Dreams Puerto Aventuras Brides - POST HERE!

[jrack]

Where did you hold your reception? and how was it?!?

[LindsayR]

We had our reception above Portofinos in the conference room because it was air conditioned. I debated about having it on the beach but I'm glad I chose the room. It is private and it was to have AC! Everything looked amazing and went smoothly! I honestly couldn't have asked for a better wedding- it was perfect!!

[jrack]

Originally Posted by LindsayR 

 

We had our reception above Portofinos in the conference room because it was air conditioned. I debated about having it on the beach but I'm glad I chose the room. It is private and it was to have AC! Everything looked amazing and went smoothly! I honestly couldn't have asked for a better wedding- it was perfect!!

Sounds like you had a fab time! And pros/cons or tips for the rest of us?!?

[Candi16]

I see there are a lot of brides who just returned from their DW; I'm not getting married until May 2014 but have so many questions with regard to the reception. I'm 100% sure I want the ceremony in the gazebo but still unsure of our reception. We are estimating about 40 people in attendance and our initial thought is to have it on the beach. I've read that it's not very private that any patron can walk by and see/watch but honestly if that's the only negative it's not much of an issue for us. My hang ups of having it in a restaurant or another indoor location is: we don't want to have to pay extra which I believe is the case for El Patio, we want it to be a/c if we're doing it inside, and laslty part of the excitement of a DW is to take full advantage of the scenery of the ocean as our backdrop which we can't have if we're stuck in a room. We don't plan on renting a DJ but instead bringing our ipod and using the resort's speakers/system to play it on. This is one of the reasons we're not worrying about the buffet; we can get up and dance and mingle while we're waiting for the next course...we're not having a traditional wedding so why would our reception be traditional is our thought! The only anxiety I'm having is hair/makeup. Did anyone use the Spa personnel and if so how was it??!!

[ChelseyB]

Originally Posted by Candi16 

 

I see there are a lot of brides who just returned from their DW; I'm not getting married until May 2014 but have so many questions with regard to the reception. I'm 100% sure I want the ceremony in the gazebo but still unsure of our reception. We are estimating about 40 people in attendance and our initial thought is to have it on the beach. I've read that it's not very private that any patron can walk by and see/watch but honestly if that's the only negative it's not much of an issue for us. My hang ups of having it in a restaurant or another indoor location is: we don't want to have to pay extra which I believe is the case for El Patio, we want it to be a/c if we're doing it inside, and laslty part of the excitement of a DW is to take full advantage of the scenery of the ocean as our backdrop which we can't have if we're stuck in a room. We don't plan on renting a DJ but instead bringing our ipod and using the resort's speakers/system to play it on. This is one of the reasons we're not worrying about the buffet; we can get up and dance and mingle while we're waiting for the next course...we're not having a traditional wedding so why would our reception be traditional is our thought! The only anxiety I'm having is hair/makeup. Did anyone use the Spa personnel and if so how was it??!!

 

the other big reason i really am glad i went with El Patio versus the beach is that the lighting at El Patio was soo perfect for an evening party.  the lighting at the beach wedding we saw was bright white lights.  it was not romantic to me at all, while the lighting at El Patio was perfect.  Not one of us was hot at the reception because it cools off in the evenings and wind was blowing through el patio because they have big windows that open and our wedding was also in May, so AC was not needed at El Patio.  Personally i would choose any other location besides the beach if you can.  I figured that if we were going to have it at the beach then we wer going to have to get the dance floor which pretty much costs the same as reserving El Patio, so the money all worked out the same to me. 

 

i used the hair and makeup person.  i thought she did a great job.  i got soooo many compliments on my hair and it did look better than most wedding hair i have experienced being in other weddings.  the only complaint i had was that they used some really really strong hairspray that made me kind of feel like i was wearing a helmet.  my husbands hair on the other hand was blowing in the wind.  iw ish my hair had been a bit more natural feeling and not so pasted into place.  i should have just told her to use a bit less hairspray. otherwise very happy .  maybe you can view the pictures from our wedding. sorry we don't have any from teh reception on here. http://krug.dreamspuertoadventuras.adventurephotos.com.mx/

[Candi16]

Thanks ChlseyB...you make some very valid points that I didnt really think about. I guess we'll have to discuss it a little more before making a decision. Our wedding date is 5/17 so not much after your 5/4 date so hopefully if we go with El Patio the weather will cooperate! As I said, my only concern is the a/c. Did you have to bring your own decorations or was it ok to leave it be and maybe only use the flowers from the ceremony? I also saw from your pictures that you did programs. I've been contemplating those as well....was it worth the effort to make them? I love being crafty but didnt want to waste time and money if they weren't really used. I will definitely take note of the hairspray tip too...thank you!

[Timothea]

We had our reception in El Patio in mid may and it was definitely hot!  the windows were open but the breeze didn't really come in.  Pro was that the restaurant is so beautiful that you dont need to bring decorations.  They brought over the flowers, and there was little candle holders on the tables.  I wished I had spent much less time making decorations.  I did not have full programs but did have raffia fans with a little label that we put the schedule on.  The fans were much appreciated, people used them right through dinner.  After the dinner everyone went outside to cool off and get a drink at Barracuda.   The price for the a la carte was less than doing it outside and getting the dance floor and lights (chinese lanterns are $300, dance floor was something like $750 or $850).  My hair was glued in place also, but if it hadn't beent the wind definitely would have destroyed it.  The ladies with short hair all had it sticking straight up in our photos lol.  I got my makeup done too, it was tasteful - I am not used to wearing a lot of makeup but it looked good in the photos.
 

[Soon2BeMrsC]

Hi! I'm considering having my wedding at the Dreams Puerto Aventuras and was wondering if anyone who did a dinner had over the 20 guests, and how much they charged per person over the 20?

[sherryro13]

Hi All,

Can I ask what you tipped the wedding planner/ bartenders etc?

I want to put these amounts in my budget so I can have a rough idea of how much cash to have on hand.

 

Thanks!

[Candi16]

Does anyone have any comments/suggestions on eating at the restaurants with your "group"? I know they say it's a bonus not to worry about making reservations but that being said, I dont want to have to wait an hour for a table or even possibly be turned away. I would like to do either a Welcome Dinner or Rehearsal Dinner with my group of 40 guests but don't feel like I should have to pay more since this is already all inclusive resort. I just want to be able to be accommodated by the restaurant staff. I've been to DW as a guest before and the other resorts were able to do this just fine since they took reservations. I emailed Jacki the WC and her only suggestion was eat at the buffet. For anyone who already stayed here was finding a restaurant to accommodate you and your group (any size) difficult at dinner time?