Jez111213

Thanks Shannon! I booked my wedding almost 2 years ago, I want to say the woman doesn't work there anymore, but I have plenty of email addresses, so I think I will reach out. I found this site so long ago, I've watched many brides come and go and in the end they've all said there wasn't anything to worry about. I've kind of got over stressing about the small details, but now I'm feeling it all be so soon and real now, all the anxiousness is coming back! I'm pretty much ready, guests are all set, so just waiting for the few weeks to pass by!

Hi all, My wedding is just around the corner, Nov 16th! Can't believe it's already almost here! Shannon, it sounds like you've been contacted by the wc already. Can you tell me when you heard from them? My wedding is a week after yours so I'm just wondering if I should reach out or just be patient.

Hi ladies, I also booked the Caprice package but after I crunched the numbers and got a better idea of how may people are coming, it makes a lot more sense for me to book the Royal instead and pay the extra per person fee over 20 people. I don't think the extra's in the caprice package are work the extra $100,0 unless like you said, you have enough people that it makes sense for you. I plan on getting my nails done before I leave, my sister in law is a hair stylist and the breakfast in bed the day after is free no matter what so I don't see it as a perk work that much extra dough! I also plan on the mezzanine at Chillis. And from everything I've heard you are correct, I believe they will section off an area for you for a welcome dinner for free. I think they will even decorate a little for you as well!

Quote: Originally Posted by Jez111213 Maggie Mae and Elissa you both were gorgeous brides! It's nice to see two different approaches to the wedding and what can happen when it rains! Thank you - it was an amazing day! I have lots of questions sorry: Can either of you tell me if there was anything you purchased that in the end you think was not worth your money? Nothing comes to mind as of yet. I think everything worked out well! I'm such an over thinker, your response makes me laugh because no matter how perfect something is I will find something that I did wrong. You have such a great attitude! Or anything you would have done differently now that you're back? I would not have changed a thing. Although - maybe 2 things & they are minor & silly. The first being, maybe I should have added small Aloe bottles to my Survival Kits - only because I had one friend who never wore enough sunblock & he got very sunburned & one of the nights he woke up in the middle of the night searching through his Survival Kit for some and there was none. He mentioned to me the next day (busting my a$$ of course), because I had everythimg in the kit except the aloe he needed. Although I did travel with a bottle for myself so I shared some with him. The 2nd thing I wish I did was get a Syracuse Orangemen (SU)garter to wear under my dress. We did not throw a garter or a bouquet...that's why I did not buy a garter. Although I was contemplating getting one since my FI was a huge fan of Syracuse. Ironically they made it to the Final Four (who knew? lol) while we were down there so it would have been cool for photos and to surprise him with it....oh well - no biggie! Lol, good to know your efforts on the survival kits paid off for the most part! I don't plan on doing the bouquet or garter toss either, I feel like we're already pretty unconventional so what the hell. I'm planning on getting the mariachi band (which from everyone I've heard is worth it) and am still on the fence about using the resort photographer? We hired the mariachi band for the cocktail hour & it was AMAZING. Best decision we ever made. We hired the resort photographer, Adventure Photos and they were spectacular!!!! We loved them so much, we are buying all our pictures and we made friends with them on FB! LOVE LOVE LOVE! Excellent to hear again how good the mariachi band is, they will be a must! I've also emailed Adventure photos to get some more info on pricing from them as well! Decorations, I'm wanted to keep it minimal only because I don't want to pay the extra baggage fees, but when I look at your pictures I feel like what I'm planning won't be enough. The resort & it's surroundings are beautiful on it's own so you do not need to go overboard on decorations although if there are some things you want - bring them or ask Erika if she can supply them, I think I'll definately bring some light decorations such as hanging paper lanterns and hopefully I can get away with not having to pay extra baggage fees (although with the stack of stuff I've already accumulated I'm not sure how long that will last). I did want to pass along some information to the other ladies. Last years pricing had chair bows listed for $4 each which if find outrageous! This years pricing has no mention of chair bows but I thought I would let you know that weddinglinensdirect.com has bows for $0.55 each and come 10 in a pack so $5.50 per pack. I think its a small price to pay to add a little extra color for the ceremony. Additionally I ordered my personalized stadium cups from cups and napkins.com (copasy.com) and found they were the cheapest pricing then any other site. The cups came with a lid for an extra $.15 each. Most sites I found had a minimum of 50 or 100 but I was able to order the exact amount I needed with them. And can you tell me about the timing of your day? Did you find you had gaps of time that you needed to find entertainment for your guests? Our day went seamlessly: 4:00 wedding 4:30 wedding group photo & wedding photos 5:15 cocktail hour (our guests headed over earlier than this & it was all set up and ready for them. There was a cigar roller there when they arrived 5:45 Mariachi Band started 7:00 Dinner Reception What about the planner too? Was she able to get everything set up how you described or should we bring pictures with lots of detail? Erika was MAGNIFICENT! She got all my details perfect! Loved working with her. We went through everything in our meeting when we arrived at the resort. Thank you Elissa for being so detailed with everything on here! I'm so happy to hear it all went well with your wedding! Shes, we'll be waiting to hear from you too! I'm sure you're having a fabulous time! Thank you all for sharing your experiences through this site!

Maggie Mae and Elissa you both were gorgeous brides! It's nice to see two different approaches to the wedding and what can happen when it rains! I have lots of questions sorry: Can either of you tell me if there was anything you purchased that in the end you think was not worth your money? Or anything you would have done differently now that you're back? I'm planning on getting the mariachi band (which from everyone I've heard is worth it) and am still on the fence about using the resort photographer? Decorations, I'm wanted to keep it minimal only because I don't want to pay the extra baggage fees, but when I look at your pictures I feel like what I'm planning won't be enough. And can you tell me about the timing of your day? Did you find you had gaps of time that you needed to find entertainment for your guests? What about the planner too? Was she able to get everything set up how you described or should we bring pictures with lots of detail? Shes, we'll be waiting to hear from you too! I'm sure you're having a fabulous time! Thank you all for sharing your experiences through this site!

Maggie Mae and Elissa you both were gorgeous brides! It's nice to see two different approaches to the wedding and what can happen when it rains! I have lots of questions sorry: Can either of you tell me if there was anything you purchased that in the end you think was not worth your money? Or anything you would have done differently now that you're back? I'm planning on getting the mariachi band (which from everyone I've heard is worth it) and am still on the fence about using the resort photographer? Decorations, I'm wanted to keep it minimal only because I don't want to pay the extra baggage fees, but when I look at your pictures I feel like what I'm planning won't be enough. And can you tell me about the timing of your day? Did you find you had gaps of time that you needed to find entertainment for your guests? What about the planner too? Was she able to get everything set up how you described or should we bring pictures with lots of detail? Shes, we'll be waiting to hear from you too! I'm sure you're having a fabulous time! Thank you all for sharing your experiences through this site!

Hi Everyone, I see it was mentioned that La Habana can be rented out, what is the fee for this and do they restrict the time allowed to rent it out? I go through highs and lows about stressing about the details, as I'm sure we all do! Sometimes I go into freak mode about the timing, the decorations, how to keep my people happy and entertained, but other times I remember a wedding I attended in Jamaica that had no fancy details and it was Amazing! Everyone that will be attending is my closest friends and family, so just having this time together will be enough, I think, I hope, lol. It worries me to hear there is yet another coordinator, but again, it's a done deal at this point so to he** with it! Couple questions for the upcoming brides: Have any of you requested your attendees to be in the same section of the resort and can they accomodate this? Can you request to be on the side of the gazebo if you are being married there? Who's getting married prior to departing (to avoid all the mx rules and regulations) and are you wearing white to the court house? Anyone brining their own ipod docking station to play music and have you heard any restrictions (besides dinner which i'm pretty sure they do not allow). Elissa and Shes, I'm so excited for you both! And I can't express enough how all your comments have helped me immensly! Thank you for being on this site and sharing all your ideas and thoughts, I am so happy to have this site to ease all my worries and help me figure this whole process out!

Hi ladies, I haven't posted for a while, my wedding isn't till nov so I still have still have a ways to go. (Although this last year has flown by so im sure this next one will as well!!) I have a few questions for everyone: How many hours are you getting the photographer? Anyone doing pics before the ceremony? Mine will be in the winter so the timing of it all is a little weird with sunset at 5. Has anyone confirmed if you can bring an iPod player to the cocktail hour? Does anyone have plans for what they will do after their reception? I haven't found a while lot of reviews of the riu tequila dance club but what I have was not so great. It's so close and would be great if we could all go there afterwards. Elissa could you message me any other pics or pricing you have? You already sent me the resort pricing It's so exciting and wonderful to be able to follow you all on this journey!! I'm not sure what I would have done without this site!!

Hello, I am getting married at Riu Palace Riviera Maya nov of next year. We visited cozumel last year and stopped at the riu on our way back from an excursion. We only went inside to use the restroom real quick while the bus waited for us, but the short time I was inside was enough for me to decide to make this my wedding location. I have done a lot of research and found TONS of information on this site. I really helped me feel secure in the choice I made and also answered almost every question I had (seems all us brides are thinking the same thing ). I suggest you read the following forum if you are considering this resort, it is very long but goes back several years of brides posting their experiences with this resort. Hope that helps! "RIU RM Palace Brides??"

I'm so happy we have some new ladies to share this experience with and bounce ideas and plans with! Knowing that someone else will be at my same resort gives me some relief! I have a tenndency to overthink things so having someone else's thought process for me to read will be a mental therapy! The FI and I were in Cozumel Nov of 2010 and while there we took a ferry to the mainland to visit Chichen Itza. On our way back to our tour van dropped off groups at several resorts in Playa with RPRM being the last stop. Well, after a 4 hour van ride and a few beers I was ready to stretch my legs and have a restroom break. The FI and I ran into the resort for a quick restroom break and the resort took my breath away, it was BEAUTIFUL!!! So even though we only saw a peek of the lobby it was enough for me to decide to have our wedding here. I luckily stumbled accross this website and it has confirmed to me that I am choosing the right place! We will be leaving wed 11/13/2013, have our wedding on sat 11/16/2013 and will leave the following friday 11/22/2013. I don't really feel like dealing with the legal hoopla in MX so we will do the legal docs at the courthouse on 11/12/13. We have not told anyone but my sister and brother in law, and plan to secretly have this as our anniversary! Our ceremony will also be at the gazebo, and while I orignally wanted a beach wedding, the youtube videos showing a crowd of beachgoers staring at you isn't something I want to do. I do know the gazebo is by the pool, but does seem much more private. I'm also hoping they will place us in a room that is on the same side of the gazebo also. I have debated the idea of getting the suite with the jacuzzi, however I feel like it won't be used and may be a waste of money. So far we have 4 BM and 4 GM so hopefully we won't be on top of each other getting ready! We also plan on having our dinner at Chili's as prior review seem to show more people like the food here and a semi private dinner seems to be almost private since it's located on the top portion of the restaurant. Elissa-I'm almost positive you will get the pricing of the year of your wedding and not when you booked. I seem to remember this being an issue with past brides right before their wedding! I am definately over estimating on my end in the hopes that the final numbers will end up less. I'm going to private message you my email address, I'm a little weird about posting things like that on the internet. I'm going to seach for you on facebook also, I am not searchable and have a common name so it would probably be hard to find me anyway. Be looking for a Jessica I also have been working with Wendy Hicks and am almost positive I will choose her as the travel agent. I was originally worried about using someone that was not local, however everything she is needed for can be done via email/phone, and after seeing so many great reviews about her I thought I may as well. Shes2013-I located a website that has chair sashed for .56 each and come in packs of 10, the site is weddinglinensdirect.com I'm not positive on the photographer yet, I ran across a photagrapher that has very reasonable prices, his name is Octavio Montes. But after looking at the resort photos they are not as bad as I thought they would be! The resort website only says packages starting at $599, so if an of you get more detailed pricing please let us know. Octavio will book for 3 hours for $950, 90 printed photos, and the DVD with all photos. The only downside is that I will have to pay an additional $200 resort fee. I agree on Del Sol though, if I had more money I would DEFINATELY use them, their work is amazing to say the least! Can someone tell me what the purpose of the luggage tags are? I've seen so many people talk about them but still am not sure of their purpose, feeling a little dense here! I am also planning on using Vistaprints business cards in a lanyard key card/tip money holder. I may also use Vistaprint for my invites but would like to dress them up a bit! I'm in the process of trying to find ideas to make a simple invitation more. . .interesting! I have recieved many elaborate, beautiful wedding invitations from friends/family and I haven't kept one! So I think I'll go cheap and spend the money elsewhere. The boarding pass invites are look great! If I could do something like that and not have to buy a bunch of supplies that will never be used I would like to go that route. Elissa, you mentioned you were into DIY previously so I'm assuming you already had some supplies for this. I am also on the weight loss route before I go wedding shopping. I definately want to lose some lbs before ordering a size. I am trying so hard to start now and keep a steady pace but haven't been staying on track lately. Was down 15 and gained back 5 so down 10 total so far. I guess I have time on my side and will keep pushing. I need to put skinny women pictures everywhere to keep the cravings at bay! I think that's all for now. . .

Hi Ladies, I have also read this entire thread plus many others on this site and am so happy I have found this site! My wedding isn't until Nov 2013, however I'm in planning mode and have found so many great ideas here. I am planning on having around 25-35 people so right now it's hard to say what I will end up doing on the actual date since the timing of my entire day will depend if I have the early dinner or later dinner (the resort requires you to have the later dinner of 8:30, 8:45 if you have over 27-30 people). I have my wedding booked for 4pm, and during this time of year in Playa the sun will set around 5:10pm. I'm kind of up in the air if I should move my ceremony to 3 in order to take advantage of the sunlight, however I don't want my guests to have 6+ hours of wait time from the ceremony to dinner (again dependant on the number of people). I am possibly thinking of keeping the time of 4 and having the photographer do some photos prior to the ceremony. After the ceremony I plan on having the cocktail hour (or many hours) and the mariachi band. I may have to give in and do the appetizers, although I really would rather use the $ elsewhere. I'm just afraid I will have a bunch of drunk guests by the time dinner rolls around and don't want everyone to eat and then want to go to bed! More than likely I will have the semi private reception and have seen mixed responses of whether or not an Ipod can be used at the semi private dinner reception. I would also like to know if they will charge you an equipment fee for this or if you just bring your own docking station, then you are good to do it all on your own?? I was originally going to go with the largest package (caprice), however after doing some number crunching and reviewing of the differences between the top two packages, I think I will go with the next level down, the Royal Package. There is a $1000 saving between the two and I don't think the items offered in the next package are work the $1000 extra fee. I know that I may have an extra per person cost above 20 persons, but stil think the savings will be significant. I will also have 2 hairdressers with me so this if the main item that I would want from the Caprice package. If any of you ladies have a price list for the additional services, that would be great. I emailed the WC several weeks ago and didn't hear back. Well, that was kind of long winded, but I think all for now