Sarah

If you're getting married at Dreams, using Mariana, and are fairly organized and will have a go-to person to double-check things for you the day of the wedding you don't need an outside WC. If you get married at Sheraton, or don't have a detail-oriented personality you should def. get a WC.

Congratulations Bridget! Great review! I'm so glad you had WC's that come through for you- it definitely sounds like the on-site coordinator leaves a lot to be desired. I was one that gave Mariachi Los Cabos International a good review. I'm sorry they did not live up to your expectations, however I must say that for my wedding it sounds like I had a different group- their attire was perfect, their music good (not phenomenal, but fun and appropriate), and they were there early. I'm sorry it didn't turn out that way for you. Can't wait to see your pictures- especially of your cartoonish flowers! lol

I love them! You looked gorgeous

Quote: Originally Posted by Jtds2713 Thanks SArah! I am glad you appreciate it! I hope it will truly help other brides especially regarding RIU Santa Fe so they know what to expect. I am having trouble posting pictures. In one computer the pictures are showing up, but in my laptop it is not. I have tried to reduce the size at Photobucket but still not working. Should I make it even smaller? I am copying the IMG code and pasting it. I can see your TTD pics just fine. Are those the ones you can't see? When I upload to Photobucket I think I use the 640x480 size, then just copy/paste the IMG code into the thread.

Fantastic review Claudia! I'm so glad you loved Dreams Looking forward to your pics!

Outstanding review Jessica! I know you're still working on it, but just had to let you know how much we appreciate your attention to detail. It is WONDERFUL! You looked breathtaking at your TTD...can't wait to see more!

Happy birthday Melissa- you young'un!

I've been dying to read the last book and JUST finally finished it this morning. Holy crap was that awesome. I was so afraid I'd be disappointed and I've been trying sooooo hard to avoid spoilers for months.... so worth the wait- awesome book.

That's so cool Christine! I think it really makes it real when you can actually see it. Congrats...

I'd also call them medium. Love the teaser pic- can't wait to see the rest!

I do white lights and all purple, celery green, gold & silver ornaments. Here are a couple pics from last year...

Quote: Originally Posted by KACENGG Sarah, your comments and recommendations to future brides are absolutely correct. I can honestly say that we, as brides, can only do so much. At some point you have to hand everything over and give the responsibility to someone else - our wedding coordinators - no matter how difficult that is for some of us! There was no reason that any of this happened for my wedding I can honestly say. Everything was written out for Daniela so clear that I felt I was be overly anal as well. The way things were set up and the candles and decorations being on all of the wrong tables was her lack of attention to what I wrote. I told her to put the luminaries on the floor and table and there were none on the tables. The candles that were supposed to be on the dinner tables were crowded on the guestbook table with the 'LOVE' letters that were supposed to be on the cake table. It was a matter of inattention in my opinion. Also, we had maraca favours with tags that had our logo on one side and a 'Thanks for shakin it with us' note on the other. When everything was set up, only 2 marachas had the tags on them. I have no idea why! They were wrapped tightly with raffia and everything. All we can do is continually review things with the wc's to ensure they understand every detail of our vision....apparently notes as requested are not enough. Ladies, review review review!!! You're absolutely right Kim. At some point we have to be able to hand everything over to the WC and trust that things will be done right, despite how hard we've planned. And that's exactly why I hope you take this all the way to the top to get compensated for your losses- IPOD, "privacy charges", loss of decorations, etc. The way you were treated is just absolutely unacceptable. I'd also make sure you mention this forum and the thousands of members we have...I will definitely remember this thread if people ask about pros and cons of Riu vs. Dreams. I'm so sorry you've had to go through this- you seem to have handled everything with an amazing amount of grace. I would have been an absolute basketcase!

Wow Kim. I absolutely couldn't believe what I was reading. I can't even imagine all these things happening to me on my wedding day. I am so sorry you had to go through all of that. No one should have to go through that type of experience, regardless of how much was planned in advance, how many details had already been ironed out- that is just incompetence on the part of the hotel wedding coordinator. That woman should be fired. I hope you take this all the way to the top at the Riu. It is a beautiful resort, but unfortunately their lack of organization and customer service is quite disturbing. This is in no way a lecture to you, but I just want to remind future brides: You can not be too organized. And yes, despite your organization some things still can go wrong. But- if you have everything as organized and pre-arranged as possible it's much less likely. Save EVERY email, print them out and have them with you. I was able to dispute some charges (although small) that I wouldn't have gotten out of without my email proof. Write down EVERYTHING you want the resort to do for you, email this document and have the WC agree to it ahead of time. Ask specific questions throughout so that you will know she actually read it. I made powerpoint documents of my table layout- showing exactly where each placecard should be, where very votive candle should be, where each centerpiece, etc. I had a 5 page document going over every detail of my wedding (and gave a copy to everyone involved- my mom, MIL, friend, and WC) from the timeline, to the setup of the ceremony, reception- down to how many chairs were on what side of the aisle, on which side of the table, where I wanted the luminarias, etc. I was soooooo extremely anal in my planning, but I think it served me well. Yes, at many resorts you may be able to get away with minimal planning, but I don't think the Riu is one of them. That was a large reason why I decided not to get married there in the first place- I had such a poor first impression of the WC and planning people.

It looks great Heidi! You're brave...I've never felt that i had the pain tolerance for one.

Welcome to the mod squad Shelley!

Fun! Let's see...just got home from work- I think that would quality as Yeehaw!

Aww, she's adorable!

Congratulations!

Congratulations Alisa! Thanks for the wonderful review. It sounds like you had a great time. I love your husband's surprise the night before- very cool!

Once again, thanks Christine for taking care of this. You are the best! We seriously have the best group of girls around here...

That's so great to hear! Thanks Jennifer for all your help.

Happy Birthday Rebecca! And, happy belated anniversary I hope you had a wonderful day, and I hope your birthday dreams come true!

Glad you liked it Sarah. Hopefully this will be a reminder that we are all pulling for you. You're in my thoughts and prayers. Stay strong!

Gorgeous! Love the metallic paper & the print papers! The magnet is beautiful.

Welcome! I'm a Dreams bride too. You'll love it! Let us know how we can help