MarriednMex

Wedges were pretty easy to walk in, I actually wore them all night. The dance floor is covered in a thick twine/burlap so it is not very comfortable to dance barefoot on (sober that is). Here is what I did to work for my rates. I went on the website, saw what rates were going for and then I emailed a bunch of resorts to see what rates they would give me for booking 20 rooms. After the initial email, I saw what specials, if any they were running, and asked if they could match (if a good deal) or beat the prices listed. A few were staunch and would not budge but the resort we chose significantly beat the published rates. We also locked in a free room for every 10 rooms booked. We ended up booking 40 rooms and got 4 free rooms this way. A heads up though, you will have to sign a contract and you will need to front a deposit/money. This made it a bit stressful since we essentially were responsible for 40k of hotel rooms.

D'Oh...here is another attempt. Here is hair and make up. I gave a pic and got exactly what I wanted. I had my hair and makeup finished by 3pm and it stayed all night with the exception of the lipstick so def bring some lipstick/gloss day of.

HI Lashes! We stayed at the Riu for our wedding as well. The stay was excellent and the service was great there. If you are traveling in a big group and want some tips on how to handle/organize with the hotel, let me know

Hi Lmah- We just had our wedding there and we had 85 guests (5 were kiddos). You are correct, the reception is a long corridor. They had speakers for the toasts and they gave an announcement for the toasts so some people stepped closer to hear. There are two tables that are far/off to the side. They were pretty far so we made a special point to go sit with those tables for about 20 minutes. It was definitely not too dark. They have spot lights out on the sand to light up the dance floor, plus the bonfire and all the candles and lighting up in the reception area.

We looked at all types of island type settings. Las Caletas was the best bang for your buck and it was really easy to plan from afar. Our guests are still gushing about the boat ride, the arrival at the island and everything they experienced there. I was super happy with Dennise and Blanca and felt super at ease. I didn't bridezilla out once and I am an event coordinator so I thought for sure I would have difficulties relinquishing control.

In case people are wondering...Yes, you can go up to the Bridal Casita to change into a second dress. I did since my dress was a little too long to dance comfortably in all night. Dennise just took me up there when I told her I was ready to change. I also am a nursing mother and pumped up there as well so if you have any guests that need to pump or nurse in private, it is available for that. I will do a review later when I get back!

Today is the big day! It is going to be great!

I just got done with my wedding at Las Caletas this Saturday. Def. go with the DJ. He played awesome music and it he read the crowd great and changed songs accordingly. Otherwise you are going to be having to have someone worry about the songs or fussing with the Ipod. The DJ also played on the boat ride back and we danced the whole time. I would def bring music for the boat ride, it helped keep the party going and also folks that were sea sick or queasy said they felt better dancing rather than sitting. He played zero traditional songs and a lot of cool mashups that were fun to dance too. We did give him a playlist but told him he had free reign pretty much. The DJ came and met me at the Casita so we could chat briefly about the music and our first dance. It was a mix of current songs, a few awesome throwbacks, and 1-2 songs for the older folks like ACDC, Shout. All in all so happy we had the DJ.

There is apparently a place that is being renovated that can be used as a pumping/nursing station that I am wondering I can use. I asked Dennise about a private place to pump with electricity since we have several nursing mom's (myself included) who will need to pump at least once during the night.

We are leaving this Monday! My suitcase it at its limit. We had a shipping debacle (thanks Mexican customs) and all our wedding favors/out of town cups got shipped back to us

Hey guys- Anyone know if there is a place to change? I am going to be wearing a different dress for the reception (fiance gets his short dress). I heard the casita gets locked up and it isn't like I can just shimmy out of my dress super easy.

I know, I just started packing today! Man, I didn't think I would be packing so much, but alas, here I am with 1 full suitcase packed and that doesn't include any of my stuff!!!!

Hi Tammylee- It took about two weeks for the wedding planner to email us back to confirm our spot and take the 1k deposit. The planners are swamped there!