Dreams Riviera Cancun - Brides post here (new thread)

[Ktcblue2012]

Originally Posted by WPGBride 

 

 

Hmm suprisingly I don't have any good pictures of the reception at Seaside Grill that show off the space, which is not too suprising since I wasn't satisfied with my table set up anyways.

 

 

This is the best I could find. If any of my guests have one I'll put it up when I get it.

So we have the seaside grill for a similar mistake they made with yours.  My questions are: 1) how many guests did you have 2) did you have a dance floor and DJ 3) did you have chair bows that they were unable to place on those chairs?  It seems a waste for me to purchase them and bring them down if they can only use them for the ceremony (since they have to use the same furniture in the seaside grill), opinion?

Thanks!

[JustNoelle]

Originally Posted by tiffany0613 

 

So I'm kind of bummed.  We have been in talks with a travel agent to block some rooms for our wedding next April.  When we started the agreement Dreams had not yet released April 2013 prices, so our TA was able to quote us 2012 prices for next year.  We were expecting the rates to go down for our wedding since 2012 price was Easter and it won't be in 2013.  

 

Well, they finally released 2013 prices and to our surprise they went up.  A LOT!  Our agent was shocked too.  We hadn't signed the agreement yet or paid.  Luckily for us we used a good agent who was able to still use our agreement and we still locked in the 2012 price.  She did add a clause that if the prices go down or a promo is offered they will lower our rates.

 

So if any of you are procrastinating blocking rooms I suggest you do it quickly!  At least the price you lock won't go up.   I just wanted to share our experience with you

 

Oh my!!! Thank God I blocked 12 rooms for my August 2013 wedding just last week. Now I am getting really concerned... I am estimating 40 guests. I'm hoping I can add to more rooms later on (at the same rate). Thank you for sharing.

 

Also, did your WC inform you that the wedding packages rates has changed for 2013. I believe the Ultimate Package is now around $3,200. 

[tiffany0613]

Originally Posted by JustNoelle 

 

 

Oh my!!! Thank God I blocked 12 rooms for my August 2013 wedding just last week. Now I am getting really concerned... I am estimating 40 guests. I'm hoping I can add to more rooms later on (at the same rate). Thank you for sharing.

 

Also, did your WC inform you that the wedding packages rates has changed for 2013. I believe the Ultimate Package is now around $3,200. 

No she did not tell me that!  Aren't we locked in at the rate when we made the deposit and agreement with them?  

[JustNoelle]

Originally Posted by tiffany0613 

 

No she did not tell me that!  Aren't we locked in at the rate when we made the deposit and agreement with them?  

 

We are... once you make the deposit. However, I am not sure if the same rate applies for adding additional rooms. Since I've only blocked 12 rooms (24ppl), I think I would need to block approx 10 more now in order to be guaranteed the same rate. I am going to email my TA now. I will let you know what she says.

[WPGBride]

Originally Posted by LindseyM 

 

How was customs when they inspected your carry on?  Did they question the flowers?

 

Customs never looked in my bag. It just went through the xray conveyor belt. When you get to Mexico though you have to press this button (decides who randomly to search) I didn't get chosen to be searched but if you do hit it and it turns green they will go through your suitcase and carry on. However, I don't think that they would question fake silk flowers.

[WPGBride]

Originally Posted by Ktcblue2012 

 

So we have the seaside grill for a similar mistake they made with yours.  My questions are: 1) how many guests did you have 2) did you have a dance floor and DJ 3) did you have chair bows that they were unable to place on those chairs?  It seems a waste for me to purchase them and bring them down if they can only use them for the ceremony (since they have to use the same furniture in the seaside grill), opinion?

Thanks!

 

We had 20 guests and with one long table. I anticipated that the table wouldn't take up as much room as it did, so we did not have a dance floor. No problem though because after all of the courses and speaches our time was nearly up anyways. We all just went to Desires lounge and tore up the dancefloor!

 

I did see a set up at Seaside Grill with round table around the perimeter of the restaurant and this allowed for an adequate sized dancefloor in the middle.

 

We did not use a DJ. We made a playlist prior to leaving for Mexico on our Ipod and labeled special songs (ex. 'first dance' 'cutting cake' etc) The technician that comes with the sound system knew when to fade in and out for speaches and cake cutting etc. If your confident in your music choices I would just get the sound system and let the technician play it. No need to pay that ridiculous cost for a DJ.

 

It's funny you brought up chair bows because I did bring down ribbon and it was on some ceremony chairs and totally forgot that it would be in the reception. But from what Gina told me they just use the furniture at the Seaside Grill because it is more convenient and they have no where else to put the furniture. So by looking at the back of the chair I don't know how you would tie a bow to it. I would just double check that you can't bring in the ceremony chairs you want before purchasing the bows. I also think that they stacked the unused furniture along the sides of the resturant so that is something to ask to if you dont want chairs scattered about.

[EmilyT]

Hi, I was asking the same question and my fiance and I decided that we are going to get legally married as soon as we get back... I originally wanted to get legally married right before we went but he wanted to do it right after so we agreed on that. We feel like when we are there to us we will be really married, and when we get home we will just sign the paper work. He feels if we do it before hand when we get there it wont be as exciting since we are already married... if that makes sense. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. Also incase you are confused.. mexico doesn't care if u ever get legally married, you could go do the symbolic ceremony and never actually legalize it for all they care, so you do whatever makes you happy. The day of our wedding at dreams is our real wedding to us and the anniversary we will celebrate. To do the symbolic ceremony there which is what I am doing, I don't think any paperwork is really needed at all. All the documentation is if u do a legal wedding there and that info is on their website. Hope I helped.

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJ2012 

OK GUYS WE NEED HELP!!!

 

we, like most of us, are doing the symbolic ceremony- since it is way easier.

 

what i need to know is WHEN ARE YOU GETTING LEGALLY MARRIED?

 

what documents do they need when we go to mexico?

 

are you going to town hall/your church a few days before mexico or a month before?

 

we have been going back and forth about this for a while. but we know its easier to get the info from the professionals on this board then the people at dreams!

 

thanks...

respond here or email me!

[email protected]

[EmilyT]

Congrats and good luck.. i am not sure when you wrote this and if the wedding happened already but i cant wait to see the review. I also wanted my wedding party to be introduced and to walk in to the reception rather than just showing up but I wasnt sure how it would go, please let us know when you get back how the DJ was and how it worked with the different music and your wedding party walking into the reception! cant wait to hear about it, hope all went well!!!

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrskatieperry 

Hi Ladies!!  Oh my goodness we leaving next friday...I'm counting down the hours!!!

 

For the MOST part I'm not freaking out-just need to finish a few last minute things for our welcome bags. 

 

One thing I haven't even started thinking about is the music for all of the ceremny and stuff!  We are "dancing" down the aisle to I think I Wanna Marry You, but other than that haven't thought of it.  Also haven't made any decisions about the timing of the reception with when to cut the cake and stuff...

 

We picked a different song for each of our wedding party to enter in with...but they don't know what song it is!  LOL...so like our super tall thin friend is coming in to "will the real slim shady please stand up",.  They are all pretty funny!

 

Any insight or help with the music stuff?  We have a DJ so I guess I'm just thinking I'll leaving it up to him except for our father/daughter, first dance and mother son songs...

 

Happy planning!!

 

Katie

[Soon2bMrsLozada]

Ladies,

 

I cannot rave enough about how AMAZING my wedding came out. As a wedding coordinator/Event coordinator, I am very picky when it comes to all the little details that make a BIG difference..

I recommend doing an onsite inspection and booking your date and locations before leaving back home. That way you make sure you get what you want!

Communication with GINA prior to wedding: A

Ladies don’t stress out if Gina doesn’t respond right away, they are REALLY busy down their but they know what they are doing. Luckily for me, I had the same coordinator the entire time I was planning and Gina was very good with responding to e-mails in a timely manner as well as answering my calls. I made sure to send a summary of all the things we had discussed prior to our final meeting and she had everything written down and organized. I also created a timeline and sent it to Gina, Anel, and Mauricio and they all used it during the wedding.

Transportation: A

We used AMSTAR DMC since we had used this same company in Dominican Republic and when we went down to do our onsite inspection. I worked with Lupita and she took care of us. Most of our guest used this company and they were super reliable.  This is the same company in the hotel lobby that organizes tours.

Hotel/Check In: A++

When My husband and I arrived at the hotel, we were escorted to check- in in their VIP area  since we got upgraded to the preferred area. We originally book a plunge pool and got upgraded to a BEAUTIFUL Ocean view room (room 2351). It was amazing! I don’t want to spoil the surprise of the room décor but they really know how to make you feel special. Almost everyday, there was a surprise in our room. J

Final Meeting with Gina: A+

We had our final meeting with Gina the day we arrived. I had booked it well in advanced to make sure I got everything done before our guests arrived. We met with her, went over all the details in DETAIL, gave her the timeline, and a list of all the items I was handing over to her. I wanted to have the lanterns, but since it was raining, I decided to hold off on those because I didn’t want to pay for them, if we decided to move the reception indoors.

She agreed we could play this by ear and we signed our breakdown of the total costs including 5 people that needed day passes. She then instructed us to pay any time after the wedding in the reception area and so we did a few days later with Travelers checks. It was our first time using traveler’s checks and I highly recommend using them.  It is easy, safe, and you don’t have to pay a fee for the currency exchange.

I am a HUGE control FREAK and let me tell you that I felt so comfortable handing over everything to Gina. I gave her detailed instructions as to how I wanted everything set up and her Jorge did just that!

DJ Mauricio: A++

I kept in communication with Mauricio very briefly prior to our wedding and also had a meeting with him the day before our wedding and he had everything down. I even provided him with a CD of the music for our ceremony and reception and he played it exactly as we wanted. He was awesome and had all our guests on the dancefloor the entire time. Just to let you all know we paid $999 for the DJ and this included the lightup dancefloor too. It was well worth it! Any song requested by our guest he had!

Anel and Adventure Photos:  A++++++++

Words can’t express how talented this lady is!! She is super nice, friendly and so easy to work with. We had the complete wedding package and this included a trash the dress session. Since we didn’t want the trash the dress session, I sent her an email a few months before the wedding and requested to have a mini engagement session the day we arrived so we could use one of the photos as our sign in picture. This worked out perfect. My husband and I took some pictures around the hotel and later that night we went back to the studio, choose the picture we wanted, and within minutes, she had the picture printed and in the sign in frame. (We purchased the sign in frame at Michael’s.)

Aside from the engagement session, we also had a welcome dinner at El Patio and used the 50 pictures that were included in our package toward photographing this event. Anel wasn’t our photographer for this but the staff member that assisted us, was also REALLY Great! I’m not sure of his name but he is from Uruguay. I recommend him if Anel is not available.

The day of the wedding Anel started taking pictures at 3:00PM. She started with me and then she went down to my Husband’s room and took pictures of him getting ready. I also sent with her his wedding gift and she captured his expression as soon as he received it. Anel was with us till 9:00PM and she was awesome!! Her pictures say it all.

The day we were leaving, my husband and I choose the pictures we wanted and right before we left, we went back to the studio and picked up our CD. The photobook should be ready in 4-6 weeks and we gave her the full authority to pick the 80 pictures for the book.

Spa: A+

The day I arrived I had scheduled a hair trial and I got my hair done with Ana. She was great and even changed the style a bit so I could have my hair done differently for the engagement pictures. Since my friend who works for MAC was doing my makeup the day of my wedding, I took advantage and used the free makeup included in my package for the engagement session.

I had also scheduled the massage included in our package for the day before the wedding but since we stayed in the preferred area and stayed for 7 days, we also got the honeymoon eternity package which included another message session and we did that the day we left in the morning. Ladies, if you are staying in the preferred area  for more than 7 days, make sure you take advantage of the honeymoon package that is free and also includes a romantic dinner on the beach.

Wedding Day Service: A++++++++++++++++++++

The weather the day of the wedding was not so great. The wedding was May 19^th and I was so nervous about having to move everything inside. No one flies down to Mexico to have an indoor wedding but the weather was out of my control. We had a short rehearsal in the morning and after the rehearsal, Gina and I decided that we would make a final decision on the reception location at 1:00PM.

As I was getting my hair done, Jorge and Gina came down  to see me and as much as I wanted to cry about the unexpected weather, I decided to take their word for it and move only the reception indoor.

The Ceremony went as planned and Linda was great. I contacted her a few weeks before the wedding and she did exactly as we wanted. Luckily the weather held up for the ceremony.

Cocktail took place at the North Jacuzzi area and we had the Caribbean trio. This area was so intimate and the set up was just perfect; simple and elegant.

After my husband and I took our alone pictures, we went to meet everyone else in the cocktail area and asked Jorge If we could see the reception location since it was moved to one of the ballrooms. One word….WOW!!!! it was that beautiful. I honestly think the set up looked better that it would have outside! The room was draped at no additional cost and the buffet was nicely set up.We had 26 guests so we had the Caribbean buffet and everyone raved about how good it was. We had the tres leches cakes and just asked Jorge to decorate it with some of the flowers from the bridesmaid bouquets. The cake was so delicious that I event asked them to take the remaining cake to my room and I picked at it every day.

Flowers: A++++++++

I knew I wanted my flowers to be PERFECT but I didn’t think they were going to turn out as good as they did. The florist will replicate exactly what you want! For the ceremony I had hanging rose balls and after used them as centerpieces for the reception.

Video: A

The wedding video included in the package actually is pretty good quality. The video wasn’t ready before we left but I asked one of my guests to check if it was ready before they left and it was! I can’t wait to watch this every year on my anniversary!

Overall, the service is phenomenal and worth EVERY PENNY! From my experience in planning weddings, I don’t think it worth spending $30,000+  on a four hour wedding when you can spend half the cost and make a vacation out of it.. I know this review is long but seeing all the help I have received from this blog, I knew I had to return the favor. Below is my slideshow, if you have any questions, please let me know and I will be happy to answer.

http://190512lozada.dreamsriveriacancun.adventurephotos.com.mx/#/lozada-1/

[JustNoelle]

Originally Posted by Soon2bMrsLozada 

 

Ladies,

 

I cannot rave enough about how AMAZING my wedding came out. As a wedding coordinator/Event coordinator, I am very picky when it comes to all the little details that make a BIG difference..

I recommend doing an onsite inspection and booking your date and locations before leaving back home. That way you make sure you get what you want!

Communication with GINA prior to wedding: A

Ladies don’t stress out if Gina doesn’t respond right away, they are REALLY busy down their but they know what they are doing. Luckily for me, I had the same coordinator the entire time I was planning and Gina was very good with responding to e-mails in a timely manner as well as answering my calls. I made sure to send a summary of all the things we had discussed prior to our final meeting and she had everything written down and organized. I also created a timeline and sent it to Gina, Anel, and Mauricio and they all used it during the wedding.

Transportation: A

We used AMSTAR DMC since we had used this same company in Dominican Republic and when we went down to do our onsite inspection. I worked with Lupita and she took care of us. Most of our guest used this company and they were super reliable.  This is the same company in the hotel lobby that organizes tours.

Hotel/Check In: A++

When My husband and I arrived at the hotel, we were escorted to check- in in their VIP area  since we got upgraded to the preferred area. We originally book a plunge pool and got upgraded to a BEAUTIFUL Ocean view room (room 2351). It was amazing! I don’t want to spoil the surprise of the room décor but they really know how to make you feel special. Almost everyday, there was a surprise in our room. J

Final Meeting with Gina: A+

We had our final meeting with Gina the day we arrived. I had booked it well in advanced to make sure I got everything done before our guests arrived. We met with her, went over all the details in DETAIL, gave her the timeline, and a list of all the items I was handing over to her. I wanted to have the lanterns, but since it was raining, I decided to hold off on those because I didn’t want to pay for them, if we decided to move the reception indoors.

She agreed we could play this by ear and we signed our breakdown of the total costs including 5 people that needed day passes. She then instructed us to pay any time after the wedding in the reception area and so we did a few days later with Travelers checks. It was our first time using traveler’s checks and I highly recommend using them.  It is easy, safe, and you don’t have to pay a fee for the currency exchange.

I am a HUGE control FREAK and let me tell you that I felt so comfortable handing over everything to Gina. I gave her detailed instructions as to how I wanted everything set up and her Jorge did just that!

DJ Mauricio: A++

I kept in communication with Mauricio very briefly prior to our wedding and also had a meeting with him the day before our wedding and he had everything down. I even provided him with a CD of the music for our ceremony and reception and he played it exactly as we wanted. He was awesome and had all our guests on the dancefloor the entire time. Just to let you all know we paid $999 for the DJ and this included the lightup dancefloor too. It was well worth it! Any song requested by our guest he had!

Anel and Adventure Photos:  A++++++++

Words can’t express how talented this lady is!! She is super nice, friendly and so easy to work with. We had the complete wedding package and this included a trash the dress session. Since we didn’t want the trash the dress session, I sent her an email a few months before the wedding and requested to have a mini engagement session the day we arrived so we could use one of the photos as our sign in picture. This worked out perfect. My husband and I took some pictures around the hotel and later that night we went back to the studio, choose the picture we wanted, and within minutes, she had the picture printed and in the sign in frame. (We purchased the sign in frame at Michael’s.)

Aside from the engagement session, we also had a welcome dinner at El Patio and used the 50 pictures that were included in our package toward photographing this event. Anel wasn’t our photographer for this but the staff member that assisted us, was also REALLY Great! I’m not sure of his name but he is from Uruguay. I recommend him if Anel is not available.

The day of the wedding Anel started taking pictures at 3:00PM. She started with me and then she went down to my Husband’s room and took pictures of him getting ready. I also sent with her his wedding gift and she captured his expression as soon as he received it. Anel was with us till 9:00PM and she was awesome!! Her pictures say it all.

The day we were leaving, my husband and I choose the pictures we wanted and right before we left, we went back to the studio and picked up our CD. The photobook should be ready in 4-6 weeks and we gave her the full authority to pick the 80 pictures for the book.

Spa: A+

The day I arrived I had scheduled a hair trial and I got my hair done with Ana. She was great and even changed the style a bit so I could have my hair done differently for the engagement pictures. Since my friend who works for MAC was doing my makeup the day of my wedding, I took advantage and used the free makeup included in my package for the engagement session.

I had also scheduled the massage included in our package for the day before the wedding but since we stayed in the preferred area and stayed for 7 days, we also got the honeymoon eternity package which included another message session and we did that the day we left in the morning. Ladies, if you are staying in the preferred area  for more than 7 days, make sure you take advantage of the honeymoon package that is free and also includes a romantic dinner on the beach.

Wedding Day Service: A++++++++++++++++++++

The weather the day of the wedding was not so great. The wedding was May 19^th and I was so nervous about having to move everything inside. No one flies down to Mexico to have an indoor wedding but the weather was out of my control. We had a short rehearsal in the morning and after the rehearsal, Gina and I decided that we would make a final decision on the reception location at 1:00PM.

As I was getting my hair done, Jorge and Gina came down  to see me and as much as I wanted to cry about the unexpected weather, I decided to take their word for it and move only the reception indoor.

The Ceremony went as planned and Linda was great. I contacted her a few weeks before the wedding and she did exactly as we wanted. Luckily the weather held up for the ceremony.

Cocktail took place at the North Jacuzzi area and we had the Caribbean trio. This area was so intimate and the set up was just perfect; simple and elegant.

After my husband and I took our alone pictures, we went to meet everyone else in the cocktail area and asked Jorge If we could see the reception location since it was moved to one of the ballrooms. One word….WOW!!!! it was that beautiful. I honestly think the set up looked better that it would have outside! The room was draped at no additional cost and the buffet was nicely set up.We had 26 guests so we had the Caribbean buffet and everyone raved about how good it was. We had the tres leches cakes and just asked Jorge to decorate it with some of the flowers from the bridesmaid bouquets. The cake was so delicious that I event asked them to take the remaining cake to my room and I picked at it every day.

Flowers: A++++++++

I knew I wanted my flowers to be PERFECT but I didn’t think they were going to turn out as good as they did. The florist will replicate exactly what you want! For the ceremony I had hanging rose balls and after used them as centerpieces for the reception.

Video: A

The wedding video included in the package actually is pretty good quality. The video wasn’t ready before we left but I asked one of my guests to check if it was ready before they left and it was! I can’t wait to watch this every year on my anniversary!

Overall, the service is phenomenal and worth EVERY PENNY! From my experience in planning weddings, I don’t think it worth spending $30,000+  on a four hour wedding when you can spend half the cost and make a vacation out of it.. I know this review is long but seeing all the help I have received from this blog, I knew I had to return the favor. Below is my slideshow, if you have any questions, please let me know and I will be happy to answer.

http://190512lozada.dreamsriveriacancun.adventurephotos.com.mx/#/lozada-1/

 

This was an AMAZING review!! Your wedding was BEAUTIFUL!!! I am so happy everything worked out for you even with the severe weather conditions. I have a few questions... hopefully you will be able to answer them. Is the indoor ballroom always reserved for weddings when it rains?? How big is the ballroom? Is it extremely big to where your guests would look spread out? Or is it perfect for a 40ppl wedding? I appears that the ballroom has up-lighting... Was that included or did you have to pay extra? I would like to use the spa services for our welcome dinner. Did you have to make an appointment with spa prior to you arriving there? Were you able to have the romantic dinner on the beach? If so, how was it? I am too very detailed so hopefully my wedding next year will be as perfect as yours was. Thanks for posting your review and I apologize for all of the questions.