Joy

Hi Melanie- I visited the RIU palace in August when i was there and i'm going back this January and planned to stop by one more time. My wedding is FEb of 2008 and i hope to have the final decision of the location made after that trip. i can tell you that the RIU palance is beautiful!! it's one of my top choices. we are most likely going to have around 100 people. the hotel is big and they usually have 2 weddings a day. are you having children at the wedding? if you are looking for something more intimate, did you check out the Royal HIdeway. i absolutely LOVED this hotel when i saw it. it's right down the street from RIU but they do not allow children. we are going to have at least 7 children and we want all of our guest to stay at the same place. one other thing i can mention, is that we went to the RIU palace every day for an entire week before someone would meet with us or just give us a tour.

We started a savings plan the minute we got engaged. And i'm very strict with it!! *We put away a week amount into an account that does not allow debit card releases!!! very important because we love debit cards!! *I receive 4 bonus a year that strictly go into this account. *Joe works at least 2 Sats a month for overtime. *We only eat out 1 or 2 times a week which is a HUGE cut down for us. We used to eat out daily because we both work so much and didn't have time to cook. Crock Pots work great!!! *i bring my lunch daily to work and if i'm lucky i have time to eat it. *i don't do much shopping anymore unless it's for the wedding. *we cut down our Xmas expenses for everyone and decided we would buy a shared gift for each other. i think we are looking at an LCD tv.

which resort are you using and location for the wedding? i found this website of a lady who coordinates wedding on beaches in the Riviera Mayan area. Maybe she could help you!?!?! Weddings on the Beach, Weddings in Mexico, Weddings in the Caribbean, Weddings in Riviera Maya, Weddings in Playa del Carmen

The beach is my only issue with the resort as well. I do have a contact there if you need one as well. We met with her during our last trip. Our other top choice is the RUI but it's a little more expensive for our guest.

We are planning for 75-100 people. Most people are saying 'yes' now but we still have ALOT of time before the wedding. I was hoping for closer to 50 people.

Jackie- The Occidental is actually one of our top 2 choices. We visited there this past August. My fiance's parents live in Playa Car so we have a nice vacation a few times a year. The hotel is huge. The Royal Club restaurant is beautiful but they don't allow your reception to be there. I definitely think it's worth the extra money to stay in the Royal Club rooms. They are pretty spacious but a little old fashion compared to some of the other hotels we looked at. Don't get me wrong, they are still very nice and clean though. The ceremony for the wedding is held on a cliff over looking the ocean. They have a very small beach front. It's a man made beach after the hurricane hit last year. It's definitely enough room to come enjoy the sun. The pool area makes up for the lack of beach. The reception is held in the restaurant located on the same cliff as the ceremony. It very nice looking. I will bring my camera in January and take pictures for you. They do offer a free pass to the xcaret park for all your guest staying at that hotel which is awesome. I believe it's around $80.00 to normally get in there. My fiance's parents stayed at this hotel for a week and said that it was one of the best places they've ever stayed at. THe service was unbelievable and the food was great. Let me know if you have any questions or want pictures of anything and i can get them for you. 37 more days till i go!!!!!!

Thanks so much for the suggestions! We are planning on about 75-100 people. I know!!! HUGE!! There will be about 10 children ranging from new borns to about 10 years old. I have already made appts. at the RIU Palace, Royal Hideaway (which is beautiful but doesn't allow children), Occidental Xcaret, Dreams Tulum, and Barcelo.

Hello, I am planning my wedding in the Riviera Mayan for January/February 2008. My fiance and I are going to visit this January to view some of the resorts. Does anyone have any suggestions on places we definitely should look at?