Dreams Puerto Vallarta Brides 2012- 2014

[LaLa1116]

Hi Girls!

 

I'm new to this forum...usually post on the Las Caletas page because we are getting married there but staying at Dreams PV, so I  thought I'd share some great news with all of you.  Dreams is starting an "Unlimited-Connectivity" App.  Dreams Cancun and Adventuras have the app now, PV is working on it and should have it soon.  It's so wonderful.  You can stay connected with your guests though out your stay, use free WIFI, make free local, US & Canada calls,  check restaurant menus & hours, book spa treatments, check daily events, etc. all from your smart phone or tablet.  My fiancé and I are super excited about it because we were worried it would be tough to stay in touch with our guests.  I downloaded it by just searching "DREAMS RESORTS" in the app store.  Here is more info if you are interested. http://amresorts.com/unlimited-connectivity/index.html

 

Happy planning!! 

 

Lauren

[Jenny2014]

We will be doing the bonfire as well. Even though we are setting a limit of 40 people max at our wedding, it just is going to be too much to organize everyone into one restaurant.

 

I absolutely can give you the information for Photoshoots Vallarta. They are really amazing, and I am excited to use them. Their pictures are gorgeous, and the full day package price isn't that bad.

 

I wish I was as brave as you, about bringing your own sound system. I will be booking the sound system, but not having a DJ.

 

I would suggest having a dance floor, if your having your reception on the beach. Word of advice, when we were there, when we spent the evening on the beach for our dinner, we got munched galore by sand fleas. Poor FI's legs were a mess for weeks when we came back, because they were eaten alive. I would suggest getting a dance floor, for that reason alone. And tell your guests to wear loose fitting pants/ dresses. FI wore jeans, with socks and runners and yeah, it was pretty bad.

 

 

 

Originally Posted by amysis 

Hey Ladies!  I'm so excited to see so many new messages (it's been awhile since I've hopped on here...too many wedding details that have needed attention!)

 

@KateG our weddings are just a week apart!  I'm so excited for you!  When do you leave the resort?  Would you be willing to give me a rundown after your big day?  And we are doing the Bonfire as our "rehearsal dinner".  I completely agree that it's pricey, but I didn't want to risk getting everyone together at a restaurant, and past brides at Dreams all say the bonfire is awesome.

 

@SLetendre I'll also give you an update on the weather this May

 

@Jenny2014 would you be willing to PM me the Photoshoots Vallarta info?

 

We are getting our details together and have pretty much everything under control other than the final guest count (common...people know by now if they're able to make the trip or not, but I still can't get commitments or declines from some people!) and a few details with the resort.  

 

Thought I'd let you ladies know (since I really struggled with this) that we are going to bring our own sound system (a portable Bose) and use a microphone app for both the ceremony and reception, which I am praying will be loud enough, but sounds great in my open back yard (and I live near an interstate, and we can still hear the system very well with the interstate background noise).  

 

Have you ladies given any thought into a dance floor?  I hate to spend so much money on one (we will be having our reception on the beach), but I'm not sure people will be too excited to dance on the sand.

[Jenny2014]

Originally Posted by amysis 

 

Hi Jenny, I thought about rose petals for a second, but I figured they'd just blow away (real or fake).  I'm sure Eleane or whoever your point of contact is at the resort will be more than happy to give you info on the rose petals and answer your questions.  

 

I will say, throughout the entire planning process, the wedding coordinators at Dreams have been amazing.  I send Fatima several emails a week, and she usually gets back to me in just a few hours.  We'll see how the onsite stuff goes, but so far, I'm extremely happy with the team at Dreams.

After posting this and looking at our budget, I figure regardless of whether we can use fake petals or not, it's a small area I can save money. And it won't ruin the day if we don't have rose petals, so it's just not something I am even going to worry myself over anymore.

 

I have been very impressed with Eleane's responses as well. Not always happy with what she says, but the speed of her responses I won't ever say is off point. Max I wait is a day for a response, but I would say it's usually a 12 hours email turnaround, if not within an hour.

 

I would expect your day will go beautifully. After our stay there, we were so impressed with the service from the staff. They went above and beyond to make our anniversary week special, and to make our proposal evening spectacular.

[Jenny2014]

Originally Posted by aschackart 

 

If you find out the answer to this (about whether the resort allows you to bring your own) let us know! I found some really cheap online (like $2 a bag), so if they do allow you to bring your own, it might be worth it.

 

Also, I don't know if the other brides on here have seen the ceremony script that Dreams provides. Obviously, this is an intensely personal decision, but for us, we've decided to rewrite the script because it was a little too traditional for us- with sayings like a woman's greatest attributes are her beauty and intuition, and a man's greatest attributes are strength and courage. Again, not for us, and I thought I would put it out here in case anyone felt similarly.

 

I haven't seen the script yet, but it definitely sounds like we will have some changing to do. I have found some threads along here, with some passages I would like to incorporate into our script. So I am sure I will be editing the script like crazy!

 

Question for all your brides: Are you using the ceremony vows or doing your own? I am thinking of doing a mix of both. Saying our own vows, but also having the traditional "I Do" type of vow afterwards.

[LaLa1116]

Originally Posted by Jenny2014 

 

I haven't heard back from Adventure Vallatra in weeks either (well, at all!) I am considering going with Photoshoots Vallarta. They responded same day, with a video, package prices and a very cheerful attitude. When I asked for pictures tthey have taken at Dreams, I was sent a photobook & a link and password to an entire online collection.

 

Seriously impressed me and the prices are fantastic. I'd look them up, send them an inquiry. Pierre was so fast and so efficent with his response. Really won be over- it will be a challenge for the resort photographer to sway me away from Photoshoots.

 

I am thinking we are probably going to be up around 40 people as well. Sitting down in a couple of weeks with both sets of parents to discuss budget and the guest list.....

Hi Jenny,

 

Pierre and Eva are a dream to work with.  They shot our engagement photos during our site visit this past November.  It was included in the VERY reasonably priced wedding package.  Email response time was lightning fast and they were extremely professional and efficient on site.  We LOVE the pictures that Eva took (the one below is my favorite!) and are so excited to work with them again on our wedding day.   I would highly recommend using them!

[Jenny2014]

Originally Posted by aild 

 

Jenny, thanks for creating this thread! So much better than searching through the other super long Dreams thread. We're getting married at Dreams PV on 10/04/13.. six months!

 

Since youve been there during the rainy season, can you tell me how hot and humid it is both during the day and in the evening and night? My fiance is pretty worried about sweating and whatnot during the ceremony if he wears a suit jacket. Will it be really hot at around 5pm? What time did it usually start to rain when you were there? October is towards the end if the rainy season, but with our luck, it'll rain on our Las Palmas reception. Anything you can tell me about the weather during September/October would be appreciated.

 

-Aileen

I was hoping this thread would become a little bit more popular. I found the other thread outdated (not it's fault), but figured it would be nice for us all to have a space to discuss the recent packages/ experiences.

 

To be completely honest, it is REALLY hot and humid. As the evening comes along, it starts to cool down and the temperature at night is perfect. Warm enough to not need a sweater, but not so hot that your uncomfortable being outside. I don't know if the weather gets any better as the rainy season comes to an end, but mid- September it was really hot. BEAUTIFUL and perfect, but really hot. If it has started to cloud over a bit at 5PM, it will be perfect. I would suggest giving your guests fans or something to cool themselves for the ceremony otherwise, because in the direct sunlight, it is very hot. I wish I could be telling you it will be absolutely perfect, but from our experience, it was very hot.

 

It rained our second evening there, around 6:30- 7:00 for about an hour. Otherwise, it rained overnight/ into the early morning. As long as you get up after 8:30, you will be fine, and the rain won't bother you. Otherwise, if it does rain in the afternoon, it's sporadic, and extremely brief (maybe 10-15 minutes).

 

We are planning to have our reception at Las Palmas as well. To be completely honest, even though it's not perfect, even if it does rain, Dreams seems to have a back up plan of putting you in one of the ballrooms, and they are gorgeous. It won't be ideal, but it won't be the end of the world either. However, from our experience, I highly doubt that will happen. It rains out over the water, as the mountains seem to push the clouds out and away from the resort.

 

I would suggest telling your guests to wear a very high SPF for the first couple of days- I burnt after the first day, wearing spf 40, and it made sleeping miserable. By the third day I was better, but I continued to have a red hue for the rest of the vacation. Wear a high SPF for the first few days, get a base tan/ your skin used to the temperature and then you should be fine. Drink lots of water too- especially at night. It helps offset all the drinking throughout the day. Their hangover drink (clamato juice and corona) really does help. I was feeling really bad the day after our engagement (I essentially drank two bottles of sparkling wine all by myself), and after two of those drinks, I was feeling much better.

 

Oh, as nice as it sounds, don't sleep with the door open at night. We did our first night and we had so many bugs in our room the next morning. Enjoy the air conditioning and sleep well with the door closed. You can still hear the water crashing on the beach, so don't worry about that. It's just a little bit muffled is all.

[Jenny2014]

Originally Posted by LaLa1116 

 

Hi Girls!

 

I'm new to this forum...usually post on the Las Caletas page because we are getting married there but staying at Dreams PV, so I  thought I'd share some great news with all of you.  Dreams is starting an "Unlimited-Connectivity" App.  Dreams Cancun and Adventuras have the app now, PV is working on it and should have it soon.  It's so wonderful.  You can stay connected with your guests though out your stay, use free WIFI, make free local, US & Canada calls,  check restaurant menus & hours, book spa treatments, check daily events, etc. all from your smart phone or tablet.  My fiancé and I are super excited about it because we were worried it would be tough to stay in touch with our guests.  I downloaded it by just searching "DREAMS RESORTS" in the app store.  Here is more info if you are interested. http://amresorts.com/unlimited-connectivity/index.html

 

Happy planning!! 

 

Lauren

I had read about this on the Dreams website! It will definitely make the stay that much easier! My only concern is that the wifi is sparatic, so be cautious about using it. The Preferred tower is better, but the old tower' wifi is touch and go. But this is an amazing app! I will be glad it will be in use by the time we get there

[Jenny2014]

Originally Posted by LaLa1116 

Hi Jenny,

 

Pierre and Eva are a dream to work with.  They shot our engagement photos during our site visit this past November.  It was included in the VERY reasonably priced wedding package.  Email response time was lightning fast and they were extremely professional and efficient on site.  We LOVE the pictures that Eva took (the one below is my favorite!) and are so excited to work with them again on our wedding day.   I would highly recommend using them!

Yeah, from their pictures alone I fell in love with them. Pierre was really fast at responding, and provided us with many different varieties of pictures- from an album already done to a whole log in of a previous wedding.

 

Glad you enjoyed them (love your picture too!), and I am looking forward to seeing your pictures!

[aild]

Thanks for the info, Jenny! And thanks for being honest.. it's definitely good to know about the heat. We had already planned on doing program fans so we're good to go on that. And I will definitely let people know about using a high SPF. We don't want to be burnt on the wedding day!

 

I hope we don't have to use them, but it's comforting to know the ballrooms are beautiful!

 

As for vows, we are likely using the ceremony vows. I'm Filipino, so we're adding a couple Filipino traditions to the script. And I'm definitely editing the script alot!

[SLetendre]

I've been in contact with Photo Shoots as well and am also impressed with how quickly they respond, and they have gorgeous pictures. Is anyone who is planning on going with them planning on using the photography that is provided int he package for a different event, does anyone know if they will allow that? I just e-mailed them to check but I'm not sure how quickly I will hear back, it would be nice if we could still use their services for maybe the rehearsal dinner or something since you are still essentially paying for the prints in the package.

 

Has anyone given any thought to their time line yet? I'm trying to figure out the best time for our ceremony, for our time of year I think sunset is at 8:30, would any past brides be willing to share their schedule of ceremony, photos, reception etc?

 

Thanks!