RIU RM Palace Brides??

hi girls! things have definitely gotten a lot more stressful since i wrote last. Jason was NOT happy about the open bar charge......Lisa I know you can relate. We're looking at other options and I feel bad I've emailed the WC like a million times. I'm very confused because she keeps giving me conflicting information. First she told me BogoFoto holds up to 60. Then yesterday she told me the max was 55? I was told the private dinner/DJ charge was $1700, but they sent me an optional extras price list & FAQ's (i'll attach it to this post) and it says the DJ is $1200?

It also says the cost to rent the Disco is $1350. I asked Ael (WC) if this is still the true price of renting the disco. Lisa do you know if this is the case? If it still is only $1350, then we'll probably just to do a semi-private dinner for free, and pay the $1350 to rent the disco (private) which comes with FULL OPEN BAR and a DJ! It would save us almost a thousand dollars vs. paying $1700 for a private dinner & DJ then the extra 500 or so dollars for full open bar.

Those are my thoughts as of now........I'm also confused about the video packages & money is getting tight! We're getting so close though which is VERY exciting!!!!!!!!!

If you cant view the FAQ's you probably dont have enough posts to DL attachments and you can send me an email at josiepedersen@aol.com and I'll email it to you......however these are 09 prices so they might not be accurate for next year anyway

FAQ 09.doc

Josie- I can definitely understand why you must be getting stressed out! I'm getting stressed out just trying to figure out the ACTUAL cost of everything and my wedding isn't until next year...I'm sure that I'll also have a million unexpected or UNCLEAR expenses too though. I thinks that's what upsets me the most is that nothing is clear...there's so many little rules about location based on the number of guests, private vs. non-private, with or without a DJ, etc...I just want to tell them what I want and I want them to tell me EXACTLY how much it's going to cost! Obviously that's not going to happen though, lol! And thank you for posting the FAQ's!

Josie - Did you book Chilis or BotaFogo? I am wondering what the capacity is a Chilis now, we originally booked BotaFogo but we may change. Do they still charge more for drinks at Chili's? Not sure if you know but just thought I'd ask. I don't know the cost of renting the disco but let me know when you do find out. the only thing that sucks is that it is at the Yucatan (I believe) not the rprm.

As of right now Doug and I have decided to have our ceremony at 1pm, our semi-private cocktails from 5:30-7:30 and our private reception at 8:45-11:30. We are paying extra for the drinks (9/person) and the stereo equipment ($300).

We decided that we would pay extra for the drinks at the private dinner because we are paying for a private dinner and we would rather people just stay in that area instead of having to leave. Cause then what would be the point in paying for the private area...?

It has been a stressful couple days but we have gotten past that and although I kinda feel like I am just taking it up the and there is not much I can do about it. In 2 months from now I won't even remember this!

Lisa, i havent booked either yet. I was told that the drink policy is the same for either restaurant because they are both "specialty". So it'd be 9/pp either way. I totally agree i dont want my guests leaving to find other drinks so the option of just dealing with "beer and wine" is out for us too. I know the RIU is at the Yucatan, which sucks....but if it can save is 1K I'll deal with that I guess.

I wasn't given a clear answer of what chilis holds but i know its over 50. I got this email which kind of scared me out of bogofoto since we have around 55 guests right now....and if 5 more book it appears it would cost us money to have it moved to chilis!

excerpt from email:

I must say that the BotaFogo is available for groups of max. 55 people, therefore, if your guest list shall increase dramatically we will be forced to change your dinner reservation at the Chilis with the corresponding upgrade costs.

Hi everyone. Thanks for the support with my bridesmaids fiasco, and for continuing to post such helpful information for all of us. I had no idea that there was a charge to have cocktails at dinner, that really blows b/c i'm sure we're all going to have to bite that bullet. I also thought the cocktail hour was free.

I'm debating keeping the reception semi-private (people have said you essentially get it private anyway and without the fee) and not renting the disco. Instead, maybe arrange transportation to take guests out for some nightlife, or even to the Yucatan where the drinks are free, but no need to pay to rent the place out when it's there for your use anyway.

Instead of renting the media for the slideshow at RPRM, i'm saving that money for the at-home reception, so I can show pictures/video of the wedding. When in mexico i don't want to worry about lugging around a laptop. I'd rather bring an ipod and pay for the hookups to play my own playlist. I'm sure there's a charge for this too, but i can't see it being too bad (just speakers and hookups).

Josie and Lisa, you chicas are riiiiiight around the corner :-) yay!

Josie and Lisa-

Ael says: "bare in mind that this can change if your group increases dramatically"

I don't consider an increase from 50 to 55 guests, or 55 to 60 guests as a "dramatic increase." I'm pretty sure they'd squeeze in a few extra chairs and accomodate you without additional cost.

If you're concerned, just go with Chilis and forgettaboutit! I liked BotoFogo b/c they say it's more elegant, but i'd take stress-free over elegant any day. Besides, you can't go wrong with Steak and Lobster as your wedding dinner :-)