brittbrowne

K&R- Yes, the dazzling details site is amazing. I stumbled on it awhile ago and it really sealed the deal for me with Dreams! I'm super excited to have our event there! That's cool you'll be there the week before us. We arrive Sunday the 24th, but I assume you'll already be on your honeymoon by then? By the way, have you made many plans yet with the on site WC (Diana)? I haven't bothered much to deal with her yet, because I don't think we are on her radar since we are still 9 mos out. Britt PS I LOVE your engagement photo!

I decided to hire a designer a little while back, so that I'd have someone local to coordinate the rentals and the on-site wedding design. That way I don't have to worry about issues like contacting and negotatiating with vendors (which can be a time consuming, slow process in Mexico). Also I get the benefit of her experience and existing relationships with local vendors. And finally, I will have less to deal with the day of. Let me know if you would be interested in my designer's contact information. Best, Britt

Quote: Originally Posted by Nitnylyin1 Hi BrittBrowne! I too am getting married in PV at Dreams. I'll be heading there in 3 months....I'll have to fill you in on the details. That is great! I am so excited about Dreams! I keep getting very positive feedback from anyone we've brought on board to help with the event, so I am psyched. Everyone says it is just so beautiful and a major plus to be doing an event there. Definitely give the scoop when you return! I won't be doing a site visit before the wedding, so any inside information you can pass along will be greatly appreciated. Britt

THANKS SO MUCH! It is so nice to hear that you were happy with the overall choice to do a destination event. I feel like I have been getting a lot of flack recently from people about the wedding be in Mexico, and I feel like I'm always defending my choice. In the end I know that the people who are there will love the event, and I know they and I will be happy. It is great to hear you had a such a wonderful experience and felt it was a good value (that was part of the reason we chose a destination wedding, and PV as our destination). Your pictures look great. The reception looked beautiful! I'm so glad you had such a successful event! I'll definitely keep your contacts in mind!

Your event looked beautiful! I love the red accents at the reception. Congratuations!

I'm wondering if any of you have experience with tent rentals in PV? I'm considering renting a tent for our wedding next June, since recently I have realized my wedding falls right at the beginning of rainy season. I'm planning to have around 30 guests and a dance floor and I'm hoping that a smaller tent rental won't cost a fortune. It would be ideal if that rental company also offerred some other rental options for lanterns, tablecloths, tiki torches, etc. It would be great to keep things simple by going with one vendor. Does anyone have any contacts or pricing information? Thanks so much!

Quick update on this: my FI called the main reservations number and they have no information on scheduled renovations at this time. The wedding coordinator Gaby said the same thing, and that she would let us know if any renovations would affect us if she finds out about them. So, this might be an unfounded rumor, or it might be true - no real confirmation here.

Quote: Originally Posted by Jenn6603 I am trying to plan my upcoming wedding at Dreams PV and am trying to decide between the onsite WC and an offsite one... I am feeling a little panicky - we have a list of "probable guests" that adds up to about 38 ppl... We all know though that you can't count on probable - you have to wait until people make their deposit... If I go with an outside WC, I am looking at a fairly significant cost, which I don't mind paying IF I have those 30+ guests... If I only end up with half (or less) the guests (12-16), I am concerned that the cost using the outside coordinator will be too high when its all said and done... I have tried to contact the WC at Dreams so that I can compare pricing, etc and make some sort of decision... I have sent two emails and still nothing (its been two weeks)... I need to get moving and firm up a date, etc! I can find lots of info from people about their experiences with the outside WC... Can anyone provide me with more insight on having the Dreams WC take care of all the details? If the onsite WC takes care of things, what little things do I need to worry about on top of that? Am I panicking for no reason? Thanks!! Jenn Hi Jenn- I've had a really hard time getting in touch with the wedding coordinator at Dreams PV - her name is Gaby Rojas. I have been trying to get in touch with her for several weeks now about changing my wedding date (from June 6, 2009 to an earlier spring date). I emailed multiple times and called and left several messages because I figured the dates might be booked. She just got back to me and of course all but one of the six days I was offering (in april and may) were booked. My last choice was available. We've decided to stick with June 6 even though we are worried about rain. Seems like we have a chance of dry weather since this is the beginning of the rainy season. Anyways, about the Dreams WC, Gaby. I asked her when I first spoke with her (sometime in May) about whether I should look into hiring an outside coordinator (I mentioned Dazzling Details). She said she has worked with them before, and that I should have them write up a quote for me if I want something really "special". She said she can arrange a lot of things, but she won't have as many options for linens, etc., although she can also try to arrange for special rentals. At that time I asked her to check into a band I heard last year at the Marriott. She said she could call to contact them, but of course she has not followed up. I too have been grappling with the decision of wether or not to hire an outside coordinator, but I've decided that I am okay with doing several things myself. (I called the Marriott today and got the contact information for the band "Jai", because I'm tired of waiting and want to lock them in.) I figure that if you are willing to do a little legwork and take the initiative to plan the tablescape details and book the band and photographer, then Gaby should be sufficient for coordinating the day of the event. I too only have a possible guestlist between 20 and 40. I plan to bring several items down and integrate white linens and plates into my table design in an effort to simplify and work within the hotels' typical parameters. I've seen other posts that mention Gaby and I believe they noted that she isn't great with following up because she is busy working also as a waitress (a fact I can confirm because of the several times I've called she's been working the lunch shift.) Sorry to ramble, but to be more specific: if your budget allows I'm sure an outside coordinator will take the stress off. But if your budget is more of a consideration and you are willing to simplify and supplement the DIY way then you can probably make do with Gaby's complimentary services the day of... By the way, I know I'm late to respond on this. Maybe you've already booked?

I don't have any experience with such a small destination wedding, but I do have some thoughts. (I'm planning for a wedding with 25 to 40 guests.) I think the main thing is to remember that the event is going to be very intimate regardless. If I were you I would play on that theme. Maybe do one table for the reception, so everyone can sit together. Also, maybe you can scale down the musical talent by hiring a single guitarist who serenades the guests or a pair of steal drummers. Essentially, one or two artists with a more intimate appeal and smaller sound. I just think you should try to enhance through your planning the intimacy that is inevitable in the experience. I think your event has the potential to be very special because the people that care most about you will be with to share it! Good luck planning!

I'm wondering if anyone has heard about renovations planned for Dreams Puerto Vallarta in 2009? I just read a review recently posted on trip advisor which states that renovations will begin next year. Any truth to the matter? I have contacted the wedding planner to get a definite answer, but I thought maybe one of you might already know?... Thanks~ Britt

Welcome to the forum! Good luck with the next step - it is the hardest thing in the world to pick the resort. I think it took me 6 mos, but then again we had time on our side. We consdiered the RM, and I really loved the Paradisus. I would check into it if I were you. It is very beautiful and is a more high end resort, but rooms start at around $300 per dbl. occupancy per night around June 1st (that was our date). May should be similar too. The resort has beautiful amenities and the wedding planning there is more sophisticated. I dealt with a planner Perla, and she was amazing at answering all of my lengthy questions. Only problem I had was that the only backup location for the reception dinner (if it rained) was a banquet room, so we were considering renting a tent as a backup option for our group of 25-40 guests. Other than that the hotel had everything I wanted, even an outdoor backup location in the gardens off the lobby for the ceremony. Other hotels I really liked while searching were the El Dorado hotels (seaside suites and Royale) - but these were a little more expensive and the beaches weren't as nice. I also looked into the new H10 Punta Coral/Turquesa, but had bad experiences dealing with the wedding planners there. I liked this resort though because it was beautiful and modern, and brand new... but I didn't feel confident with wedding planning there because every time I'd asK the planner a question she'd give me an answer like "we are new so I can't tell you...". I was always thinking - be creative and come up with a real answer. Anyways, good luck with your search. Remember once you select a place it is all down hill from here. I would suggest contacting any resorts you are interested in directly. You will quickly get a feel for the price and how helpful the planners will be. WELCOME.

Hey Paradisus Brides- Although I have switched over to Dreams PV, I have to mention that I have had wonderful experiences dealing with Perla at the Paradisus. We have been corresponding over email. I've been sending her emails with like 10 paragraph long questions and then she gets back to me rather quickly with very thorough answers. The reason we decided to opt for another location was because we really love PV and we didn't like the idea of having our backup location for the reception (for our 25-40 guests) be the ballroom. Since the ballroom wasn't exceptable we were considering renting a tent if it happened to rain, but we've just decided that spending that extra money is a waste if we can find a resort that has a good open air backup option for the reception dinner. Anyways, I thought I'd still attach these menus for the PRC brides to review. These are standard menus for the Tequilla grill and Capri. Good luck planning. I know the Paradisus is a beautiful resort and I know you all will love it. Britt Tequila_Grill_(Ing).pdf CAPRI_-_ENG.doc

Hey Bostonian- I totally understand about your preference for RM. Considering your location it will probably be much better to have cheaper and shorter flights down. Just more conveient all around. I don't know much about non-resort planning, but I should mention that i had great experience with Perla at the Paradisus. We considered the AI hotel for our wedding until switching to Dreams PV. I've been in close contact with Perla and she was so helpful with answering my questions. I have contacted several resorts and she was by far the most attentive of all the wedding planners I dealt with. We considered Paradisus because the resort is very beautiful and is located south of cancun in an area called Riviera Cancun - so the beach there is very nice (a little seaweed from the coral reef right out there). Rooms started at $300 per night dbl. occupancy around June 1st so we thought that the price was reasonable considering it was a pretty high end resort. I would suggest checking this hotel out if you don't have success finding a non-resort site and planner! Good luck!

I really love that dress! I've been checking it out myself on the knot... it's such a perfect blend of elegance and laid back beauty! I'm not sure about the brides maid dresses though. I think that the stripy details might compete a little with your dress's lacy texture. I think I would say that I like number 1 and 3 the most for the cuts though! Good luck!

That's a great dress! I haven't tried this dress on, but I think it wil probably work for your shape, considering the dress type. Typically, halter tops are a good option for busty girls - in terms of support and flattery! But, I'm sure you'll still need to do a convertible bra in order to keep things in check.