BPG027

I got married Oct 2012, overall the Riu did a great job. Couple of hiccups here and there but that's to be expected. Rehearsal Dinner--Steakhouse. Food was great. Wedding ceremony--San Jose Gazebo. Its really private and intimate, exactly what I wanted. And I did the short walk. There are 2 ways to walk to the alter at the Gazebo. Reception--We had it at Baja Norte (pool area), it was private for 47 guests total (including my husband and myself). If you choose this area (which I personally think its the best spot for a reception) be sure to get the DJ Lighting as well. It totally makes a difference. And we hired the DJ, but created our own play list. Overall we thought it was easier to hirer the DJ and just have him to do it, as oppose to one of the guests. We simply had a 1 tier cake, because dessert was included with dinner. And the cake was just for the pictures. Good luck with your wedding planning!

I got married last Oct 2012 and I used Neysa Berman for hair and makeup. I highly recommend her and her staff. She was really great and very professional. Her staff were simply lovely, we had a great time with them. And their work is perfection. I didn't want to use the Riu's makeup services because I didn't find good reviews about them. So I stretched the budget a bit for the makeup and I'm so glad I did. She was worth the $$. You don't want to look back at your wedding photos and have regrets. By the way we went to a nearby spa (which was SO FANTASTIC) to get the services. The Riu charges $300 for any outside vendor to come to their property. Just ridiculous http://www.neysaberman.com/ Good luck on your wedding planning!

I booked Neysa for my wedding Oct 27th, 2012. I did not want to pay the Riu vendor fee of $300 if you use an outside vendor. So Neysa made arrangements for me and my girls to have our services done at a nearby spa close to the resort. The spa only charged $85 to use their salon. So I thought that was a great deal. I will let you know how it turns out. I've heard great things about Neysa as well. I definitely didn't want to use the Riu's on site makeup service, since I haven't heard great things about them. I hope this helps.

Wow Terbear how were you able to move your entire wedding party and guests to the Hilton on such short notice? I am SOO HAPPY that everything worked for you and your guests. Congrats on your wedding and marriage!

Great review. Getting married there in Oct, so I'm excited. Your review has been helpful!

I've heard mix reviews about the Salon at the hotel. The main issue is that their selection of colors is really limited.

These are the shoes I got for my bridesmaids. I LOVE THEM!!! They are so cute and comfortable. They go perfect with their dresses and our beach wedding theme. I got them from this online boutique. Delivery was quick as well. http://www.fleurchic.net/fashion-flat-shoes/flower-thong-sandal/ Good luck ladies!

Hello I am getting married this Oct at the Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas. I'm deciding if I should use the hotel's spa service do my my hair & make-up as well as my bridal party. I've read on the forum that Suzanne Moral is the go to person hair & makeup in Cabo. Any advice, suggestions on this matter? Thanks Brides!

I found some cute shoes for myself and my bridesmaids from this site. They have cute items to choose from. Good luck ladies!! www.fleurchic.net

I got my shoes and my bridesmaids shoes from this site. They have cute items to choose from. http://fleurchic.net/

I got my shoes and my bridesmaids shoes from this site. They have really cute items to choose from. http://fleurchic.net/ Good luck ladies!

Thank you Mrs. Story for your very much thorough review. It has been VERY helpful. Sounds like your wedding was absolutely amazing. Congrats! I was thinking of having my reception at Baja Norte but now I might have to rethink that decision. I really want my reception to be private. How was the weather at night? I'm worried about the beach being really cool and windy at night, hence why I initially opted for a pool side reception. The last thing I want is for my guests to be uncomfortable and cold. I am having my wedding there in late October.

Did anyone have a beach reception? Would you recommend it? Just worried about it being too cool and windy at night for a beach reception. However I think the idea is really nice. Just not sure...

Great congratulations on your wedding! Have a great time in Cabo. Can't wait to hear all the details. I got several recommendations for Baja Norte and the English Patio. Those were the top 2 recommendations.

Thanks for the details. $7,000 is not bad at all. If I decided to have my wedding here in NYC it would be well over that. Great I'm excited again to plan my wedding :-) Again thank you for all your help and great info :-)

How much did it cost to have the private reception? I know the site fee is $500, but how much did the resort charge for food or drinks per guests?

Thanks for your info and recommendations. I will look into that.

Hello, Congrats on your upcoming wedding. Did you decide on the reception area as yet? I need help deciding mine as well. Thanks, ~B

Hello, Congrats on your upcoming weddings. I will be getting married there this Oct. I was thinking of having a private reception as well. Can you provide feedback on the Steakhouse and/or English Patio areas for the reception? I was thinking of doing the beach reception but I feel at night it might be too cold or just too windy for my guests. Don't want them to be uncomfortable. I've never been to the resort so i'm relying on this forum to help me with my decision. Thanks, ~B

hello ladies, I am getting married at the Riu Cabo in Oct 2012. So far I have reserved the San Jose gazebo for the wedding ceremony. However I am still deciding on where to have the reception. I am expecting about 30-40 guests max. I want to have a reception where we can eat, dance and be merry all in one place. The resort is pretty big so I don't want my guests going from one place to another, that could be a pain. After reading your review on Baja Norte I may have to take that out of the running. Since I've never been there, would you guys recommend the English Patio and/or the Steakhouse for the reception?? Again I'm concerned about room for dancing. Dancing is very important. I was also thinking of having the reception at the beach, but I'm concerned at night it might be too cold or just too windy. That might be uncomfortable for the guests. Any advice would be SOOO HELPFUL for me. And thanks again I plan to have my own playlist and bring my Bose Speaker system. Congrats on your wedding and marriage!

I agree with you, I have no idea why they wait til the last minute to plan the intricate details for the wedding. It is stressful indeed. I'm hoping for the best too. I'm sure stress or no stress our weddings will be great. I would like to have the reception either on the Beach, Baja Norte or the English Patio. I really want something private where we can eat, dance and have a great time all in the same place. So I shall see. Good luck with the rest of your planning!

so far the planning is going well. I have 4 people that have officially booked so far. So i'm excited about that! I've already picked out the dress so that should be ready for me by June/July. Formal invitations will be sent out w/n the next few days. Right now my WC/TA is just coordinating all of the guests' travel arrangements. Again thank you for comments, it was so helpful to me. Thank goodness for this forum. I've decided on a local photographer, Juan Carlos Tapia photography. He came highly recommended on the forum. And his work is gorgeous. It sucks that I have to pay a $300 outside vendor fee. But I think he's going to be worth it. http://www.juancarlostapia.com/ Keep you posted!

wow Laura I'm glad you had a great wedding despite all the drama with the WC. I am getting married at the same resort this year in Oct, and I got chills reading your email. I'm just praying that things will go somewhat smoothly with me. I actually hired a 3rd party, Blue Petal Destinations, to help me with the wedding planning. So far things are going great with them. Right now they are doing all the travel & hotel arrangements for my guests. What a relief that is for me. Thanks again for sharing your experience with us. Its really helpful. Now I know for sure I will hire an outside photographer for my event.

I have looked into having the wedding at the Dreams resort as well (its incredible), however my guests would have to pay a greater price difference as oppose to the Riu resorts. So I had to eliminate that idea. However, having everyone met in LAX before hand is a terrific idea, I will look into that. Thanks you :-)

Thanks for the advice everyone, I really appreciate it. I didn't know how stressful this wedding planning can be :-) Good luck and Congrats to everyone!