maggiemay1330

Hi Ladies! Our wedding was last week and we the prime example of what happens when your beach wedding gets rained out! We were in Mexico 10 days and it only rained (poured!) one day- the day we got married! The original plan was to hold the ceremony on the beach and the reception on the beach as well. The rain plan moved our ceremony to the Don Manolo patio under the over hang and inside Chili's restaurant. Everything turned out great in the end! I attached some pics so everyone knows the back up plan.... they are not the professional photos, just some shots that my friends took. As for the experience overall, I agree with Elissa... Erika did a fantastic job as the coordinator and is an excellent communicator. The photographer from Adventure Photos, Sergio, also did a great job capturing the wedding and their photo booth was a HIT with our guests. I was so very happy with the ladies in the spa... they had several pictures of hair options and did a great job with our make up and nails. My only word of warning is to lock your belongings up the entire time you are there! Unfortunately my phone was stolen from my suitcase as well as $40... likely by the housekeeping service but I can't confirm it Entirely my fault for not using the safe for everything! This was the only downside of the wedding. Everything else was great!! The staff was very, very helpful and the resort is in tip top condition. Best of luck to everyone!

Hi Ladies- in route for our Riu wedding right now! Heads up- double check the weight and luggage rules and costs for your airline. We spent a tremendous amount in overage fees!! Also several planes no longer have closets for wedding dresses so ask to board first and grab an overhead to lay your dress flat!! maggie

Hi Ladies! I see several questions about "on the beach" weddings on this thread. We're planning our ceremony and reception on the beach next month and I've learned a lot as we've moved through this process. First thing to know is that the price list they give out changes every year. They didn't get the 2013 list out until the end of January. That list only tells you about 1/2 of what you'll pay for an on the beach wedding. Here are some things I've learned: A private rehearsal dinner at Chilis is $50 per person (includes 4 hr service, open bar, food, private event set up) A private cocktail party between the ceremony and reception is $15 per person Cake is included in the package price There is a beach tax of $150 for events on the beach Dinner, drinks,and waitstaff for a reception on the beach is $65 per person You can choose from the Chili's menu or a private event (a la carte) menu for the reception A medium sized dance floor on the beach is $450 (for 40-60 people), $338 or $600 for smaller/larger groups An ipod hook up, speaker, wireless mic and mixer is $122 Premium alcohol upgrade is $720 extra She can rent/get strings of white lights for $291 dollars and customize your huppa for $208 dollars (at least that's what ours came out to) Ariadna did not just send me this information, I had to ask specifically through a long series of e-mails. I have the 2013 price list and menus if anyone would like me to e-mail them to you. It's been an interesting process. Despite the best planning I'm sure there will be more surprises along the way! If I'm able I'll attach some of the things I've discovered and ordered for the event. So many fun ideas on etsy and pinterest! Happy planning Maggie place cards invitations (and save the dates too) wedding programs welcome bags koozies

Hey Ladies, I've been bad at keeping up with the blog, but we're planning our wedding for March 25th... it's right around the corner! I've had some trouble communicating with Ariadna. She replied to 1 of my 2 e-mails and only barely answered the questions I asked. Going to give her one last shot before going back to Paola or my travel agent to ask for help. Here's what we have outlined so far... or so I think! Private Rehearsal Dinner at Chili's the night before the wedding 5:00 Ceremony on the Beach with Violinist 5:30 Semi Private Cocktail Party with Marachi Band at Lirico 7:00 Reception on the Beach I feel like we're taking a risk with the actual reception on the beach. I've only seen photos from 1 other bride who had a beach reception, dined outside and had a dance floor and tables placed on the beach. Oy! There are several questions they have not directly addressed such as: How much does it cost for the sound system? How much does a dance floor on the beach cost? Can they customize flowers beyond the 4 basic pictures they have? What are our food choices? I'm focusing most of my time on creating/ordering items from amazon and etsy for the guest bags, decorations I'm bringing with me and dress/jewelry stuff now. I understand the resort being hesitant to talk about details with several weeks to go, but I wish they were more upfront with prices so I can budget a bit better! If anyone has any other info or advice to share, I'd love to hear it. THhnks, Maggie

Hi Jess D, We got into the same situation with our travel agent. Apple, Funject, etc had not published their airfare until June because they were still working on contracts with the different resorts. This info is all available now. Currently our travel agent is working with Go Go vacations and we've come up with a contract between us, the travel agency and GoGo to block off 25 flights from Chicago to Cancun for our wedding. We had to put a hefty deposit down, but there is a cancellation clause (ie: we can cancel up to a certain # of flights 3 months before the wedding with no penalties). We also had to put a hefty deposit down for rooms at the RIU. We know this is risky, but we are getting married during spring break, which is a very busy time of year and prices rise drastically the closer we get to that date. We made a website for our guests so they can book with him. Here's the link if you want to borrow any ideas: http://mexico2013.weddingwindow.com/index.cfm?fa=accommodations I'd be happy to give you our travel agent's name if you want to privately message me. He works out of Chicago, but has been a tremendous source or relief for us! Maggie

Great to hear there are other 2013 RPRM brides out there! We just booked our wedding for March 25, 2013. I am being assigned a coordinator on site and spoke to Paola (sales rep) today. One thing I noticed from reviews and pictures is that most receptions take place *indoors* or on a patio. It's important to us that the reception is outside with dinner, dancing, etc. She reassured me that it is an option to have a beach ceremony AND reception. We would just have to do the free package and customize everything from the dance floor to the meal, etc. Does anyone have an idea about the outdoor spaces that are used for receptions at this location? Anyone have the customization options, pictures or recommendations? I'd love to hear from someone who has done an outdoor wedding there or is planning on doing so... Thanks in advance!

Hi All! I recently booked a March 2013 wedding at Riu Place Riviera Maya and I'm trying to track down some other brides who have gotten married there or who will be so I can get the best info possible! Holler if you're out there! I'd love to see pics, talk about options, etc. Maggie

Hi All! I'm a teacher and am bound by our school schedule. We were hoping to get married in Riviera Maya during our March spring break (March 25, 2013) and will be anticipating about 50 guests. Our travel agent advised us against March because it would be tough to get enough space on chartered flights. Are we out of our mind to get married during that busy time of year? Just trying to avoid a hot, humid, hurricane wedding in June 2013! Just want to see what others think....