slstriednig

Hi Jez111213, Congratulations...our big days are going to be here before we know it:) That would be neat if you run into some of our wedding guests when you arrive... many of them are extending their trip for a personal vacay. To answer your question, I have been reaching out to the scheduling department and the wedding coordinators for quite some time now - I had so many questions in the beginning that I wanted to make sure were answered so I just emailed them. At times it took weeks to get a response back but recently their responses are pretty timely. I did receive contact from the Resort Salon & Spa about a month ago which was not in response to any contact I originally made. If I were you, I would just respond to the person who sent the email confirmation when you booked your wedding...I'm sure they will put you in touch with the right person. Have a great Friday:) ~Shannon (& Dennis)

Congrats knearpass! Dennis and I will be married there on November 9, 2013...CAN NOT WAIT! As far as tables, I hear they do a nice job of setting the tables but you can also bring decorations. I plan to have the Table Names and I think I'm going to have the chair ribbons moved from the ceremony to the reception chairs. But don't think I will have any table centerpieces otherwise. I received some pictures of the table arrangements they can do at the reception from my planner contact at the Riu...if you would like I can email them to you...just send me a pm. Have a wonderful day! ~Shannon (& Dennis)

You two are adorable! Thanks for sharing elissae:) ~Shannon (& Dennis)

HI there, We decided to bring our own photographer and we will pay the $200 vendor fee. I think that fee is applicable for each outside vendor you bring in. So if you decide to have an outside Photographer and DJ, you will be pay two vendor fees ($400). I hope that helps:) ~Shannon & Dennis Wedding Date November 9, 2013 Riu Palace Riviera Maya

Amberya17 - how exciting!!! We must plan to meet up at some point! What days will you and your guests be there? Dennis and I will be there from November 6-10 then we are off to st. Lucia for our honeymoon. Most of our guests will be there from November 8-11 so I'm sure you'll have a few on-lookers;). Just to warn you, we have a little bit of a wild group coming along...it's bound to be a good time! I didn't think about having the front desk distribute welcome bags...was thinking of sending my brothers door to door. Lol! Maybe I should rethink that one! Elissa, our luggage tags and thank you for booking materials all arrived now...don't be surprised if they look very similar to yours...that is if I ever get around to posting my planning thread! I absolutely loved going through your details. You really did and amazing job! Alrighty, I'm sure ill be chatting with you ladies again soon but in the meantime, have a super week! ~Shannon (& Dennis)

Hi Savanah, I love your planning thread! And all your pics and videos:) Dennis and I will be getting married in Playa del Carmen on November 9, 2013. I was wondering what time your ceremony was held? Just curious about lighting in the fall/winter months. Thanks for sharing your experience and congratulations on your marriage! ~Shannon (& Dennis)

Thanks for the responses, ladies! I hear ya, Kirab...I'm kind of like you...I could go either way. Elissa, Thanks for the detailed info! I was able to find luggage tags and straps afterall...but may use your links for the lanyards...still deciding on the last items to go in the welcome bag gifts. That's great to hear Erika worked with you on the apps to help reduce the cost. I'm gonna see if Dennis will be down to try the same thing. Yes, we went ahead and emailed Erika to request the downgrade to the Royal Package. She notified and cc'd the Wedding Manager, Mina, who went ahead and made the change on our forms. We are saving over $400 ... woohoo! Every penny saved counts! Thanks so much for the suggestion. Courtney - your husband, Sears, was so sweet to email us your photos...which were AMAZING by the way. Thanks for sharing...Dennis and I really enjoyed looking through them. We just purchased 20 navy blue satin chair ribbons (less $1 each) which will be used at the ceremony to indicate reserved seating for family. I'll brainstorm a little bit to see how we might use them at the reception too. Still trying to decide if I want to bother with table decorations/centerpieces. I went to Home Goods yesterday for the first time ever...my oh my...that is a dangerous store! So many fun items;) Happy Friday! ~Shannon (& Dennis)

Thanks for your insight, Kirab22... You are totally right! I was just trying to think of a way to add that nice touch without the expensive cost ($15 pp adds up). In all reality, if someone is hungry during the cocktail hour, they can always go to the buffet or the bar and order a snack (for free). We don't really need to have a server walking around with tiny apps. Any other advice or personal experiences on this topic are welcomed! On a side note, we got our personalized coconut flavored chapsticks and personalized sunscreen favors in the mail yesterday. They are sooo cute! And one of the chapstick seals was broken so we got to test it out since ofcourse we will not give an open product to a guest. Mmmm, tasty! I'm a chapstick addict! ~Shannon & Dennis

Hi There, We went ahead and downgraded to the Royal Package since we will not be using the hairstyle and mani/pedi. It looks like that alone will save us at least $400 even with a private reception. I noticed the free package was not offered at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya as Elissa points out above. I also looked at the Classic package but it seems that one does not accommodate any guests so I think Royal will be our best bet here. Elissa, I know you made luggage tags as a "thank you for booking" gift. We are sooo stealing that idea but are having a hard time finding inexpensive clear plastic tag pouches. Does anyone know where we should look? We will need ~100. I have found 100 tag straps for $5 but no luck finding great deals on the actual pouches. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks for the help! ~Shannon & Dennis

Hi November Bride Sisters! We are getting married on November 9, 2013 at the Riu Palace, Riviera Maya in Playa del Carmen! You all have some amazing posts and info on here. Excited to share the wedding planning with you all. If there are any other Riu Palace brides that I share a wedding date/week with, please let me know. I'd love to meet you on our trip to paradise:) Congrats and Happy Planning! ~Shannon & Dennis slstriednig

Wow Girl! You really did it right! Thanks for the cost breakdown...super helpful. Erika responded today about the DJ and said that she made a mistake in her email and it really is $1250 for the DJ and Lighting. Whew...but you make a great point, we will need to think about how much the lighting is really worth to us. I love the idea of bringing our own chair ribbons...do you know if they can move the chair ribbons from the ceremony to the reception during the cocktail hour? My mom and I were talking last about the reception at Chili's. Erika sent me the menu and there are a few choices for meats,etc. How does that work? Do we have our guests make their selections prior to the reception or do we all order at the reception as if we are in a regular restaurant? Did you bring any table centerpieces? So let me get this straight....you had a semi-private dinner and then a private reception with a DJ...for FREE? Another question for you about the cocktail hour. Is it solely based on your guest count or can we decide to have minimal apps at the cocktail hour. Example, we currently have approx 60 guests who are planning to come...the price sheet Erika sent me states the apps are $15 per person and amount to ~8 pieces per person. Do you know if it is possible to order the apps for only 30 guests but split it among all guests so there are 4 pieces per person instead? Would love to see your pics! ~Shannon & Dennis

Courtney- I contacted Erika today about all my questions and she got right back to me this afternoon. I was VERY impressed with her quick response and her thorough feedback. She said no problem for our friend to play the ukulele! She did mentioned the outside vendor fee if we decide to use our own photographer instead of adventure photos...makes sense. Anyway, I'm waiting to hear back from her regarding the dj service at our private reception because in my price list it says $1250 but in her email today she said it would be $1500. Not sure if that includes something else for the extra cost or what. Thanks for your feedback...between this blog and Erika's response today, I am feeling really good about everything starting to come together ...at least in my mind:) Stephanie- you must be super excited!! im sure evertthing will be amazing! Our private reception at chilis will be $44 per person. It includes a plated dinner and open bar - it will be from 7-11pm after our ceremony and cocktail hour. You might want to double check to see if there is a min head count to do a private reception. I'm sure they can make anything happen for the right price;) Looking forward to our next chat. Have a great day! -Shannon (& Dennis)

This is fantastic information, Courtney! We are still in the planning stages ourselves - our wedding is scheduled for November 9, 2013. But things are really starting to pick up now! I will be in contact with Erika soon to provide our current details/preferences (i.e. number of guests, private dinner/reception preferences, etc). We would also like a friend to play the Ukulele during our Unity Ceremony. I think we need permission for outside musicians (even tho he is a wedding guest). It's good to know Adventure Photo is getting such rave reviews! Puts my mind at ease. Thanks for sharing your advice on the packages too. I saw another post in this thread that mentioned going with the Royal instead of the Caprice saves money since you already have to pay the price per head when you have more than 40 guests. We will most likely do the same since I have a couple of friends doing my hair and makeup and will probably get my mani/pedi before the trip. Seems to make the most sense. Not sure if you already mentioned it, but how many guests did you have at your wedding? Can't wait to see your pictures! Thanks for sharing your experience! ~Shannon & Dennis

If you don't mind, can you respond here? Shannon & I are all ears on any tips at all. Thanks!! Dennis

Jessd123, Thank you for your post! I can't wait to read your full review. It sounds like you all had an amazing time. Congratulations:) ~Shannon (slstriednig)