Dreams Riviera Cancun - Brides post here (new thread)

[Missy1]

Thanks! The shirts may have stayed on, however, I think because the weather was so beautiful the resort didn't expect rain so when they moved us to the ballroom they had to turn the air conditioner on....so it was very hot for the first 30 - 45 minutes but there weren't any real complaints. Most of my quests got rained on and went and changed their clothes before coming to the ballroom .But its something to think about...if you even think that there might be rain make sure they have one of the ballrooms prepared ahead of time.

 

Originally Posted by Lindsay in love 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Missy1 

And for those of you who still can't see my pictures feel free to friend request me and I'll gladly except. I'm not quite sure why some people still can't see them, I thought I turned off all of my privacy setting but agian feel free to friend request me

Missy your pics are awesome, and hilarious! Seems like you guys had a wild time for sure! I imagine my group will be similar....I'm in good company with a bunch of crazy partyers. :-)

Thanks for sharing your special day. You look stunning in your dress and your photos.

Made me all the more excited to leave a week today!

Congrats to you Mrs. Mattingly!

 

[plantcityhome]

Great info!! thanks so much!
 

Originally Posted by Missy1 

You can definitely save money by buying your own bows and table overlays or runners...they took no room to pack. I was so concerned about the budget as well so at first I was even going to try and bring my own centerpieces but it would have costed just as much to pack or have them shipped. The centerpieces I had were $60 a piece and I thought they came out beautifully. We had four tables for our guests...each table held 8-10 people...so I only had to buy 4. If you have the ultimate packageit comes with the a free centerpiece for the bride and grooms table and a free one for the ceremony table. I got those two to match and had them take the one from the ceremony table and move it to our table for the reception so I had one on either side of the table. I had my entire wedding party all sit at one table with us which was a 11 people. Definitely forgo the cocktail hour. There is no need for it. Your at an all inclusive resort...drinks are free. Have your guests meet at one of the bars around the resort for that hour and if you plan to have the mariachi or carribean trio play the WC will be happy to tell them where they need to be. Be aware that the pool bars close for 6 so if your cocktail hours after that they should probably just go to the lobby bar. I also got a $1500 photo package....if you don't need all those pictures then thats saved money. And the main thing is like I said before don't spend all kinds of money on decorations because in the end the scenery is so beautiful there you truly do not need them. Chair bows, table runners and centerpieces...thats all you need. Don't bother with flowers on the Gazebo or on the side of chairs because there just not nessassary. And also, my bouquet was free and I paid for 4 bridesmaids bouquets which were $60 a piece but I absolutely loved my flowers...they were my favorite part of the whole thing. I sent my WC a picture of what I wanted and they came out exactly like the pictures.

 

[plantcityhome]

Thanks for sharing your pics!! They were gorgeous and I laughed and smiled the entire time while looking at them!
 

Originally Posted by Missy1 

For anyone who previously went to my facebook page and couldn't see any of the pics I uploaded an album last night so you should be able to see them now (look up Melissa Ventura Mattingly). The DJ was 300 an hour and we had him for 4 hours however the 4th hour was free due to the mix up with DJ Doremixx but we tipped him $50 when it was all said and done because he did a really good job. My ceremony started for 4 and only last maybe 20 minutes. We skipped the cocktail hour with the appetizers and just had our guests meet at the Baracuda Bar which is right next to the Gazebo (its the bar with the swings around it) and we had the Carribean Trio play there since they were free with the package and it worked out well because we ended up taking our pictures right on the beach in front of the bar and our guests really liked to watch. The reception started at 6. Just my advise, get all the dances, speeches and cake cutting over with in that first hour. We had our entrance which everyone loved. They all stood up and danced with their maracas when we came in to "Tonights Gonna Be a Good Night" Everyone said it was the best wedding entrance they had ever seen. Right after that everyone went to the buffet and we ate for about 20  - 30 minutes. Then we did speeches , first dances, and then we cut the cake. Shortly after that it started to rain so they moved us into the ballroom and we danced the night away till 11. I did my bouquet toss and garter toss the second to last two songs of the night. My only complaint was that when it rained they weren't able to move any of the food except for some desserts and my cake to the ballroom so the rest of the food went to waste. It was a good thing everyone was able to eat at least one plate of food before then.

 

[SharonMydung]

Hello Brooke,

 

Ohhh I am not going to bring the wine bottles down there lol that's too much work.  There is a Costco in Cancun so I will purchase the wine there.  I am coming there early enough where I can take care of all these little things before the guests arrive.  As for the other things like parasols, scarves, maracas, and candies; I will have my sisters help me bring those.  I have four sisters and one brother so they can each carry a little for me

Originally Posted by brookeh68 

@ Sharon- How are you getting all of your "supplies" down to the resort?  It seems like wine bottles would take up a lot of room.  Are you just packing 2 or 3 more suitcases?  I was thinking maybe some of my girls could divide up some of the extras so we only have to use 1 extra bag.  Thanks!

 

[brookeh68]

Oh!thats great to know about Costco! We are there 3 days before our big day so maybe I could find some cute things for the guests down there instead of dragging several bags with us!

[dimplesandsuga]

AWWW I can't see your pics

[dimplesandsuga]

Hi Missy

 

Could you post your facebook link again, I'd LOVE to see your pictures. Whenever I click the link, it just goes to my home page. Also, the ceremony music, how was yours done? Is there someone to play or would the DJ be there for the ENTIRE event?  If so, wouldn't this be VERY expensive?
 

Originally Posted by Missy1 

For anyone who previously went to my facebook page and couldn't see any of the pics I uploaded an album last night so you should be able to see them now (look up Melissa Ventura Mattingly). The DJ was 300 an hour and we had him for 4 hours however the 4th hour was free due to the mix up with DJ Doremixx but we tipped him $50 when it was all said and done because he did a really good job. My ceremony started for 4 and only last maybe 20 minutes. We skipped the cocktail hour with the appetizers and just had our guests meet at the Baracuda Bar which is right next to the Gazebo (its the bar with the swings around it) and we had the Carribean Trio play there since they were free with the package and it worked out well because we ended up taking our pictures right on the beach in front of the bar and our guests really liked to watch. The reception started at 6. Just my advise, get all the dances, speeches and cake cutting over with in that first hour. We had our entrance which everyone loved. They all stood up and danced with their maracas when we came in to "Tonights Gonna Be a Good Night" Everyone said it was the best wedding entrance they had ever seen. Right after that everyone went to the buffet and we ate for about 20  - 30 minutes. Then we did speeches , first dances, and then we cut the cake. Shortly after that it started to rain so they moved us into the ballroom and we danced the night away till 11. I did my bouquet toss and garter toss the second to last two songs of the night. My only complaint was that when it rained they weren't able to move any of the food except for some desserts and my cake to the ballroom so the rest of the food went to waste. It was a good thing everyone was able to eat at least one plate of food before then.

 

[Soon2bMrsLozada]

Hello! My name is Vanessa and I am getting married on 5.19.12. at DRC. I have been following this thread for a while but have now decided to post and share with everyone my experience! My FH and I Did ALOT of research before finally deciding to spend money on flight and hotel to go down to DRC for on onsite inspection. As a previous wedding planner in Miami and having experience planning a destination wedding for my sister, I knew we had to be very organized and had to have a plan as well as a back up hotel for our on site visit that only consisted of a 2 day visit. I first contacted Ana, made sure the date was available and then requested a meeting date with her and ALL the vendors involved in the ultimate package before we booked our flight and even gave a deposit. I new deep inside based on all the research we did that this place was going to be right for us. Upon arrival, we had Amastar DMC pick us up and it was perfect! The hotel is isolated but we really felt this was going to work for us since we really don't want our guests out and about in Mexico with all the travel warnings. DRC is about 45 min to 1 hour from the busy hotel zone but it is near some great attractions (Xcaret and Cenotes). When we arrived at the hotel and walked into the lobby, I immediately got that feeling that this was the place and so did my fiancé! He immediately told me to cancel our on site inspection with our back up hotel! DRC is beautiful, intimate, new and exactly what we wanted. Although I do agree with there not being much to do at night, we are planning to have a welcome party on the Friday night before our wedding (location pending). We then met with Santiago from Adventure photos! Their studio is conveniently located on the property and is very nice. We have decided to use the pictures offered in our package for the welcome party and also have decided to go with their complete wedding package for the wedding day. This package includes a beautiful coffee table hard cover book and that really sold me. My fiancé really liked Anel's style so we have requested her to be our photographer and she has already agreed! Before making the decision of going with Adventure Photos, we also met with Juan Navarro. I love his style, he knows what he is talking about, and is a quick responder BUT after asking around, many people told me to go with adventure photos because they were on location, and changes could be easily taken care. Adventure photos also had a faster turn around time for the pictures and offers the hardcover book that Juan currently doesn't have. Also, to go with an outside vendor, it is additional. We did our on site tour with Jorge from the wedding department and he was awesome! Having experience in the wedding industry and also being a total control freak , it is not easy for me to trust someone but with Jorge and Ana I felt 100% comfortable. During our walk through, we choose our ceremony location to take place on North beach at 5:30, our cocktail in the Desires Terrace since it is private and the reception on the Beach Deck. Jorge also showed us the back up locations just in case it rains and walked us through the spa. We even asked him 177493836474838 questions and every time he provided us with a quick and accurate response that I later checked with Ana. Finally, the next morning we had our meeting with Ana and Mauricio from Visual sounds. We were not able to meet with Blue Channel, the videographer for the video offered in the ultimate wedding package, but we did see a sample of their work and it was great. Since we are going to upgrade to have a DJ at the reception, we did spend some time with Mauricio and he was super helpful! He has a great playlist and has the equipment to download a song he might not have on the spot if requested by a guest. He also told us that the DJ upgrade includes not only the DJ equipment but also the light up dance floor, microphone, and MCservice. We will be bringing a CD with our songs and back up playlist just invade but I feel confident we won't have a problem. For the ceremony, we are going with the sound system and for cocktail we are going with the Caribbean trio offered in the package. Jorge said the Caribbean trio offers more variety that the Mexican trio and is also more popular. Right before finishing our meeting my FH gave a deposit to Ana and confirmed our date, locations and vendors!!! I am more than a year out but I a super excited! I know this post is long but I hope you all find it helpful! The only concern I am having is that people won't come because of the situation in Mexico but another reason we went down their was to see if it was safe and it 100% was! Are any of you have this problem? Also, are you doing a room block directly through the hotel or with a travel agent? FH thinks we can get a better deal creating a package on a travel site.

[WestBacaniWedding]

For anyone who previously went to my facebook page and couldn't see any of the pics I uploaded an album last night so you should be able to see them now (look up Melissa Ventura Mattingly). The DJ was 300 an hour and we had him for 4 hours however the 4th hour was free due to the mix up with DJ Doremixx but we tipped him $50 when it was all said and done because he did a really good job. My ceremony started for 4 and only last maybe 20 minutes. We skipped the cocktail hour with the appetizers and just had our guests meet at the Baracuda Bar which is right next to the Gazebo (its the bar with the swings around it) and we had the Carribean Trio play there since they were free with the package and it worked out well because we ended up taking our pictures right on the beach in front of the bar and our guests really liked to watch. The reception started at 6. Just my advise, get all the dances, speeches and cake cutting over with in that first hour. We had our entrance which everyone loved. They all stood up and danced with their maracas when we came in to "Tonights Gonna Be a Good Night" Everyone said it was the best wedding entrance they had ever seen. Right after that everyone went to the buffet and we ate for about 20  - 30 minutes. Then we did speeches , first dances, and then we cut the cake. Shortly after that it started to rain so they moved us into the ballroom and we danced the night away till 11. I did my bouquet toss and garter toss the second to last two songs of the night. My only complaint was that when it rained they weren't able to move any of the food except for some desserts and my cake to the ballroom so the rest of the food went to waste. It was a good thing everyone was able to eat at least one plate of food before then.

This may be a silly question...but I'm confused. Does the dj play during dinner? Or after? I'm just trying to figure out my timeline. Our dinner starts at 7:30...so is that when the dj starts?

[Missy1]

No, you have to pay for a sound technician ($180 hour)..... and he spoke no English..luckily he didn't screw up too bad. I had a song for the parents and grandparents to walk to, a song for my bridal party and the song I walk down the aisle to. He didn't play the song that my bridal party was suppose to walk to to, instead he just kept playing the song that the parents and grandparents walked to. It worked out ok because the song was long enough for everyone to walk to but keep the ceremony music simple because it will get messed up.

 

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