TigerLily

Congrats Lua- everything looks wonderful! You're lucky to have such a talented mom- the dress looks great on you! (that was alot of extra fabric, lol). I love the idea of diy bookmarks...one more thing to add to my list Thanks for the idea...

Hi all! Like many of you, I've been looking for OOT bags that won't break the bank. I was just about to order the $.99 bags from cheaptotes.com when I came across these at a local Christmas Tree Shop... They're only $1.29 each and they come in bright yellow, apple green (our colors-pictured), bright pink, white, and turquoise. Super excited they had a few colors to chose from! I liked the canvas totes but to me, these are definitely more beachy (and well priced). I have no idea what the material is...sort of a woven straw-ish material, lol?? They're really light weight-you can see through them in the light since they're woven, and it looks like fine sand will sift through, making it a great beach bag (good size too- 16" X 16" not incl handles, 6" deep)...Might be worth checking out at your local Christmas Tree Shop! I LOVE these! I more thing checked off my list

testing!

Just an FYI for anyone who may be getting married in/around December like we are...when we booked our date, Ana told me our ceremony had to be @ 2pm (another wedding was already scheduled later). At first, I was really bummed because I wanted a later start time, but now I realize that maybe 2pm isn't that bad at all, since the sun sets @ 5. I feel much better now since I just came across this on Octavio Montes's website (photographer) under FAQs: Q- I am not sure what time to tell the resort i want the wedding. what is a good time for ceremony in december? i want to have nice lighting for my pictures A- Then The ceremony must be at 2:00 pm so we can have the couple session at 3:00 pm because the light start losing at 4:30 pm. Anyway, I just thought I'd share in case that was useful to anyone. I definitely recommend (as many others have) checking the sunset times for the month you're getting married in, since it can make a huge difference in photography...

Oh yea, I was charged an additional $15 for my $500 deposit. Not bad, but I wasn't expecting it...although i should have, since I'm pretty sure I read another bride mention it on here (I just forgot). I was so excited I didn't care though : ) I wonder if there's a way to get around this fee when you travel there though (for the wedding), since I'd rather charge than pay cash for anything (paper trail).

I'm on the same boat as many brides- at first, I felt totally guilty about registering and wasn't even considering it. After some pressure from my mil, mob, and moh, I do understand their point. As Marlena said, I don't want to seem greedy, but also don't want to end up with a bunch of unwanted or unneeded items. My fiance and I already live together, have a house, and don't need more kitchen towels, lol. If people are going to buy you things anyway (mostly those who can't attend the wedding), it may as well be items that are useful. We just wont register for any expensive items...

Everything looked great- I love, love your postcards!! Congrats on your wedding!

I think one of my favorite things about having a dw is that there are no set rules! I love breaking every aspect of tradition (well, not every aspect lol) and i say...wear what makes you happy! Your dress is gorgeous and looks great on you! The dress I chose isn't super full, but it is satin which I've heard isn't necessary sand friendly. I decided to look for a simple chiffon instead, and even though I really liked a few of them, personally I didn't feel like a bride. One day I was browsing through my Knot magazine and showed my fiance a few dresses, to get a feel for what styles he might like. When I pointed to one of the chiffon dresses, he said "it's nice but don't you have that upstairs?" He said it as a joke, but he was referring to the fact that I wear a lot of dresses in the summer and like that flowy sort of style. That sealed the deal for me...I went back to my original choice (satin) and I don't care what anybody says, lol. I want to feel special and look like a bride on our wedding day, not like I'm going to a summertime picnic : ) Don't get me wrong, I've seen a ton of brides that look amazing in simpler dresses, but it's too much like my personal, everyday style. Plus I've gone to a few weddings where I've worn that same look, just not white. Going for the "wow" factor as they say, haha. You should too!

Ooohh I didn't come across this website yet- checkin it out now...thanks Sunshine!

I know, this is a problem I have too. Since my wedding is still about 8 months away, I'm constantly second guessing myself. I just keep thinking its too early to buy some stuff, but time seems to be flying- its not that far away at all! A few things I wanted were sold out when I finally decided to order them...I've learned my lesson too : ) Quote: Originally Posted by SharonMydung Tigerlily, You're so lucky you work near a Michael's. I've been wanting to go there but I forget as my day gets crazy busy. I will add it to my calender b/c it seems like there are so many wonderful things to browse at Michael's. I am so mad at myself b/c I was going to buy these gorgeous sashes on ebay and just this past weekend I came back and it's all sold out. I hope the seller will get my colors again, it was sooo beautiful and cheap too. Boo hoo, now I know when I want something, I need to buy it right away and not think twice.

Congrats Sarah! I'm doing the Love package...my fiance and I looked both over and we decided Love had everything we needed. I honestly don't remember why we chose it in particular- I do know that there's fewer photos (doesn't matter since we're booking a separate photo pkg), no music during cocktail hour (don't think we're doing cocktail hour- having everyone meet at one of the bars and using credits toward dinners) uumm what else...no 30 minute video, and no couples massage/dinner on the beach... I'm not sure what else, probably a few things. I think it just really depends on the couple. We're on a tight budget so some of those things we could do without. We'd rather spend money on activities. And if before our wedding someone decides to give us a super generous donation (lol, ya right) we can always upgrade to the Ultimate pkg. Ana (our wedding coordinator) said you just needed to pay the $500 deposit to hold your date, then you can decide later on which of those 2 packages you want. Sorry, can't help you at all with the food, I should probably get on that, I haven't even looked at that yet. I'm hoping to have enough people so I can just do the buffet...more choices, less hassle imo...good luck! Quote: Originally Posted by Sarah80 Hey Everyone, I am just joining this website and I wasn't sure that I wanted to book my wedding at DRC until I started reading some of the stuff that y'all have posted. Our wedding isn't until May 2012 but I figure it is never too early to start planning I actually tried to book our wedding for the 1st 2 weekends in May 2012 but they are already booked!!! I thought for sure we could book this far out and get the weekend we wanted. So we don't have it secured yet but we are probably doing it May 18th. I am going to very busy reading all of the past posts. Are any of y'all doing Dreams of Love or Dreams Ultimate? I was leaning towards the Love package but now pretty sure I want to do the Ultimate. I just didn't know if it was that significant of a difference. Can anyone tell me the difference between the silver and gold dinner party? Thanks, Sarah

Ugh! Thanks Sharon, frustrating to say the least! Anything is better than that ridiculous $500 fee they tried to charge, so I'll take $55-$65 any day. I'm really thinking that I won't use any outside vendors, but we'll see. That's how I'm feeling today anyway!

Melissa, EW offers those crystals? I love those Capiz shell curtains (like Sandals uses w/ their Martha Stewart DWs)... I've been searching online where to buy them. I found one website that seems reasonable but they're sold out. I would much rather rent them than purchase since I'll probably never use them again (although I guess I could sell them after). We should be able to use those on the chuppah right? To me, it seems like most of the brides on here chose fabric, so I just wasn't sure if there was a reason or if fabric is just a more popular choice. Do you have the dimensions on the chuppah by any chance? I could ask Ana but it might be July before I get an answer, lol. Do I dare ask how much they quoted you?

Congratulations! Sharon summed it up pretty nicely..there's ALOT of info on these threads, so take your time and read through it. Things are constantly changing with this resort, but again, as Sharon said, almost every single bride gives the same advice when they return- don't stress, cuz they're professionals and your wedding should be a blast! When I first started looking through the threads, my head was seriously spinning from all the great ideas I found. I was totally overwhelmed! I started a "wedding inspiration" folder and everytime I saw something I liked or read useful info, cutting and pasting I went (along with the link). It's helped me alot- I'm sure everyone does it differently, but I didn't want to forget all the great ideas I came across--good luck and have fun planning!!

Thanks Winter...my wedding's in Dec so I have some time to decide, but I honestly don't think I want to deal with the hassle of bringing in vendors either.

Sorry, I don't have any info for you, but I totally agree...its exhausting trying to get answers from them. I'm sure they hate that there's websites like this- imagine if we didn't have fellow brides to compare things with? They'd rob us blind, lol. I honestly just don't understand why they don't have a set price list, like black & white, this is the way it is and these are the prices...frustrating to say the least. Does anyone know what the current outside vendor fee is now?? I know its been discussed several times, but they're so back and forth, who knows. I think I recall being excited since it dropped from $500 to...$50? Am I making this up? I can't remember...

Thanks for all the info Allison : ) I was wondering about bringing shells through customs, at least you didnt get stopped...my luck, I'll have a giant red light! I think if I saw red eyeshadow I'd start panicking too, lol, but you're right...your hair and makeup came out great! I'm glad to hear they do a good job, I was planning on using them as well. Oh and thanks for the tip on the flip flops, I may have to diy these myself too!

I love this idea! I purchased Alyee's template too (very creative of you to landscape it!) so this is idea is definitely going in my inspiration binder. I was going to do the welcome brochures, but I think I like this a little more...thanks for sharing! I honestly don't know what I would do without this site and all the girl's creative ideas! Well, yes I do, traditional and boring, lol

Wow Teira, everything looks amazing! Congrats on your wedding, can't wait to see pics when you get back! Love your color combo...thanks for adding links to the amazing people that you've worked with!

Allison, your wedding was beautiful! It's awesome that they upgraded you-that seems like another thing that's hit or miss (dependent on capacity i guess). Some brides get offered the upgrade and some don't. That stinks about your guests getting sick- I'd feel terrible even though you have no control over it. Hopefully they take the reviews into account and fix that asap. If you don't mind me asking, did you get your hair done at the spa? It came out gorgeous! Also, did you ask for or pay extra for the runner and the seashells on the sides? I really like the way it looks. Oh and where did you get the starfish and flower flip flops...I love those too! Congrats on your gorgeous wedding! Quote: Originally Posted by aj42781 Hi ladies , I got married at dreams on 3-11-11 and everything was wonderful!!! I took the advice from past brides and didnt let myself stress about details ,and lack of communication from dreams and they were right everything is perfect in the end. I went expecting to have tons of add ons and uprade in decor and Ana didnt have any to offer me...which is a good thing. My wedding was beautiful and I got to save my money! Everything was pefect I wont repeat all the same stuff other brides said. My only negative issue was the sound system guy was sooooo bad, so bad that I had to laugh because it was so ridiculous. I made written notes for him and even went and talked to him during cocktail hour and he still messed it all up and I wound up workiing my own ipod during wedding. I had to pay 550 bucks for him and I was the one running the playlist! No guests noticed and it went great. Please be careful alot of our group were getting sick, they ate alot of seafood be careful with the seared tuna, and cerviche shrimp these things are partially cooked. The good news is the sickness only lasts 8hrs so quick moving but very painful for guests. Hopefully Dreams gets this worked out soon I see on tripadvisor lots of have gotten sick recently. They upgraded our honeymoon suite to a master suite for free which was amazing! Lots of extra room to entertain in. Here is a link to my slide show. Anel was amazing! I was freaking out pre wedding jitters when she got there and she still managed to get great pics of me. Let me know if you have any questions http://110311cointot.dreamsriveriacancun.adventurephotos.com.mx/

Hi Sharon, yea, I think I'm definitely wearing heels, even if it's just for a little while, then switch to flip flops. I want nice wedding shoes for the pics! Fortunately (unfortunate for my wallet), I work near a Michael's, and lets just say, the girls in there know me by name, haha...

Oh no, really?! That's what I was afraid of (deck)...at least your shoes looked nice in pics, right? Lol I've actually read that about the pedicures as well, and also the french manicures there. I remember one girl saying it came out atrocious. I think I'll schedule my mani/pedi a few days before we leave... Thanks for the tip on the sand...I'm getting married in Dec so it shouldn't be an issue for us either.

Wow you made these? They came out great! Its good to know that I can go barefoot as planned. I love the "I Do" stickers...I don't have my shoes yet, but I have my rhinestone stickers lol (bought mine @ Michael's)

Thanks Winter! My name's Lily...I think I'll do the same thing...even if I make it through walking on the deck in heels, after a few cocktails and alot of dancing, the flip flops will definitely come in handy! Actually, Michael's (craft store) has this "inspiration" binder displayed in their wedding aisle, and there's a picture of a basket with flips flops for your guests to take labeled Sm, Med, or Lg. I think its such a cute idea...maybe white for girls and black for the guys? (Our colors are yellow & gray, but I don't know if it would be nice to force all the women to wear yellow (?) I had thought about finding out everyone's shoe size, but honestly that sounds like too much work, lol. I figured I'll get the most common sizes, like 7-9 (women), with a few smaller and bigger sizes. The sign on the basket reads "Dancing the night away" or "Dancing shoes"...Love it!

No, this is definitely a good question to ask! I want to wear heels for the reception too (on the pool deck as well) so I hope a past bride can answer this... WestBacani- are you wearing your flip flops for the ceremony? I'm totally confused about that. I kinda pictured a barefoot wedding on the beach, but what if the sand is super hot? That won't be a cute sight at all, lol... But I also know that walking in sand with flip flops can be really difficult, with sand kicking everywhere (unless the sand in that area is pretty compacted??) If anyone has any insight, please share : ) I've seen really cute foot jewelry in magazines (barefoot sandals I think they're called) so I kinda wanted to do that for the ceremony. I'm confused too