JAM2011

Hey Jamie- We are getting married at RIU Palace Aruba on May 14, 2011. I'm so glad to hear how much you liked it... We have never been there. We stayed at RIU Palace Cabo San Lucas a few years ago and loved it, so we were comfortable going with a RIU Palace, and Aruba just sounded fabulous! I would love to hear what plans you have made. Who is your photographer? Have you gotten information on DJs or bands? How did you arrange for a reception at the Lighthouse and how does that work? Is Carolina your wedding coordinator? Thanks!

Jessica, Thank you (and TA Maureen) for sharing that link for DAE!! That is great! Exactly what I was looking for! TA Maureen, Also at the top of our list, besides Curacao, is Antigua. Any tips on travel between Aruba and Antigua?? Or Aruba and St. Lucia? Thanks so much! Jamie

It is a bit of a process to book with RIU, so patience seems to be required. I just went through it, also with a little frustration. You definitely have to do it through the website, it is the only way. Even if you are trying to email them, there is a good posssibility that any responses you receive will direct you to back to the online booking process. An additional step to the booking process, that I didn't realize initially, is that you need to also book your room at the resort to confirm the booking for the wedding. The online process will ask you for your room booking confirmatin number (that you can obtain through your travel agent). My travel agent has definitely been helpful in contacting the resort sales department with questions for me. Apparently, you deal with the central sales department until the confirmation is finalized before it is handed over to the on-site wedding coordinator for handling the details. This has been my experience anyway... hope the information (and empathy) may be helpful! Also, there was no deposit required (although they do require credit card information online for holding the confirmation and the potential cancellation fee). Payment is due upon arrival. Good Luck!

Hi Jessica, Sounds like a wonderful trip! Can I ask how you are traveling between Aruba and Curacao? We are planning our wedding for May 2011 in Aruba, and were considering trying to move over to Curacao for a few days at the end of our trip as a sort of separate honeymoon. We weren't able to find any flights between the islands... Any tips? Thanks, Jamie

Hi again, Fortunately, our travel agent just got rates this week for our date of May 2011... rates are really high right now, but booking through our agent, we were able to book the dates to secure the wedding date confirmation through RIU, and we still have the opportunity to re-book at a lower rate when the "Carribean Sale" happens later in the year. From what I've seen so far, it still seems that the wedding packages with the all-inclusive resorts are still more affordable (for the bride and groom) than other non-all-inclusive resorts. Are you using a travel agent? Ask them about the "Carribean Sale" and maybe they can help you out in the same way ours is. She will notify us when the sale begins so that we can alert all of our guests. I hope this information may be helpful to you. Good Luck!

Hi, We are also trying to plan a wedding at RIU Palace Aruba... and we're having a hard time finding out much information, or finding anyone who has gotten or is getting married there... which makes me a little nervous, but the place looks gorgeous and the wedding packages seem quite affordable. Have you booked a date with them yet? The other issue we are having is trying to secure a wedding date so far in advance without being able to book the rooms yet... they want your room booking confirmation number in order to confirm the wedding date, which is making things difficult. So far, a bit frustrated... but trying to patient... Let me know how it's going for you...

I'm new to the forum but have already learned so much about planning a destination wedding! This is so helpful! We got engaged on New Year's Eve and have been talking nonstop about the wedding for the past 2 months. It's so much fun and yet a little stressful at the same time! We are still trying to decide on the location which seems to be the hardest part. We have at least decided on May 2011! I hope all the decisions that follow are easier! Any advice is welcomed and appreciated!

We are trying to decide on the location & resort which I hear (and hope) is the hardest part! We are finding only limited information on the RIU Palace Aruba and it has been a little slow hearing back from the resort after trying to request additional information. Can anyone share helpful insight on weddings at this resort? Any pictures would be greatly appreciated as we really have not seen many pictures of the ceremony venues or reception dinners. Thanks!