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@@nancydecoste We brought some of our own decorations for the Teuqila bar. We had pink paper lanterns and small pink seashells and rose petals for each table. We got the DJ service which provided some basic lighting. They had lights wrapped around the palm trees. I 100% recommend the open bar. We did not get any decorations from the resort. The area is definitely naturally beautiful so you really don't need a lot! Hope this helps!

Hey! My fiancé and I got married at the Riu Santa Fe just last week! We had a total of 82 guests and everyone had a blast! I will share some info here but please feel free to ask any questions at all! Travel: We traveled from Philadelphia-Phoenix-Cabo. We traveled first class and I was hoping to hang my dress in that area. However, the hanging area was very narrow and my dress did not fit. The plane did not have any closet either. Luckily, the couple across from us did not have any carry on bags so we were able to put my dress in the their overhead compartment. Traveling with your dress is not fun! On the way home, we put my dress in a suitcase and were much more stress-free! Travel Rep: We used Apple Vacations and I'm glad we did! They had things well organized and there were representatives on site (Amstar) that knew us by name and we could go to them with any departure questions or to book tours. I recommend booking any tours/excursions through the resort/your travel agent. The 2 tours we booked on the beach were sort of disastrous! Check-in: We had no problem checking in. We arrived early but our room was ready. We got an ocean view suite in building 7. My only complaint is that we were on the second floor so we could see the rock formations but a higher level would have had a much better view. They offered to switch us to the third floor but we didn't want to repack and unpack again! There are Jacuzzi suites in the corners of the resort that have great views that they offered if we paid more but honestly it's way too hot for a Jacuzzi anyway so it wasn't worth it for us! About 70 of our guests all checked in on a Saturday and it was a bit hectic but understandable for the number of people. Some of the rooms were ready while others were not. Guests either got a drink from the Sports Bar nearby or went to the pool until their room was ready. We had a welcome bag for each room and also handed those out as guests arrived. Meeting the wedding coordinator/photographer/DJ: Our wedding coordinator was Guadalupe. When we went to meet her on our assigned day we couldn't find her. She said to meet in the lobby which is rather large and we had no idea who we were looking for! Word of advice- find out who you are looking for and where exactly you are meeting prior to arriving! Eventually, we had the front desk call her and she claimed our meeting wasn't until the next day. Regardless, she came to meet us an hour later along with the photographer. Those meetings went well even with the time/date mess up! We met with the DJ the day before the wedding and again had the same issue. We had no idea who we were looking for. Luckily, I had my phone on me and he emailed me and told me exactly what he was wearing. We eventually found him. That meeting was simple and went well too. Two days after our meeting with Guadalupe, she emailed me that she had to change our plan for the dinner/reception. I was sort of frustrated as all the info I had for our guests reflected the original plan but at that point there was nothing I could do. The original plan was to have dinner at the Steakhouse followed by the reception at the Tequila Bar. She told us the Steakhouse could not accommodate our 82 guests and we ended up just having everything at the Tequila Bar (which worked out better). Hair/Make-Up: We had 9 girls total getting their hair done and 4 girls getting their make-up done. They could only do 3 at a time. The earliest appt was 10:30 and I was set up for the last appt slot at 1:30. All of the girls including myself liked our hair. I did not like my make-up at all! However, I honestly never wear any makeup (other than bronzer and mascara) so it just made me look like a different person! The other 3 girls said their make-up was "okay" but they were not really impressed. I also had a French manicure and pedicure done at the salon and that turned out great! Photos: We got the 5 hour photo/video package from the resort photographers (4pm-9pm). They started with the groom and groomsmen at 4pm in their room. They then came to our room at 4:15 and got a bunch of "getting ready" pictures. They took pictures throughout the ceremony and reception and were very nice! Ceremony: Our ceremony began at 5. At 430, all of the guests and the grooms/groomsmen met at the Tequila Bar. Once everyone was gathered, everyone went down to the beach and got seated. Guadalupe came to get the girls around 4:50. We came down to the pool area and were out of sight from all the seated guests. The music then started and we all came out. The ceremony probably lasted about 15-20 minutes. There will be guests at the pool bar watching. They were respectful for the most part (just clapped and cheered at the end). After the ceremony we did the champagne toast and got pictures on the beach. Reception: Our reception was from 7-11pm at the Tequila Bar. We started with introductions of the bridal party and we then did our first dance. After that, everyone sat down and we ate. They had a buffet set up for us- Steak, Chicken, Shrimp, Sides, and Dessert. After dinner, we did speeches, dancing, cake cutting, and the garter/bouquet toss. The bartenders at the reception were wonderful (we did tip them well). We had some hotel guests that tried walking over to our reception area and they escorted them out. The DJ did a great job during the ceremony. I gave him a list of songs and he added some of his own. I think our entire bridal party was on the dance floor from start to finish. It was extremely hot especially with all the dancing! Our bridal party and some guests ended up jumping in the pool with our attire on at the end of the night! Some guests went to the Disco once the reception ended at 11. We just went back to our room which was decorated with rose petals. That is all I could think of right now... if anyone has any specific questions I would be happy to help! <3

Hey! So we got back from Cabo last week and everything went well! We had a 5 o clock ceremony on the beach. We had planned to have our dinner at the Steakhouse followed by the reception at the Tequila Bar. When we met with the wedding coordinator on site she said she cannot accommodate our 82 guests at the Steakhouse so she changed everything to the Tequila bar only. It was sort of frustrating because we made welcome bags with info for each guest and now the plans were all changed. Anyway, I had her announce the change to everyone when our guests met at the Tequila Bar before going down to the beach for the ceremony. It all ended up working out fine. I brought decorations and Guadalupe and her assistant really made the place look beautiful! Our wedding was about 15-20 mins. Everyone at the pool bar watches and they were well behaved (just cheered and yelled at the end). We then got pictures and all of our guests moved up to the Tequila Bar area. The reception started at 7. We started with bridal party introductions, first dance, and then started the buffet dinner. The rest of the night consisted of photos, cake cutting, garter/bouquet toss, and dancing! It was veryyyy hot and our entire bridal party ended up in the pool with our dresses/attire on by the end of the night! The bartenders were awesome (we did tip them well). They had no problem getting drinks or shots for 20+ guests. We did the 5 hour photo and video package. We just missed the rain for our wedding so it was cloudy the entire time. I looked on the bright side though... no squinting in photos and it made it a little cooler (although still veryyy hot)! The rock formations are breathtaking. However, every Monday a cruise ships parks in front of half of them- which was on my wedding day. It didn't look bad but just a tip incase you have a problem with that! I had my hair and make up done at the resort. 9 members of the bridal party including myself had our hair done and everyone was pretty happy with it. I did not like my makeup... although I literally never wear makeup other than bronzer and mascara. For me it just made me look completely different which again makes sense because I never wear any! 3 other girls got their makeup done and said it was "okay" but they really were not impressed. I can't think of any other specific details right now but if anyone has specific questions feel free to ask!! Here are some pics taken by guests... I do not receive my professional photos for another 2 weeks!

@@kalahreynolds We are going with the resort's photographer. I was impressed with the photos on their website. It cost ~$1700 for 5 hours and they make a photo book for you as well. Make sure you find out from the resort how much extra you have to pay for an outside vendor. I actually just decided yesterday to give in and get the videographer! Each time I watched the videos from their website it made me want to get it more and more! Everyone who I've read about getting the videographer were very happy that they did so. We are getting married on the beach. We are then having a semi-private dinner at El Torote Steakhouse followed by a private reception at the Tequila Bar.

@@kalahreynolds I am getting the 5 hour photography package. I am still back and forth about the videography. I really want to get it however it is expensive and the taxes make it even worse! I can't decide if it is something I will look back on other than maybe the first couple weeks after the wedding. How about you?

@@Jc14 Yes.. I bought them from dollartree online and then bought a few extras from the actual store. The stickers were super easy to put on. I definitely wouldn't say they are all exactly straight or in the same spot. I actually did them all yesterday- we have 84 guests coming so I didn't spend much time worrying about sticker placement because it would have taken forever! Regardless, I think they all turned out great and look relatively similar! I did get my bridesmaids a sticker with their name on it as well just for their cups!

@@Jc14 I don't know how to post pictures on here.. the image button never works haha. Let's see if you can see this...

@Lia33 I did the same! The colors I got were red, green, blue, and clear. Here's some advice- make sure you take the stickers off the bottom prior to washing (I didn't for the first few and now need to get goo gone b/c they are all sticky) and don't soak them b/c it seemed like water got stuck between the two layers.

@@Lia33 Hey! I actually got the mixed tumblers and put my stickers on and love them! I actually like them better on the colored ones than the clear ones I got. Also, I think it will be better for our guests to differentiate!

Thanks everyone for the great ideas! I stopped by Dollar Tree today and got some squirt guns, balls, and sticker books. I think I'll get some candy closer to as well. Thanks again!

Hey! I was wondering if you put the OOT items right in your cups or if you had baggies that you put them in first? If so, where did you get the bags? Also, did you include anything for the kids in your bags? We have 8 kids attending and are not doing cups for the kids so I was trying to think what I could put in the bag for them. Thanks!!

Thanks!! good to know!

Hey! I was wondering if your guests used your Wed Pics app? I was considering doing the same but not sure if guests would actually use it. Thanks!!

I think you are okay time wise! We booked the wedding date 1 year in advance. I don't think I had the reception or anything really planned until this fall/winter so like 7-9 months in advance. I would definitely choose your wedding date soon though to ensure that you get the time you want. I believe there are 4 time slots to choose from. Keep in mind weather and what you want for dinner/reception plans when choosing a time!