SDbeachgirl

Oh, also something I thought of. I have a few guests that own time shares (outside of RIU) in the area and will be staying in those. That is only 5 of my guests. But my party will be pretty small (approx 30 guests).

Hi everyone, Thanks for responding about the 80% thing. Maybe I'm being silly. I agree, I would like everyone to stay at the same resort as me. However, one of the nice things about the RIU is that there is a group of resorts with different price ranges. I would rather someone stay at one of the less expensive resorts than not come at all because it is too expensive. I also don't want to tell them that they MUST book at a certain resort. I just think the idea that the wedding could be cancelled is a little scary. That's just me. I always think about the worse possible scenario. I don't want to have to stress about anything else. But I'm sure all of you are right. Most guests would want to stay where you are. So you are probably fine and I would probably be fine too. Just something to think about.

I didn't have a chance to read through this thread yet, so this might have come up previously, but I am having such a hard time deciding on a location. RIU came highly recommended by a couple of different people but I read that if 80% of your guests do not stay at the same resort as the bride and groom (and wedding), then your wedding is cancelled. Do you know if this is true. I would like my guests to stay at the same resort, but I do not want to tell people that they MUST stay there. Isn't that a little scary that the wedding could get cancelled? I can see having to pay extra for them to come to the wedding but, not cancel it. Anyhow, I just wanted to see if anyone had heard more about this.

Quote: Originally Posted by Sandra&Mario lol, first calm down. it isn't a deal breaker! honestly in most resorts there will be a dress code for restaurants. all you need to pack for your FI is a couple pairs of pants and a pair of shoes. you can wear a dress, capris, bermuda shorts, pretty much anything goes except flip flops on your feet...the buffets don't have a dress code because they're much more casual. but would you want to only eat buffet food all week? i know i wouldn't! it's nice to make a reservation, sit and enjoy a nice meal. as far as your guests are concerned...they should receive a dress code at some point...either through your website if you have one, your invitations, your travel agent, etc...anyone who has traveled to a resort in the past will understand. good luck and don't let something as simple as this get you confused and upset! Ha! I know, I just want this to be a nice vacation for my guests and I think it is a little inconvenient that men have to wear pants and closed toe shoes. I know when we went to Cabo last month we wore flip flops EVERYWHERE (even the nice restaurant at the resort) and it was nice and relaxed. I expect my fiance and his grooms men to wear flip flops in our ceremony. Oh well. Also, I read that you can only eat out at the restaurants twice. Is that true?

I just read that the restaurants all have dress codes. Men have to wear closed toe shoes and long pants. I don't even expect my guests to have to pack these things on the trip. I'm just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on this. Do you think that the buffets are good enough to eat there all the time? I'm a little frustrated by this bit of info as I had pretty much made up my mind that this was where I would have my wedding. I don't know if this is a deal breaker, but I definitely need to read into it more.

Those of you who are planning on getting married on the sand, I have a question for you. Are you going to wear shoes? If so, what type of shoes will you wear so that you are stable on the sand? If you are not wearing shoes, what type of dress will you wear?

Sandra, I use the TA from this website. Her name is Jill. She says they have the best deals, but in the event that you find something better online, they can match any internet price. So everyone can go through one TA but ensure that they still get a good price. I hope that helps.

If 2010 packages are not available yet, would someone be able to share the 2009 packages? I would like to get an idea of what is included. I tried opening a document that I found on this thread but it said I do not have access to opening it.

Quote: Originally Posted by eblum999 Hello there. I have some answers to your questions.... 1. I noticed in the pics that the beaches don't have palapas or umbrellas. Is there enough shade from the palm trees. I just want my guests to have a nice time and be able to enjoy themselves at the beach without getting too unbelievable hot. The beach does have much shade... but I was there last April... could have more shade now. 2. I know the rooms at the Palace are nice. I assume some of my guests will stay at the other Barcelo resorts. Does anyone know if these are nice? The rooms are in one word GORGEOUS. If you give me your email... I will send you pictures I have done my share of traveling and they are the nicest rooms I have ever experienced. The rooms in the other resorts (Caribe, Tropical ect... arent as nice. 3. When you set a date with the WC, do you get to pick a time, and the ceremony/reception location? I'm flexible on my dates and would like to pick a date based off of what is available for that date. How does that work? I set my date and time as year and a half ago (July 18th 2009 at 4:30 in the Colonial Church) If it at all possible, i would def. recommend going on a site visit.. helps so much when planning a wedding over the interent, so you know what they are talking about. I just told them what time I wanted and they said ok! I did not think it was that hard... but I am not sure how far in advance they need... like I said I booked a year and a half in advance. 4. Lastly, I'm reading mixed messages about the photographer. Is it, or is it not, ok to bring your own photographer? Can someone confirm? Ok this was the hardest part for me as well, b-c I kept on getting wrong informtation. I hired Elizabeth Medina (Elizabeth Medina Photography, Mexico Destination Wedding Photographer, Wedding Photojournalism throughout the Riviera Maya, Yucatan and Mexico) and she staying as a guest of the hotel... so there is no problem. If they photographer is only coming for the day to shoot the wedding... then you have to purchase a "Day Pass" for them, which I believe is any where from $80-$100 per day. I am having her for 3 days, so she is just staying at the hotel (i'm footing the bill) for 2 night, which they dont care if she takes pictures, since she is considered a "guest" and they can not say anything. If you have anymore questions, just ask! -Erica Thanks for the info! Yes, please send over photos. My email address is [email protected] When you said the other rooms were not as nice, are they at least sort of nice? Also, I was just reading up on the RUI resorts and they also have a group of resorts together. However, I read that if 80% of guests do not stay at the same resort that the wedding is held, then your wedding will be cancelled. Do you know if there are any kind of rules like that for the Barcelo resorts?

I have a few random questions, so I hope it is ok that I post them all on one message. 1. I noticed in the pics that the beaches don't have palapas or umbrellas. Is there enough shade from the palm trees. I just want my guests to have a nice time and be able to enjoy themselves at the beach without getting too unbelievable hot. 2. I know the rooms at the Palace are nice. I assume some of my guests will stay at the other Barcelo resorts. Does anyone know if these are nice? 3. When you set a date with the WC, do you get to pick a time, and the ceremony/reception location? I'm flexible on my dates and would like to pick a date based off of what is available for that date. How does that work? 4. Lastly, I'm reading mixed messages about the photographer. Is it, or is it not, ok to bring your own photographer? Can someone confirm? Any info you have will help in my decision making. I just want to pick a place! The Barcelo does sound very nice

Quote: Originally Posted by JOSIE I'm with Katie - we also booked the RIU Palace Riveria Maya - their wedding package included dinner for 50 people and the total package of it was only $1500! That's what sold me Good Luck! Once you find a resort it gets much eaiser Do you happen to know what a 1 week stay is going to cost your guests? I'm also trying to decide on a resort but am worried about getting a place that is too expensive for my guests.

Quote: Originally Posted by Sandra&Mario Erica, I'm currently living in Old Bridge with my parents, but my FI and I recently bought our home in Jackson, so that's where I'll be living! I grew up in South River actually!! So, it's all local We're such cool destination brides from central NJ, haha!!! That's awesome that you got to do a site visit. We were thinking about doing it, but instead decided to trust everyones reviews and just see it when we get there for the wedding Did you love it?! Feel free to share as much info as you'd like! So it's a little nutty that Gabriela hasn't contacted you recently being that you're only 3 weeks away!! But yes, the majority of the planning is done when you get there, and that makes sense...it's a little difficult to make decisions when you're thousands of miles away! I'm sure everything will turn out just perfect! Are you having a bridal party? What are you packing? I really wanted to be crafty and bring centerpieces, menu cards, favors, etc....but do I really want to lug all that stuff onto an airplane? Yea...probably not, lol. We'll see. Oh, you know what I wanted to ask you! Did you use a travel agent? If so, who? I found the best deals on applevacations but honestly haven't contacted any agents because neither my FI or myself know one personally. I guess I'm done with the ranting, haha. I have so much questions now, imagine after you return! I expect a HUGEEEEEEEEEEE review I've been working with Jill. She's a TA on this site and works on destination weddings in Cancun/Riviera Maya. I've only been working with her for a little over a week but she has been real responsive to my emails and has been helpful thus far. She is the one that recommended Barcelo. She also says that she should have the best deals but if you find a better deal she can match it. There is a $150 retainer fee, but that is refunded after your travels.

For those of you getting married at the Paridisus, will your ceremony be on the beach or at the gazebo, and why? I can't decide if I like where the gazebo is located and I have heard that the sand is hard to walk on.

I'm not sure if I will be able to make a site visit. My TA has suggested these two resort options for my wedding. Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions? I'm trying to read through the threads but it is all so overwhelming. I'm looking for basic feedback on: - which has the nicer beach/water conditions? - which has better food? -Which has nicer rooms? -Which has nicer spots for a wedding? I want my guests to feel as though they are really at a nice place. If you do not have thoughts on both resorts, please just post your thoughts on either one. Thanks,

Quote: Originally Posted by MissyR The Paradisus is great for so many reasons - what I would suggest is to pour yourself a big glass of wine - and read through the pages of this thread. Many questions will be answered about why, the beach, costs. Ha! I love this idea!!! Sounds like a plan

Can anyone tell me why they have chosen this resort? I am also undecided and want to hear your thoughts. Also, how are the beaches in this area? Did the hurricane affect them?

Quote: Originally Posted by Ayita Err... I just used glue ! I glued it inside of the jacket. I cut it a little bit smaller than the jacket. Ha! Thanks! I know that sounded like a dumb question.... I was just thinking of using colored printer paper for that part of it but thought the glue might show through lumpy. Maybe cardstock would be better. Did you use cardstock for the green paper? Also, my colors are brown and turquoise. I have created a jacket with turquoise fonts and designs. It looks great on white! But I don't think it will show up on brown. Did you happen to try any other colors on the brown paper, besides black? Just wondering if it didn't show up. Sorry for all of the questions! I just love the way yours turned out!

Quote: Originally Posted by BBtoB My colors are pool/turquoise and chocolate brown. This has translated great for all aspects of the wedding. These are the colors that I want to use also. I'd love to see any pics of items you have gotten so far with these colors!

I think these look so nice! I'm thinking about using the hole punch on the jacket as well. How did you attach the green paper on the back so that it would show through the hole?

Quote: Originally Posted by courtney_b00 Ooh I see. Well you got lucky finding that then! I love the way your monogram design looks. I just can't figure out how to save it to look right...I guess I'll just play around with it today. For the girls looking for some stuff...I went to dafont.com last night & d/l a font that has palm trees & hibiscus flowers. Then you basically type and the images show up. Then you can color them whatever you want. Let me know if you figure out the monogram. I would like to do that too!

Quote: Originally Posted by KJT1985 For the jackets I just printed off the templates and then trimmed the edges with my rotary paper trimmer, folded them on the lines and used glue dots to hold it all together (the middle third will become the back and then either ends will either be the top or the folded in "inside" if that makes sense). I forget what weight cardstock I used was but I bought it in bulk from Office Depot. Here's my poor and quick attempt to illustrate how I folded them. Thanks! Love the diagram

Quote: Originally Posted by Crystalballl Not a problem. Thanks to Becky for sharing, originally! What I did was got a double sided glue dispenser thing at the dollarstore. It is almost like that White out stuff, that u run along a mistake and it instantly clears your mistake with a white line. But it's clear sticky glue stuff. Just used that on the bottom of the flap and secured it that way. Worked awesome. Cuz yes, they will fall out if u don't use something to keep the one side of the jacket closed. You could use any craft glue really though, just make sure its not a big thick line or too high up, or your boarding passes won't fit in it, they'll stick out a bit. Thanks for the tip! I will try that.

Quote: Originally Posted by Crystalballl I got the Ticket Jacket off of Beck's! I will try and post the template. (attaching files never seems to work for me on here) And all my cardstock is 65lb. Thanks for the template! I used it and it was easy I have a question though...when you put your boarding passes in the jacket, do they fall out? I'm afraid they will fall out when someone tries to pull the jacket out of the envelop.

Quote: Originally Posted by courtney_b00 I love yours and the hibiscus theme. This is probably a stupid question, so don't laugh at me lol, but how color the picture that you googled? I mean for instance, if you find a pic you like but then it's black, how do you make it pink?? I have this same question!

Quote: Originally Posted by courtney_b00 Ok so I d/l some cool fonts that I really like nad have been playing aroudn with it on PowerPoint (someone told me they use this to create monograms). But I'm to the point where I need to save and don't know what to save it as to use it on things Can you copy and paste it into your document?