MrsLewistobe

I think Destination weddings are the way to go and I tell all of my friends when they get engaged. This website is a huge help! As far as flowers go, I do agree that it is best to have photos of whatever you like. Their flowers are so fresh and gorgeous and all at a fraction of what you would pay in the U.S. Try not to stress too much over the planning. The email responses are sometimes not as fast as you would like, however once you get there everything should fall into place for your dream wedding! I was actually married at another resort in the area, simply because we had children coming for the wedding. But I think you will be VERY pleased with El Dorado Royale! For the photographer, I also think it is best to select your exact photographer and get them booked quickly. I had Juan Navarro and there was some confusion. I reviewed his website, blog and was pleased with the style of his photos. So I just kind of went with it. Well his "assistant" or another photographer showed up to do our wedding photos. At that point there is nothing you can do. He was already at another wedding. I did not think the other photographer was as creative as Juan and I discussed it with him after our wedding. Apparently someone else had booked a more expensive package on the same day of my wedding so Juan went to do that one. I gave examples of why I liked his "style" better. He said if there were certain "poses" or styles I liked then I should have emailed him the photos before hand or brought samples with me. So I say just communicate with your photographer before the big day, this way you will get exactly what you want and it won't be hectic. Amy

Hi Jennifer! I think you would be VERY happy booking your honeymoon at El Dorado Royale. I have stayed at Secrets Capri before and I would choose EDR over that. For many reasons but mainly because EDR seems more romantic, the food and drinks are better in my opinion and the beach beds and butlers are fantastic too! There are tons of great things to do there! You can read about the special things they do there such as moonlight massages and candlelight dinner on the beach, etc. I personally have never stayed in the Casitas. They look very nice but they are more expensive. But since it is for your honeymoon you might want to consider it. They have a sale going on right now I believe where you can get up to 30% off at some Karisma brand resorts. Please feel free to private message me if you have any questions I might be able to help with. P.S- I am not a travel agent. I just LOVE the Cancun/Riviera Maya are and have been about 15 times. Amy

We were married there last May. I had Cecilia for my WC and she was great. Once you sign the contract and tell them your locations everything else will fall into place. But I would definitely tell them where you want your reception a.s.a.p. There happen to be several weddings going on the day of ours and some places were already reserved. We were scheduled to have our reception on the beach but it was SUPER windy and we had to move it inside. We had ours inside right behind the terrace. I was really disappointed when I found out we had to move it inside, however we didn't want sand blowing in people's food. Lol. And actually it turned out very nice with the beautiful table setups and lighting, etc. We had the mariachi band first and then the DJ and it all worked out well. We opted for the microphone and speakers for our ceremony at the gazebo. I think it was absolutely necessary the day of our wedding. The wind was blowing so hard, nobody would have heard a word if we didn't have that. They did tell us that it is usually not that windy, but if you want your guests to hear you saying your vows and to hear the music playing then I think you might want these. Don't stress after you sign the contract. They will not respond to your emails as fast as you want them to, I guess it is just a different pace there. But bring all the photos you like of cakes, flowers, hair styles, makeup, etc. We met with Cecilia for less than an hour and everything was confirmed upon our arrival. It should be a great and relaxing experience! If anyone has any other questions I might be able to help with just let me know. Amy

Thanks everyone! To answer the questions, we had to move all of our reception inside just due to the wind. Since we only had 25 guests we had plenty of room in the lobby for the DJ and dancing. However, if it is not too windy, I think it would be gorgeous outside on that part of the patio. We didn't let the weather ruin our day. It was still very sunny and nice for the actual ceremony. And I decided as long as we could have that at the gazebo, I would deal with the rest. And it was very fun in the lobby too. Regarding the hotel entertainment. I think they told everyone to be in the lobby by 10:30 to go with them to the clubs on the night of our wedding. But our wedding was on a Sunday night. I think they may leave later on the weekend nights. And I also believe it depends on which club they are visiting. I think they left a little earlier or later on other nights. I am not positive but I think your reception has to end by 11:00. With the Ultimate Package you get three hours for the dinner/reception and an hour for the cocktail hour. So our ceremony was at 5:00 and was over around 5:30. Then after a few photos our guests made their way into the Tower lobby bar for (free) drinks while they waited for our cocktail hour to start at 6:00. Then our dinner/reception was 7:00-10:00. But it all depends on the time of year you are getting married. The sun was starting to set as we were taking our last pics out on the beach. So I wouldn't suggest having your ceremony much later if you want daylight photos. Also, I know that nobody likes the new rocks near the gazebo. But honestly, I don't think anyone paid attention to that. The center of gazebo and the guests chairs are not facing the rocks. So you still get the pretty water view and the rocks will not be in many of your photos. Mainly just the aerial ones or from your balcony probably. And I forgot to mention this in my LONG review. But while we were at the gazebo during the ceremony, water actually splashed up and sprayed us just a tiny bit! It seemed magical! We were sort of nervous and holding hands and we just squeezed each other's hands and smiled when it splashed us. Because we knew nobody else probably noticed it. But it reminded of us where we were and how lucky we should feel at that moment! Please just let me know if you have any other questions. Amy

Okay I don't think that shutterfly link was working. So try this one, it is still under construction. But if you click on the photo/video tab it will show you the photos I have uploaded. Sorry for the issue! So go here to view the photos and I will upload the pro ones a.s.a.p. http://nickamyswedding.shutterfly.com/ Amy

Hi ladies! We are back and a little settled in so I wanted to write this review and get it posted quickly. I know many Dreams brides are waiting to hear about and see photos of the new gazebo. Let me just summarize by saying that the Gazebo is still beautiful and the Dreams team is wonderful! Especially Cecilia- she is a sweetheart and will go out of her way to make all your Dreams come true!!! Overall we had a wonderful wedding and so much fun with our friends and family in Mexico! Continental Airlines- F- This was actually one of the worst flights we have ever been on! As I was walking onto the plane, I was holding my wedding dress in the white bag and the flight attendant just started shaking her head at me. Then she went into this long disgusted ramble about how now the airline is trying to fit more people and that they don’t have storage closets anymore. She said I would just be mad at her for crumpling it up. She said I should just put it in our overhead bin. I hadn’t even asked her for anything. Not very good customer service skills in my opinion. Then a guy walks down the aisle and falls as he is trying to get into the seat beside us. Well a male flight attendant had to literally pick him up. At first we thought something was wrong with him and felt bad. But as soon as he was seated and opened his mouth we realized he was just completely hammered drunk! He wouldn’t leave my poor fiancé alone. He punched him in the leg and wanted to talk. We couldn’t even understand him! It was awful! Not a great start to our trip! Cancun Airport-B- Well of course it is hot and stuffy when you get off the plane here. I was holding my dress, he was holding his suit bag and of course all of our luggage. We waited in immigrations for about an hour. Once we received our luggage we went to the security line. I was nervous because I had one suitcase filled with wedding stuff and gifts. But I had printed out a piece of paper explaining that it was for our wedding, not for resale and translated into Spanish. I even had some receipts attached and was hoping this would help if I got the red light. They did pull that bag off and open it, but she just said oh your wedding, ok! So that was no big deal and I was worried for nothing. Apple Transportation-C- Well since you are hot and ready to go, it is not too fun to wait in a hot van until they fill it up with people. They used to offer drinks for sale in the van (beer, water, etc) but they acted like they didn’t know what were talking about. They said it is not allowed anymore. They stopped to drop off other guests at their hotel first. If I had it to do over again, I would hire a private company for us. I think many brides on here use Cancun Transfers. It just would have been nice to hop in a private car and have a drink on the way to our hotel. Dreams Check-In- A+ They greeted us with wet cloths and champagne! Now we are talking!! J We were upgraded to the 2 story honeymoon suite and we were very excited!! It was very spacious and there was a balcony upstairs and down both having a gorgeous view of the water and gazebo! J They had a honeymoon banner on our door and champagne chilling in the room for us. Wedding Coordinator-A+++++ I had Ceclilia and she was FABULOUS!! I can not say enough good things about her! I know many people get frustrated because she can’t answer your emails fast enough. And I was very nervous right before leaving. I found out about the gazebo being torn down and that the new one was under construction so I was in a frantic mode. She told me the new one would be ready in time for my wedding and for me not to worry. Well the day we checked in, they were still working on it. They were still painting and polishing the floor, etc. But our meeting with Cecilia went great! It only took about 30 minutes. She had notes and emails that I had sent. She is VERY organized! She is the sweetest person and she works very hard! She is running all over that resort and always available to help you with any concerns you have. I tipped her in the very beginning and she was very grateful. So just try to be patient and relax. She will take care of everything when you get there. As a general note, it was super windy the days we were there. Everyone kept telling us that it wasn’t normal. I don’t mean just a little windy like some other brides have mentioned. It felt like hurricane force winds! It was so bad that they had to close down the Seaside Grill. One night were waiting to get into Oceana and were going to wait at the swing bar with drinks. Well the wind blew so hard it was in people’s eyes and drinks…not a good situation. We called the pathway between the two buildings the wind tunnel. When you walked thru it you had to hold down your dress, it blew off hats, broke sunglasses, etc. It was fierce winds. And on the day of the wedding after getting ready at the spa I had to walk from the main building over to the tower building near the gazebo. Let me just say we held a huge bag in front of my head hoping to block some of the wind and save my hair. It didn’t work out so well. My beautiful fresh flower flew out and Cecilia had to bring me another one. There would have been no hope for a veil, but I hadn’t planned to wear one anyway. Once we finally made it to the gazebo, the wind was not as bad there. Dreams Spa-A++ I was very happy with the spa! They did hair and make up for my matron of honor and I. We enjoyed it, they brought us miami vice drinks (half pina colada, half strawberry daiquiri) while we were sitting in the chairs being pampered. I pointed to a few pics I liked in their book. I knew I wanted my hair up with a flower and I told her to do whatever she thought would look best. I told her I wanted my make up pretty natural and I was very pleased with the outcome. However, keep in mind that is so hot there and I felt like I had sweated most of my spa applied makeup off prior to the wedding starting. But this was nobody’s fault. I had my appointment at 1:00. We didn’t get out of there until almost 3:00. This time worked out fine, it gave us time to grab a couple more drinks and get ready leisurely. The photographer was going to arrive around 4:45 to start photos since our ceremony started at 5:00. P.S- The couples massage out by the water is WONDERFUL! It was part of the wedding package and I recommend doing it outside. It was so nice, in little huts over the water. They are enclosed on the sides for privacy. There was a nice breeze and of course you could hear the ocean . Also many of the ladies in our group used their resort coupons and got facials. They all LOVED them and were very impressed with their spa. Wedding Setup, Ceremony & Reception-A+ I brought my own pink and orange chair bow sashes. We decided not to order extra flowers. My fiancé wanted it to look clean and simple. He didn’t want us to take away from the view of the water. But looking back, I sort of wished we would have had two arrangements placed on the front of the gazebo. I saw another wedding that had it and I think it looked elegant. I guess Cecilia must have thought ours looked bare, so she tied two of pink and orange ribbons around the columns. Not exactly something we would have done, but she was trying. The actual ceremony was perfect! I thought the new gazebo looked fine, and the view is just breathtaking! We didn’t really care for the new rocks and the fact that the far right side is not surrounded by water any longer. But when you are at the gazebo it is still very beautiful and you still see plenty of the turquoise water. It is easy to exclude the rocks from your photos. So for all the ladies that were worried, don’t it will be fine! And you will love it when you arrive and see for yourself! All of our guests kept raving about how gorgeous it was! We had the lady minister, I can’t remember her name. I believe she was from Canada, and she was very sweet and we could understand her. I will note as others have said, Cecilia asked us if it was okay to be religious and pray and we said yes. She did read from the bible and I think she did three prayers. Just FYI. After reading that another bride on here did this, we thought it was a fun idea, so we asked if we could have shots of tequila instead of champagne. Cecilia said no problem. We asked them to chill Cazadores tequila and bring it with limes. But the only problem was that the waiters handed it to us and we walked down the aisle to the palm tree to wait for our guests. Our plan was for us all to do the shots together. Well they didn’t know so many of them took their shots while walking down the sidewalk to meet us. Lol. Anyway it was still fun and cute for our pics. We just needed a bit more communication. Once the ceremony was over we ran to do our photos while the rest of the guests went to the cocktail hour. Since it was so windy we had to move our cocktail hour and dinner inside. I was really bummed about this at first. Because I really had my heart set on having it on the beach. But in the end we decided it would be a mess with sand blowing everywhere and we wanted our guests to be comfortable. So they set it up in the Tower Lobby. This was fine, at least you could see the pool and water view out the windows. And for those of you worried about a rain back up plan this would be okay. We had DJ Mannia so I felt bad that we were playing the music in there. But I guess they do it all the time. The only negative thing is that they can’t shut down this lobby. So hotel guests are still walking thru to the bar and elevators. I noticed one guy walked in without a shirt and then stopped put it on and darted to the elevator. Lol. But mostly the guests were very respectful of the reception going on. I am a little out of order, sorry. When we went to take our photos the guests went to the cocktail hour. I asked Cecilia to get the mariachi band to start a little later so we could be there some while they were playing. So she told Juan’s team and they knew we were sort of in a hurry. And since it was so windy we decided for just the two of us to go down to the lighthouse. His team was great! Daniel was in charge in of our photo shoot. They carried our drinks, shoes, etc. and I believe they took over 500 photos. He said the lighting was fabulous this time of day. They seemed very creative and I am sure we will get some great photos. I would highly recommend them to anyone planning a wedding in the Cancun area. When we made it back to cocktail hour, the mariachi band was in full swing and the guests were LOVING it! We jumped in and danced around a little with them, posed with their hats and had a few pics taken. Needless to say everyone was sad to see them go. But I told him DJ Mannia was about to take over. Dinner was served and it was very good! We had the scallops for an appetizer, the lobster bisque and then the Dreams Trilogy. A funny note, I let the hubby- to-be select the dessert. He talked to Cecilia about different things that weren’t on the menu. We ended up with Churos filled with cream and sprinkled with cinnamon, maybe a little hot fudge with ice cream on the side. He thought why not we are in Mexico. Lol. And we had a few children attending too so he thought they would enjoy it. It was a big hit, however I didn’t get to taste any. We went with the basic wedding cake in the Ultimate Package. I just asked for fresh flowers in our wedding colors to be on top. We ordered a marble cake, part vanilla & part chocolate. It was wonderful! Very moist and not too sweet. Cecilia told us that we could order room service and have some delivered to our room. And we did take her up on this! Late that night it was nice to have a piece when it was just the two of us and enjoy it. Back to the reception, after the dinner and lots of shots of tequila, many of our guests were looking a little restless. So I asked DJ Mannia to play some fun dance music. Many of our guests were younger in their twenties and sort of a party group. So he played the SHOTS song! This brought everyone to the dance floor. We have some hilarious photos and videos of this. Cecilia was such a good sport, a couple of the men were trying to dance with her and asking her to go to the clubs with them. She just laughed and smiled. I apologized and got them away from her. Lol. But since our group had started drinking way too early in the day many of them were exhausted. And the others were wanting to head out to the clubs. The hotel entertainment staff takes groups out every night and some of our gang decided they wanted to go. I was sort of disappointed with this. Because the groom and I were sort of torn. The older group didn’t want to go and they said we could move the party upstairs to the mother and father of the groom’s suite. They ordered wine and cheese trays for their room. So we decided to shut down the reception a little early. I asked Cecilia about it and thanked the team from DJ Mannia. I told them it wasn’t their fault. I thought they did an excellent job. She advised me that they would still charge me for the entire time. I understood this and said it was fine. We only had 25 guests. So I would say unless you are sure that your guests will stay and dance, then I wouldn’t spring for the DJ. I think it would have been fine with an ipod. The next day I said I don’t know why we shut it down early, we should have just stayed and let everyone go wherever they wanted. Hubby said quit worrying about it, it is over and everyone had a great time! Some of our group went to Coco Bongo, they had a blast and have some funny pics! But overall the reception was great! And the wait staff was outstanding! Funny side note, obviously lots of us tipped the bartenders and wait staff. After it was over the father of the groom said he was handing out hundred dollar bills at the beginning to make sure they took good care of us. Well we didn’t know he did this and we tipped them big as well. I guess they were happy and they worked really hard. We did have a few hiccups at Dreams. The air conditioning in our honeymoon suite wasn’t working properly and we had to move rooms. But the management was very accommodating and Monica at the front desk was an angel! She helped me on numerous occasions. I even invited her to the wedding. Lol. And since it was so windy they had to close Seaside Grill. Well this made Oceana overcrowded. It took us three hours to get in and have dinner for our group. But again there were over 20 of us and we understand that they don’t do reservations. The hotel was 98% full too. But if a very nice private dinner is important to you, then I would say book it and pay the extra $. I wished we would have used part of the DJ money for a private welcome or rehearsal type dinner instead. Again, this is not normal for Dreams. They usually will accommodate your party. This was just because of the weather and closing of the other restaurant. And they have been very apologetic since. We plan to return to this and other Dreams resorts! The only thing I would suggest is to try to plan your trip where you have a couple of days at the resort AFTER the wedding to relax. I ended up running around trying to keep everyone happy and getting a little more sun that I planned on. I was red in my wedding photos. And I really regret not having time to do a Trash the Dress photo shoot. I think that would have been wonderful! I asked my hubby if we can fly back for it soon, but I haven’t talked him into just yet. Lol. Sorry I tend to be a motor mouth. I think I have covered most of the important things. If anyone has any questions please just let me know. Just know that if you book your wedding at Dreams Cancun, they will do their best to make it a “dream†and a great time that you and your guests will never forget! I would highly recommend them to anyone considering a destination wedding in this area. We are still getting emails from everyone saying how much they loved the trip and enjoyed the wedding! I will post a link to the professional pics once we receive them. I have already seen some of the proofs and Juan is fabulous to work with via email! He really wants all of his brides to be happy! I think I should have the photos this this week! It was a great wedding! And I would definitely recommend a Destination Wedding to anyone considering it. It was almost care-free! Like everyone says, just don’t stress at home if they aren’t answering your emails, it will turn out gorgeous when you arrive! If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask! Congrats and Best Wishes to all the future brides! This website was a lifesaver and I am glad I could finally contribute! Here’s a link to a Shutterfly account where some photos friends and family took are posted. Please let me know if this doesn’t work for anyone. Amy

Okay, a great member posted them for me under the other thread: Dreams Cancun - Questions for those married here! So take a look there if you want to see pics of the NEW gazebo. Amy

The manager of Dreams just sent me some photos of the new gazebo. But when I try to upload them it says they are invalid files. I don't know why, they are jpegs. Can someone help? I know everybody will want to see these new photos. One is of an actual wedding that took place yesterday. Amy

Hi ladies, I just received an email from the Manager at Dreams Cancun. The gazebo is still under construction but they are holding weddings there. The first pic must be an illustration of what it is supposed to look like once it is finished. But the roof is not on yet. They are still holding weddings there and he included an actual photo of a wedding that took place there yesterday. UGGHH!!! I can't get the photos to upload as attachments!! It says they are invalid files when I upload them! And I don't know why, because they are jpeg files. PLEASE HELP! I know everybody will want to see these!! Amy

Thanks y'all are making me feel better. I will just think about the tropical drinks and fun in the sun and try not to worry about anything else. Does anybody know how to say make it a double in Spanish? Lol Amy

Tlseege thanks for posting the pic so we can view it. It is awful, and I am still trying to figure out what all those rocks are. Because it looks like even after the new gazebo is complete we will still have that in the view. I just can't understand why they are changing so much. People love the view and location from the gazebo so why in the world are they changing it? I will try to stay positive and hope for the best when we arrive next week. I also posted another post under the other Dreams thread stating that nobody should really worry about their guests getting moved, if they used a travel agent. Because it was a computer glitch they had at Dreams in April. And it shouldn't happen any more. PM me if you have any questions. Thanks and good luck to all the upcoming brides! Amy

Okay ladies, I talked to my travel agent this morning. She had been out of the country on her own vacation when all these issues came up with Dreams. She made me feel much better. She agreed with TA Jill and said that usually the guests that get bumped booked their reservations with an online service (Orbitz, Travelocity, etc) or if they book directly thru the hotel. All of our guests used her to book and most of them are thru Apple Vacations. She said they should not try to move them. She said the Dreams Resorts needs to keep all of their contracted travel company guests happy. Plus they realize that we will have Apple reps there to help us if there is an issue when we try to check in. She also said that they usually do not overbook their hotel like this. There was a major computer glitch in April. She said something happened and they were giving out confirmations I think on their own website and it wasn't taking the rooms out of inventory. In all the years she has only had this happen once with Dreams. She said that was Spring Break time, around Easter, etc. and a VERY busy time for Cancun in general. So she told me not to worry. She said Dreams usually takes very good care of their guests. She said that we should be fine. So I just wanted to pass that long to all of the upcoming brides that are stressed out like I was. I think as long as they get the gazebo ready on time, then everything will work out for us. And I am trying to stay positive. Amy

I have stayed at the RIU Palace in Cancun twice and enjoyed it both times! It seems very peaceful and relaxing. It was not too busy when we went. And we were very pleased with the food, bars, pools. I only selected Dreams Cancun for our wedding because some couples have children and I thought they would enjoy the Explorers Club at that resort. But you will not be disappointed at the RIU! Good Luck with your wedding planning! Amy

Gwen, First of all, I am very sorry you had to go thru this terrible incident and for it to be a damper on your wedding week. I GREATLY appreciate your coming on the site and explaining the situation to us. Did you think the location at the NOW resort was better than what Dreams Cancun was able to offer without the main gazebo? My wedding is in 12 days, they are telling me it will be ready by then. I have never been to this resort. But I am trying to figure out a back-up plan if it is not ready. I can't see the photo you posted on the other link. It is because I am still considered new, so I couldn't see what the temporary gazebo looks like. But from the comments and they way yours was handled, I am sure it was not nice. Was that the only option they provided you with-the NOW resort? I was thinking maybe Dreams Rivieria if it was not booked for a wedding on my night. So this is why I am wondering if they gave you several options and you chose the NOW resort. Did they just bus your group out there for the wedding and back that night or how long did you stay at the NOW resort? Now more than even the gazebo, I am worried about them trying to send our guests to other hotels. This will not be acceptable to me! All of our friends and family are spending this money to spend time with us and have dinners with us, etc. So if this is the case, they better be prepared to put us all on a bus and send us to another resort. The only problem is we are coming in on all different days and some for only the weekend. So I am afraid it will get hectic the day before our wedding. I really don't know what else to do at this point. I don't even know if our travel agent can help. Most of our guests booked used our agent and booked thru Apple Vacations. As soon as I read the first post about this incident on here, I emailed the hotel directly and received a response from the manager you referred to. He assured me that everything will be ready for my day, but now that you say you felt he was dishonest with you, I don't know if I should trust this and feel better or not? I think this is just a terrible way for them to do business. They should know better than messing with brides. I am usually pretty laid back too, but I will go CRAZY on them when I show up if they try to pull this stuff. Although, I don't know how much it will help. And I would rather spend my time with a drink in hand and getting a massage with my fiance, not fighting with them over something that we should not be dealing with days before our wedding!!! And I don't think you should have had to pay for much after this treatment! Maybe tangible things like dinner, photos, music. But not for the location, etc., since it was not what you were promised or agreed to when signing their "contract" and plannig your big day! Sorry if I am rambling, just really upset about this!! My email is [email protected] if you want to email me directly. THANKS for your time and input! Amy

I am getting married there in 12 days. And because this board still considers me new, I can not open the attachment and see the photo. But I would REALLY like to see it. Can anyone else please paste it into a post that everyone can see? Or email it to me? They tell me the new one will be ready by my wedding day but I am still very nervous. Thanks. Amy