Dreams PV - Welcome Dinner

Kate G · March 27, 2013

Hi Brides,

For those of you who have gotten married at Dreams Puerto Vallarta or will be getting married there (my wedding is in May), what did you do/will you do about a rehearsal or welcome dinner? Since it's an all-inclusive resort it seems silly to spend hundreds of dollars to rent a restaurant out for dinner since the food will be included in the price to stay there anyway, but I am nervous about how it will work to gather everyone together and have us all be able to sit together at a restaurant. I will only have 26 guests so I don't have a huge party to worry about, but I am still wary of this. And I know about the bonfire, which sounds like a ton of fun, but we just don't want to spend the money on it. Any tips would be appreciated!

LaLa1116 · April 19, 2013

Hi Kate!

I am very curious about this, too. I've read countless posts about this topic, but without a definitive answer. I don't want to do the bonfire because we are getting married at Las Caletas and don't want to have a bonfire 2 nights in a row. It seems crazy to me to spend money on an event that should be free at an all inclusive. A lot of brides have said that you can just show up and take the chance that they will push some tables together for you. I assume this is easier at some restaurants than others -We did our site visit at Dreams PV last November and I think El Patio & the World CafÃ© would be best, because they were less crowded. I think it would be difficult to seat 20+ at Oceana and Portofino-they seem more restricted. Also, service at Oceana was incredibly slow when we went, so serving more than 20 guests at a time would probably take FOREVER. It would be easier to just walk into a restaurant with a big group on a slow night, so maybe email or call the concierge and see which nights are typically slower. Or what about just doing welcome cocktails at one of the bars?

I think we are planning on having our rehearsal dinner at El Patio because only family and wedding party will be included so we will be easier to accommodate. Then, thinking of using the Mexican Fiesta night (held on the beach every Friday) as a fun alternative to a Welcome Party. I read a post about a few brides having people get together for Fiesta Night and the staff was happy to pull a few tables together for them. Good luck and let me know if you receive any new helpful info on this topic.

Lauren

Kate G · April 20, 2013

Originally Posted by LaLa1116

Hi Kate!

I am very curious about this, too. I've read countless posts about this topic, but without a definitive answer. I don't want to do the bonfire because we are getting married at Las Caletas and don't want to have a bonfire 2 nights in a row. It seems crazy to me to spend money on an event that should be free at an all inclusive. A lot of brides have said that you can just show up and take the chance that they will push some tables together for you. I assume this is easier at some restaurants than others -We did our site visit at Dreams PV last November and I think El Patio & the World CafÃ© would be best, because they were less crowded. I think it would be difficult to seat 20+ at Oceana and Portofino-they seem more restricted. Also, service at Oceana was incredibly slow when we went, so serving more than 20 guests at a time would probably take FOREVER. It would be easier to just walk into a restaurant with a big group on a slow night, so maybe email or call the concierge and see which nights are typically slower. Or what about just doing welcome cocktails at one of the bars?

I think we are planning on having our rehearsal dinner at El Patio because only family and wedding party will be included so we will be easier to accommodate. Then, thinking of using the Mexican Fiesta night (held on the beach every Friday) as a fun alternative to a Welcome Party. I read a post about a few brides having people get together for Fiesta Night and the staff was happy to pull a few tables together for them. Good luck and let me know if you receive any new helpful info on this topic.

Lauren

Thanks for the advice Lauren! We actually decided to bite the bullet and just spend the money to reserve at the Seaside Grill restaurant. My wedding coordinator told me that there is a 'wine consumption' charge they mandate to reserve for a rehearsal dinner, and there is then a set menu at the restaurant you choose. I think it ended up being like $300, which my fiance's dad is going to take care of since that would normally be the groom's side's duties anyway It does kind of suck since the food would be free anyway, but I just didn't want to take the chance of getting all 26 guests to a restaurant and not being able to sit together and have it seemed disorganized. So that's what we're doing now!

LaLa1116 · April 22, 2013

Originally Posted by Kate G

Thanks for the advice Lauren! We actually decided to bite the bullet and just spend the money to reserve at the Seaside Grill restaurant. My wedding coordinator told me that there is a 'wine consumption' charge they mandate to reserve for a rehearsal dinner, and there is then a set menu at the restaurant you choose. I think it ended up being like $300, which my fiance's dad is going to take care of since that would normally be the groom's side's duties anyway It does kind of suck since the food would be free anyway, but I just didn't want to take the chance of getting all 26 guests to a restaurant and not being able to sit together and have it seemed disorganized. So that's what we're doing now!

Oh, that's great! So glad to hear it worked out! Seaside was our favorite restaurant...the food was delicious and the view can't be beat. You guys will have a great time. Good luck with the rest of your planning!

Tbasgall · September 29, 2013

$300 is an amazing deal In my opinion. I've read on here that others were told it would be very expensive to rent the restaurant for a private party. We are choosing to do the bonfire.