Dreams Sapphire Wedding in Mexico: Sam & Grant
- Jodi Schlichting
- Jun 22, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 31
Mexico Destination Wedding Details
Wedding Date: February 17th, 2024
All-Inclusive Wedding Resort: Dreams Sapphire
Wedding Location: Riviera Maya, Mexico
Wedding Venues: Vista del Mar Pergola & Terrace
Wedding Photographer: Laced Honey Photography
Destination Wedding Travel Agent: EverAfter Travel
Dreams Sapphire Wedding Resort Highlights
Family-friendly, all-inclusive resort with an adults-only restaurant for all guests, a secluded adults-only pool for Preferred Club guests, and an adults-only rooftop pool, sky bar, and two exclusive restaurants for Preferred Club Indigo guests
Beachfront property on a long stretch of beach in the Riviera Cancun area
Located about 25 minutes south of the Cancun International Airport (CUN)
Lush tropical resort with Mayan-inspired architecture
Brand new Indigo section added in the fall of 2024 that features 80 Preferred Club Indigo rooms including 10 two-story villas
8 dining options with cuisines like Italian, Asian (with Teppanyaki tables), French, and Mexican plus a poolside grill and coffee shop (there are also two additional restaurants for Preferred Club Indigo guests)
4 bars/lounges including a swim-up bar, beach bar, and disco bar (there is also an adults-only pool bar for Preferred Club guests and a rooftop sky bar for Preferred Club Indigo guests)
1 large main pool (there is also an adults-only pool for Preferred Guest guests and a rooftop adults-only pool for Preferred Club Indigo guests), plus a pool area by the waterslides and a children's wading pool at the kids club
Small water park with three slides: closed slide, open slide & kamikaze slide
Beautiful sunrises on the east coast of Mexico
Discounted green fees at Gran Coyote Riviera Maya golf course and El Camaleon Mayakoba golf course
Daily activities and entertainment including live shows and theme nights
Non-motorized water sports like kayaking are included with your stay
Dreams Sapphire Wedding Review: Sam & Grant
Why did you decide to have a destination wedding?
Cheaper on average than weddings in the US. Good excuse to have something smaller with people we really cared about being there. Wanted to do something different.
What were your biggest concerns about planning a destination wedding? What were you struggling with the most before reaching out to EverAfter Travel?
Biggest concerns were not being sure how things were going to turn out, trying to picture things such as the size of the venue/space. The language barrier was slightly nerve racking.
We were frequently concerned about feeling like a burden to our friends and family for asking them to spend so much money on our behalf (that feeling subsided once we were there and everyone was clearly having an awesome time).
Before reaching out to EverAfter Travel we were struggling most with deciding on a country and resort for our wedding.
What were your "must haves" for your destination wedding? What were the deciding factors for choosing your resort?
We wanted a place that was nice and didn’t feel ‘cheesy’ like some resorts can feel, while also being affordable for our guests.
We wanted somewhere that wasn’t too difficult to travel to (reasonable flight from east coast and distance from resort to airport).
We wanted a venue with a beautiful view that wasn’t too public/right in the middle of the beach with people sunbathing adjacent.
Tell me about your wedding e.g. events, venues, special touches, etc. How many guests did you invite to your destination wedding and how many people ended up attending? If you're comfortable sharing, how much was the total cost of your destination wedding celebration (not including things like travel expenses, your dress, etc.)?
We had our wedding at La Vista Del Mar pergola and terrace. We used the indoor area for our party favors, open bar, and audio guest book (From Life on Record—we loved this!!!). We had the ceremony and reception outside at the pergola and terrace respectively.
Grace (our wedding coordinator) surprised us with sparklers that went off during our first dance. We did not know they were going to go off and they just happened to go off as soon as Grant spun me around, which was both hilarious and amazing.
We invited between 85-90 people and had 53 people come. Spent a total of about $24,000.
Was there anything you splurged on for your destination wedding and if so, did you feel like it was worth it?
We ended up hiring a videographer at the last minute and I’m glad we did. We had them for three hours to capture the ceremony and the beginning of the reception including our first dance, dances with my dad and Grant's mom, and the speeches. I think we would have regretted not getting a videographer to capture those moments.
I felt like the string flights were way overpriced at $870 after tax, but they were worth it.
My brother had a large suite with two bathrooms that he offered to let the bridesmaids/moms/aunts/etc. and I get ready in the morning of the wedding and that was a game changer. We were originally going to use Grant and I’s regular-sized room but that would have been way too small. (Dreams Sapphire does not allow outside hair and makeup in their bridal suite so that wouldn't have been an option for us).
Was there anything you tried to save on for your destination wedding and if so, did you feel like it was worth it?
I’m glad I didn’t stress about having too many decorations/details or pay to upgrade the chairs and tables. All of that was very expensive, and I don’t think it would have really mattered at the end of the day.
We decided not to have boutonnieres for the groomsmen or bouquets for the bridesmaids, and we didn’t miss them at all. Local flowers were cheaper and stunning!
I tried to save on my dress and I loved it, but in hindsight I should have just gotten whatever I wanted. (Grant told me so and I had to tell him he was right 😅)
What were your favorite parts about your destination wedding?
Being on vacation with family and friends. Having the time to ‘entertain’, make introductions, greet and spend time with our guests days in advance so at the actual wedding we could just have fun. Beautiful scenery and weather.
Is there anything you would change about your destination wedding?
No.
What were the most helpful online websites/social media groups/content creators/YouTube links that helped you during the planning process?
TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest.
Shout out to any wedding vendors you loved e.g. photography, DJ, makeup, etc.
Laced Honey Photography (Sarah Gray); based out of the U.S. but travels for destination weddings. The DJ and MC at Dreams were awesome!
What advice do you have for other couples planning a destination wedding?
Be aware that the wedding package cost is just a fraction of the cost. Be aware of outside vendor fees and ask about preferred vendors.
Split up all the wedding stuff you have to travel with and have family members/friends bring stuff for you.
If you’re going on your honeymoon after, arrange to send your dress/suit home with someone so you don’t have to lug it around
What kind of feedback did you hear from your guests? This could be about the resort, the wedding, and/or EverAfter Travel.
Dreams Sapphire: some of our guests said the food was okay and some said it was great. Loved the swim up pools. Espresso martinis were delicious. Resort was beautiful and relaxing and the wedding was fun.
EverAfter Travel: guests said Jodi was awesome!
Why did you choose to work with EverAfter Travel for your destination wedding?
Excellent reviews, small business, woman owned 💪
How did working with EverAfter Travel make planning your Dreams Sapphire wedding easier/better/less stressful? Would you recommend EverAfter Travel to other couples planning a destination wedding?
Jodi's help narrowing down the location and resort was HUGE for me as I am extremely indecisive. Having someone knowledgeable to ask the resort questions for us when needed instead of having to figure out who to contact at the resort and whether to trust their answers.
The comfort of knowing we had someone to contact while we were there if something went wrong. Having someone book our rooms and transfers and help our guests took a lot off of our plate.
Review posted by Sam and Grant about their experience:
Our wedding would not have been the same without Jodi!!! We had no clue where to start at first, hadn’t even narrowed it down to a country and were overwhelmed by all the options. Jodi got on a call with us and asked us some questions and then picked the perfect place right away!
We had our wedding at Dreams Sapphire in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. We fell in love with the Vista Del Mar pergola and terrace venue there which was absolutely beautiful and had a view of the ocean but was tucked at the end of the resort so it felt more private than most beach weddings.
Jodi broke down all the major details of the wedding package and was extremely helpful in answering all of our questions. She created our wedding website where our guests could book their rooms directly through her and find all the information they could possibly need. It was extremely user friendly and organized. We received an update every time a guest booked along with which nights they were staying.
We had multiple guests express to us how happy they were with Jodi and how on top of it and easy to work with she was! She booked their airport transfers in addition to their stay.
Our wedding was absolutely perfect and so much fun!! The staff at Dreams was fantastic, they were so accommodating and the wedding team was great. Everything the day of was seamless and stress free!
We used the DJ and MC through the resort and they exceeded expectations. We flew in our own photographer and used the resort’s preferred vendors ($500 outside vendor fees waived). Styling Trio (hair and makeup) and OV film (videographer).
Our guests had a blast and the resort was perfect for our crowd—fun energy, beautiful resort and pool with a swim up bar, open atmosphere and a big main bar with plenty of space for everyone to hang out/mingle. (And delicious espresso martinis!).
In addition to our stay for our wedding, Jodi booked our pre-wedding visit and our honeymoon! For our honeymoon, we wanted to go to an adults-only resort that didn’t require an additional flight. Jodi once again hit the nail on the head and suggested Unico in Riviera Maya.
We LOVED Unico for our honeymoon. It was absolutely beautiful and the food was amazing. It felt very luxurious and the staff was fantastic. When you arrive you have a staff member assigned to you who you can text through WhatsApp for pretty much anything, dinner/spa reservations, request to run a bath for you, housekeeping, you name it. Jodi arranged our transfers from Dreams to Unico and to and from the airport, so easy and one less thing to deal with!
I would recommend Jodi to anyone planning a destination wedding! I was so impressed by her attention to detail and her response time. Throughout this long process (1.5 years!) of planning, I can confidently say that she didn’t let a single question go unanswered or forget to do a single thing. Thanks Jodi!!❤️
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