DREAMS PUERTO VALLARTA "thread"

[vollydolly]

 

 

Originally Posted by Dreams2011 

 

How many people are attending your wedding? According to their website you need a minimum of 60 people for a buffet (however they may make exceptions...for a price of course). Again, according to their website the buffet ranges from $45 - $60 / person depending on the menu option you choose... that could also be old pricing as from what I recall this was the same as about a year ago, but I may be mistaken. Here is the link http://www.dreamsresorts.com/drepv/wedding-extras.html.

 

 

 

 

I'm having about 30.  That's funny Esman told me they don't make exceptions.  I have their old pricing which was cheaper than what is on their website now.  I really just want some mexican options in a more cocktail type setting with no formal sit down dinner.  It's strange that they won't accommodate that and I am paying for the ultimate package which includes a sit down dinner.  Maybe I can go over Esman's head and talk to his manager once I am there. 

 

 

 

[lilly]

We're booked for March 20, 2012! : ) We're using a travel agent and have booked an early booking bonus through Westjet. We need to have the initial deposit for 10 rooms paid by May 4th. If we choose to guess how many guests we'll have we can lay down a deposit for them and then from there we can increase or decrease the number by 25% as long as we maintain 10 rooms. The only crummy part is the payment has to be made in full by the end of August which is pretty early considering our wedding isin't until March!

 

I got different rates for food. The buffet prices start at 55US and go to 75US per person. If we do a sit down menu (which is the plan for now) with our ulitmate package each additional guest will be $30 for the cocktail and $45 for the dinner. Are you guys getting a better price on these still?

 

The plan B is we're thinking of hiring an outside taco vendor in and having a late ceremony on the beach followed by tacos drinks and dancing. This way if people don't want to eat the tacos they'll have time to get a bite in the restaurant before hand. I used to live in PV and my FI loves it there. We love the food and the culture so we think it would be really unique. Has anyone done this on read on the forums about the pricing for this type of event?

[vollydolly]

 

 

Originally Posted by lilly 

 

We're booked for March 20, 2012! : ) We're using a travel agent and have booked an early booking bonus through Westjet. We need to have the initial deposit for 10 rooms paid by May 4th. If we choose to guess how many guests we'll have we can lay down a deposit for them and then from there we can increase or decrease the number by 25% as long as we maintain 10 rooms. The only crummy part is the payment has to be made in full by the end of August which is pretty early considering our wedding isin't until March!

 

I got different rates for food. The buffet prices start at 55US and go to 75US per person. If we do a sit down menu (which is the plan for now) with our ulitmate package each additional guest will be $30 for the cocktail and $45 for the dinner. Are you guys getting a better price on these still?

 

The plan B is we're thinking of hiring an outside taco vendor in and having a late ceremony on the beach followed by tacos drinks and dancing. This way if people don't want to eat the tacos they'll have time to get a bite in the restaurant before hand. I used to live in PV and my FI loves it there. We love the food and the culture so we think it would be really unique. Has anyone done this on read on the forums about the pricing for this type of event?

 

I think that is a great idea for taco's but I'm sure the resort will charge you an arm and a leg to bring in an outside vendor I would think. Let me know if they let you do this.

 

[PalapaGirl]

Lilly, I would also love to hear what Dreams tells you about the taco cart.  I would really like to do something like that during the afterparty after my reception (since we have to be off the beach at 10:30 we're planning to go to the Sports Bar for our afterparty, and I think it would be fun to have a taco cart show up there around 11pm or midnight).  Dreams has been all over the place on outside vendor fees, so who knows what answer you'll get.  I've been told different things by each of the 4 wedding planners I've had over the last year. 

 

Also, has anyone done the Old Town Art Walk? (See: http://visitpuertovallarta.com/events/art-walk-season/ and http://vallartaartwalk.com/menu.html)  Was if fun/did it go smoothly?  I'm thinking about recommending this as an activity for our guests on the Wednesday before the wedding. 

[SarahBen2011]

In reply to Dreams2011:

 

We're having about 50 guests and Esman said it's fine that we don't have 60.  And he directed me to the "wedding extras" web page as well and we picked International Buffet II for $45 a person.

 

We are not doing a cocktail hour... $30 per person when everyone is already all-inclusive is crazy to me.  We're doing a champagne toast after the ceremony ($3 per person I think) and then guests can either walk to one of the Dreams bars for cocktails or wait until dinner starts!

 

Curios what others have done...?

 

[NM2011]

 

 

Originally Posted by SarahBen2011 

 

In reply to Dreams2011:

 

We're having about 50 guests and Esman said it's fine that we don't have 60.  And he directed me to the "wedding extras" web page as well and we picked International Buffet II for $45 a person.

 

We are not doing a cocktail hour... $30 per person when everyone is already all-inclusive is crazy to me.  We're doing a champagne toast after the ceremony ($3 per person I think) and then guests can either walk to one of the Dreams bars for cocktails or wait until dinner starts!

 

Curios what others have done...?

 

 

Hi Sara.. That's exactly what my FI and I are thinking. I'm not paying for a cocktail hour when people can walk and extra couple feet and get it for free! I'm kinda nervous that people will be standing around while we take pics but oh well. The extra per person for our group would just be too much. Let me know how yours goes with no cocktail hour!

 

 

[vollydolly]

Hi Sara and NM!  I think that is a great idea to skip the cocktail hour.  I'm just curious.  Are you doing everything a la carte and not getting one of the wedding packages?  Since the ultimate comes with a dinner I am finding it hard to swallow that I have to pay between 45-60 per person to have a buffet.

[SarahBen2011]

I've talked to a lot of our friends / family and they will want to see some of our "picture taking" anyways!  Then they can mingle on their own for an hour - $30 per person is just nuts!

 

And we are doing everything ala cart.  We are bringing in our own local photographer (Michelle Turner) so it made since to NOT upgrade the package (we're doing the free package).  It'll be $2,225 for 50 people to have the buffet dinner plus the extras (DJ, flowers, cake, etc).  The package only includes 20 people so we'd have to pay a lot more anyways.

 

The only thing you get in the "love' package for $2,099 that you don't get in the free one are photos and 20 people for cocktail hour and dinner.  So it would have been $2,099 for the package PLUS the extra 30 guests ($1350) = about $3,500.  Not worth it for us!

[NM2011]

 

 

Originally Posted by vollydolly 

 

Hi Sara and NM!  I think that is a great idea to skip the cocktail hour.  I'm just curious.  Are you doing everything a la carte and not getting one of the wedding packages?  Since the ultimate comes with a dinner I am finding it hard to swallow that I have to pay between 45-60 per person to have a buffet.

 

 We are doing the ultimate package and seated dinner. The buffet is just way to much!! We are expecing about 50 plus people but having them remove the cocktail hour. I have been doing a little research and most likley going to use the puerto vallarta adventures photographers. They do good work from what I can tell. I really want to do the bonfire though... It's hard for me to pay $400 for some smores. LOL I can get them from the store for $30! Are you ladies doing the bonfire?

[KarenM]

 

Originally Posted by tlc9b 

I am wondering the same thing about music at the bonfire. If anyone had music at theirs, did you just spring an ipod and speakers or did you rent something from the resort?

 

Originally Posted by Crystal1880 

Hi ladies.. For anyone that had a bonfire.. Is it o.k. without music, or should there be music?

hi girls.  we had a bonfire the night before the wedding & didn't have any music. we didn't miss it either. it's pretty loud on the beach w/ the waves & it was really hard to be heard just from that when we made a 'thanks for coming' speech. if i were to do it again, i still wouldn't have music; imo you just don't need it.