MrsKellyToBe

Hi ladies, I haven't been on here for awhile and thought I'd check in. I'm heading to the resort one week from today for our destination wedding! Sooooo excited I'm not sure what package you have booked, but we have the caprice and it includes the coordinator setting things up for us. We're having our legal ceremony at the San Jose Gazebo, our rehearsal at the steakhouse and our wedding reception at the mexican restaurant. We have 68 people so we had to move our dinner from the terrace to inside the restaurant, but we're going to have our first dance, etc. all outside on the terrace. Adriana knows I have decorations, starfish namecards, table numbers, etc. to set up. We did have to pay to rent the soundsystem to work both inside and outside as well as to use the ipod dock, but it only cost something like $155, so it's no biggie. Just bring enough money to tip the coordinator for setting up your decor and that is all you'll have to worry about in terms of setup cost (well, if you have paid for a wedding package like the caprice, I can't guarantee for the other packages or if you're not getting a package at all). By the way - I read someone said they went with the steakhouse for the reception instead of mexican because of the food. Just so you know, the menu we chose for our mexican restaurant reception includes a shrimp option, a beef filet option, as well as a burrito option, so you can still get steak there. Both restaurants are beautiful, so I'm sure you'll be more than happy either way! I also want to point out that the birth certificates you get translated and apostilled are not the regular card-size ones we all have. You have to use the long form birth certificates which are on a piece of paper that is longer than regular letter or legal size paper. This takes time, so I want to make sure you get the correct copies of your birth certificates. Our parents didn't have long form copies for us, so we had to order new copies of them online from our government. Adriana is the 4th coordinator we've worked with since booking our wedding a year ago, and she is the best of all of them, so be grateful you get to work with her. Some of the old coordinators took over 2 weeks to reply to emails, whereas Adriana responds within a day or 2, which is amazing. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask me. We have everything booked and organized (seeing as we leave in 7 days), so I should be able to answer most of your questions. I'll also write a post-wedding update on how things went at the resort, as I wish there were more of such posts for me to read for comfort and knowledge! Take care, Katie

Hi Mason79, Hmmm, have you been emailing Kaiulani at [email protected]?... if you're not getting any response, you can try Monserrat at [email protected]. Monserrat used to be the wedding coordinator and she still works there, just in a different position. Perhaps she can give Kaiulani a nudge for you. But if you haven't tried Kaiulani yet, try her first since she is supposed to be your point of contact. Good luck!

Gorgeous pictures! Congratulations

Hi Nicole, Congratulations and welcome! There is an option to get married on the beach at Riu Palace and the onsite coordinator, Kailuani, can email you pictures of the places you can get married so you can take a look. The beach is supposed to be a bit rocky, but I'm sure they've figured something out for weddings that take place on the beach. We're only going for 7 days because the all-inclusive carrier only flies between Toronto and Cabo once a week. We wanted to do 10 days, but our only other option was to fly to Cabo on a separate plane from our 70 guests, so we didn't want to do that. We were lucky to have enough people attending that my fiance and I both got our trips for free. The group rate we got for everyone for the last week of April 2011 is $1698, which is quite good. I had gotten quotes from a handful of agencies and some wanted to charge over $2000! I didn't send out save the dates, but my fi and I called all of our close family and friends (or saw them in person) to explain our decision to get married away and let them know we'd love it if they could join us. We booked shortly thereafter and didn't have time for STDs, so we sent an online invitation (I don't mean an evite, but from our personal email with a nice message and an attached invitation that I had made with our picture, links to the resort, excursions, etc.). Then, one month before trip balances were due, we mailed out thank you post cards with our photo on it, enclosed a Riu Palace brochure, as well as a fake boarding pass that also noted the day that balances would be charged. For makeup, I'll be going to MAC and paying $150 to get a lesson where they'll do a paint-by-numbers sort of thing on a face on a piece of paper, so I can take it with me and follow it for the wedding. I'm pretty good at doing makeup, so I'm happy to do my own. For hair, I'm lucky, my best friend and MOH owns her own salon, so she'll be doing my hair for me. However, if you read through the forums, past brides have raved about getting their makeup done at a place just off the resort... I can't remember the name or else I'd tell you! But I'm sure you'll stumble across it. Lots of brides seem to get their hair done at the resort and have been happy with it, so that would be a good option. I'm going to get my hair done there another day on the trip (since it is included in the wedding package), so I can write a review on the hair salon in May if you like. You'll figure everything out, so have fun with the planning and try not to freak out! LOL. We all have our moments

Kaiulani's email address is as follows: [email protected] Time sure is flying by and with Christmas coming up, it will really be here before you know it!

I don't blame you! However, I emailed Paola (the person I was first in contact with when booking the wedding) and told her Kaiulani has not been returning my emails and that our whole forum is filled with fellow brides complaining about the same thing, and she responded apologizing and saying she'd look into it and make sure I got my replies. So, hopefully she'll get on Kaiulani... if you don't get a reply by tomorrow, try emailing the person that you booked your wedding date with! Hope this helps! Katie

Hi fellow RP brides, I was coming on to write a similar question as well. Monse was AMAZING but now she is gone. I've sent/forwarded 3 emails to Kaiulani (I believe that is her name) over the past 2.5 weeks and haven't received a response. I have only ever received one email reply from her when she first started. She is making me very frustrated. I miss Monse

Those cups are a great idea! Another option is to do coffee mug type glasses that act somewhat like a thermos to keep the drinks cold. We did that for my mom's destination wedding a couple years back and they were also a hit. However, I really like how your cups can be customized! I want the purple ones Nice find!

Ladies, I had the most exciting thing ever happen to me this week! I got a call that I was one of 2 finalists in a Wedding Bells contest. There were 7,611 entrants and my name was one of the two drawn! We had to go head to head in a cake dive to see who would win a $35k wedding! So funny to watch:  http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/entertainment/local/article/93554--how-far-would-you-go-for-a-35-000-wedding-two-brides-fight-over-cake  Now, instead of a a low-key cocktail reception upon our return, we'll be having an amazing full wedding reception My luck definitely peaked yesterday LOL.  Just wanted to share my excitement with you!!  Have a great weekend, Katie

I love how much our group has grown! Â

Amazing, thanks so much!

Oooh I am so happy to hear you still sign papers at the symbolic ceremony... thank you for sharing Have you spoken with the coordinator to make sure the officiant says the same things they would in a legal ceremony? I realize I sound extremely paranoid, but.. well, I guess I kind of am, but it is because my fiance threw me for a loop when he said he might want to change from a legal ceremony!

Hi ladies! Â We'll be doing the same thing, and I'll either stay with my MOH or he'll stay with his BM the night before the wedding. Then we'll be hanging out at different pools on the morning of the wedding day... Â We're currently registered to get legally married in Cabo but my fiance kind of wants to change things and do the legal part here. My concern is that everyone that has booked the trip has done so thinking that we're officially getting married in Cabo and I don't want them to be upset if they find out we're doing a symbolic ceremony. Are you telling your guests that you're married already or are you keeping it to yourselves? If you're keeping it to yourselves, do you know if you still sign papers or anything like that for a symbolic ceremony, to make it look like a legal ceremony? Finally, are you having your legal wedding at city hall with just parents, or how are you handling that aspect? Â Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feedback on how you'll be handling your symbolic and legal ceremonies... I appreciate it. Â Aside from that, planning is going well. We now have all the bm dresses, groomsmen outfits and mothers dresses, and yesterday I ordered our "thank you for booking" postcards that we'll be mailing out to our booked guests, along with fake boarding passes (with each person's name and noting the payment balance deadline) and the Riu Palace pdf that we're printing out from the website. Â How is everyone else's plans coming along? Updates?! Â

Hi ClairW, Â A long time ago I tried emailing that address too and I NEVER received a response. So, I went through the resort wedding coordinator and asked her to pass on my questions to the appropriate person. Someone then got in touch with me and helped me with my general inquiries. I'd suggest you take a similar to approach! Â Best of luck, Katie

Haha I totally went MIA, so sorry! It's nice to see so many other Riu brides have joined in on the fun! Â We're having a private reception at the Mexican Restaurant and I didn't know that we were allowed to offer set menus instead of the regular menu. I'd want to see the menu in advance if I were to narrow it down to a set menu... I wonder if they'll send a copy to us? Â My wedding is at 5 and I plan to hold a cocktail session between the photos and the reception. I'd like it to start at some point while we're doing our photos, so people don't have to wander around on their own for too long... I haven't looked into this at all yet, but I would like to ask Monse about my options soon. Â "gettingmarried" - I would LOVE to hear more about your wedding and the week at Riu Palace. I'm so glad things went smoothly for you and that Monse pulled through. Monse has been excellent so far, so I'm not surprised, but it is still very reassuring to hear you say this! Â I'm not doing a TTD session since I'll be wearing my dress again at my post-wedding reception. But, I do love those pictures! Â I'm not going to the resort before the wedding, but I'm not kidding when I say I have 9 people coming to my wedding who have been at Riu Palace Cabo within the past 2 years - 4 people who have been at the resort for a wedding before, and 7 people who stayed at the resort for a vacation last year (and at different times of year). I've also run into 3 people who have been to a wedding there and everyone just loves it (it has been so weird, people ask where I'm getting married and then they tell me "my daughter got married there!", etc. I find it so strange because I had never even heard of it before finding it in my destination search!). Anyways, my point is that every single person has raved about Riu Palace, so we feel confident in our choice to go there. Â I'm sure all of our weddings will be magical and the whole week will be a blast Â

Lauren, that's hilarious! We have the same taste in resorts AND dresses. And this is the dress I am changing into to go party in after the dinner/reception is over: http://www.bcbg.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3949388&cp=2840697&utm_campaign=20100701_4TH_OF_JULY_REMINDER&spMailingID=4493232&camp=BCBG%3Aemail%3A20100701_4TH_OF_JULY_REMINDER%3ATOP_DRESSES&view=all&utm_source=BCBG&spUserID=NTQyNzUxNTM0MQS2&spReportId=MTU5ODc2NTUyS0&spJobID=159876552&utm_content=TOP_DRESSES&utm_medium=EMAIL&parentPage=family The BCBG dress is also the dress my bridesmaids will be wearing, but theirs is a nice purpley-blue colour! I bought my white one awhile ago and then when we went shopping, they happened to come out with it the purple colour and I just loved it. BandP2011, your dress is also gorgeous! I wish we were able to wear like 10 dresses over the course of the night so we could have one in every style haha.

OMG I am in LOVE with your maraca idea... it will be so worth the time and effort in the end. If I didn’t have the starfish idea, I’d be asking if I could copy you! Even so, I’m still tempted haha. You’ll have to post pics when you’re done because you’ll inspire a lot of brides with that one I think. That’ll be great. Will you be able to fit them in your suitcase?! Thanks for letting me know about the centerpieces. I never intended to bring anything either, I was just wondering what/if there’d be anything to expect on the tables. Bringing centerpieces would be really difficult for packing purposes too... I hear ya about budgetary restrictions with the OOT bags. I’d love to do them, but it ain’t gonna happen! I would love to find out if there is a way to get water taxi vouchers though. If I can’t figure it out, then I’ll probably just try to organize a day for everyone to go to Lovers Beach and then I’ll just pay the taxi man for everyone. When I thought the wedding was going to be small, I wanted to pay for our guests to come on a catamaran with us, but now there are too many so it’d blow the budget and I’ve had to give up that one! Royal blue will look beautiful with the turquoise waters. I’m sure the groomsmen are happy they aren’t being stuck in pink either Do you have a pic of your BM dresses? What is your fiancé wearing? My ceremony is at 5pm and I’m going to do the dinner at 8pm as well so that we can get some sunset photos in too. I originally wanted bubbles but now I want sparklers, so I want to see if we can do the cocktail hour outside so we can do the sparklers there. I think it would make for some cool pictures too. I think we’re on the same page with the partying! We have a lot of friends coming and we all love to party, and so does my family. That is one of the reasons why we picked Riu Palace over Dreams... apparently Dreams is quiet after 9pm. It feels so far away, but our weddings will be here before we know it! My friends and family have a countdown going on my facebook wall haha. Everyday someone has to post how many days and has to rhyme (266... bring on the margarita mix) lol.

I love all of your dresses - so pretty! Looking at dresses is one of my favorite things to do... Here is my dress: http://www.pronovias.us/fotos-vestidos-novias/gaudi2010.html I'm changing the split straps on the back to rhinestone straps and wearing a flower/feathery thing in my hair. More people post your dresses please

Excellent review! I am so happy you posted this Thank you!

Hi, I'm a Riu Palace bride-to-be! My wedding is in April 2011. Coasters are great because people can easily bring them home with them, and I love the idea of buying something that is authentic right from Cabo. For favors, we're planning on getting personalized shotglasses made in our wedding colours (purpley-blue and silver), with Cabo, the date, and a starfish on them. We're doing a starfish theme (with diamond accents) so for seating placecards I'm ordering 4-5" finger starfish in the purpley-blue colour and tying the white nametags on with silver ribbon. I wanted to do welcome bags, but with the number of guests we're having, we can't afford to anymore, since we have to pick and choose what we go ahead with. If you do welcome bags Murphie310, what are you thinking of putting in them?

Are you all planning to do first dances and speeches at the restaurant? Will you be having an "MC" to introduce these?

Haha this is great! Looks like I'll be the guinea pig everyone will be relying on for last minute tips! haha Yvonn I'm doing a legal ceremony so there is a bit more work involved. I was relieved to learn that the bloodwork gets done right at the resort, but there is still all the translating and paperwork to deal with! Oh well, it will all be worth it. I'm getting married at the gazebo (the Palace gazebo... is that the one you're referring to Lauren, or are you getting married at the Santa Fe gazebo?). I'm also holding a private dinner reception at the Mexican restaurant as well! Yvonne, now that you've confirmed the day, you can dive into the details and share with us what you're planning to do too Are you bringing favors with you for your guests? If so, what are you bringing? Are you bringing your own decor too? I'm doing a starfish and diamond theme and my colours are purpley-blue, silver and white, so I ordered 400 mini starfish to scatter on the dinner tables and am going to spray paint half of them silver and leave the other half natural. I'm also going to scatter purpley-blue diamond confettis things (they look like tiny diamonds) in with the starfish. For place seatings, I'm ordering purpler-blue finger starfish and I'm going to tie nametags on to each one using silver ribbon (I wasn't planning on doing assigned seating, but our numbers are now too high to not). For favors, I think I am going to order purpley-blue shotglasses with silver writing on them that says Cabo and the day of our wedding, with the picture of a starfish... but I'm not 100% on the favors. Finally, do you know if there will be any floral centerpieces or candles on the tables at the Mexican restaurant? I was told that the decor provided will simply consist of what is always out on the tables in the Mexican restaurant, but I don't know what that is! Have a great TGIF!

I'm going to do the same thing - either mariarchi or classical live music during the ceremony and bringing an ipod for the reception (I highly suggest Cafe Del Mar music for during the dinner!). According to the 2010 pricing they sent me (and they do mention they expect it to go up for 2011): Mariachi per 45 min (10 persons) $600.00 usd Trio Mariachi (03 persons) $400 usd Is anyone else renting out private space for the dinner? And where are you holding your cermonies?

Hi Lauren, I'm getting married at the Riu Palace on April 28, 2011... we're just missing each other! How excited are you?!?! So far the wedding coordinators have been wonderful at responding in a timely fashion, so that is awesome. Have you found the same? Are you getting married on the beach, terrace, or in the gazebo? Oh, and congratulations! Katie