KatieMcBride

Thanks! Glad to hear I'm not the only one considering no bridal party. It does get difficult especially for DW weddings..

Riu says they only do 2 weddings a day. Hoping because mine is on a Friday that mine might be the only one that day...probably not but you never know, haha.

Wedding Party?? Yay or nay??? Wondering if I should even bother having a wedding party. Reason being is, I only want my family to stand for me (as it's important to me and I don't want any friends to get mad/jealous/offended if I ask one friend and not another, etc) So I've asked both my sisters and both my female cousins that I grew up. Problem ---- only ONE sister is able to confirm 100% she will be able to make it to the wedding. Other sister is trying to have a baby right now, so it all depends on the timing of that. (She can't go if she's 8-9 months pregnant OR has a new born baby) One cousin has 3 kids and her husband's job is very up in the air. They don't have a lot of extra money, but she said she would fly on points or get her family to help her be there. She's very flaky though so I can't guarantee she'll be there. And other cousin, love her to death, but she's also very flaky and unreliable. Guess I should've thought this through better before asking them to be in my wedding.. So the fact that I can only guarantee 1 bridesmaid out of 4 to be there...should I even bother? Should I just plan on having one stand? My fiancé already has 2 grooms men confirmed, and I know for a fact they'll both be there. Would be kind of weird to have 2 grooms men, and 1 bridesmaid? Any other people have this problem?? Advice/stories please! Thanks

April 15th 2016 at Riu Caribe (Cancun) I'm so excited!! It's just tough to have to wait so long to work with the wedding planners. I want everything finalized NOW, haha. Happy planning to all 2016 brides, so exciting!!!

I'm getting married at the Riu Caribe...if I could go to some place close by the resort, that would be ideal. Do you know of any locations they work out of, near the Caribe??

I would prefer to go to their salon to save myself the vendor's fee, but I google mapped it and they're over an hour from our resort. Not exactly something I need to do on the morning of my wedding, haha.

Riu told me it's $250. I gave it some thought and the money is worth it to me. This isn't a Christmas party or birthday party. It's my WEDDING so I'm going to splurge.

$1000?!?!?! Omg...I thought $350 was bad...I will email them and see if there is a place I can go to get my hair done, instead of them coming on to the resort, as I REALLY want them to do my hair and makeup for the wedding. Thanks for the feedback everyone!

Gahhh I was afraid that would be the answer! haha thank you! I will try to see if I can get an exception made.

Hi Everyone! I booked the Styling Trio for my wedding next year. Would they be considered an outside vendor? Even though they aren't really part of the wedding (ie: photographer, DJ, etc)? I'm worried the Riu will charge me $350 to have them come do my hair...that's a little ridiculous and I don't want to get my hair done at the spa there...

Thanks! I got an email back from PSAV yesterday (which was nice for the quick response!) Do you know if the wedding coordinator sets up where the dance is? Or does the DJ set up where the dance will be held? We are having a semi-private dinner at a restaurant before hand, and then having a dance afterwards. PS - congrats on your wedding, let me know how it goes!

"Just the Way You Are" Bruno Mars string quartet version

Thanks everyone! That does give me a good idea. The manager of the wedding dept emailed me back, and let me know that you CAN do speeches at the semi private dinner, so that will be a money saver...and then I can book the DJ separately after dinner. Just waiting on prices for that, but it doesn't sound like it will be too bad.. I can't wait, I wish it was 2016 already! haha.

Thanks everyone!! I had emailed the lady who was listed as the wedding coordinator for the Riu Caribe, and she told me she couldn't work with me until 3 months before the wedding. I did email the manager of the wedding department to see if she could help me out though, as I need to know this stuff for budgeting purposes. That was just yesterday so hopefully she gets back to me at some point! No rush, but I need to know before January 2016!!! haha. I will also use the suggestion about getting my travel agent to get in touch with the resort - that's a good idea, hadnt thought of that! Mark - thanks for the info about the speeches. I'm alright with people giving speeches in front of strangers, haha! It would be nice not to have to pay for a private dinner, so we could save some money that way.

Hi everyone! I'm getting married at the Riu Caribe next April, but they told me I am not able to speak with a wedding coordinator until 3 months before the wedding. Well obviously I have a LOT of questions (mostly money related) that I need to know before that...so hoping people who have gotten married at the Riu before can help me out! We are going with the Caprice package (which includes up to 40 people, as my fiance's family is really big) It says there is a semi-private dinner included, but from reading other threads on this forum, it doesn't seem like you can do speeches during the semi private dinner - is that correct? It's important to me to do speeches during dinner....and I definitely want a dance with a DJ afterwards. What is the cost of a private reception for approximately 40 people? What is the cost of a DJ for 4 hours? Thank you!

Thanks everyone!! Mark - did the wedding coordinator contact you a few months before the wedding? I had some questions re: the semi private dinner and then doing a dance afterwards (with a DJ) and they just emailed back saying to best serve their guests, they would be in touch with me 4-5 months before the wedding and would answer my questions then. I'm a control freak so I kind of want to know NOW, haha. If you could let me know what package you guys chose, if you guys had a reception/dance afterward, costs of that, etc that would be great. Thanks!!

Very cute ideas! I will have a look at etsy; thanks

Hi everyone!! I'm getting married on the beach and am looking for ideas on what shoes to wear. I'm thinking flip flops with some bling? But am open to suggestions (and links of where to order them) Nothing too expensive, as no one will really be seeing the shoes anyway. Thanks!

3 and a half years....got engaged this past December.

Hi everyone!! I got engaged on Christmas Day and have been glued to this website ever since! It's been so eye opening and helpful!! I think I've finally narrowed our wedding location down to the Riu Caribe (as it's one of the only packages I can find that includes up to 40 people). Any other ladies out there who have gotten married at the Riu Caribe? I have questions and want feedback! Thanks