mc5363

Quote: Originally Posted by cancunbride You make sure you ask the bartender to add extra shots. They use 1/2 shot of alcohol for a margarita. My father who was a bartender/bar owner told them that was not the way to make a drink, they advised him that they have to follow dreams rules unless the person requesting the drink asked for additional shots. So therefore, for one drink you need to ask for 2 additional shots or even three to actually be able to get a good stern drink... HAPPY DRINKING. Oh ya, and also.... all their alcohol is HOUSE alcohol meaning no name brand alcohol except for Kaluah. Their tequila is yellow and alright, their Vodka is like drinking acetone. hahah. The first night we were there we all asked for Vodka shots (Absolute or GreyGoose) and they brought us some type of acetone tasting Vodka (House) that sent my MOH straight to the bathroom to puke and then up to her room to shower 10 times and barf all night, she got sick off of it. So avoid the vodka, make sure its ABSOLUTE. Definately no shots of Vodka, and if you do then dont say I warned you. I recommend Absolute Mandarin with 7-up... sooo goood and not many calories!! Thanks for all the tips! My group is full of big drinkers so I am sure all the bartenders will know us by name:) If you post any more pics, let us know...I would love to see them! PS - you looked stunning!

Quote: Originally Posted by cancunbride Hi everyone.... Im back from an amazing wedding!!!! I DIDNT WANT TO LEAVE, i will be writing my review later on today Hooray! I am so excited that everything went so great for you. I can't wait to read your review. Make sure to include some pics. I am sure you looked absolutely gorgeous!!

I just started making my brochure, but you are welcome to it. Here it is! Itinerary Brochure.doc

Quote: Originally Posted by sunitam hey maria- did Cecilia give you the trade of cocktail hour for 15 extra ppl covered at dinner? how many guests do you have coming? i still have no idea but it would be nice to have the option to trade... I am having about 45 guests. Cecilia did give me 15 more people for dinner in exchange for cocktail hour. I also got gazebo decorations for the photographer and the sound system for the ceremony instead of the Mexican Trio during cocktail hour. I then did a cost analysis of what I was being offered for trades and came up with a $1,000 difference. I used that information to negotiate and extra hour a the reception for no cost. I booked DJ Mannia at a 30% discount too. It was actually cheaper to book him for 4 hours than it was to rent the sound system for 4 hours and since I am having my reception on the beach, it was worth it to get the extra lighting which he brings.

Quote: Originally Posted by Cassondra2009 I guess I was assuming that she would just deduct the amount of the cocktail hour from the wedding contract...I guess I will have to find out what she will do. I'm sure it says in this thread what Claudia has done in the past, but I can't read through all 3000 posts again! I haven't heard of them giving a credit in the past, but it's worth it to ask. Most of the time, they just offer you trades. You could try to get the sound system or gazebo decoration for instance. I would totally fight to get what you deserve for the cost. I spent a lot of time going back and forth and almost got trades in the full amount of what it would have cost separate. It's time consuming but worth it in the end. Keep in mind that you should be getting a credit for food, open bar and an hour of live entertainment if you forego the cocktail hour. Good luck!

Quote: Originally Posted by Cassondra2009 Did anyone here skip the cocktail hour? What did/will your guests do instead? FI was against paying for free drinks and food so were not having it. Also bc I decided to buy a different dress and gave up on the cocktail hour...haha. My wedding is in November and I am skipping the cocktail hour. Many girls on this site have done it and said that their guests had cocktails at the lobby bar while the bridal party took photos. Since it is already included in the wedding package price, make sure they comp you some other things to compensate. You should be able to negotiate based on drinks and apps for one hour and live entertainment. Look at the price list and see what that entitles you to.

Are they are girls in the Boston are getting married at Dreams??

Quote: Originally Posted by TA Jill Most likely there will be at least one other wedding the same day, you'll be busy, I'm sure you won't even notice it. If you think about it, most places that you'd have your wedding at, at home, have at least 2 weddings per day, one in the late morning/afternoon, and one at night, they're no different. We used Aqua for my husbands deep sea fishing trip, they had a good time, the ones that didn't get sick at least! That's good to hear because we were a little nervous about picking a random place for the deep sea fishing trip. I already asked my doctor if she could write me a prescription for the patches people wear on cruises to avoid sea sickness becuase I am sure that will be an issue.

I PM'd you about the Spanish for Dummies, Immodium and Pepto but now am thinking that I would take the Polaroid camera too. Let m eknow what you have available.

Quote: Originally Posted by mummergirl for ladies doing the legal ceremony, i FINALLY got some answers to my questions i sent on april 17th (after re-sending them yesterday)! 1) Could you please tell me the order of the legal ceremony? I need it in order to design our program. Reading of marriage license Speech Rings- vows Signing of license Declaration of wedding couple 2) We are doing a sand ceremony and having a family member read it for us as you suggested. When will the sand ceremony take place in the ceremony (before or after vows)? After signing the license 3) Please send me a copy of the vows we will say. Each justice of peace has different ones, we don’t know who will come claudia also confirmed that we will get the dreams eternity honeymoon package complimentary because we qualify, which is nice. however, she won't let us do the buffet with only 33 people. there is nothing i can pick that will be good for everyone. i don't know what to do. every single entree has seafood except the chicken from the silver menu. Do you know if you have to bring your own sand and vases to do the sand ceremony? Also, are you writing it yourself or did they supply you with a traditional sand ceremony?

I would be interested in the pashminas. Do you know what color blue they are?

I emailed a company in Cancun called Aqua World for some information on their offerings. They rent wave runners, do jungle tours, snorkeling, day trips to Cozumel, etc. I have attached the activity descriptions/price lists for anyone who is interested. Aqua World.doc

Quote: Originally Posted by Michelle613 I have no idea how they do more then one wedding a day. I will be super pissed if they do that on my day. My wedding is from 5-11 pm. There's no way they can do something that day can they? Unfortunately yes. If someone wants to get married before or after you, they definitely can as long as they pick a different location for the reception. It is a bit of a factory, but the previous brides didn't seem to be bothered by it and still had wonderful weddings so I am going with it.

So far, I odered canvas totes from Old Navy that have blue straps (my wedding colors) which I am going to fill with gifts. I got all the girls flip flops and rhinestone starfish necklaces. I am also going to buy them earrings and am contemplating those towel wraps. Hopefully, I will be able to find passport covers and found these really cute round luggage tags with their initials on them. I was thinking that I might get them all a bathing suit and cover up as well in less I can think of one big thing.

Quote: Originally Posted by DanielleNDerek We haven't decided on gm gifts yet, we each only have 2 attendants. We did buy all of the gm attire and bm dresses. For the bms, I bought big straw beach bags that I'm filling with the following: -flip flops -barefoot sandals - bathing suit coverup - palm tree photo frame - People crossword puzzle book - sunblock - silver starfish necklaces - i'm having my mom make the wedding jewelery and will also put in the bags - pjs - passport covers - team bride tanks from customized girl - travel kit that has mirror, tweezers, nail cutters - makeup bag that i'm going to fill with travel size toiletries And i think that's it for them. For the RB we bought his outfit also and 2 other shirts for him to wear when we are away (we dont' have a fg): - personalized toiletry bag - ringbearer tshirt - a couple of books - sand bucket and sand toys - baby sunblock - bathing suit and surf shirt - mickey mouse passport cover (thanks to Tammi) Where did you get your passport covers? I have been looking everywhere!

have a great time Sylvia! I know your day will be absolutely perfect. I can't wait to see your pics!!

Quote: Originally Posted by dc22173 I had a couple who booked at the last minute and got the $300 in resort credits. In my opinion... I do not think the credits were worth it. They got a few credits to be used in the spa but they could not be used together. When you look at the spa menu the least expensive service that I would get was $110!! .The least expensive romantic dinner is $200!!!! I complained to my travel agent once when I found that they got credits but after seeing what the credits were all about I let it go. The couple that was given the credits did not want to use them so they gave them to us. I left the resort without using any of them. Below is a breakdown of what the credits are: Romantic Dinners, two credits totaling $60.00 can be used in the following manner: two credits: ($40 and $20), applying one per dinner. (Please contact the Concierge for further information) Spa Services – Applies towards Massages, Facials and Body Treatments such as Body Wraps - three credits totaling $100.00 (usd) can be used in the following manner: two credits at $40 and one at $20 can be applied one per treatment. Bottles of Wine at our Restaurants and Bars, two credits totaling $40.00 (usd) can be used in the following manner: two credits ($20 and $20), one for each bottle of wine in our restaurants and bars. Did you write a review on your wedding?

Hi all! I am getting married at Dreams Cancun on November 5, 2009. We have about 45 confirmed guests attending our wedding. We are getting married at the Gazebo overlooking the ocean and then are having our reception right on the beach, which I am thrilled about! So far, I have: *sent my save the dates *booked our trip *created a wedding website - Maria & John - wedding website by mywedding.com *ordered my dress - JD1214 - by Maggie Sottero *chose wedding colors/theme *ordered my BMs dresses *bought the flower girl's dress *bought my invitations *booked my DJ - DJ Mannia *booked my photographer - Cancun Wedding Photography, Michael Marrus *began purchasing gifts for the BMs *chose the menu *started making a list of things to buy for OOT bags *chose place card holders - Buy Wedding Shell Place Card Holders with Cards - Wedding Shell Place Card Holders with Cards Online - Discount Wedding Shell Place Card Holders with Cards) I am getting really excited!!

It really seems that the media has dramatized the situation. This morning they said that it isn't as bad as originally thought and there were actually far less deaths in Mexico than originally reported. When you think about it, statistically, the spread of the flu isn't that bad. If there are 20m people in Mexico City and less than 1,000 have it and 320m people in the US and only 250 cases reported, I think we are ok. There still are no confirmed cases in Cancun and another bride on this forum got married last week and everyone was fine. She said that she didn't even know it was all going on until she was leaving. Keep your head up...I think there is a light at the end of this tunnel:)

It really seems that the media has dramatized the situation. This morning they said that it isn't as bad as originally thought and there were actually far less deaths in Mexico than originally reported. When you think about it, statistically, the spread of the flu isn't that bad. If there are 20m people in Mexico City and less than 1,000 have it and 320m people in the US and only 250 cases reported, I think we are ok. There still are no confirmed cases in Cancun and another bride on this forum got married last week and everyone was fine. She said that she didn't even know it was all going on until she was leaving. Keep your heads up girls...I think there is a light at the end of this tunnel:)

Quote: Originally Posted by Cassondra2009 Are any of you having a planned welcome/rehearsal dinner? I know some brides just show up with their guests to a restaurant and ask to accomodate everyone, but we have 45 people so I'm thinking that we wouldnt all fit. We are planning to have a rehearsal dinner. I have 45 guests as well and since you have to pay to have it on the resort, we have decided to go to a local restaurant. We thought it would be a nice break for everyone and a fun night out. We will probably separate after that for our bachelor/bachelorette nights. I will let you know when we decide on the restaurant. We are getting prices/menus now.

I am feeling very optimistic myself and am planning on going ahead with my original plan to get married in Cancun. It seems that things are under control. And let's put this in perspective shall we. If there are 20m people in Mexico City and less than 1,000 have come down with swine, statistically that really isn't so bad. Of the 320m people that live in the US there are approximately 250 cases. Again, not so bad. I think things were dramatized in the media and I honestly believe that everything will be ok. May brides, hang in there. Everything is going to be perfect!!

Good luck Sylvia! I hope your wedding day turns out perfect and can not wait to hear all about it when you return:)

Quote: Originally Posted by quackquack I feel the same way you feel. My wedding is 5/30 and I was going to wait it out but that really is not going to assure that people are going to feel comfortable to travel so soon. I am in the process of Plan B but don't know where to start because I don't like the wedding site at Dreams Punta Cana. I just want to have a good time and planned excursions in which I don't want to be confined to a hotel on my vacation. This is a really hard decision with not a lot of time, I could not sleep last night. I am so glad to have you guys to talk to because you are the only ones that truly understand. I am just so stressed. I am going to schedule an appt for massage today. I really need to relax First off, I am so sorry that this is happening to you. It really stinks that after all this planning, the wedding venue isn't going to work. I have never been to the Dominican, but many people seem to love it. Dreams also has a resort in La Romana. Did you look at that one? My wedding isn't until November, but I figure better safe than sorry so I started looking into a plan B as well. I contacted the Riu Paradise Island in the Bahamas and their weddings are very affordable...just an idea.

I think all we can do is keep up to date with everything that is going on and hope that it is contained. I emailed my photographer about the potential for a refund if things don't clear up and this was his response. It made me feel a little better. Hi Maria, According to the Hotel Association on Chamber of Commerce of Quintana Roo, which are the ones who have stipulated all refund policies for major hotel names and private companies such as Cancun Wedding Photography, the only way this refund would be applied is if the state of Quintana Roo issues an international warning of not coming to Cancun or the Riviera Maya due to the pandemic. This warning has not been sent out since Cancun has not been affected and there are no proven cases of the flu in the entire state and the ones surrounding. International media / press has a tendency to "dramatize" news facts across the world, which can sometimes affect several destinations at once. Our recommendation would be to come down to Cancun and enjoy your wedding day, celebrate this most important day with your loved ones and enjoy the magic of this destination.