Dreams Riviera Cancun - Brides post here (new thread)

[lcraney]

Hi WisconsinBride2010! Your pictures are beautiful and I am happy to hear the rain stopped for your special day! That is awesome! 

I have been searching HIGH and LOW for orange bridesmaid dresses the color of your bridesmaids' ones. Where did you find them in that color? I am having a really hard time finding anything  bold orange like that. I was surprised to find this search so tough!

 

Any advice on where to look? My two sisters are the only bridesmaids I need to find that orange for. Any ideas would be totally appreciated, thanks!

 

Congrats on your beautiful day!

 

 

[LindsayMichelle]

For those that chose to use the DJ, how far in advance did you book him?

 

Thanks!

[LindsayMichelle]

Oh, and one other thing... Has anyone used the resort photographer? What did you think? How long do you have them for? I'm trying to decide if I should use them or get an outside photographer.

 

Thanks!

Lindsay =)

[rdsjcr]

Congrats!!  I am going to attempt to write a full review-- but I know I am going to leave things out-- so here goes:

 

We were at Dreams from Oct 20- Oct 26.  We got married on Oct. 24.... We brought a group of 40 friends and family!

 

We had the Honeymoon Suite booked- but when we got there, they upgraded us to the Master Suite and it was SO nice-- that one was of the best parts   Some of our friends were there that day, too- so we immediatly went to the pool and hung out.  We met with Gabriela the next morning and it was the most quick and easy meeting ever.  (5 minutes top!)  I gave her all my wedding favors and accesories (sashes, starfish, cds, sign in book, programs, and etc)  and told her how I wanted everything to look and we went over the bill and we were done!

 

The next night we did a Meet and Greet in the Lobby (at the Lobby bar) with all of our guests and had a great time-- then continued on to Desires night club there.  They had a pretty good DJ and with a group of 40- you bring your own party- so it doesnt really matter the crowd- b/c there were some funny people there- hahah

 

The following day was our Rehearsal.  We did it on the beach at 10am.  It took about 10 minutes.  And then we were finished and then me and my bridesmaids had a luncheon together at Oceana.  That night was our Rehearsal Dinner (7pm) - and we paid for the private event and did it at Portofino-- and it was fantastic!!  Up until this point I wasn't over the moon about the food there.  I mean don't get me wrong it is good- but all I have read about is HOW GOOD the food is so my expectations were very high- so I thought it was just okay!  But the food at our Rehersal Dinner was PERFECT!  And the service was so good!  We had a great time there.  Then, they gave my groom his own room for the night (Gabriela actually set this up earlier in the day- and he checked into his room at 3pm)-- so after the Rehearsal dinner- we all hung out at the Lobby Bar for a couple more hours- and they we went to our own rooms for the night.  I had a few girls stay with me

 

Ahhh Wedding Day!  I had 4 bridesmaids-- we all went to breakfast, and just hung out in the room- until noon when it was time to go to the spa.  (During our luncheon the day prior, the spa manager met up with us to go over times and made sure they all worked with each of us).. So we all 4 went to the spa to get our hair and make up done.  We started at 12:15 and we were all finished by 3!!  We had mimosas delivered to us there.  And then when we got back to the room, we finally had some lunch and more mimosas   Then at 4pm- it was wedding time.... a slight rain came through- it lasted about 10 minutes- then blew over and off we went.  Gabriela was fantastic during this time.  She was up in the room with us- we could see down to the guests- she was communicating with the people down there- and they did not let me stress-  I am telling you she is GREAT!!  Then just to avoid a later storm in the night- we moved my reception to El Patio-- and it was actually our favorite part!!  It allowed our reception to be very private and away from everyone!   They still set up inside exactly how I wanted it to look if it were outside.  They cahnged it over SO fast and it still started almost on time (just 10 minutes late) -- but all my guests were at the cocktail hour- so they didnt even notice.  We used Ivan as well- and he was phenonimal!  I gave him a very detailed list of what we wanted played and he played every single song (that I can remember!)  And we did a bit of a remix for our 1st dance- and he did it just as I asked.  He got all of our Bridal Party introductions right and our other special dances.  Our guests were very impressed with him.  He came up to me at the end of the night and asked what I wanted for the last song.  (we had him for 4 hours)  We had the most fun there!  The servers were great- they would bring rounds of tequila shots for all.  The food was amazing-- we had the BBQ buffett with the Caribbean desserts!   I think they assign a server to just the bride and groom, b/c it didnt matter where I was in the room- if I had an almost empty glass of wine- there was Hector filling 'er up    After the reception was over- we went to Desires to continue the party.

 

The next morning- we did a farewell brunch in the World Cafe-- and the hostess- moved tables so all 40 of us could sit together.

 

This was the best 6 days of my life-- we went to Secrets Maroma after and had a great time, too-- but it was not as good as Dreams!  Dreams was the best!!

 

(the only complaint I have -- and it is a very small one-- is that a couple of bartenders made my guests feel like they were owed a tip by making comments like "I take care of you, now you take care of me."..... and the service was kind of slow for dinner in the restaurants.)  But other than that- I cannot wait to go back to Dreams!

 

Have no fears or hesistations-- your wedding will be PERFECT!  If you have any questions- please ask-- I had a million before- and people on here helped me so much-- so I would love to now be able to help out!!

 

: )Robyn

[sherifeb2011]

I am having my wedding in feb 2011 and I just booked DJ Dorremix. I booked him through the hotel.......I hope he is okay

[LindsayMichelle]

Congrats Robyn!! Great review and sounds like everything was amazing! I'm glad to hear they figure things out quick if there is rain! Did you use the resort photographer or an outside one? Also, can I ask what the cost was for the rehearsal dinner? We will probably have a similar number of guests.

 

Thanks! =)

[rdsjcr]

Thanks!  I brought a photographer with me-- however I bought the Ultimate Package, so I still got to use their photographer, too.  (adventure photos)-- they sent me home with a video of our wedding and a cd with about 100 pics-- they are good (not as good as my photographer-- but really good none the less)

 

We had just the wedding party come to the rehearsal dinner and they charged $35 per person-- that included a 2 hour private event (they shut down the restaurant for just you and your guests)-- you pick the menu and it includes alcohol as well.  I thought it was totally worth it!

[1106wedding]

Your experience sounds amazing!!! I love the stories of getting upgraded, having the restaurant closed for you, getting tables put together at brunch...it's so VIP! Do you know how many people El Patio seats? And for the 4 hour reception (which is the lenght I want), did you pay anything extra for the private bar set up or extra hour? It sounds like a blast, congrats!! Oh...where did you have your ceremony if you didn't already say?

[Missy1]

Robyn, I'm kind of having the same wedding as you, about the same number of people....i booked the ultimate package, I'm having a private reception at el patio and the same dj. If you don't mind me asking, what would you say is a ballpark figure that you ended up spending on the entire wedding. I keep trying to add things up and get a straight answer from our WC but I'm so afraid I"m going to go over budget.

[lilly129]

Congrats Robyn!  And Janine - you're soooooo soon!!!!!!

 

Hey ladies - I saw that Dreams blogged some of my wedding pictures - here's their blog:

http://dreamsresortsblog.com/2010/11/01/destination-wedding-at-dreams-riviera-cancun/

I posted my slideshow from Elizabeth Medina in the "Post your wedding or engagement pictures" forum as well if anyone wants to see the whole thing

 

So fun, I was missing my wedding so much until I got my pictures last week and found this blog yesterday

 

Also, I've noticed a lot of comments here and on facebook about the frustrations with communications...

I've been there. I know what you're going through, I understand there is anxiety...but remember, we've all come back from our weddings raving about how wonderful our weddings are.  Gaby is an absolute pleasure to work with.  I know you try to call or email and don't hear back for days...but trust me - I was in Mexico for a week before my wedding and she made herself available to me many times during that week AND she was with me from 5pm until 10pm to make sure my day went exactly how I wanted.  She has two more assistants now, I can't say the communication is going to get better just by the sheer number of emails they get a day...but just take a deep breath and try to remember all the great reviews you've read.  Have faith in Gaby ladies...she'll come through for you!

That's my little pep talk for you ladies!!!!