs, size of the suite,etc. There is also a shot of my centerpieces, which came out more beautiful than I imagined!! I threw a picture of Juan in there too! Kodakgallery.com*Slideshow

It sounds funny, but we ate SOO much and soo often on our honeymoon that we are finding it hard to eat normally again at home. I told Marc to drag me to the gym with him today. I have to start somewhere!

Hi Ladies, I wanted to add that they were very strict in enforcing the dress code at the restaurants for dinner. Long shorts and a collared shirt for the men at most restaurants. Portofino required men to wear long pants and collared shirts. There was no dress code at El Patio. Woment can wear anything short of a bikini (go figure?). Anyway, make sure to let your guest know to bring enough collared shirts to cover all night. One of our guest only brought two (some guys just one) and had to rewear them (dirty or not) to eat.

Glad to hear you guys are still going strong..that is awesome!! I ate okay and worked out everyday in Cabo the week of my wedding, but, ever since, I have been eating and drinking what I want (and not excercising!!) I think I've gained a few pounds, it comes back fast. I need to get back on my program next week. Seriously.....it comes back a lot easier than it comes off...that's for sure!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Natalie M Rebecca, congrats on your wedding! Thanks for the detailed review because i'm getting married at Dreams and it really helps! I can't wait to see your pictures from Juan!! I'm sure they will look beautiful!!! Thanks Natalie! Let me know if you have any specific questions?

Quote: Originally Posted by JANET1111 Rebecca -- great review! I swear our weddings/reviews are so similar! Too funny, especially because we used totally different vendors. But dates, times, size, timelines, and the kinds of things we did were really similar. I can't wait to see pics! This will definitely be helpful for other Dreams brides Thanks Janet! You look so beautiful in your Sig picture! Have you posted all of your photos yet?

Thanks Jackie!! Yours is just around the corner. Are you getting married in May of 07 or 08??

Quote: Originally Posted by TAMMYM Rebecca, I just got off the phone with Juan, he said they are working on your photos right now. He said he did some different things with your pictures that he thinks everyone is going to like.. He wouldn't go into details but I'm dying to see them.. Oh GOOD!!!! Thanks for the info Tammy!! I'm so excited to see them. I paid him an extra $100 to make a slide show (Tammy(host) I stole your Jack Johnson song. I just loved it so much, I hope you don't mind). Kash - Thank you so much for digging up the editing guy. I already paid $50 to have it converted onto DVD (3 copies), but I may have it edited. You're right, it's probably not Sam, it is that it is just unedited. I will write Maye bout the flowers. I can be passive sometimes when it comes to that stuff. But you're right, if it will help out the future brides (aka..you guys ) it will be worth saying something.

Quote: Originally Posted by host well, steve and i have only watched the video once or twice but we look at and share our pics with everyone...i really can't wait to see what juan did because you are so pretty i know he is gonna make you look like a supermodel! Oh thank you Tammy, you are so sweet! I can't wait to see the pictures too. I'm dying!!! Sam did get footage of the photo shoot and I can tell the pics will be amazing.

Quote: Originally Posted by TAMMYM Welcome back Rebecca, great review. I have a question I was quoted 165.00 for my bouquet through Maye for C. Orchids and roses. Does that seem high? I think she quoted me $135 for orchids and lilies or orchids and cala lilies? Anyway I wish I had gone the more colorful route. The lilies were pretty, but I am wishing I did those fuschia roses for the arrangents at the ceremony (rather than the lilies). But I didn't want to worry too much about the ceremony flowers because it was going to be so short. Someone timed our ceremony at 7 minutes!!! It felt like at least 15 minutes to me!

I don't think so. I specifically asked to hire him for an hour and paid $250. His price was $350 per hour, but since I had already found someone else, I guess he wanted the business, so he offered to charge me $250 to hire him instead. When were were e-mailing, he was trying to upsell me to 2hours saying he would break up the two hours to get some of the reception. I don't remember what I said. I might have said that's okay, I just really want the ceremony. Which is all I wanted at the time. But now I wish he had got the dances and speeches, etc. Hindsight is always 20/20.

Thanks Tammy. Maye delivered the flowers, so she must have seen them. I will e-mail her. She is good and I don't want to discourage her or anyone from using her. But I paid $100 for that bouquet. I could have paid $40 more and had a orchid bouquet. Sam is so nice... I feel bad complaining to him. We only paid for an hour and he filmed an hour & a half. I shouls have specifically asked him to break up the hour. Bcz right when it cut off is when all the interesting stuff started happening. Mariana is wonderful. She was great and very in control under pressure. You are right about the two coordinators...I honestly think that that is where the confusion came from.

Hi all. I’m back from my honeymoon and wanted to give the full review. Here goes… DREAMS – (A) I couldn’t have been happier with our location. We had the ceremony at the gazebo and the reception at the Oceana Pool Terrace. It was a really HOT day (and evening), unusual for November, so the pool came in really handy. There was a long shallow step right next to where the tables were set up. So, many of us ended up in the pool dancing on the step. It was really fun! Mariana was great. She is really organized and kept her cool under pressure. However, there was a couple hiccups. #1) I was disappointed with the ceremony chairs!! I paid $20 per chair, so I thought I’d get the nice fitted chair covers (like they use at the reception set up), I didn’t even think to confirm? Marc and I swung by the gazebo earlier in the day and saw the chairs set up and they were draped with this unfitted crinkled silk chair cover that fit loosely over the chair (resembling a silk hefty bag). I figured that they were just protecting the chairs until they got the cover on them. I never thought to inquire or check back later. Well after the ceremony was over, I noticed that THOSE WERE THE CHAIR COVERS for my wedding!! Those were the chairs I paid $20 each for. So, be sure to double check those details and see for yourself what you are getting. I should have been more specific instead of assuming. On a brighter note, they did look pretty blowing in the wind when everyone was sitting in them, so pictures will still be beautiful. #2) I gave Mariana all of my stuff, (lanterns, tea lights and place cards) all in one big bag the day before the wedding. So, the day of the wedding (minutes before walking down the aisle) Mariana asked me if I had the place cards? I told her I gave them to her with the rest of the stuff and she said if you gave them to me, then I’ll find them. Luckily, I had provided her with a spreadsheet indicating what table everyone was sitting at, so, I had told Mariana that if she couldn’t find them, to have someone greet everyone personally and escort them to their table, using the list I gave her. Well sure enough, as we approached the reception, my friend Holly was holding the spreadsheet asking guest names and telling them their table number. It actually added a nice personal touch and if that was the only thing that was going to go wrong, I wasn’t going to complain. I look at it like there are a million details involved in planning a wedding, so things are bound to go wrong, you just have to hope that it is nothing major . PS, she ended up finding the place-cards afterwards (I knew I gave them to her! Ha! Ha!). BUT it all worked out, so I didn’t complain to her. The cocktail hour was really great. They blocked off a part of the El Patio restaurant (right next to the gazebo) and I pre-selected a few hot and cold appetizers to be served. There was a bar set up right there and the trio continued to play while we took photos. I think it went rather smoothly. At 6:00 the Trio led our group to the reception location and played all the way to Oceana Terrace. The DJ took over from there. It flowed really nicely! At the end of the night we tipped Mariana $50 and another $100 for the servers to split with the bartender. She was wonderful to work with and soo sweet! FOOD - Restaurant food – ( / Reception Food (A+) As I mentioned before, the restaurants at Dreams are just so so. My advice is to order simple menu items. Don’t order the Cajun spiced blah blah blah with the mango sauce or the seafood sampler blah blah blah…etc. Order stuff like just the steak, or just the shrimp, etc. For lunch quesadillas, chips and guac, cheeseburger, chicken sandwich…stuff like that and it is pretty good. Also they did a good job on breakfast. I found room service to be tastier than the restaurant food. Portofino restaurant is the exception. It is very good, the best there. For our reception, we opted for a lobster and filet buffet for an extra charge, which everyone ranted and raved about! There were some things missing from our buffet that I requested (breads & butter and tortillas). I simply mentioned it to Mariana and she took care of it. Also, the food was delayed and when Marc went to inquire as to why, they told us that the grill for the show cook wasn’t working. So they had to cook everything at the restaurant and bring it over. Again, no one noticed so I didn’t care. It was still very good and people were going back for seconds on the lobster! At that point, I just wanted to get the formalities over with (the dances, etc) so I could just drink and get the party started! REHEARSAL DINNER – (A)We had our rehearsal dinner at Portofino inside Dreams. We were charge $18 per person because it was a private party. They set up 4 rounds of ten on the patio and opened up a half hour early for our group. The service and food was fantastic! Beforehand, they made me pick a special menu of one starter, 3 entrees, and one dessert. We chose the Caesar salad to start, entrée choices were meat lasagna, Chicken stuffed with spinach & cheese and a steak dish. Dessert was tiramisu. Many people commented that it was the best tiramisu they have ever had. They served their local wine which was fine. We were a little irritated because Mariana told us that they had printed special menus for our group and when it came time to order, the servers knew nothing about any menus. Then Mariana showed up with enough for half of our group so they passed out one menu per two people. It was weird and had I known, I would have made really cute ones and brought them with me. But again, it was a minor mishap that I quickly overlooked. I wasn’t going to let it ruin the evening. TRIO GUTARISTS A+ We arranged the trio through Maye. We had the trio play from 4:00 to 6:00PM. The ceremony was from 4:30 to 5:00, so the idea was for them to be playing as people arrived and were seated, then all during the ceremony & cocktail hour. I didn’t get to hear much of them at all, but Marc said they were great and everyone loved them. It was perfect for the cocktail hour. DJ (Ricardo …. arranged thru Maye) – (A+++++) Our DJ was arranged by Maye and his name was Ricardo (don’t know his last name). We met with him and Maye together on Saturday morning ( I recommend meeting with your DJ prior to your wedding). He was articulate, very professional and brought our song list we provided along with his laptop containing all his music. We went over timelines again, he asked us which fast song we would like to play first to kick off the dancing (once the first dance was over), etc. We felt a lot better having this meeting. He emceed when necessary and played awesome music. We tipped him $50. FIREDANCERS (A+) The firedancers were also arranged through Maye. I thought it was going to be about 5 or 6 people performing, but it was only two women and there were a couple men playing the steel drums, etc. Still, it was an amazing show! They took everyone by surprise and were a big hit. CAKE (A+) Maye also arranged the cake. It was SOOOO good! This was the least important thing to me, so I didn’t expect much here. But MAN was it good. We had a marble cake with chocolate ganache filling and buttercream frosting. We paid $4 per slice, so $240 I think for 60 people. PHOTOGRAPHY – JUAN CARLOS TAPIA ~ (A+) Juan met with us on Friday to discuss all of the timelines, etc. He was late (I believe we were his appointment after Nicole), but he explained his tardiness and had a good excuse. Plus he felt really bad because he’s never late!! But he was prompt on the day of the wedding. Though I haven’t actually seen the photos yet (I should get them this week), we got to see a few on his camera, and he definitely lived up to his reputation and my expectations. He was very serious and didn’t like a lot of horseplay. A little curt (personality-wise) but I think it is only because he was on a time line before the ceremony started, and after the wedding, we were losing the sun and had to hurry to catch sunset pictures. So I could understand his frustration having to wait for people that didn’t follow instructions and wait around for photos, etc. But he was worth every penny and I highly recommend him!! He was having a lot more fun once the reception started. I can’t wait to see the pictures!!!!! He left after the father/daughter dance and we tipped him $50. VIDEOGRAPHER – SAM PERCHES ( I barely saw Sam (only because I had tunnel vision walking down the aisle). But Marc said he was on time and it wasn’t until we were walking back from our beach photos that I even noticed him. I hired him for one hour, so I was thinking I would have him from 4:30 to 5:30, but he stayed for one hour of film time. So I saw him filming part of the reception too. But I was a little disappointed in the video when I watched it. The lighting was not very good in some shots (fading in and out), but when he’d turn away from the sun, the light was much better. So we had many shots of what looked like silhouettes of people with a gorgeous blue ocean in the background. Also, I wish he had broken up the hour by stopping filming and picked back up later. I’m sure he would negotiate that if anyone is interested. Many shots were like 15 seconds long of a palm tree in the sunset. What was strange was when he chose to end the video. My friends did a slideshow for us, narrating with a microphone. The video just ended right in the middle of her speech Granted, I chose to not have it edited and just converted the raw footage, but it was a really boring video. I really only wanted it for the ceremony, but in retrospect, I wish I hadn’t “cheaped out” here and at least kept him through the speeches and first dance. It was just 15 minutes of the ceremony and 45 minute of nothing. He was really nice and does okay for his price. I know he offers all sorts of packages (including editing, music, etc). So maybe I would have been happier taking that route. OVERALL (A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++) All in all, it was an amazing wedding and I wouldn’t have done anything differently (except maybe spent a little more on a colorful orchid bouquet). But all of my friends told me that it was by far the funnest wedding they’d ever attended and I agree. It was the funnest wedding I’ve ever attended too! I think that covers everything. If you made it to the end, I commend you! I’d have gotten bored a long time ago  If there is anything I didn’t cover or if you have any questions, let me know!! You’re next girls!!!! Enjoy every moment!

Janet...CONGRATULATIONS!!! Didn't we havew beautiful waeather?? Meaghan was having her wedding at Dreams on Saturday and us on Sunday. So we bummed into her and Joe on a regular basis. She left her white lights wrapped around the palm trees for us...it was really sweet! Our balcony overlooed the Oceana terrace, so I saw their first dance and I think they saw ours. We were both saying that we wonder how Janet's wedding is going? Then I was walking by and Nicole calls out my name. It definitely is good to put a face with the name! Okay seriously, I'm getting off the Internet right now...really...right now .... Okay girls...talk to you later (really this time!). Rebecca

Karla, Wait until you see my pics. Our groomsmen have the same attire, our husbands are wearing similar attire, our hair is similar, our rings are similar. Funny!! You look beautiful and the location looks amazing!