Dreams Riviera Cancun 2015 Brides

[phdtck1]

@@smileitseb   YOLO it is!! I am in the same boat with the budget - that's why i am loving everyone's DIY projects shared on this blog. I need to pull some things in and save where I can! LOL.  

yes...the survival guide is hot! I think it's a good idea to mail it too. How many mailers did you end up sending out?

We did an e-save the date for the younger folks and printed some fun save the dates via walgreens and had our mothers distribute the hard copies to the folks who do not use email so frequently (we saved on postage that way)! We plan to mail out our invitations and the is potential to send out a final reminder a month before the wedding. However, I like our wedding site because it sends push notifications etc. so we may use that technology to provide updates, etc.

[fhk815]

@@smileitseb Thanks for sharing your info! LOVE the "all white' theme for your party!! Great idea!! I have pretty much the same appetizer choices too! I hope the food is as delicious at is sounds.

 

I don't think I'm eligible for the free cocktail promotion there were running for new brides, as I booked before the promotion was advertised.  I'm going to inquire about it and see how it goes - although I'm doubtful I'll get it for free. When I first began planning for a destination wedding, I really thought the resorts offered more complimentary add-ons and I see DRC doesn't seem to do that. We really should be getting the welcome party complimentary considering we are bringing so many guests and spending so much!! I'm going to try my best and negotiate as much as I can. Have you had any luck negotiating any of your extras or upgrades?

 

I attached a pic of the chocolate rattan lounge set-up: It's $400 + tax and includes 4 sets of 8 people each.

 

If your WC says no to your inquiry about the free welcome party, you should negotiate and see if they will throw in the set-up complimentary for you! I'm going to try and do that!

 

@@phdtck1 Thanks for your advice! Your right, no more dining out for me! LOL Have to cut corners if I want my dream destination wedding! Please let me know if your TA is able to get you the cocktail party for free - I hope so!!

[smileitseb]

@@fhk815 I asked my WC and she said I'm not eligible . But I hope it works for you. She did however give me lower prices on certain things, specifically the lighting and the extra hour we added to our reception and some signs she's printing for us.... Mainly because I told her things I REALLY wanted and told her my budget that had a strict limit and she made it work! I really like that layout you are getting!!!!

Oh yea and she didn't charge me for the buffet dinner and I heard the new brides have an upcharge if you want buffet? So I am thankful for the things they have discounted

[pddcmc]

OH. Where to begin... stay tuned... this is going to be a LONG review...

[pddcmc]

We had the Dreams of Love Wedding package on April 17th with the ceremony at 5:30 pm on the North Beach, cocktail at the Jacuzzi, and reception at the deck.

 

Travel:  We had the same experience as Natalie. We flew with Apple vacations/Frontier Air. We had no problem taking our wedding outfits on the plane (the biggest pain was carrying it through the airport!) and we got a private overhead compartment to lay our clothes down in. No problem with customs. We were over-weight with all three pieces of luggage, but when we checked our bags, the person at the counter let it “slide” because it was for our wedding (I think wearing a “Bride” shirt helped).

 

Arrival: We arrived to DRC and were greeted with cool towels that smelled amazing.  We were then taken to the preferred club to check-in and provided champagne. Our wedding coordinator met us there and walked us to the wedding office (more on that later). In the room we had a good-size flower arrangement, champagne, and fruit and a welcome letter waiting for us. We were in room 1551, which had an AMAZING view. We had the largest deck in the building.

  

Pre-wedding meeting: Our meeting with Maira (wedding coordinator) occurred immediately after checking in. I will say this – I was extremely disappointed. Maira did not have the most current Wedding Planner form (I should have trusted my instincts and brought a print out, but in an email she told me she would take care of it), so that made things a little challenging. But, I remained calm and positive, until… we started discussing the events of the wedding day. She said, “You didn’t tell me you were having a first look.” *Um, what?!* We had corresponded several times about this. So, by then I started to panic a little because it became apparent that she was not with it. Also, in an email, she told me she would cancel the bridal appointment with the spa (I hired outside stylists), well she didn’t. So, in the meeting had to remind her of this. She then wrote herself a note to cancel the appointment. Unfortunately, the day of the wedding, the spa called my room and said that I was 9 minutes late for my appointment! Luckily, my MOH had answered the phone and let them know that the coordinator was supposed to contact them the previous day. During the pre-wedding meeting, my fiancé also noticed that the WC was not on the ball, which says a lot because he is a very calm, easy-going guy. What I am trying to say is this proves that I was not over-reacting. Basically, I had my MOH and girl friends take charge – the day went perfectly.

 

Complimentary Room: Jake checked-in to his complimentary room @ 3pm on Thursday and was required to check-out on Friday @ 12pm. He got ready in a friend’s room.

  

The Best Moments: I was VERY happy with my hair and make-up, as well as my MOH and mother’s looks. I do recommend them, but I will say that I had a few communication issues with Martina at the beginning, but everything worked out wonderfully.

  

WEDDING DAY – The Best Moments: Natacha (hair) and the make-up artists (I can’t remember her name for the life of me) arrived 12:30. They were so sweet and fast! My mom, MOH, and I were finished by 3 pm, which was perfect. It gave us enough time to just relax and visit with each other.

Del Sol Photography: Debora arrived to my room at 4 pm and her assistant (Jorge) went to my husband’s room for getting ready photos. Debora was FANTASTIC!!! I have yet to see photos, but she was so fun, outgoing, and full of life. In fact, even my guests commented on how great she was!

Getting ready robe from etsy - it photographed very well and was very comfortable!

 

Ceremony: Symbolic ceremony (legal wedding at home before). We had a man who was very nice but did have a heavy Mexican accent that made it a little hard to follow what he was saying. On the plus side, we had a bilingual ceremony, so that was nice. However, I did feel like he didn’t read our preferred ceremony script before the actual ceremony. Oh well.
My husband’s cousin and uncle performed the processional. It was PHENOMENAL. They played “A Love Idea” by Mark Knopfler. Jose walked down the aisle playing this piece on his violin and Uncle Gus played the accompaniment on the electronic piano on the left side.

Our guests tossed mini beach balls as we walked down the aisle as husband and wife.

Décor: I brought fans, mini beach balls and two baskets, a chalk board, and starfish garland. The resort decorated the arch with white and coral.

Honestly, the fans were not needed. There was a nice breeze blowing and the ceremony time we had chosen was perfect – it was not hot at all and the sun was not in our eyes.

The sound system we brought was PERFECT – everyone could hear without a problem (best $150 I have ever spent).

I didn't upgrade my bouquet, but I thought it was beautiful. And, man, that sucker was heavy!!

 

Cocktail Hour: We didn’t get to enjoy too much of this, but of what food I had, it was delicious.

 

Reception: We were on the deck and it was gorgeous. We had the Mexican Buffet and the food was amazing…Probably the best food all week. We brought the cake topper and we had a marble cake. You can't take the cake home with you or back to your room because it's sitting out for so long.

Just like Natalie had posted in her review, we also we went to the disco and danced after our reception.

 

Any questions about the resort, other wedding locations, restaurants, etc??

Edited April 25, 2015 by pddcmc

[calgarybride2015]

You looked gorgeous!!! So happy to hear that your wedding day went well minus the glitches with your WC at your meeting. can't wait to see more!

[phdtck1]

@@fhk815 Does the  chocolate rattan lounge set-up come with the cocktail tables and chandelier lights too as illustrated in the picture? 

@@pddcmc you were absolutely stunning!! Can't wait to see more pictures!!  You confirmed that the hair and make-up artists may actually know what they are doing..hehe. I was really nervous about that.  I feel alot better now.   Glad to see the non-upgraded version of the bride's bouquet too. It was gorg! How many people were in your wedding party? Did you order extra bouquets for the ladies?

@@fhk815 I asked my WC and she said I'm not eligible . But I hope it works for you. She did however give me lower prices on certain things, specifically the lighting and the extra hour we added to our reception and some signs she's printing for us.... Mainly because I told her things I REALLY wanted and told her my budget that had a strict limit and she made it work! I really like that layout you are getting!!!!
Oh yea and she didn't charge me for the buffet dinner and I heard the new brides have an upcharge if you want buffet? So I am thankful for the things they have discounted

@@smileitseb Oh no!! The cocktail hour would have been nice! But it is good to know that she was able to work out other things and add special touches in your package.  So are you paying for your cocktail hour now? Or will you make it casual and have folks take over one of the bar areas?

[Sheaka]

@@smileitseb my Facebook is yscampbell please invite me to the groups.

[smileitseb]

@@pddcmc you looked beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. The WC not being on it is kinda concerning but I'm so glad in the end it all turned out great. I'm going to print out everything because we have gone back and forth about so many things. How did you transport the sound system? That saves so much money and I really wish I would have went that route but now I think it's too late for me to order it. Where did you get it? And who did you have controlling the music?

 

@@phdtck1 so I was never having a cocktail hour on our wedding day. I'm just having our guests go to the lobby bar while we takes pics. I was always planning to pay for our welcome cocktail so honestly I'm not really I'm not really let down that they said no because I never expected a yes

@@Sheaka I couldn't find yscampbell...you're not under your first and last name on fb?

[phdtck1]

@@Lbrennan0 so my bridesmaids called me yesterday to tell me that conducting the bachelorette on NYC is cost prohibitive for some so I suggested we have it in Atlanta. I was super excited about NYC but I want to be everyone does not feel a cost brides when time to travel to Mexico

 

 

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@@smileitseb which maracas design did you go with? I am corresponding with maracas Mexico and it turns out the design I love the most is $6.70...

 

 

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