Ruth

We had about 38 people for a wedding at the Riu Vallarta in April. Jessica the wedding coordinator was great to work with, although the conversations with her beforehand left a lot to be desired. Once we got there, she was very accessible and basically did everything we asked. Not counting the cost of the guests to get there, the wedding, reception and dance were less than $5000.This included flowers for the bride, bridesmaids and a boutinierre for the groom, wedding set-up on the beach with chair covers for all the chairs, the minister. The photographer was also included, but it cost an extra $300 for the CD of all the pictures that were taken, which, I might add, were quite good. ( It seems to me that I have heard from other brides that this is no longer included in the packages for 2010). The reception dinner was at the steakhouse and included ordering off the menu and the alcohol. IT was really private and lots of fun. Of course as this is an all inclusive resort, it would have been paid for already anyway, but they had the tables all decorated and we had the entire upstairs at our disposal. This also included the cake. Then we rented the pool bar for the dance. WE also had sound system that they provided and we had the songs we wanted on several CDs to dance to. It was a totally stress free time for all of us, and every one of the guests said it was one of the best weddings they had ever been to. So, to make a long story short, there are very affordable destination weddings out there if you so desire.

My daughter got married in April at the Riu Vallarta. We had 38 people along, and none of us experienced any kind of problem with violence or intimidation whatsoever. We went into town several times and nothing there was any different than it had been. We all felt perfectly safe at all times. Put your guests' mind at ease.

My daughter got married on the beach at the Riu Vallarta in April. It really isn't private, but that wasn't a big issue for us. There were many people who drew up beach chairs and sat outside the roped off area and watched, plus there are people in the ocean who just stood there and watched. The wedding coordinator shooed some kids away who tried to get too close. The setting was so beautiful, though, that having onlookers didn't even seem to matter. Their reception was at the Flamingo Steakhouse and, in my opinion, is the best place to have it there. We had the entire upstairs and they did a really good job taking care of us. Any other questions, ask away.

Hi. Having just returned from the Riu Vallarta for my daughter's wedding, we left right when the swine flu scare was starting. They were going to close both the Vallarta and the Jalisco and upgrade people to the Pacifico because of low occupancy. They were going to use this time to do some upgrading and work around the place. Jessica is a very hard person to get ahold of, but once you do, she will be very helpful. What might help is if you email the head of all Riu Resorts wedding coordinator. I believe the website is the one that you originally used when you first booked the wedding. By contacting her and putting "URGENT" in the message box, we heard from them right away. Good luck

Hopefully no one will get sick of these questions. If the groomsmen are wearing khaki shorts and linen shirts, will they be able to get into the a la carte restaurant for the wedding dinner or do they have to change into long pants? I don't know how strictly they enforce the dress code for reception dinners.

Here's another question for Riu Vallarta brides. Can we bring CD's and hook up to their speaker system or does it have to be an iPod?

Hi, Heather. We've got about 30 people coming. There were quite a few more, but a lot had to drop out because of financial reasons. We have been to Puerto Vallarta several times, but never at this particular Riu, but I've heard it's really nice. I'm just concerned about where to have the dinner because I know nothing about the restaurants. We've tried to get the time of the wedding changed because now it's at 3:00 and we would like it later, but so far no luck. I don't know if that means they can't get a minister then or if they have other weddings scheduled. Erika had told us months ago that she would reserve the pool bar for us, but we have received no confirmation of that fact, so I don't know if it is or it isn't. My daughter is a very laid back bride, but I'm the one that's going nuts about this. How many do you have coming

Tara and Josh - April 22, 2009 - Riu Vallarta

Hi. My daughter is getting married at the Riu Vallarta on April 22, and we, too, will be arriving on the 18th. Let's try to meet while we're there! I have no idea how many weddings they book for the same day, so it's rather frustrating trying to figure out if there's a big competition for dining times, reception places, et cetera. We have also emailed the Riu wedding coordinator and have received no reply. It's rather scary going all that way and not knowing what to expect.

Helen, thank you for the message. One question for you. How did you pay for this? Did they accept personal checks or do you have to have a credit card or traveler's check? We are totally without a clue. Thanks. Ruth

Hi. I'm Ruth and my daughter, Tara, is getting married at the Riu Vallarta on Wednesday, April 22, 2009. This is an awesome site!