Dreams Riviera Cancun - Brides post here (new thread)

[asanyc]

That's a really good number. The resort is huge - the guest # shouldn't be an issue. Congrats! When are you sending out your STD's? Not sure if you've already gotten one yet but I would highly recommend getting a TA - mine took all that stress away from me and has been amazing.

Originally Posted by cbandemer 

Our wedding is September 1st, 2012. So far we think there will be a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 130. I just don't know how great they will be at accomodating such a large group or if we'll all fit in certain areas. Fingers crossed it all works out

 

 

[asanyc]

Lindsay,

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! The review is sooo organized - I love it!

 

I would love to hear a little more about the "Welcome Party" - we're deciding between a Welcome Party or Rehearsal Dinner depending on the final confirms. I'm really torn as I would love to do a dinner but rationally doesn't make sense to pay more for that when all the guests are already all inclusive. How did you pick the location and time? When did you let the guests know of the event - was it ahead of time or while they were down there? Also, a few brides have said that if you go early enough, the restaurants can accommodate you - did you notice that as well or is it better to go with a Welcome Party instead? Anything else you can share would be great. Thanks a million!
 

Originally Posted by LindsayMichelle 

Our wedding was July 23^rd and I can honestly say we could not have asked for a more perfect wedding and a better resort to have it. I will try to touch on everything, so this will probably be pretty long. Feel free to skip over whatever you’d like and ask any questions you have! This forum was so incredibly helpful while planning, so I hope I can do the same for you future brides!

 

The Resort

DRC is absolutely gorgeous! It is just like it looks in the pictures. I have stayed at several all-inclusive resorts and this was by far the most beautiful resort I’ve experienced. Our guests raved about it as well. It is also not very big so we were able to run into our guests and find people easily. The service here is phenomenal. They really go above and beyond to make sure you are enjoying your stay. We were upgraded to a honeymoon suite (room 2501 – absolutely amazing), but all of the rooms I saw were beautiful.

 

Wedding Coordinator

 

Like many of the other brides, I had several changes in coordinators while planning, and about a month before the wedding, was given another new one - Yamina. I was a little worried about this late change at first, but she instantly put me at ease. I can’t speak to the other coordinators, but if you have Yamina, you are lucky! She was so wonderful to work with! She is so organized, personable and wants to do whatever she can to make you happy and make things easy for you. She was always prompt to return e-mails. We met with her Tuesday morning, went over the details (and she remembered all of it – and had all of my e-mails printed out!), I gave her all of our decorations, and were able to just relax with our guests for the rest of the week!  They really know what they are doing there. We were incredibly impressed.

 

Welcome Party

 

We decided to just do a “Welcome Party†for our guests the Thursday before the wedding since everyone was there by then. We just had everyone meet at the Lobby bar at 8:30 and we gave them their welcome bags and gifts then. There was live music that night, which worked out perfect and our guests surprised Frank & I with a song request for a dance just for us J

 

Decorations

 

I brought a lot of my own decorations. Our colors were fuchsia and orange, so I brought fabric in those colors for the chuppah on the beach, orange and pink chair bows, orange and pink paper lanterns.  I decided to reuse the bridesmaids bouquets as centerpieces and that worked out perfectly. Everything looked even better than I could have expected. You don’t need a lot with the beautiful natural scenery, but the few things I had complemented it well.

 

Flowers

 

I had a bouquet of hot pink and orange roses and my bridesmaids (who wore fuchsia dresses) had all orange roses. These were not in the catalog and something I had sent pictures of. They were absolutely beautiful and perfect!

 

Weather

 

Yamina brought the flowers to my room around 1:30 pm and wanted to be very honest with me and let me know that there was a risk of rain. There was a wedding the night before and the weather looked beautiful and started to pour at their reception on the deck. She said it was completely up to me, but gave me the option of decorating the ballroom. She needed to know within 30 minutes and having always dreamed of a beach wedding, this was a hard decision for me, but I decided to risk it! I am SO glad I did because the weather was perfect. I also have to add that when it did start to pour the night before, the staff is so on top of things! They had the bride and bridesmaids surrounded with umbrellas and moved everything so quickly. For any brides that are getting married around this time of year, it is hot during the day, but comfortable on the beach at night with the breeze. I was very comfortable in my long dress and the guests all commented how nice the breeze was. 

 

Run-through

 

We did a run-through of the ceremony the morning before the wedding, which was quick and I’m really glad we did. Everyone then knew what order, where to stand, etc. and it made things really easy for the ceremony.

 

Hair & Make-up

 

I decided to have Fernando Fuentes (from the Makeup Pros) and his hair guy come to do my hair and make-up, as well as my mom and mother-in-law. They were a bit pricy, and we had to pay for day passes, but they definitely worth it. They were so much fun and we loved our hair & make-up. The bridesmaids all went to the salon and almost all of them were really happy with their hair & make-up. They recommended bringing a picture of what you want.

 

Ceremony

 

We had our ceremony on the beach at 6 pm near the kayaks. It was everything I dreamed of. They did a great job with the few decorations I brought. Our minister was Linda, who was great! We did a sand ceremony and after I put glue over it to seal it. I’m so glad to have this as a memory from the ceremony. We did a symbolic ceremony and they do have you sign a “marriage certificateâ€.  The ceremony lasts about 20 minutes.  I had given the sound tech 3 CDs – Before ceremony, ceremony music (song for bridesmaids, song for me, and then the recessional), and after the ceremony and he played it perfectly.

 

Reception

 

We chose not to have the cocktail hour and found we really didn’t need it. After group pictures, the guests either ran up to their rooms or to the lobby bar for the 30 minutes or so Frank and I took pictures. The reception was at 7:30 pm on the deck, which was the perfect location. They had moved my chair bows from the ceremony while taking pictures and put up the decorations just as we had talked about. We had DJ Polo from AVI and he was great! He played the music we requested and was announced our entrance, toasts, cake cutting and bouquet/garter toss at all the right times. We chose the Mexican buffet and all of our guests said that was the best meal they had there (and the food at some of the restaurants is really good!). We chose the tres leches cake and had not upgraded and they actually gave us a two layer cake. I had brought fake flowers and a cake topper to put on and it turned out great. After the reception we all moved to Desires for more dancing.

 

Photography

 

I chose to use Juan Navarro for my photographer. He was approved by the resort, so I didn’t have to pay a day pass for him. He was great, but I can’t comment on the pictures yet since I have not seen them. I will get a link to those out when I get them.  We had the “Love†package which included 36 pictures, so we used Adventure photos for our “getting ready†pictures, which worked out well, and then Juan showed up right at the ceremony. They gave us a CD, but I haven’t received a link yet.

 

Spa

 

The spa is amazing and I definitely recommend using it if it is included it your package or if you have the chance! I was so good about sunscreen Mon-Thurs and I had a good base tan, but somehow Friday I got a pretty bad sunburn. My mom and I went to the spa the morning of the wedding and got sun relief body wraps! Amazing! And they let you use all their different pools, saunas, etc. with any package.  So relaxing.  And luckily my burn turned to a tan before the wedding J

 

I hope this helps and feel free to ask any questions. I will hopefully get my pictures up soon! I am so excited for all of you though! I was so happy with everything and it was truly our dream wedding!

 

[NJ2012]

Hey lindseym if you read this the site won't let me send out another message for some reason so please e mail me [email protected] but I will keep trying to send a private message. Thanks! Nikki

[ssapper]

Hey girls... Does anyone know how much DRC charges for the garden chairs (the brown/rustic looking ones)???

 

Also has anyone ever rented vases from the resort? I want to bring my own flowers (silk/real touch) down but am trying to get around bringing the glass vases...

 

Thanks girls.. im having a hard time getting a hold of Ana right now (they must be busy!)

 

Shannon

[LindsayMichelle]

Ha, thanks! I've been on here for over a year so I tried to answer the questions I saw a lot of. 

 

Yeah, we decided to do the welcome party instead of a rehearsal dinner - just personal preference - and free It made it easy to walk around and chat with everyone. I picked the Lobby Bar because from other reviews, it seemed like the best place to get a group together and having now been there, it was a good choice. The lobby is beautiful, really open and they usually have live music at night. I chose Thursday at 8:30 because all of the guests would be there by then, it would allow people to go to dinner first if they wanted to, and the lobby is open air, so it was much cooler by that time. I let them know about it before we went..I sent out an e-mail to everyone and included it in that. 

 

Some of the nights we had more luck with restaurants than others. The first few nights we had no trouble getting 10+ people in for dinner pretty quick, but the last few nights, it took over an hour and we were seated separately. If you go right when they open, you will probably have the best luck. The resort was at full capacity when we were there, so that may have been part of it.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Originally Posted by asanyc 

Lindsay,

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! The review is sooo organized - I love it!

 

I would love to hear a little more about the "Welcome Party" - we're deciding between a Welcome Party or Rehearsal Dinner depending on the final confirms. I'm really torn as I would love to do a dinner but rationally doesn't make sense to pay more for that when all the guests are already all inclusive. How did you pick the location and time? When did you let the guests know of the event - was it ahead of time or while they were down there? Also, a few brides have said that if you go early enough, the restaurants can accommodate you - did you notice that as well or is it better to go with a Welcome Party instead? Anything else you can share would be great. Thanks a million!
 

 

 

[colleenandclint]

Hi asanyc!

 

So, I brought the sand ceremony down.  I ordered it from sandsationalsparkle.com.  It was pretty cheap and they had a lot of colors of sand to choose from.  

 

As for the centerpieces, I did not pay extra for those.  However, I did want the tower of lanterns and apparently it was broken.  So they threw in the centerpieces and put the lanterns on the pool deck filled with some sand.  The lanterns lined the whole pool deck.  Looked good, but would have still preferred the tower.  Not sure how much those centerpieces would have cost.  

 

We did not do the dance floor.  I was quoted $600 and am glad I didn't do it.  Our party danced all night and it wasn't necessary.  One way to keep control of cost.  

 

The cake.  That was standard.  I did not upgrade it.  It was included in the ultimate package.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was layered.  One funny thing, we ordered chocolate and when we went to cut it, it was difficult.  The cake seemed like there was something hard in it.  We cut thru it and it was a pineapple filled cake!  Who know!!!!  It was kinda funny, and my husband actually preferred it.  

 

So a few hiccups that night, but we just rolled with it. 

 

Let me know if you have more questions, hopefully I helped.

Originally Posted by asanyc 

Colleen,

The pics are absolutely gorgeous! CONGRATULATIONS!!! And, now you can truly relax!

 

I do have a few questions for you:
1-Did you bring your own sand / sand vase down or were they provided? If they were provided by the resort, did you choose your colors or was that random?

2-Did you design your own center pieces and bring them down or were they provided as well?

3-Did you get the dance floor? Did you think it made a big difference or not something that would make a big difference?

4-And, for your cake, did you send them a pic for what you wanted or asked them for the upgrade? How much approx. did the additional layers cost?

 

Thanks sooo much. I really appreciate it!

 

 

[colleenandclint]

ToBeMrsDavis, 

 

I did not have a legal ceremony.  It was symbolic.  It was originally scheduled for 630 then cocktail party 7-8.  But two weeks before I switched it to 6 because Anel (photo) suggested that if it was at 6 she would have a bit more light for the photo shoot after the ceremony.  I didn't know what to do but went with her advice and was glad I did.  My guests watched us get some pics and then went on to the cocktail party.  They didn't complain that they were waiting around or anything.  And then we got to enjoy the most/half of the cocktail party too.  I had read that some brides had too tight of a timeline and they didn't get to go to the cocktail hour at all. 

 

Hope this helps!

[r and k 2012]

Hi colleen,

 

congrats on the wedding yr pics are beautiful!

 

Quick Question

 

1. Where did you have your reception?

2. how many people did the basic cake feed?

 

Thank you
 

Originally Posted by colleenandclint 

Hi asanyc!

 

So, I brought the sand ceremony down.  I ordered it from sandsationalsparkle.com.  It was pretty cheap and they had a lot of colors of sand to choose from.  

 

As for the centerpieces, I did not pay extra for those.  However, I did want the tower of lanterns and apparently it was broken.  So they threw in the centerpieces and put the lanterns on the pool deck filled with some sand.  The lanterns lined the whole pool deck.  Looked good, but would have still preferred the tower.  Not sure how much those centerpieces would have cost.  

 

We did not do the dance floor.  I was quoted $600 and am glad I didn't do it.  Our party danced all night and it wasn't necessary.  One way to keep control of cost.  

 

The cake.  That was standard.  I did not upgrade it.  It was included in the ultimate package.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was layered.  One funny thing, we ordered chocolate and when we went to cut it, it was difficult.  The cake seemed like there was something hard in it.  We cut thru it and it was a pineapple filled cake!  Who know!!!!  It was kinda funny, and my husband actually preferred it.  

 

So a few hiccups that night, but we just rolled with it. 

 

Let me know if you have more questions, hopefully I helped.

 

 

[Soon2bMrsLozada]

Colleen: beautiful wedding! Where did you get the maracas?

[cbandemer]

Thank you sooo much for the review!! You're pictures are beautiful also
 

Originally Posted by colleenandclint 

I have been waiting on my slideshow to share to write my review.  And now I have it!!!

 

My husband, Clint, and I got married on July 19th and it was amazing.  Let me start by telling you that this site is incredible.  I did not write too much but it is a so helpful to hear from past brides and I was so excited for it to finally be my turn. 

 

I don't want to be too repetitive from other reviews, but if anyone has questions, I'm more than happy to share.  

 

In the one year that we booked this resort, I went thru 6 wedding coordinators and freaked out every time.  It is no big deal, all of my information was always transitioned.  My final wc was gina and she was awesome.  Once you get within 3 months or so, the communication was sooo much better.  Remember they have weddings almost everyday, so there are lots of brides that want their attention.  They know exactly what they are doing. 

 

Timeline

 

night before: rehearsal dinner at el patio at 6pm.  we did pay extra for this and now after the fact, I realize you pay for the service.  we had 37 people and could have just walked in at 6pm, however since we were booked, we were sectioned off and had a personal bartender and incredible service.  

 

Clint did get his own room the night before that was included in the ultimate wedding package.  we actually made it all day the day of the wedding without seeing each other!

 

day of:

 

till 130- relaxed by the pool with my family. nice!

 

230- my sister and i went to spa to get hair and makeup done

 

515- Anel from adventure photo came to our room to get pics.  we upgraded to the 999 package and anel covered the whole event.  she was great.  very happy with the pics. one note, adventure photos seems to be busy a lot of the time. if you walk past and see there is no one in there, take advantage.  we chose our pics while we were there.  they said it usually takes about 5 days for editing. 

 

550- gina came to get me to walk to the beach

 

6pm- ceremony on the beach.  i didn't know if the sand would be too hot in july at 6 but it wasn't.  i went barefoot for the ceremony.  we had my brother in law perform the ceremony.  he was ordained online. ha.  the weather was perfect, breezy and cooler than i expected. 

 

7pm- cocktail hour w mariachi band by jacuzzi area

 

8-11- reception with sit down dinner.  very nice.  we were happy to have just shy of 40 people and do the sit down dinner.  we selected escargot, crab cake, broccoli soup, choice of seabass or beef, and wild berry pastry.  for the entree, i sent an email to all of our guests and asked them which they preferred.  then my mom and i made place cards in two different colors to determine fish or beef.  this made it super easy for the staff to just serve the food.   

 

we had rodrigo as our dj from avi and he could not have been better.  i'm horrible with title and artist so i could not really tell him what i wanted.  i just wanted people to dance.  he said he would take care of it and he did!! he was great he phased in and out of the songs and the dancing never stoppped.  total blast. worth the extra money for a dj (300/hr)

 

we brought down chair sashes due to the cost.  i recommend this, they were so easy to pack.  they are .59 to buy and pack or $5 a piece to rent.  The resort will move the sashes from the ceremony to the reception free of charge.  

 

here is a tip for oot bags.  I bought them online from http://baggubag.com/#Shop and just got the small size.  they worked great.  everyone used them every day to put the key and suntan lotion and magazines in to bring to the pool.  perfect bc then everyone knew where our group's stuff was at the pool.  

 

another tip: take advantage of everything included in the ultimate package.  clint and i used the spa services and loved it.  also, the dinner on the beach was really romantic.  we were literally on the beach having a candlelit dinner with our personal server.  

 

this place is on top of everything.  although clint and I were very familiar with all inclusive resorts, many of our guests were not.  they raved about the resort, the rooms, the restaurants.  even our skeptics were impressed.  

 

again, if anyone has questions, feel free to send them my way. 

 

enjoy the slideshow.......

 

http://190711copenhaver.dreamsriveriacancun.adventurephotos.com.mx/

 

 

Colleen and Clint