smashlee23

Hopefully this link works, I will try to put up some more when I have a little more time. http://s867.photobucket.com/albums/a...view=slideshow

Here are a few general questions I got, and my review follows. Which wedding package did you choose? We had the Caprice package because we had 54 people, and the Royal only goes up to 50 guests. Did you have a semi-private or private reception? We had a private reception on the second floor of Shadows. Did you have a welcom reception for your guest? We did not have a welcome reception, however the second day we were there we took everyone on "The Wild Thing" which is a fun boat that takes you to Ric's Cafe, drinks and pizza are included. Which photographer did you use? Stacey Clarke Do you have any pictures to share? I am working on my photo bucket, but will post the link as soon as everything uploads. I gues I will just go over a few things and everyone can send me any specific questions. I am sorry this took me so long, but I will try to be better about answering quickly. Prep- I wrote to Dionne many times to make sure everything was clear. I also gave all of my guests little goody bags which included sunscreen, a letter from my husband and I, and mug to drink from. These mugs were great. The cups for drinks were small and do not keep your drink cool. Pictures will be on photobucket. Checking In- They had our Junior Suite ready when we got there. We did not wait at all. Some of our guests had a couple things wrong, like their room was not Ocean View, or they could not find their reservation. Nothing too major, and a few things were expected with a large group. They fixed everything pretty quickly. Our Room- Beautiful. Very big. Great to get ready for the wedding with the bridesmaids. Nice balcony. Meeting with Dionne- Dionne asks that you make an appointment as soon as you arrive. We made our appointment with her for the day after we got there. She had everything organized very well. We basically went over all the requests I had emailed her prior to our arrival. We went over flower color, type of flower, how many of everything we needed. We scheduled all of the things included in our package, like hair and nails, couples massage. We also scheduled our rehearsal time, and made our order for breafast in bed after the wedding. One thing I did try to do was change the package after we got there, but this was not allowed. So be sure which package is best for you when booking. Rehearsal- Dionne was very good at keeping everyone in line. We went through everything until we had it right. She made everything very clear. We had not planned on it, but my parents had a last minute rehearsal dinner. Since we had a large group we did not think it would be possible, but the hotel staff were very helpful and put together a huge patio outside the main buffet restaurant. (We ate there most nights) Wedding Day- I got my hair done in the salon. They did a great job. We had the wedding at 4:00pm by the arch. They told us the gazebo would not work for the larger group. We found the arch to be a little more private than the gazebo as well. The gazebo is pretty close to the beach where everyone hangs out, and the arch is a little more secluded from everything. Dionne came to the room and brought all of the bouquets and corsages. She took the cd that I had made with all of our wedding music. I just told her when to play each song, and she did it perfectly. The arch was decorated beautifully. We got chair covers last minute, and it was definitely worth it. The minister was great. Very personable and funny. Stacey Clarke did the photography and Videography. She was very easy to work with, and responds well to email. I have her photos on the photobucket site. She did a good job keeping everyone under control. We also had the steel drum band play for an hour after the ceremony. We did not get to enjoy them because we were taking pictures, but our guests really enjoyed it. They served rum punch and champagne right after the ceremony. Reception- The reception was on the second floor of Shadows. One thing I regret is not having DJ at the reception. There was no music or microphone for speeches. Some brides on here had said they played their ipod but I was told they did not have any system to play one. I am not sure if it was because of the size of our party, but it took a very long time for everyone to get dinner, and half were done before the other half even got their food. My one complaint would be that the cake was pathetic! I do not know what they were thinking. It was big enough for probably 10 guests, but they cut it into little tiny pieces and told me it was for 54! It was ok because other desserts were offered but it was pretty sad, considering we purchased a package for more than 50 guests. It was more just for the two of us to cut. It did taste good, we got chocolate, but it should have been much bigger. We got the breakfast in bed the next morning and it was delicious! Ham and cheese omlettes and toast and juice and coffee. They have many things to choose from. That was great. License- Social Security did not accept the Certified Copy of the Marriage Certificate that we were given. I had to wait to receive the actual license in the mail before I could change everything. Luckily it came in about 4 weeks. I'm sure I'm missing a lot of things, but ask me anything and I'll be happy to answer if I can.

We are back from our wedding at Riu Negril, and we had a wonderful time. The ceremony was beautiful. I will post pics and my review soon, but wanted to give anyone going there soon a heads up to bring plenty of bug repellent. One of our only complaints was getting eaten by mosquitos each night. Many of my guests had large welts from the bites. Not pretty in my pics! The bug spray seemed to help, and they were not only at our hotel, but in other areas of Negril also.

We got our ring bearer an adorable ivory linen suit from Nordstrom about two weeks ago.

Hello Riu Negril brides, Just wanted to let you know that I got married at Riu Negril this past Thurs, and I will do my best to answer any questions you have. We just got home tonight, so I will post pics and a review soon.

Congratulations! I cannot wait to read your review! We are getting married at the Club Hotel Riu Negril June 25th.

Quote: Originally Posted by MeghanNPete I am getting married June 22, 2009 at Riu Negril ClubHotel. I can't wait! We arrive June 17th and leave Riu on the 24th and are heading to Sandals Whitehouse for another week in Jamaica! Hey Meghan and Pete, Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! You are the first bride I have seen on here that will be at Club Hotel Riu Negril while we are there. We arrive the day of your wedding, and we are getting married on the 25th. Hope to meet you and see how your day goes. Best of luck!

Congratulations! I am getting married there June 25th, so I will be sure and post a lot of pics when we get back =)

We are getting married at Club Hotel Riu Negril, and I would imagine that the price is the same or close to that at Tropical Bay. Our WC said it is $80 per person to have an outside photographer come in.

This is very interesting, Dionne sent me the price list just a couple weeks ago and it had $1000. I reserved Shadows but have not yet decided whether or not our dinner will be private. I do not think I would spend that much for it to be private. When is your wedding?

What other small hotels along the cliffs did you look into? I have been researching Negril Escape. We are looking at Package #3, do you need to add alot to the package? It says starting at $4,612 which is great for our budget, but I'm wondering how much it will be when we include the necessary extras...i.e. DJ, and appetizer hour...

Thank you all so much for all of your help, and your comforting words. You have seriously made me feel so much better. I am getting very excited. I got an email from the WC today, and ordered the bridesmaids dresses on Sat. I think we are going with Saab Photography. Pearlygirl-your wedding was today, so I hope it was wonderful and congratulations!!! I can't wait to hear all about it, read your review, and see the pictures... THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL!!

First of all, I can't thank you enough for sharing! Congratulations on becoming a Mrs.! Second, I am very anxious to hear your answer to the question posed above, why not have the wedding at Riu Negril? We are staying at Riu Negril, about 50 booked so far, and we are scheduled to have our ceremony on the beach at the resort on June 25th. I had considered changing to an outside location in Negril, but can't make up my mind, and the clock is ticking... Any insider advice would be incredibly helpful...Thanks again! BTW, gorgeous photos!

We are getting married just down the beach from there at Club Riu Negril. We went to Riu Tropical Bay on vacation and loved it so much that we decided Jamaica was the place for our wedding. We only chose Riu Negril because of the cost for our guests. We LOVED Riu Tropical Bay, and my family still wishes we were getting married there. The beach and gazeebo are beautiful. The people are so friendly! I am planning to use Saab Photography for our wedding. They are out of Montego Bay. Jamaica Wedding Photographer, Montego Bay, Negril, Ocho Rios, Kingston, Port Antonio, Jamaica Wedding Hope this helps a little...

No, I have not used any of them, but I wanted to thank you for the suggestions! I have been so worried, and after looking at Saab's photos I think I am going to book them. Thank you for the help. I hope you have decided. Good luck!