luvdezi

I also wanted to add that at the restaurants you can ask for 2nds and 3rds of everything!!! I asked for 2 lobster tails....cause I can never get enough and they brought it for me!! Another tip...if you feel your drink is weak ask for a double..and look out for Santos...he was tremendous!!!!!

Wow Guys thank you so much! all that info is great thanks Danelle for all the questions lol they were the same ones I was wondering too! I was also wondering if there is an option for a beach reception? I don't think they do beach receptions here...even if they did..the way the beach is I don't think you would want it there...no privacy. I originally wanted a beach reception as well but then I read a post on here that a bride had hers on the beach (not at the Riu) and she said it was windy and sand was stuck to her dishes and on the food. We had a private honeymoon dinner on the beach at the Isle of Mujeres Palace and we had no problems with that...it was perfect! So I am sure if you wanted a beach reception somewhere that won't happen! It probably depends on the resort , if they have a wind shield of some sort and what time of year. Hope this helps!! BTW Chili's is only 8 rows of palm trees away from the beach! It really is beautiful!

1)Was that one of the options they provided? Yes ..the bouquet was one of the options...white roses are another option I remember...the flowers there are gorgeous! 2)We were hoping to have a private reception and I wanted to get your suggestions. I kinda lie the idea of Chilis since its open to the ocean(from what I understand)... how private is it exactly? First off.. for a private reception you need to have 45- 50 people for Botofogo and 100 for chilis( to book the entire restaurant) I would choose Chili's because the food there was unbelievable and if you have 30 or less people they give you the mezzanine and it is essentiallyprivate....keep in mind they are changing their policies regularly there..so if you have an agreement with them get it via e-mail and print out everything and take it with you to the resort. We loved our reception..we had a DJ in our own private restaurant...people really drank more than they ate so Botofogo worked for us! 3)Do they serve appetizers during the coctail hour or is that extra? We paid extra for our appetizers. It is priced per person and was worth it because of the long cocktail hrsssss!!! 4)i really want to do some TTD photos at some point and was wondering if i need to hire someone for that outside of the resort or if the wedding photog would be available for that? I think maybe you could work something out with Carlos...ask them and see..I don't really know but I would ask. 5)You mentioned that the dessert from the rest. Was better than the cake; so is that in addition to the reception dinner then? you don't pay extra for dessert it comes with the dinner..I just wouldn't upgrade the cake that comes with the package. hope this helps....I went through the same thing when I was trying to plan! I would suggest that you and your hubby2b go down 3- 4 days prior to everyone else arriving so that you can work out the details. The meeting is only 45- 60 minutes long and voila your wedding is planned and then relaxation and partytime!!

hello! I was hoping that I could ask you a few questions but I noticed that this is an older thread... If you read this would you mind? I don't mind at all....If I can help ...I will! and in regards to advice...I would just say to relax and not worry too much about the little details(ie. place cards, seating, even decorations etc). The environment itself is so beautiful and everyone will be so relaxed and will have gotten to know each other by the day of your wedding that those details don't matter. This place is perfect for a wedding and you guys will absolutely love it. Our guests are still talking about it and wanting to go back.

Hi..welcome to the forum....you are going to love your wedding at the Riu, they are very professional and know what they are doing. Don't worry your wedding will be wonderful!! I was married there in Aug 08 and loved it! Good luck and happy planning!!

I am so glad your wedding was amazing!!! Your pics are gorgeous ... don't you want to go back already!!? My husband and I want to go back everyday!!! It's funny when you think back to the planning and how you know nothing and don't know what to expect and then it is perfect!! I am so happy for you both!

I would also recommend having a private table for you and your husband at the reception...and setting the tables lengthwise in a square with the dance floor in the middle...it worked very well for us. Then everyone can sit where they want and you don't have to do place cards and no one will be hurt because they aren't at the head table!!!! Also,know that if you want to do speeches at your welcome dinner do them before they eat...our guests were drunk for 5 days and it was like herding feral cats to get them to any dinners or events on time!!! You are going to LOVE it!! BTW, our guests had such a good time that a group of them are planning to go back for New Years Eve!!!

Sorry it's a thumbnail..I have to get the hi-res pics from our photographer we brought from home...

Here is our cake:

Here is what we had on the tables:

We had the private reception at Botofogo( which has great authentic Mexican ambiance, terra cotta etc) and we hired a DJ who was awesome!!! The disco is at the Riu Tequila... It is a little "worn!". My wedding was at 5 PM and I had an insane 3 hr cocktail hour( we did have h'ordeurves,pictures and 2 hrs of live music to fill the space)... but I feel your pain...our guests were beyond drunk for our wedding!!That was OK for us but I am sure some people would not want that. Some of our guests changed clothes because it was so hot out and then came to the reception.It does give people time to do personal things. There isn't alot you can do about the time, but you will still love your wedding...it will be amazing! As far as the private reception...you have to have 40- 50 people attending and everything will fall in place when you get there and see the venue. We used all of their table decorations(terra cotta candles and cream tablecloths) and purchased flower arrangements...I wouldn't worry about your tables looking empty if you don't order flowers..you can get maracas in town(we did) and they will set them on the tables for you.And with 4hrs of cocktail time....no one will notice the table decorations!!! Good luck..I am so excited for you...you are going to have the best time!

BTW our resort photographer's name was Juan Carlos Magallon.

I loved the videographer...We just let him do his thing and he was wonderful... and very creative. They are extremely professional and great at what they do. My husband and I actually work in the wedding industry in Chicago, so as you can imagine we were fearful without seeing their work or meeting them prior to the wedding day. They had better equipment than the photographer we brought and were very fun. Unless you have a specific style of videography or photography in mind and have to have that or you will be unhappy, I would go with the hotel. Save yourself alot of stress and time...and as far as recommendations when you are at the RIU....enjoy it!!! You will not have as much time when you are there for your wedding. Take advantage of the 24 hr room service etc.. also know that they come off like they don't care about your wedding when you first are dealing with the WC via internet or phone but come the time you meet before your wedding day they will do all they can to accommodate you. If you want a specific cake, bouquet, dinner or decorated reception....they do not have an abundance of choices. What they do have though we LOVED!! Good luck to you and have a great time!!

I love your review,especially the inspiring words at the end......every bride needs to remember that before their wedding!! and the fact that you had so many tragedies before and you still remained so positive and kept your faith. I am so happy for you and congratulations.

Hi! Welcome to the forum..We got married at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya August 2, 2008 and we loved it and so did our guests. I know it seems like they don't care before you get there...don't worry they are great and you will love it. How many people are you having? We had our reception at Botofogo and it was so fun! The flowers are beautiful...they offer red or white roses or lillies and white roses..and a bunch of different choices..all beautiful. Both restaurants for your reception have great food. I am so excited for you, you are going to love it there and be so happy with your choice! Congrats!

Congrats!!! Your pics are incredible and you are so cute! It looks like you had a great day!!

Thank you for your kind words...the necklace is banana republic online...surprisingly they don't sell it in the stores!

Oh and yes, do your cocktail hour in the lobby bar because it is inside and air conditioned.... we did ours at the lirico and they had us outdoors so it was hot!!! You could ask for the Lirico indoors...I just assumed we'd be inside but alas no!! It was beautiful though!

awwww.....thanks you guys!! 1) The dress is Nicole Miller...good eye! 2)We ordered a chocolate cake but got Vanilla(the hotel gave us our money back) it was a mix up in the kitchen and the planners were livid!.....I would just get the one that comes with the package because all of our guests were drunk and wanted to party and not eat cake!! Not one person ate it!! The desert at the restaurant is far superior to the cake as well! But it was pretty and fun to cut and I am glad we had one!!

The Steakhouse was amazing...they serve you Caesar salad, crab, mussels and shrimp as an appetizer and you can have steak and lobster as well....very good!! The private restaurants are all amazing!! In fact I liked Chilis the best!!! You will love it...and the ambiance is very light and airy...very Cuban! The tiles on the floor are blue and white checked and it has high ceilings and drop down white ceiling fans. They will give you white linens...and you have an ocean view!!They will section you off as well for more privacy!! I am so excited for you...you are going to want to go back again and again!! My hubby and I are going back in Jan!! We miss it already! If you have any other questions let me know...I know that when I was planning there was only 2 reviews of the Riu....and it freaked me out!! There were weddings there everyday and they were all gorgeous!!

Hi, I just got back from my wedding at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya. I loved it, I think Playa del Carmen is the best place for a wedding because it caters to all types of people and there is something for everyone. We wanted a reformed/ interfaith rabbi but never found one down there. We ended up getting married by a rabbi at home first and then having a spiritual ceremony down there.It also helped simplify process of the legality of the wedding license. It would be best if you could bring someone with you. Do you belong to a temple?

also all pics that I posted were taken by the hotel photographer! I also met another bride on this forum and ran into her down there....she also loved her wedding!! and her photos!! and I forgot to mention that we went to Tulum and swam with the dolphins!!

ooops...heres a pic of one of my girls with the oot bag!!

Hi I just got back from our wedding!! It was amazing!! I think the best advice I could give anyone getting married here is don't worry....this place is so beautiful and fun and the wedding planners are so thorough and sweet that nothing will go wrong on your day!! our OOT bags were a hit!! They were $2 each including the iron-on transfer from cheaptotes.com. Everyone used them for the pool and excursions.We put welcome letters in them along with: AlkaSeltzer,Pepto Bismal,advil,immodium,earplugs for light sleepers,fans for the ceremony, and clothespins to pin the curtains shut to keep out the sunlight and chips and snacks we purchased in Playa Del Carmen. http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn231/punsapaya/MikeDesiree-0.jpg /IMG] We were married at the gazebo....it was beautiful. We hired the harpist and he was incredible. We hired a videographer and a photographer from the hotel...both were fantastic. We also brought a friend of ours from home who is an artistic photographer who also took shots that I will post when I get them. Our friend was very complimentry in regards to the equiptment the hotel photographer had. My favorite: We had a private reception with a DJ and a 21/2 cocktail and h'orduerve with the trio and then the mariachi band. All of the musicians were amazing and the DJ was fabulous. Basically we got everything we wanted and more here for $12,000. This includes: A 7 day stay at the Riu ,our honeymoon on the Isle of Mujeres and a 2 day stay at the Palace there, and a final night in Cancun at the Me by melia, airfare and excursions, ground transport. A welcome dinner(no charge), a private reception for 40 people,h'odeurves, a harpist,trio and mariachi band, a DJ, massages and mani/pedicures for both of us , dinner reservations at the Japanese and steak restaurants for all of our guests, flowers arrangements for the tables, the wedding cake, 2 photographers, videographer ....you could never get that in The USA or Canada and our guests had the time of their lives. We parasailed, ziplined, snorkeled, partied downtown...it was simply a blast and I highly recommend it!! I remember how worried I was before I got there because I had never seen the property and I was trying to plan everything and all of the details. Just know that everything will be great! I do recommend getting everything in writing and printing it out and putting it in a folder just in case you need it for reference. They change their prices every year. I also recommend getting a travel agent you trust to do everyones arrangements, so your guests aren't calling you every 2 secs!! This hotel is large so you and your guests are not on top of each other but you can also hang out all day by the pool if you want. There is something for everyone here. I hope this helps and I will post pics of the cake and the room etc when I get those!

Thanks guys!!