Dreams Los Cabos bride Roll Call

[TammyWright]

Hi Amanda,

 

As someone that not only got married at Dreams but also books many weddings there a year, I thought I would chime in (see bolded text below).

 

I hope this doesn't offend you but I think it is really important to keep things in perspective and manage expectations.

 

Dreams Los Cabos does amazing weddings and have really

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by amandawebster1 

Yes. $95 per person staying off resort. I have to say that I am finding that Dreams doesn't work with you at all or make ANY exceptions on these items. I have been pretty upset by the way I am treated- like just another number to them. Little care or concern is shown during planning. this is not true.  There are probably about 800 guests staying at Dreams at any given time.  How many guests do you have at your wedding?  40, 50, 60?  It is a pretty small fraction.  Other than your guests there are 700+ guests not part of your wedding that Dreams has to make happy as well.  When those guests booked their vacation, they had certain expectations of the level of service, amount of pool chairs, etc. that would be available to them.  If Dreams did not have a day pass fee and just let anyone on the resort it would really diminish the experience of other guests.  Lines would be longer, service slower, less resources to go around.

 

Our package included a 1 hour music trio and come to find out if we don't want to use the trio-because we wanted a spanish guitarist we pick- they won't credit us the $350 for anything else- even though we are spending a lot of money on extra people and have about 35 guests staying at the resort as well as spending our entire honeymoon there. I guess that means nothing. Then you have to also use the in house photographer or guess what- again no credit from package! It is one of the reason why people choose NOT to do packages and instead go a la carte with the wedding.  I didn't choose a wedding package because I wanted to choose my own vendors.

 

Same thing with the cake. We wanted a professional cake- and if we since we aren't using the cake in the package- it's our loss- no credit or we have to use it at another event. So we spent money on the ultimate wedding package and at leat $500 has gone down the drain. We have to have an extra cake we don't even want. Too bad for us. same thing as above

 

It's really sad. Nobody there seems to care.  I am concerned about how this is going to turn out and how we and our guests will be treated when we get there.  When I express concern or ask to escalate any issue - I get no  response. Dreams has one of the most flexible wedding departments of all the big resorts BUT you get what you pay for.  when you chose a package, it came with certain amenities in the package.  There was no guarantee that you would be able to swap our one amenity for another.  Dreams Los Cabos does many weddings a year and has really high reviews so I would not worry about being mistreated.  You might want to manage your expectations a bit.  Have you signed up for the webinar.  That might help.  Sometimes it really is easier to ask questions and hear answers 'live' rather in email which can be misconstrued.  Also, are you working with a travel agency?  I know when my brides have issues, we can usually get the resort to answer us pretty promptly.

 

Good luck to everyone. It hasn't been a fun experience and much more stress than I ever anticipated.

 

[alanak]

Hi McLecker,

 

This is my first time posting on this site! I do have answers to some of your questions though, so I figured I would help out since this site has been super helpful to me so far!

 

The packages that Dreams offers only include the offerings for up to 20 people. For dinner, each person over 20 is an additional charge. They have different levels of meals (silver, platinum, etc.) the cost is between $65-$85 extra per person depending which menu you choose. That cost is dinner only. There will be an additional cost for a bigger wedding cake, etc. I believe white linens are included in the price, but any coloured linens will be an additional charge. If you go on the Dreams website you can download their wedding package info, which shows the menu's extra costs, etc. 

 

I'm pretty sure that you will still have to pay the $95 resort fee on top of these extra costs - that fee is simply to let people into the resort to use the amenities and restaurants - it won't include their extra costs for the wedding dinner. Personally, I think it would be fair for your guests to have to pay that fee themselves - since you will be paying for the rest of the wedding. If you could afford it, it would be nice to cover it for them, but from the sounds of your huge guest list do what you gotta do to make your budget work!

 

An FYI - for some reason on the dreams package it shows rental prices per hour (for napkins, chairs,etc.) Thats not the case.. don't know why it says that!

Also, if you want Tiffany chairs (not the chairs with covers) those are an extra $8 per chair. They charge for a lot of extra's!

 

Hope this helps!

[McLecker]

Hey Alanak - thank you for this! So it isn't Per Hour??? That's a relief bc I was super worried about that one!!! And I love those Tiffany chairs but $8 / chair x 60 people....... I don't think so. There's a lot to try to wrap your head around in terms of what this will end up costing. But everyone's answers have been very helpful! Any and all insight on how to budget for this is welcome!!

[anichols8]

Amanda,

 

Did you ever consider just using the basic package that you get complimentary and doing everything a la carte?  I have about 30 people and I am using my own photographer, baker, etc. so I too thought it was a waste for the majority of the package.  It actually came out MUCH cheaper for me to just get the basic package, pay per person for the meal and use my own vendors.  Just a thought.  I hope things start to get less stressed for you!

[anichols8]

Hey Casi,

 

Please keep in mind that the 95.00 is for the day of the wedding and you have to pay that.  You can get your guests to reimburse you.  I have guests staying at my timeshare near by so I am just going to eat the extra 30.00(95.00-65.00/pp fee) for the people staying offsite because I feel weird asking them for it back.

[anichols8]

The 95.00 is not on top of the 62.00-75.00 that you pay per person for dinner...so for people staying off site you are paying an extra 20.00-33.00 depending on which dinner you decide to have.

[megansmall]

I am in the same boat, we were thinking 45 tops and we have 70 coming. 

[Monica Cabrera]

I'm getting married at Dreams on Sept. 27, 2012.  So let me get this straight the $95 day pass is NOT in addition to the cocktail/dinner price, I only have to pay the difference?  So if dinner is $62 I have I have to pay an additional (95-62=33)  $33 and not $95?  if that is true that would great!  Since it is also our honeymoon, none of our guest are not staying at Dreams. 

   Can anyone recommend a photography?  We are having a small wedding.. 5 guest for sure and 10 at the most so we dont need a photographer all day but I do want some photos at ceremony and on the beach. 

   I booked an appointment with Suzanne Morel for my hair and makeup.  Since I'm the only getting services done I need to go to her salon.  Does anyone know how far it is from the resort?  I'll have a car but i want to make sure its not too far.

    Can anyone recommend a florist?  I've about Lola at Florenta.  Anyone else that has reasonable prices?  Thanks!

 

[jsullivan86]

Hey Monica!!!! I'm getting married at Dreams on October 27th!!!! I would love to talk more in a PM but we were working with Florenta and then switched over to Marco at Emporio Florist! He is awesome to work with so far and was able to work with my budget I would compare pricing as he met all the quotes Florenta provided me with

[wedding92012]

Hello Dreams Brides!

 

I hope your planning is going well. I was able to get some feedback from Magda on my wedding planning and wanted to share so it may help any of you!

 

A few of these prices I clarified as there was a price range listed in the Dreams wedding packet.

 

Sparklers: Are $5.50 a piece.

 

Lanterns: $200.00 for 24 lighted lanterns. I am waiting to hear color choices. 

 

Tableware: Everything is in white. I asked whether the florist, Emporio, would provide options on colored napkins and table cloths, and chargers. She is getting me quotes on a few items. I can share later.

 

Ceremony arch: $200.00 for huppa arch in bamboo wrapped in white fabric.

 

Cake: I have a cake included in my Dreams of Love package and Magda gave me permission to use this cake at my rehearsal so I can look into getting something different for the reception. I am currently looking into Sweet Dreams Cabo. I can share prices later.

 

Dinner Menu: My Dreams of Love package includes the Silver Dinner Menu, and I wasn't a fan of the main course options within this package. I asked to upgrade my dinner menu to the Gold Menu. Magda quoted me an additional $10/guest for the 20 guests within my package and $75/guest for the extra guests above the 20 in my package. I believe this is only a $10 jump from the $65/guest over the 20 within my package. Well worth it for the surf and turf main course option!

 

Flowers: I am going to work with Emporio as they are with my package. My package includes 2 boutonnieres and 2 corsages. Because I do not want corsages, Magda was okay with me exchanging the 2 corsages for 2 additional boutonnieres.

 

 

Here are other vendors I am considering/currently working with:

Hair & Make Up: I am currently looking into Neysa Berman at Blanc on Location Salon. Her prices are a little high, but much lower than Suzanne Morel, and she's MAC certified.

 

DJ: I am looking into DJ Ricardo. Currently working at details as he is flying in from another wedding on my day.

 

Travel Agent: Teresa with Vacations for Less. Has been amazing to work with and has great prices.

 

Hope this helped anyone clarify questions they had. It did take Magda a week to respond, but at least I am moving forward, little by little!

 

Happy Wedding Planning!