steph_n_taz

Thanks CC! I feel better now about my choice now. By the way, do you have any idea how much a day pass is for people coming to the Palace from the Santa Fe? I'm thinking of having my photographer stay there because it's cheaper... but if the cost of a day pass is high, I might as well have her in the Palace as well. (She's only staying 3 nights). Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by lgarner83 By the way Steph, we are in London, Ontario and my fiance is from Mississauga! Lisa, thanks SO much for the help. I was feeling so lost! I can breathe a little bit easier now. Are you fully booked now? My big day is coming in 6 months... too fast! I feel like it was just yesterday that I got engaged! Thanks again for the help... I'll update you once I get to speaking with Daniela (probably by February). PS- maybe I know your fiance? LOL

Hi CCWinn, I have a question about your booking process with Riu Palace. I'm booked for April 30th at the Riu Palace Cabo, and for some strange reason Paola, the woman who books the weddings, didn't give me a confirmation code to enter into their website to confirm, she just sent ma a bunch of emails stating that I didn't need to have a confirmation # and I didn't need to put a down payment... is this strange? I find it weird, because I thought I had to have a down payment on my wedding date. She gave us a confirmation number at first, but when we changed our wedding date she didn't give us a new one even though I requested it... she said "don't worry your date is fully booked, I just need payment upon arrival". I've been stressing over this for a couple weeks, and I have sent Paola another email and she keeps re-iterating that it's fine and it's fully booked... Sorry if I'm rambling, I just need some help in this department! Let me know what happened in your case. I'm thinking of phoning the resort just to make sure. I've already got people booked, and save the dates sent out! I'm glad to hear your wedding went so well, I hope I don't run into any problems on my day! Thanks, Stephanie

Hi ladies, thanks so much for responding to my stresses, I feel a bit better now. Aeroo, I did take into consideration the Gran, but I don't want EVERYONE but me staying there, you know? I want to have people stay at the Royal with my fiance and I so we can hang out, have meals together, etc. And, if my fiance and I were the only ones at The Royal and we'd have to keep going over to the Gran to visit, then what's the point of staying at The Royal? You know what I mean? And I am NOT settling for anything BUT a 5 star for my wedding! Antonia, thanks for the suggestion with the wedding website, listing everything that's included. I think that will help. I'll let you ladies know how it goes, when I let everyone know the price!!

Hey ladies, are any of you having issues with The Royal's price point? It seems that most of my guests feel that $1800-1900 CDN (all inclusive, 1 week) with a group rate is still too much... do any of you think that might be too much for some of your guests as well? I know my wedding party will pay regardless, since they are regular travelers, and they know what to expect at a 5 star all inclusive, but some of my extended family aren't so experienced with traveling all inclusive, and it sounds expensive to them. I keep trying to convince them that its DEFINITELY the cheaper route to traveling, but they are so stubborn! This is my wedding day, I don't want to stay at a 4 star, you know? I'm just afraid that my guest list will shrink to only 20 people out of the 40 who initially said they'd come. Sorry, I just needed to vent! Let me know if you have the same issues, and what you'll do about it.

Oh Aeroo thats so great to know that the weddings are so customizable. Bu really, what wedding group DOESNT need customization?!

Quote: Originally Posted by Shay2679 Hey Steph...I was wondering when you'd be back!! I haven't received anything yet! But...I'm trying to be patient. I've emailed all those people that need to be emailed, and trust that they are just swamped with May weddings right now, and will answer some of my questions and make first contact when they can. We'll see how I feel about that again tomorrow...It's day by day my patience!!! What made you change your wedding day? We're hoping for the first or second week of May next year as we're planning on have an ADR May long weekend in Edmonton with all our familia. Fingers so tightly crossed, they're purple. I've heard about a few add-ons such as boutonnières (sp?) and corsages ($10 bout; $15 corsage), I knew about the reception cost of $50 USD/pp with the inclusions, and Aeroo posted a file with Spa treatment costs. All I have to go by for everything else, is what is listed in the Royal's online wedding packages...and to be honest...I would combine some of the "Luxury" and some of the "Star-Crossed" options to make the ideal combination...I'm okay with that...I'm just anxious to hear it from the mouth of a coordinator there that it CAN be done, and for a reasonable fee! Has anyone else here completely lost all motivation recently to do anything BUT plan their wedding. I'm finding it almost impossible to not turn everything into a search for wedding stuff!! Yikes...and I have 11 months to go (hopefully)! Hi Shay, I do check the forums quite frequently but not nearly as much as I used to, when I first got engaged (in december). The more answers you get from the lovely ladies here in the forum, the better you feel about your decision making Well, The Royal has recently changed their wedding packages. I personally agree with you that a blend of both the Luxury and Star-Crossed wedding packages would be ideal, and from what I've heard from Micaela the WC over there, I'm sure she can customize your package. Its rare to find a wedding party that doesn't need customization, I'm sure! I'm thinking of the star-crossed package, but I'm having about 30 people come to the wedding, so I'd have to pay for extra chairs and decoration for the ceremony set up, and also the $50 per head for the dinner reception. So, I think in the end it will be less than the $5500 package. I'm also going to have small bouquets done for my bridesmaids ($20-25 I think), and boutonniers for the guys ($10?) and I have 5 of each, so that adds up as well. I'm not picky about linen colours or anything like that, white and ivory are just fine for me so I'll save a few bucks on those extras, unless I were to bring those with me myself. My fiance and I decided to change our date from May 12 to June 9, because it just happens to suit our family and friends' schedules better, and we really don't have much preference for any specific date so that was ok for us to do. I'll let you know if I find anything else out... If you're willing to give me your personal email address, I'll send you the information Micaela gave me, although I'm not too sure if they are still valid because they have changed their wedding packages a bit. Just PM me your email if you want to see it. ~Steph

Quote: Originally Posted by Shay2679 Hi again, I'm still just wondering about this...does anyone know about the packages listed on their site as being customizable (word?) or did you all just basically tell your coordinator what you wanted, and they put something together for you? When were you expected to pay for your wedding "package" (either off the site, or customized)? Thanks! Hi Shay! You don't have to pay for the package until you arrive at the Royal, but I believe it is entirely customizable. I've already asked questions about the dinner reception, and they've told me that I'd have to pay 50 dollars per head for the dinner, which also includes a dance floor and speakers. As for the actual ceremony, you pay extra for things like special coloured ribbons, extra flowers, extra bouquets/boutonnieres etc.but that's entirely your choice to add those things on. Has a wedding coordinator sent you the pricing for add-ons yet? You'll get an idea of how much your big day will cost when you recieve that package.

hi Caracolgin, I'm from Toronto Canada, and we have all inclusive 1 week trip packages that we'll be doing. Do you have that option coming from dallas as well? I'm getting married next June (changed the date recently) at The Royal, and I'm waiting a few more months before booking my 1 week stay at the Royal. I do have the option of booking right now, but I'm waiting for Micaela the wedding coordinator there to actually confirm my wedding date. Have you contacted a travel agent yet? I see you're not getting married until next April, so you've got some time!

Rhonda, what other resorts are you looking at this week? I also wanted to know if you could double check the pricing per head for the dinner reception. I'm also curious to know what the ballroom looks like at the Royal, but I think I'd rather have the garden reception anyhow. Thanks so much for the offer! Have a great trip!

Hi Athena and welcome to this thread! I'm for Toronto, and your pricing seems just about right for 2 weeks. I'm actually seeing my travel agent tonight, so I'll let you know if the prices are different... they might be cheaper for me since Toronto is closer to the yucatan peninsula than BC. I'm excited to hear about the new wedding packages! I'm going to ask Micaela about the free wedding as well. i have my wedding date tentatively booked on May 12, 2009, I still have to wait for the minister's confirmation as it is still very early on to book the date. Please let us know of any updates you may get from Micaela!! Steph

Oh my gosh Antonia, your wedding looked gorgeous! The weather was perfect, and you looked so lovely! I can't wait to get married there! I'm so happy to see that your reception on the beach looked private, and there weren't any onlookers or anything like that! I also loved your trip through the town. Congratulations! I can't wait to hear the entire review!

Hi Shannon and Jen, are your guests even considering the 1 week all inclusive packages? Most of my guests will be doing that, because you get more "bang for your buck". But it does all depend on how many days off work they can take off.

Hey Ladies, I recieved an email back from Micaele, the WC at The Royal. She is reserving May 12, 2009 for us, but we will not have a confirmation until the ministers reply to our request. I'm crossing my fingers that it happens soon, because I want to get going on my Save the Dates!

Shannon, when Real resorts confirmed your wedding date, did they give you some kind of confirmation number? I know they don't require a deposit... which i find a little strange.

Oh I realized your name is Shannon LOL "Hi Shannon!"

Hey Rhonda and Kriswim!! I just sent back my wedding application form 2 days ago, I requested May 12th (a Tuesday)... If I get that date, I'll be arriving on the 5th! Will any of you ladies still be there on the 5th? How long did it take before they got back to you? I'm planning to have the reception at The Royal, and they do allow kids for the wedding day.

I can't wait to see Antonia's photos!!!

11 days sounds perfect. I'll have to speak to my travel agent about that, since flights from Toronto to The Royal only include 1 week all inclusive packages. I'd have to book my flight there separately, or stay an extra week altogether. Thanks for your input!!

A thought: do any of you think it would benefit my fiance and I to arrive at the Royal a week in advance, totalling to 2 weeks at the resort? We are just concerned with the fast pace of the whole week, because of the planning and meeting with the coordinators. I'm asking this question assuming you are going with the 1 week, all inclusive option, as I'm doing. What do you think? Would it just be a waste of money? I'm mainly worried with our choice of wedding day. We originally wanted to marry on Tuesday, May 12 2009, but since we have to arrive in Mexico 4 business days in advance, we'd have to arrive earlier than the usual Toronto Saturday departures. Any thoughts?

Yes, thank you Becky, thats very helpful to me. The process is pretty much the same for us Canadian brides, with the apostille and translations and everything. Thanks again!

Thanks Becky! Its good to know that you have met and interacted with her. I was a bit worried because I never heard of her in this forum. I'll let you know when I book my date, we're thinking May 14 or 15 2009 Becky, did you have to be in Mexico for 3 or 4 business days before the wedding?

Hey Ladies! Just thought you'd like to know that The Royal got back to me, and sent me FAQs and the wedding application form for us to fill out. We were contacted by Micaela, do any of you know who she is? Is she the new wedding coordinator? I hope some of you will know how she works, and if she's a good coordinator. I'll make sure that I keep all my emails from her, so we don't butt heads on pricing. Let me know if you know of Micaela!

WOW this forum is growing and I love it! I can't wait until I hear back from Zulma, I bet she's so busy with your big day Antonia! I've still got a long way to go, so I think I can be patient for now And welcome Rhonda and Jen! I can't wait until I'm able to say that I'm also going to be a Royal PCD bride

Becky, I just watched your slideshow, and it is absolutely breath taking. I LOVE Elizabeth Medina's work. Can you please give me her contact info? WHat photography package did you purchase from her? IT looks like she spend a couple hours with you and Brian, which is fantastic. IF you can send me any info on how her packages are broken down, that would be fantastic! You looked stunning!