Majimart

Forgot to mention--we brought down 34 orange satin chair bows that we used. We never bothered to drag them back to Canada so they are sitting somewhere in the Wedding Coordinator's office at the resort. Hopefully they didn't throw them out--they were very nice. I thought they were nicer than the standard pink tulle ones they use at the resort.

We paid USD $800 for 6 hours for the DJ. I don't know if he has extras such as a dance floor/balloons/masks. We went with him because he took care of the "show" and announcements for us very well, and it was way cheaper than just renting the sound system at the hotel to the tune of $180/hour. We were told we also had to pay USD $110 for 2 day passes for him and his assistant (2 passes at $55/each) to come to the property which was still cheaper than the sound system alone. We never received the bill for those passes though (lack of attention to detail sometimes works in your favour). Anyways, I really encourage you to check out his services and to inquire about rates. I actually found him through Luisa Clement, a private wedding coordinator, who arranged this whole thing for me. I didn't have to do anything except provide the Dreams WC with a phone number. Luisa's address is [email protected]. The $800 we paid also took care of her "charges"--although I have no idea what they were. It was a deal in any case, so I jumped on it. Good luck!

Hi Everyone, We returned from getting married at this resort last week. I have to say that everything turned out really well, despite my nervousness resulting from poor communication beforehand. The wedding was gorgeous and we ended up being really happy with the way things turned out. We were working with a tight budget, so we basically stuck to what was included in the package. The only extras we had were the DJ, and some party favours/chair bows. We didn't even have OOT bags...oh well! No one knew any different. I did have Welcome Letters delivered to each room as guests checked in. All my guests were on package holidays, so they are always asked to buy excursions etc..the next morning. Having a schedule of events regarding the wedding really helped them out (I was told) when they were planning their day trips. As with any wedding, there were a few hiccups along the way, but all got resolved in time. Here are some suggestions from my point of view: Don't do a destination wedding here if you want every single detail to be done exactly a certain way. The wedding turned out fine, but some small things were missed, i.e. the cake was not what was promised to us, but it was way bigger than expected. If you have an easy going attitude, you'll be OK. Don't stress out about wedding details by email beforehand. We basically chose everything AGAIN when we got to the resort, despite having chosen it by email before. We brought favours/chair bows along, and everything looked great when it was set up. Save and print every email yourself. The WC did not have our latest requests--she only had the very first emails I had sent back in March. Your emails are good to have for reference so YOU can remember what happened. I was so happy I had them! Check, check, and double check on the items that are time sensitive. My dress and the suit was not picked up on time for pressing and I had to check on that several times. The suit was delivered t my fiance one hour before the ceremony causing some stress. Also, we didn't know the waiters at our beach reception had been told we were finishing at 8pm! They stayed until 8:45pm, when we clued in that something was wrong because they had shut down the bar. That was OK though--it gave me a chance to change and then we continued the party in the lobby bar and at the Desires Lounge later on too. We had the ceremony and reception at the same location on the beach. This allowed us to get an outside DJ (who was fabulous) who we hired from 3-9pm. We used his mic and music for the ceremony. The DJ was set up by 2:30 so he was playing prelude music etc...too. He also did everything for our reception really well! His name is Julian Molina and he can be reached at [email protected]. He was considerably cheaper than just renting the stereo equipment from the hotel (nevermind the DJ @ $300/hour--ridiculous!!!). We had our cocktail hour in the jacuzzi area with the Mexican Trio--fabulous! Everyone loved it! Food was great! We used a photographer from the resort--excellent photos! Professional service! The video was OK--but that was just an extra for us anyways. We got our hair/make up done at the spa. They were fantastic too! Bring in photos of what you want, and they will work with you. My wedding day was quite windy but the hair didn't move at all! They know what they're doing in their climate (high humidity/heat/wind sometimes). Our guests said that everything had gone beautifully and they thought it had been a gorgeous wedding. I had other resort guests come up to me the next day and tell me how great everything looked. They said another wedding had been taking place on the pool deck at the same time, but the DJ made the difference for us--said our party was "hopping." All these wonderful comments are fantastic to hear! I would do it all again the same way. There's no way we could have had the same wedding where we lived for the same cost (even with the flight and hotel factored in the equation). This was the best decision we could have made, and we'll have great memories from it.

Update: Parents and uncle have now cancelled their entire trip! This must be a blessing in disguise! I'm also getting emails about how selfish I am, and now my fiance is a "drunk" because we chose an all-inclusive resort, and I have somehow managed to squander my education in this whole process too (?!?). Apparently we've now ruined our lives completely for not inviting these strangers. Oh dear! I think I am now happy they are not coming--will be less stressful this way! This must be the first wedding that breaks up a family rather than bringing them together. It must be for the best--sometimes things like this happen for a reason. Nevertheless, we fly on Monday! Can't wait! Best of luck to everyone else struggling with family issues. I've learned just to "let it go."

I've had all kinds of problems with people cancellng for the same reason. I'm now down to 13!!! Oh well! You just have to decide what's best for you. There is also a generation gap thing happening here. My older relatives cancelled due to all the violence (too much CNN news watching I think). They are oblivious to the drug violence happening close to our home of course (it's just Mexico that is dangerous). I pointed out the fact that both my parents still went to Northern Europe when there was an outright WAR in Serbia/Croatia which is a few hours south of where they were--similar to the distance between the Mayan Riviera and the towns affected by violence. It doesn't matter--if they are suspcious of Mexico, no amount of "safety" articles or news clips will change their minds. My younger guests are still coming (all 13!!) and they seem to not be affected at all. We are still going (my parents are NOT). I've come to realize that there could always be a problem with some aspect of the wedding that guests won't like/be comfortable with etc... The day is for us, and not having the nervous people there will make our holiday there less stressful too. Look at the bright side: smaller crowd means more $$$ to spend on other things or less debt when you come back! Hang in there! Do what feels right for you.

Thanks for the info! I received information back from the Wedding Coordinator and "all is well."

I found a DJ for cheaper than the $300/hour through a wedding planning website. The WC's name is Luisa Clement and her site is weddingsrivieramaya.com. She is saying $800 for 6 hours, which includes her WC fee. She says we just have to pay for day passes to the resort for the DJ and his assistant. Does anyone know how much a day pass costs? I'm not receiving too much communication from Ana Helena. My wedding is December 17 of this year.

Has anyone used the wedding planner for any services that can be found on the http://www.weddingsrivieramaya.com/pictures_wrm.htm site? I was able to find some information about a very reasonably priced DJ, and I'm wondering if there are any reviews?

I am a month away from my wedding, and have also been frustrated by communications with them. I just keep reading on this forum and others about how everything turns out in the end. I guess you have to give up some control when you plan a destination wedding. I'm trying to relax about the wedding details for now because I have a crisis with some difficult family members on top of it all. I'm going to try the "go with the flow" technique and see how it turns out. I've decided that as long as we end up married in the end, and everything looks beautiful, it will be a success. Honestly, I don't think this resort can afford to screw up anyone's wedding. Tourism in Mexico is down, and they must know that they have a bad reputation when it comes to communicating with clients. They have to be able to pull it out in the end or they will lose a lot of future business. Hang in there! I know I am...

DJ Cost--I have the Ultimate Package and was told $300/hour for a min of 3 hours with DJ Doremixx. Does this sound right? Has anyone gotten a "DJ Deal"?

Oops, totally posted in the wrong place. This was supposed to go under Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort...

I have booked the Ultimate Wedding package. I've been quoted $300/hour with a minimum of 3 hours for DJ Doremixx. Does this sound right? Is it the going rate? Why do I feel like I'm being scammed?

Thanks for the advice everyone! I have decided to stand my ground, and not invite these unknown friends of parents. My fiance and I decided that since we are paying for the wedding, we did the right thing by inviting people who we really wanted there. There are no "strangers" per se, and it is a small wedding (under 20 people). It would just be weird and awkward for all of us (minus the parents of course) to have a family of 4 we didn't know well there. We also don't want to take on the added $100/pp for people we don't know. If my parents don't want to come because of this, oh well. It's a decision I've made with a clear mind (and much calmer mind than before), and I won't regret it. I've come to learn that there will ALWAYS be a problem when it comes to my mother...if it wasn't this one, it would have been another one. Call me a pessimist, but I'm 34, and I have to do things in the way I see right. Thanks again everyone!

I am relieved to hear that Ana (I assume this is Ana Helena) does a good job. She has been very slow in getting back to me. It usually takes upwards of 8 days for her to reply back, and that is with me sending emails prompting her for a response. My wedding is December 17 of this year, so the countdown begins! I would like to use a DJ as well, but he won't give me prices as it is up to the hotel. It's hard to budget money when you can't get any answers from the coordinator. I just keep referring back to this site, reading about how lovely the weddings were, hoping that mine will turn out as well. I wish the communication were better. It's stressful enough without having to wonder if they ever got your email.

AGREED!

I have to put in a vent! My parents and one of my relatives are driving me up a wall. To make a LONG story short, here it goes: We announced our engagement in December 2009 We announced to our close family members and friends were were getting married in Mexico in December 2010 We sent out Save the Date cards in February My parents said that they would not attend, and we did not speak until May 2010 In August 2010, after other family members applied pressure (assumption on my part) my parents agreed to come My parents now want me to invite one of THEIR friends who I haven't seen since I was about 18 (I'm now 34) My uncle is threatening not to come (he doesn't know this friend of theirs either) if I don't invite this friend of my parents I have told everybody to let me know what they're doing (are they in or are they out) by November 17 Seriously, the nerve! After not even wanting to come to their only daughter's wedding for 7 months, now I'm supposed to invite whoever they want?!!? Did I mention Save the Date cards were sent in FEBRUARY and invitations (to the same list of people) in May? I think this could be a first: a wedding that breaks up the family as opposed to bringing us together. I, for one, would be relieved right now if all of these people decided against coming. Talk about drama....

Sorry, I meant outside vendors ARE allowed now. They weren't allowed when I asked in January 2010.

Hello, Did you book DJ Doremixx through the hotel WC or through him directly? I'm wondering what the fee is to bring in an outside vendor, as based on your review, they are not allowed. When I started making plans for my wedding last January/February (for this December) I was told outside vendors were not allowed in at all. I guess there is a fee attached to having him come in?

Hello, Sifiting/searching through all these posts (466 of them) is a real nightmare. Does anyone know what the current cost for bringing in an outside DJ is to Dreams Riviera Cancun? I noticed one recent poster had hired him for that resort, so I guess they are allowed in now. At the time I booked my wedding (last January) I was told they were not allowed. I am also interested in getting DJ Doremixx and have sent an email to him requesting pricing, but would like to know the cost of briniging him to the resort.

Thank you so much for posting these photos! They look great! Did you have your cocktails in the "Garden Area"? The area where you are dancing--is that simply the deck area? Thanks again! May

We are getting married there December 17, 2010.

Does anyone have pictures of cocktail hour and reception locations?

Just booked for December 17, 3pm! Not sure what the menu selections are for cocktails and dinner...does anyone have a list?

Does Dreams Riviera have a minimum guest requirement actually staying at the hotel in order to have the wedding?

Sorry about the big typing...don't know what happened!