mexicobride

Quote: Originally Posted by Nrvsbride Okay sorry to interject. I ran into an old friend in court today and we started talking about my wedding. She told me she had just been in cabo this past summer. She stayed at the RIU Palace in cabo. She said she loved it and it was so much fun. Big party atmosphere and she thought the food was great. She also said she saw a wedding take place there (although she did not attend it) and everything looked really nice. She did however say that the rooms smelled like humid mold and they had to ask their room to be changed. But, she did say that the staff was really nice and they had no problems switching rooms. However, she mentioned that a lot of people complained of the smell. Just thought I would let you know. She mentioned that even though it smelled at times it really wasn't bad like they make it out to be on trip advisor and that all the pros outweighed the cons. Plus it doesn't smell in all the rooms, just some rooms. Thank you, actually I am not a Cabo bride but a Playa del Carmen bride where there are also Riu Palaces. The one we are going to be at is in Playa del Carmen called the Riu Palace Mexico. I have heard about the smell in the Cabo rooms, but haven't heard anything negative about the smell in the Playa del Carmen Riu resorts. Every resort has its pros and cons however, and you can't please everyone. IMO you gotta know that going down to Mex you're bound to have different standards than in US and just go with the flow, so I wouldn't worry about it too much, Sarah.

Quote: Originally Posted by Nrvsbride I think this sounds great and my other suggestion (don't know if this is cheesy or not so I take no offense) is to make the card in the shape of a sea turtle. I have seen beautiful stock cards in sea turtle shapes that have light bluish and green coloring on them. And then you can write the words on the back. And you could place the sea turtle card with the words face down on the plate with a ribbon around the card if you like. Not cheesy at all! I thought about doing that actually. I might do that or use my stationery and print a picture of a sea turtle on it. I don't like my handwriting so writing the words might not look so good, and I don't know how to laserprint on turtle-shaped paper.

Quote: Originally Posted by BEACHBRIDEMA Hi I am getting married at Riu Palace Los Cabos 1. We are using and IPOD for all our music we just downloaded the songs and are using the hotels speaker system. There are lots of great ideas for music in a thread on this forum. For dinner music we are having a marichi band and then just downloaded salsa type music We are not using a DJ just the IPOD. We will only some dancing I am using my cousin as my translator, I felt this would be more personal than the WC translating the ceremony We went woth an outside photographer and are not getting a videographer Hope this helps Sarah This does help - thank you! This is what I want to do but am not sure if we will be able. Haven't heard back yet from the WC about it: 1. Ceremony in the courtyard/kiosk. Friend playing guitar for ceremony or recorded music 2. Dinner also in same courtyard (not sure if they'll let us set up there or if we have to go with one of the restaurants), mariachi band at dinner 3. Dancing to IPod after dinner, also in courtyard, not sure if our resort is equipped for this- waiting to hear from WC on that one 4. Most comprehensive photo and video package (expensive, but we want to have lots of footage!) As far as I understand, we can not bring an outside photog to the Riu Palace Mexico. 5. Don't have any friend to translate so will have to use WC I guess Also, our guest list is at about 40 ppl. they said the resort can only bake a cake for up to 30 and if you want a bigger one an off-site baker can do it. Of course, the larger the cake, the more expensive. Anyone having an outside baker do their cake? how much is it costing?

Quote: Originally Posted by jilly76 I went to a wedding this past weekend and they had this scroll type thing wrapped up with ribbon, I don't know if they made them or what, but it basically thanked all their guests for coming and in lieu of favors, blah, blah, blah, in memory of. It's a great idea and I'm so glad you brought this up!! My FI's little brother died in a car accident about 5 years ago, he was 17, and FI still has a really hard time with this, which is understandable and also one of FI's best friends was killed in a whitewater rafting accident two years ago, which has also been really hard for him and his friends. So, I think doing a donation to his brothers scholarship fund and a donation to the animal shelter (ralph loved animals) will be a great thing to do. I'm so happy you mentioned this, I'll have to talk to FI!! I'm sorry to hear about your fiance's brother and best friend. I think it is important to remember those who can't be with us at weddings, but also keep it on a positive note and not in a funereal way. I think the donations are a great way to do this and also good for DWs because people don't have to cart home a favor. We are still doing OOT bags so they will be getting other kinds of gifts from us as well. I am leaning towards one lump sum for the sake of ease for the foundation. I believe they do provide announcements, but I thought it would be fun to make them myself using the stationery and logo from our invitations which I made myself. I am thinking I will say something like: "In appreciation of your presence here today, a donation has been made to the Boyd Lyon Sea Turtle Fund on your behalf. Thank you, Melanie and Matt" What do you guys think?

What are you doing/did you do for ceremony and dinner music? Where are you having/did you have your reception dinner? Are you having/did you have dancing/dj? Are you having/did you have a translator for the ceremony? How was the photographer? What photo/video package did you buy and why? It's getting down to the wire for me and they are asking me for decisions! Yikes!

Check out the Riu Palace Mexico. That's where we are having our wedding on April 23. I think all of the needs on your list can be met there. It is 5 stars, the beach is beautiful, children are allowed they have kids' club there), there are in-room liquor dispensers, and the price is reasonable (I'm not sure what you'll find out of Minn, but for our guests out of NY, Philly, Omaha, DC, Boston, etc, it was about $1500 PER COUPLE for three nights, incl airfare and transfers. We went through a travel agent who could find us the best packages.) You can go to Riu Hotels & Resorts and find the Riu Palace Mexico. Also, the Riu has 4 other resorts in the same area in Playa del Carmen which you can access for free if you stay at the Riu Palace Mexico. They are walking distance and each has different amenities, but at least one has a night club if you are looking for late night entertainment. Of course I would also check out tripadvisor.com to read reviews and see if it's what you'd want. Also, time of year will affect prices of course.

6 months in advance I sent out save the dates that I made by hand and looked like passports with 8 pages of travel information inside inlcuding TA contact info, our website, fun facts about the area and the resort, AHR info, etc. Then 3 months in advance I sent out formal pocketfold invitations that my mom and I made by hand with an insert with simply our website address (which has all the travel info), and the RSVP cards/envelopes. I found it was helpful to send out the formal invites because it reminded people to get on the ball and make their reservations/get passports/etc if they hadn't yet.

Hi, ladies! We are planning on doing OOT bags, but in lieu of favors at the wedding we would like to make a donation to a fund established in the memory of a friend of our's who passed away this summer. He was supposed to play guitar at our wedding and because he won't be able to be there we would like him to be there in spirit and this is the best way we could think of. (The fund distributes money to a research foundation he was working for. He lived for and loved his work - studying sea turtles - and he died on a dive off the coast of Florida in August.) I have two questions for anyone who has done or is doing this: 1. We are expecting about 40 guests. Should I make one lump sum payment and say it's in honor of our wedding guests or should I make individual donations in honor of the name of each person who will attend? Of course it would be easier to do one lump sum, not only for me, but for the fund that would have to process all 40 donations. 2. We would like to put something at each place setting indicating the donation was made on their behalf. What wording have you used or seen other people use? We'll probably place each one in a small picture frame or something. Thanks!

The Azul Hotel and Beach Resort was my first choice. We decided against it because of the cost for our guests. It was just going to be too expensive for them. However, what I loved about it is that it IS small, they only do one wedding a day. It is more like a boutique hotel, but also gives you the convenience of all-inclusive. Have you gone on tripadviser.com to check it out? I read a ton of reviews there and saw visitors' personal pictures. It looks AMAZING! The only thing is if you're looking for night life, you probably will have to travel into Playa or Cancun, as Puerto Morelos is a more of a secluded and sleepy village.

Has anyone else done this or going to be doing this? Am I going to regret it? We are getting married at Riu Palace Mexico and staying there 7 nights (5 before the wedding and 2 after the wedding.) Then we are moving to the Royal Hideaway for the last four days/three nights before we come home. We've already booked it so it's a done deal. Just wondering if anyone has done this or is planning on doing this. I'm worried about the challenges of packing up and moving, getting to know a new resort, etc. The Royal Hideaway is supposed to be nicer and we wanted to move so we could feel like we were having real "honeymoon" time, separate and different from the wedding. I'm nervous though because I have just heard from one bride that she and her husband regretted moving because they were treated so well by their first resort that even though their second resort was more upscale, that they weren't treated with that special "bride and groom" treatment they got at the first place so they were disappointed and wish they had stayed at the first place. I'd love to hear your opinions on it.

I'm not taking my fiance's last name. We will be Mr. X and Ms. Y. Our kids will have my last name as their middle name and his last name for their last name. I know that occasionally I will get addressed as Mrs. X and I will probably only correct it if it is for a legal issue or someone I anticipate havning more than one interaction with. I actually like the sound of his last name better than mine, but I don't want to change because I already have a perfectly good name that's part of my identity. Call me a feminist, but I don't understand why I as a woman would even be expected to change my last name. It seems so weird to me. I enjoy following traditions when I believe in the purpose behind them, but I don't follow them without questioning their meaning. So far I have read tons of arguments for doing it and none of them have convinced me to do it myself. My sister got married 14 years ago, didn't change her name and has two kids. Her husband and her children have not suffered in any way at work, school, hospital, etc. I think it is a personal choice and if you want to change it, change it, but if you don't, don't even stress about it.

I am getting married at the Riu Palace Mexico on April 23. They are providing our witnesses but have made no mention of having to "buy" them. What have they told you about documents? They told us all we need is birth certs and passports. They said they don't need apostille or to be translated. Is that consistent with what they told you? They have assured me twice that that is all we need and that rules are different in Cancun than in Playa. Also, have you talked to them about having a translator for your ceremony? Just wondering how that works. When is your wedding?

Quote: Originally Posted by amanda&gabe2008 Hello fellow RIU Brides. I have looked into and contacted the RIU reosrts in Jamaica for wedding information and pricing. I got an email this morning from them saying that they are not booking any weddings in 2008 yet. I have to wait untill April to contact them back again. They didnt even include any information or packages for 2007 for me to compare. Hs anyone out there had their wedding at one of these resorts that could help me with a little insight on pricing. I just need an idea to see if it is within our budget. Thanks for your help Have you gone to weddingsbyriu.com? There is a breakdown of their wedding packages by location. Just know that anything above and beyond what they're offering costs extra.

Magsie Mexico- The Yucatan guests are not allowed on the more expensive properties (the Palace Mexico and the Palace Riviera Maya) unless they pay the day pass. However, you are allowed onto their properties if you want to visit them, eat there or use their pools, etc. We are going to have our welcome dinner at the Yucatan so everyone can go. You can also meet up with them on the beach, at the other Rius (Playacar, Tequila, etc), downtown PDC, excursions, etc.

I DID IT!! I spent this weekend working on them with my mom. We did it using Word. I was able to print the large square ones by using the "envelopes and labels" tool, customizing the size and changing the font. I used the delivery address for the return address and positioned it by changing the From Left and From Top options. Then I put them throuh the printer flap-side down so it would print on the back of the envelope instead of the front. The only bummer was that it took forever because I had to re-enter most of the information every time, and I had to hand-feed them into the printer, and press the "manual" button every time. I was surprised the small ones worked, but I did it by opening a new document, typing in the address in the font I wanted, and going through print options to envelope #10 size. It also took a while because I had to enter envelope #10 and hand-feed the envelopes every time (flap-side up), but at least I didn't have to re-type the address or change the margins or press "manual" every time. Karla was right: I needed extra for trial and error! But it was just to find out placement on the envelope and the size of the font I wanted, and i just kept printing on the same envelope til I got it right. I didn't have the problem of crooked printing, I think because I was hand-feeding them. Thanks for all the advice, guys! They came out great and I am just waiting for the post office to open tomorrow to mail them off. I'm so excited to start getting replies!!! Melanie

I vote for number 2!

We are booked at the Riu Palace Mexico for April 23 for a variety of reasons: kids, proximity to PDC, beach, price for guests, beauty of resort, amenities, options for people to stay at less expensive Riu Yucatan if they want, etc. It was not my first choice (I wanted the Azul Beach Hotel), but it was in the top 5. It really came down to what our guests could afford. I am excited about having it there! One thing though: we went about choosing a resort based on the fact that we believed people wanted to bring their kids, including our 5 nephews from our 3 siblings. But once it came down to booking it, everyone decided not to bring their kids so that they could have an adult vacation. So we could have looked at different resorts altogether. Oh well!

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys! I don't think Word has 7 1/2 x 7 1/2, but I wasn't aware that you could customize the size. I want to print the return address on the back flap, so I don't know if it will work. Also, I wasn't aware that a printer would take envelopes as small as 3 5/8 x 5 1/8. I will try doing it through Word and if that doesn't work I will check out the websites (Martha Stewart, etc.) I'll let you know what happens!

I am in the process of putting together my invitaions and I am stuck. I am using square pocket card invites. First, I would like to print our return address on the back of the 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 square envelopes. Second, I would like to print our address on the front of the 3 5/8 x 5 1/8 reply card envelope. I don't know if I can run envelopes that size through my printer. I went to Staples and they told me they can't print on any envelopes, no matter the size. Anyone else have this issue or have any suggestions as to how to print on these envelopes?

The same thing happened to me today. I was under the impression that we needed the apostilles, but I got an email from the resort saying we don't even need our birth certificates, just passports and tourist visas. I'm so confused and I just want to be sure we are actually married when we are there!

I went to the Mexican consulate today to get our birth certificates translated. After waiting for over an hour, they told me they don't do translating there and to go to a private notary. I'm not sure that this will be ok. I emailed the Riu today to find out what documents we need. They are now telling me we don't need our birth certificates at all and that we just need our passports, tourist cards and witnesses. They also said they will be sending some documents about a month in advance that we will need to fill out. So now I'm completely confused. I sent an email to the US consulate in Mexico today to find out their version of what we need (since everyone seems to have a different answer.) Still waiting to hear back from them. The good news is that the Riu answered my email promptly. The bad is that they keep saying it's too soon to be discussing the wedding and that we will be hearing from them a month before. Plus, I still don't know what we need to make the marriage legal. Anyone else having these difficulties?

Thanks, Tammy! It's always nice to hear positive feedback and get a good resource for information. I don't care about cake either! Melanie

Quote: Originally Posted by lnucks Hi everyone! My name is Laura and I am newly engaged for 1 month now! SO EXCITED and yet getting overwhelmed on the planning aspect. We want to get married this summer (2007) in Cancun or Riviera Maya. I've researched a lot of the resorts in this area and all look beautiful. We are planning for about 75 people, both adults and children. Does anyone have any suggestions on all inclusive resorts that let children stay and will be wonderful for a wedding? P.S. - I love this website! What a great network and resource! :-) After doing TONS of online research, we chose the Riu Palace Mexico. They do allow children. Some of the reasons why we chose it: price for guests was reasonable, beautiful beach, allows children, amenities, close to golf, all-inclusive (easier for guests), proximity to Playa del Carmen, beauty of the resort, EXCELLENT reviews on tripadvisor.com and other travel websites. Another thing: our guests could choose to stay at the other (more inexpensive) Riu properties in the area. Some cons: not as intimate as we wanted, wedding and reception slightly more expensive than at some all-inclusives (not an issue for us as we were more concerned with keeping the cost down for our guests, not for us), and difficulty in getting quick response from wedding coordinator there (although I've been assured by countless other Riu brides that it all comes together beautifully in the end.) My first choice was the Azul Beach Hotel, but it was going to be too expensive for our guests to stay there. However, I also looked at almost every hotel in the Riviera Maya and the Riu was the best fit for us. Congratulations and good luck in your search!

The wedding coordinator at the Riu is very slow in responding.

Frustration: I tried to go to the Mexican Consulate in my city yesterday to figure out what I needed to get done for the legal ceremony, and the lines were a mile long. Plus all the signs were in Spanish so I had no idea what line to be in or who to talk to. For some reason I expected that the signs would be in English and Spanish. No one in the lines spoke English and I didn't have time to wait to get to a person behind the windows. Guess I'll try again next week! Grrrr...