JaxBchKay

@@JaxBchKay

You mentioned that the styling trio came to the resort 3 time? Did you have to pay the vendor fee each time? My wedding is booked at the Riu Palace Mexico and I have just been told that I will have to pay the vendor fee each time they come. I also have a trial, wedding and TTD session. And on top of that I'll have to pay an extra vendor fee if there are more then two 2 people. Well for the wedding there will be myself, 6 bridesmaids, my mom and mother of the groom all getting their hair and makeup done. I doubt only two people can do all 9 of us.... So basically I am so frustrated with Riu right now! I just want to see if this is something all the resorts do.

Thanks!

Melanie

I actually didn't pay a vendor fee at all for them. My maid of honor is allergic to the makeup that the resort uses so they waived the fee for me. If they hadn't, then I still would have only had one fee- i had a meeting and walk through with my videographers as well a few days before the wedding and I didn't get charged for that either.

Hi there,

 

Has anyone brought their own "real touch" bouquets instead of using the resort bouquet offered in the package? If so, any good experiences ordering from someone who already makes them up (quality, customer service), or has anyone made their own?

If you don't happen to use the bouquet in the package, has anyone had any luck being able to substitute another center piece possibly? Same with the extra bouts - maybe substitute fresh flowers for your hair or cake or some other substitution (ex: cost to rent vases for center pieces)?

 

Thanks!

I brought all our bouquets down- I made them myself.  I had to use silk flowers since we had someone with an extreme latex allergy and "Real Touch" flowers are often made of latex.  I packed them all in a suitcase with packing peanuts so the wouldn't get crushed and it worked out perfectly! 

I also brought our own Boutonnieres - Juan Carlos let me trade the bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres in the package for one additional centerpiece which worked out nicely.  Our centerpiece arrangements turned out beautiful!

@@jessiker05 - I managed to get a few up from the reception that give you an idea on the lighting.  You can see the flood lights they set up on the terrace if you don't rent any of the special ones, and the light that comes through the windows, there really is plenty of light.  I can email you more pictures if you want since uploading them here is proving to be a big challenge.

@@jessiker05 - if you are using the basic chairs there is no moving fee - it's just if you use the special chairs then it comes out cheaper to pay to move them than to rent separate ones for the ceremony and reception. 

I am slowly adding some photos to my gallery on here but the upload process is terrible and keeps crashing.

Hi all,

 

I noticed in the 'Wedding Book' under 'Additional Fees related to ceremonies' it says: 

"Set up

- Banquet chair with white cover $5 usd, 

- Deluxe Set Up/Ceremony per person $15 usd (customized chair, bow or tropical flower), 

- Wedding Gazebo from $350 usd"

 

Does anyone know if this means they charge you extra to set up the chairs that are included in the Divine Pkg, and also tie the chair ties on, and not sure what the Gazebo charge is?! Is none of the setup included in the $3300 you pay for the package??!!

Me again..

 

Also, from the 'Wedding Book' when you get to the food it says: "Please choose 4 options of the following menu. If you selected the “Eternity” or the “Divine” package." Does this mean choose 4 Hors D'oeuvres, 4 Appetizers, 4 Soups, 4 Mains and 4 Desserts?  I'm confused how many of each to choose!

 

Thanks in advance!   

I created the excel budget sheet that really helps with some of the questions - if you send me your email address I am happy to share it with you.  For my wedding it was really close to the final total Juan Carlos came up with.

Like others said the charges apply to additional people over the 25 included.  If you bring your own sashes - they charge $1 per chair to tie them (plus tax so it's really $1.16 per chair).  Then they charge a fee to move the chairs from the ceremony to the reception if you want to do that.  I rented the nicer Tiffany chairs but I didn't want to have to rent an additional 30 chairs (at $10 per chair) so I paid $2 per chair (with tax $2.32) to move them from the ceremony to the reception. 

For the menu - you choose Hors D'oeuvres for your cocktail hour - you can choose a total of 4 from the hot, cold or sweet options.  For dinner you can choose one appetizer, one soup, two entrees (that people can pick from) and one dessert.  I didn't want soup so they let me pick an additional appetizer to replace that. 

@@jessiker05 - I had my reception on the Tequila Terrace and didn't purchase any additional light.  I had battery operated tea lights down the table but that's it.  The light was fine - there are big windows and lights on inside plus a couple of outside lights - and your DJ will have some lights so it works out perfectly.  I can send you some pics if you want.

 

What order are you doing things at your reception? For example dinner first, then party or dancing mixed in between courses? something else? With only 3 hours, I feel like I really have to be productive with my time. Juan Carlos suggested all of the meal upfront and then all dancing (besides first dance) afterwards, but I feel like that will then take forever until guests can actually do anything. Here's what we were thinking:

 

Entrance

First Dance

Two dance songs for everyone

Serve appetizer

father/daughter dance

Serve salad

mother/son dance 

toast

Serve dinner

cake cutting 

dancing 

 

The dinner goes fast, at least it did for us.  I think it would have been worse having dances in between where people had to wait to eat the next course because they felt obligated to stop and watch, it also means dinner takes longer and you don't get to eat things until they are cold.  We skipped all the other dances except our first dance - the flow was nice.  It was dinner - dessert and then immediately cake cutting then immediately first dance then the dance floor opened to everyone (actually we had the DJ invite everyone to join us half way through our first dance song).  It worked out great! If you are stuck on doing all the traditional dances could you condense and maybe do the mother/son and father/daughter at the same time immediately after the first dance?

Here is my wedding video!  I highly recommend Wisteria Wedding Films - Tara and Colette were amazing and we love how this turned out! 

@@erobin223 - WOW!  I'm so sorry you were so disappointed!  There were 3 weddings everyday the entire time we were at the resort (almost 2 weeks)  but I never felt rushed or dismissed.  I did have outside hair and makeup people as well as an outside photographer, videographer and DJ, which I was really glad about.  I used the resort photographer and videography from my package at our welcome cocktail party and the pics were ok, but I would have been very upset if they had done my wedding photos, they just aren't very good.  Same for the videography.  They went around at the welcome party asking guests to say a few words to us and the editing is terrible, they left in something sort of nasty that my son said but cut out something sweet that my daughter said.  I also thought I would get a DVD of all the footage they took as well as the edited video but instead I got two copies of their edited video which I didn't even like.  Again, all is well because the professionals I hired for the wedding did an AMAZING job. 

Did you ever tell Juan Carlos you were feeling a bit overlooked?  I am sure if he had known then he would have done anything he could to make it right.  I never tried calling him while I was at the resort, I actually emailed him and got very quick responses. 

Our dinner on the beach was fantastic! a couple other people from our group purchased one for a birthday dinner and also had a great experience, it seems that you just had the worst luck. 

I hate that you feel like you were cheated, no bride should ever feel that way!!  I hope that as time goes by the bad things fade and the good is what sticks with you.  Sending big hugs to you

I'm getting married at the Now Sapphire on September 14 and I'm curious about how other brides did their bachelorette parties?

 

I'm a little bit nervous about having all my girls leaving the resort and getting drunk. Did any of you stay on the resort for your bachelorette?

 

I'm open to suggestions! Thanks!

I had my bachelorette party at home about a month before we left for Mexico.  That way I got to include ladies that weren't able to come on the trip.  It was also better because we didn't have to worry about leaving the resort and spending money in another country.  My hubby and his best man did go into Cancun one evening and he said that he wouldn't not have wanted me to go with my girls alone. 

@@vancouverpetunia yeah, I don't think I'd want to have a dinner there, but cocktail hour should be fine, I hope! Might be a little awkward depending on how well my guests and the pool-goers can see each other lol..

That part of pool was almost always empty while we were there - everyone is around the bar and gazebo at the other end so you are fine on that.  The only thing that might be a little annoying is on the beach side of that terrace is the hostess station for the BlueWater Grille and there is a bar there also for people waiting to be seated.  If your wedding is on a night that the BlueWater is closed, it won't be a problem but if it's open, then people will be around and your view of the beach/water might be a bit blocked.  Since it's only for cocktail hour and people are walking around anyway I'm sure it will be fine, and the will sort of block it off so people won't be walking through or anything. 

@@calgarybride2015 - It was hot, and my hubby's shirt was completely soaked by the end of the night, but we snuck down to the beach a couple of times where we had a great breeze and cooled off.  Your bright colors worked out beautifully!!

@@JaxBchKay Awesome pictures! Looks like it was a perfect day! You looked gorgeous - I love your dress! I'm also using turquoise as my colors.. I love how your table was setup, did you bring all the little candles? Thanks for sharing! 

 

It isn't a restaurant but it's a little spot kind of on the side of the main pool (I think).. here are some pics..

Thank you so much!  I had the second dress just for dinner and dancing which was nice and I twisted my hair into a bun so it was cooler  

I brought a ton of the decor with me, the little blue candle holders, the shell candle holders, the table runners, chair sashes, the candles, a few vases, etc. etc.  So I have 3 dozen turquoise candle holders and battery operated candles.  I'm willing to sell some of them if you are interested, along with chair sashes and table runners  

Omg they were only pictures but I felt so much love and excitement. Did you guys 'run' done the isle? Can't wait to see that in video. Loved them! You looked gorgeous. I was so nervous I stared straight head :/ hahaha!!!'

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you!  We danced down the aisle to Bruno Mars "Marry You" and then back up the aisle to "Happy"   We wanted to just enjoy every minute and we did! 

I have to say, I love how colorful your wedding was!  I bet your hubby was very happy he got to wear shorts, mine wanted to but I wouldn't let him

It was actually 6 individual hair pins- I got them on Etsy

Search Allure Wedding Jewelry on Etsy and you should see them

We got our wedding photos!  We love them!  I'm so excited to see our Trash the Dress photos and our video!  Here is a quick video I put together with some of our favorite photos - enjoy

@@JaxBchKay - Looks like you had fun   Love the cocktails! Do you know what they were?

Watermelon Margaritas maybe?  I didn't ask but they were delicious!

@@jessiker05 - There are three different beach locations they use for ceremonies.  There is only one ceremony per location per day so you won't share.  The beach spot that goes with the Preferred Pool is on the opposite side of the resort from the Tequila Terrace but it's really pretty, it is close to the swing bar on the beach so people at the bar can see your ceremony but it's far enough away that they wouldn't be in your pictures or anything.  There were DJ's at the preferred pool the whole time we were there (almost 2 weeks) for receptions, and it looked really pretty. 

I booked my wedding through the resort directly over a year in advance to be sure I got the Tequila Beach and Tequila Terrace, then I used my travel agent for the room block separately.  It worked great and there were no miscommunications! 

@@JaxBchKay did you have to pay for an outside vendor fee to use The Styling Trio? If so how much? I have read really great things about them and would love to use them for my hair and makeup!

Sorry for the late response, it's been crazy at work since we got back    I didn't not have to pay an outside vendor fee but only because they couldn't guarantee me that the makeup used at the salon at the resort would be completely latex free - and the facility as well.  I am highly sensitive to latex and my MOH is severely allergic.  If it wasn't for that I would have had to pay the fee.

I would love to get a budget sheet from someone ashleyg280@@gmail.com

 

Has anyone had their reception or cocktail hour in the preferred pool area? If so I would love to see photos!

 

What outside photographers have people used and do you recommend them? 

 

Also would love to hear about peoples experience with the StylingTrio for hair and makeup? Is it worth the money and how much is the outside vendor fee?

 

Thank you!

I used Dean Sanderson for my photographer and we LOVED him!  I also used Wisteria Wedding Films for my videography and those ladies are really amazing. 

I will tell you for the Styling Trio - if I could bring them home with me I would.  They are miracle workers.  Everyone they did for my group looked absolutely perfect.  My MOH wanted a tropical look with some blues and greens (I was worried)  but the finished product was stunning.  My teenage daughter saw me after my trial and said I looked like "Mom 2.0 - you but better".  I can't say enough good things about them.  It was also nice to have them come to my room to do everything - my friends were able to come and relax and socialize with me and we had mimosas and room service which put me at ease.  They came out 3 times - once for the trial, once for the wedding and once to do my Trash The Dress makeup.  I think the standard outside vendor fee applies of $300 but check with your wedding coordinator.  I would say they are still worth it and would have happily paid the vendor fee to be able to use them. 

I also sent you the budget sheet I made - in the end the number I came up with on mine was really close to the Final from Juan Carlos. 

Here are some of the pics from our Welcome Cocktail Party - These were taken by the resort photographer Anna.  Out of the 120ish pictures they showed me - these were the best ones.  They are nice but I'm glad I used someone else for the wedding.

@@JaxBchKay - That's great! Hopefully it works out for us, too. Did you find that one bartender was enough? I had someone suggest getting a second bartender to make sure that people don't have to wait too long. We will probably have about 35 ppl at the reception.

We had a total of 31 people and we have a lot of drinkers One good bartender was plenty.  I didn't see anyone wait more than a minute or two for a drink.  We even had him making large rounds of complicated shots, and he handled it all with ease.  I don't know if it made any difference in who we got but I told Juan Carlos early on that our group would most likely keep the bartender very busy.   Knowing his attention to detail now, I would not be surprised if he assigned us a bartender he knew could handle it. 

@@JaxBchKay - Thanks for the info! Our ceremony is also scheduled for 4 and I was thinking of pushing the cocktail hour to 6. I think it's supposed to start at 5 right now. Did you have to pay any extra to have the bar open for that hour, before the cocktail hour officially started? We are also worried about people wandering off to the bar or something and not coming back in a timely manner 

I didn't pay anything, we didn't know the bar would be ready so we told people to go to the lobby bar for drinks in between (it's not far) but since the bartender was there and started pouring, it was fine.  There weren't waiters during the break and there wasn't any food but nobody minded that at all.  I don't know if they do this all the time or if we got lucky but it worked out great.  We had been at the resort for a few days already and our group had a reputation for tipping already which I think didn't hurt.  We did tip all the wedding waiters and we tipped the bartender even more than everyone else because we kept him very busy. 

@@JaxBchKay - Thank you so much for your review! I'm getting married at Now Sapphire on April 7, 2016. Reviews are so helpful (and generally reassuring)! I have a couple of questions for you:

• What time was your ceremony/cocktail hour/reception (and until what time)? Were you happy with the timing?
• You mentioned lounge furniture on the beach. Is that always there or did you rent it for your event?

Thanks again for your feedback on the resort. Really appreciate it!

Our ceremony was at 4 - Then we did a break for pictures and cocktail hour started at 6 with reception from 7-10.  The time worked out really great, I was worried about guests having something to do during the break but our bar was already set up so they were able to hang out on the terrace and get drinks.  The timing worked out really well, we weren't rushed during pictures or anything which was nice.  If you aren't sure about timing, just ask your wedding coordinator.  They can give you great suggestions.  

The lounge furniture is available for rent, and really lovely.  It was about $200 for the set but it was a big set and worked really nicely.  I only wish I had put it on the terrace instead of on the beach. 

Hey all!  I am still trying to get back into the swing of the real world after 2 amazing weeks in paradise!  I wanted to share a few things from my experience that might be helpful.

The resort - this place is absolutely stunning, the service is incredible.  All my 30 guests were thrilled by all of it.  There are always going to be a few small issues, but the staff immediately corrected anything as it happened and were so friendly and helpful!!  We didn’t have a single bad meal the entire time.  The French place was our favorite, but they were all good.   Our private dinner on the beach was amazing! 

Our room was preferred club Beach Front – so we could walk right from our patio onto the beach.  We were also in building 3 so close to everything including the swing bar on the beach which was awesome.  We did have a little cash taken one day from our room, but it’s our fault for leaving it out.  The average earnings per day is like $5 for most people there so keep that in mind also when tipping.  We tipped everyone and they were so appreciative.  We got good service even before we tipped, but of course it was even better after. 

  Juan Carlos was amazing!  I brought all kinds of decorations but really only had a general idea of how I wanted things to look because I didn’t do a site visit.  I just talked with Juan Carlos about how I envisioned that day and left everything with him.  I was blown away, it was stunning!  You are in very good hands. 

Wedding Locations - There are 3 weddings pretty much every day from now till July, so in our 2 weeks there, we saw a LOT of different weddings at all three locations (4 actually since one was at the chess board gazebo). 

Tequila Terrace - I have to say that we felt GREAT about our decision to be on the Tequila Terrace, it is still my favorite location at the resort, but they are all nice.  The Tequila Terrace is the most private, it’s way on the end of the resort and there isn’t a resort right next door on that side so you don’t get the walk through traffic that the other locations get.  You won’t even notice any of the restaurants if they are open, the BlueWater Grill was closed the day of our wedding so we were the only ones around, you really don’t notice the people in the Mexican place or the buffet.  We had our ceremony on the beach and had cocktail hour set up on the beach, but really everyone stayed on the terrace.  I was thankful for the lounge furniture on the beach during the reception since there was a good breeze down there and hubby and I snuck away for a few minutes to cool off and be alone for a minute.  I had the cake cutting right after dinner and it was delicious!  I gave Juan Carlos some items I wanted on the cake and it was beautiful. 

The Beach Terrace – this one is the most public of the locations but it wasn’t really an issue for the couples using it for their reception because when the pool bar closes, everyone sort of leaves the area.  You will get a lot of walk by traffic as people are going to dinner, etc.  I ran by the wedding there on my way to my room when I changed into my reception dress and a few people from the wedding there made comments saying congratulations, but I don’t think it took anything away from their reception.  The beach wedding location is where you will find the most walk bys during your ceremony or people standing watching. 

The Preferred Pool – The beach location for the ceremony that goes with the preferred pool is sort of off to one side of the resort (opposite side form the Tequila Terrace) but the beach flows right into another resort, and the Swing Bar is right there as well (I forget the real name of that bar but it’s the one right on the beach and all the seats are swings) There were several afternoons we were at the swing bar drinking and everyone was watching the wedding and clapping.  If you don’t mind strangers watching, this location is really fun.  The reception area at the preferred pool is really beautiful, I just wanted to see the beach, and you can’t at all from there.

The chess board gazebo – this is usually a rain backup location but you can pick it if you like.  It’s pretty, but also right next to the main lobby.  They pull down curtains to create a bit of privacy, but the view is of the main pool not the beach. 

The Spa and Salon – We had a great couples massage, and my sister and one friend got their hair and makeup done at the salon.  They did a good job, and both were pleased. 

The Styling Trio – I hired them to do a trial, my hair and makeup, my bridesmaids hair and makeup and my makeup for my trash the dress photoshoot.  These ladies are Miracle Workers, if I could bring them home to do my hair and makeup every day I absolutely would.   I had my trial on Thursday morning at 9am, and it still looked perfect for our welcome cocktail party at 6pm. 

Welcome Cocktail Party – we got the promotion where we got a free party when we booked our wedding.  It was set up on the main pool terrace and it was beautiful.  I didn’t ask about any of the details, just let Juan Carlos run with it and I was not disappointed. 

Resort Photographers – We used the photography from the Divine package for our welcome cocktail party.  They did a nice job, but I would have been upset if they had been my wedding photos.  They showed me about 150 images and I had a hard time picking 24, a few are great but most were just OK.

Photographer – Dean Sanderson – He was the best!  So much fun to work with and the difference was so clear, he gave great direction and advice.  I can’t wait to see the final images, but the candids some friends took while Dean was shooting let me see that I made the right choice!  Our trash the dress session on Monday was also a great experience. 

Wisteria Wedding Films – I hired these ladies for videography.  They were so much fun!  They live in Colorado but are doing more weddings in the Riviera Maya area.  The price was very reasonable and I know the finished product will be great, I will share it when I get it.

Disco Movil – They were great, I didn’t give them a lot of restrictions so they could just feel out the crowd.  They kept everyone dancing and things went so smoothly. 

Photobooth- this was so fun and I am glad we did it!  We only had it for 2 hours (8-10pm) while everyone was dancing.  It was a huge hit and worth the money for sure.

Sorry, I didn’t intend for this to be so long, but if you have any questions please ask.

Hey all! Our wedding was yesterday and I have to say that this place is so amazing!! The wedding was gorgeous, Juan Carlos is wonderful and the day was fabulous!!! I'll share more later but you have nothing to worry about ladies, this resort was the best decision we made!! Dean Sanderson was our photographer and he was the best, with Wisteria Wedding Films as our videographers who are just s pleasure and we used Disco Movil for our DJ who kept everyone dancing.

I just got confirmation of my appointment with Juan Carlos on Monday a couple hours after I arrive to go over everything.  I happened to ask about the private transfers to and from the resort that were included in the Divine package when I booked my wedding and I'm glad I asked as they no longer offer that service.  Even though I paid my balance on the package back in December so they didn't charge me the higher 2015 price it was never mentioned that this would no longer be included.  It's ok because our group contract includs a shared van type transfer for everyone which we will just use but wanted to mention it in case any of you other 2015 brides were counting on that ride to and from the resort  

Hi everyone,

 

How did you all choose between the Tequila Terrace and Beach Terrace? Both look nice, but what are the pros and cons of each?

 

Our group is going to be between 20-30 people (no kids). I like the idea of the Beach Terrace being so close to the beach, but would it be too much space for this small of a group? Which of the two areas is more private from other people? Has anyone used the Preferred Pool area for dinner/reception? If so, could you please share some pics?!

 

Thanks in advance! 

We are using the Tequila Terrace for our reception.  I think you really can't go wrong with either one.  I believe that the Beach Terrace is a bit bigger, I personally chose the Terrace just because I like the look of it and the set up better.  We are using the Pool Terrace for our Welcome Cocktail Party next Thursday so I will let you know how that goes   We leave in 6 days!!!  So Excited!!

how did you do the champagne toast after the ceremony? did you have to purchase additional champagne and have the resort pour the glasses of champagne? did you have enough time with the first glance photos doing them 10 mins before the ceremony? and where did you have your cocktail hour/reception?? Thanks!!!

I haven't had my wedding yet, but many brides did the toast right after the ceremony instead of a standard receiving line and said it worked great.  They will have waiters standing behind the ceremony on the beach with trays and glasses so it should go smoothly.  You get a champagne/sparkling wine toast with any of the packages, just the number of people inlcuded changes I think.  We are only doing a couple of first look photos so I don't think we need much time for them, if I'm finished a little early with hair and makeup then we will do them a bit earlier but I wanted them done while guests are going to be seated so they don't see us till we are coming down the aisle.  We are doing our cocktail hour on the beach and the reception on the Tequila Terrace.  I hope that answers all the questions, Let em know if you have any more, I'll be able to better answer them when we get back

Leaving in 21 days!!

@@Breanna2015 - We are moving our party to the resort club at 10pm, come join us!!  Since we are wedding buddies, it would be fun.  I'll even have my party dress on by then LOL

I gave everyone 2 options (per Juan Carlos)  but I have a couple of special diets in the group and he said those are handled differently.  So I have one celiac and one vegetarian - I told him the same meal could easily be for both so those two people will get whatever the resort wants to make that is gluten free and meat free.  If you ask your WC about it they can give you good guidance.