Riu-Montego Bay

[Jwed12]

That sounds perfect. I think brides helping brides is the best because you're getting honest, truthful information.

 

We're expecting about 50 guests, so I think we're going to go with the private dinner. The semi-private is the one that comes with the package, but you can't really have music and dancing at the reception since you're sharing the restaurant with the other patrons. We definitely want a DJ for the reception, so that's why I think we're aiming for private.

 

We're bringing in a photographer, so I'm talking to a few right now, but I haven't made a committment to anyone yet. The on-site photographer looks awesome, but I also think he's a little pricey. We've been offered $2,000 from a couple of different photographers, so I'm going to try and keep it around that. Hopefully, that will include coverage for the day, TTD, and videography. We'll see...I know the Riu charges a $350 vendor vee.

 

As for flowers, I wasn't crazy about the free bouquet either. I haven't really talked to any flourists in the area yet. What did you think of TiaFlora? Were they reasonable? We were thinking about bringing down silk flowers for the bouquets and centerpieces.  

 

You're totally right about being in Jamaica though. That's what I keep telling myself. The wedding will be on the beach. It will be gorgeous no matter what! And as for the reception, we'll be surrounded by good food, drinks, and a beautiful hotel. What could be better!!!

 

Thanks for keeping it going Mrs Hamblett. I'm excited about our new forum.

 

 

Originally Posted by MrsHamblett2012 

Jwed12 - I am working with a travel agent and from what I can see reading A LOT of different things for different resorts on this forum it is not uncommon for the wedding planner to be bad at communicating.  I notice a lot of people say that they worked with a WC atfirst and thent he WC didnt contact them until like a couple months before the wedding. So I guess that is what I am expecting. I have only heard great things about this resort so I am going to plan it here based on that and see what happens! I think the thing you have to remember is that your in Jamaica! There might be a couple bumps along the road but just being there is going to be a great experience in itself!!

 

I dont think we qualify for the private reception because we only have 20 people. So I guess what we will do is just do the reception that comes with the freee package at one of the restaurants. You are able to decorate the table yourself so I already have an idea of what I would want.  I am thinking of using TiaFlora for my flowers because  I've seen pictures of the free bouquet and Im not a huge fan. I also am thinking about using the steel drum band for the ceremony because ive seen a lot of people say that the steel drum band is the best thing they got that was extra. So maybe that. Also I want a professional photographer so I might just use the one that comes with the resort..I dont know ive seen mixed reviews. Have you thought about using any of these extras?

 

There is so much to plan and decisions to make! It is a shame that the WC's arent better about corresponding with brides. This is a stressful time!  But I think that if we use this forum to post everything we get from the WC's we can help each other!

 

[MrsHamblett2012]

TiaFlora seems ok so far. They have send me a little bit of information. I just asked for pricing and haven't gotten it yet. But they have some beautiful creations!  I think I am going to bring those silk rose petals to do the isle with. No sense in them doing it, when I can easily bring that down!  I also am going to create my own centerpieces.  I dont know if I will have any actual flower arrangements. But I saw someone else have like an isle runner down the whole length of the table with starfish and candles and shells and it was really pretty!  So I will have to see wht I can come up with!

 

I just had my first little speed bumb though!!  :-(

 

I am only brining about  guests and they are all really close to me so i ran the month of May by everyone and everyone said it was fne! So i booked my wedding for May 4th! Come to find out the best man's mother is getting married in Vermont on May 5th and he forgot!  So we just changed our date yesterday to May 11th so my fiances best man could be there!  So everything is good now we have a new date but I thought I was going to have a heart attack!! haha

[greatbritain]

I am working with a TA currently as well to get rates and am looking at Riu for around the same time as you, Jwed! I will let you know if we decide on Riu, it really depends on which resort gives me the best rates for my guests as well as the wedding packages. Was there a particular reason you settled on Riu?

 

Originally Posted by Jwed12 

We're getting married June 23rd 2012. I'm working with a travel agent that my parents use all the time, but I've really set most of it up myself. When I was ready to confirm the date, I emailed the Riu directly, and she had me fill out a form online. Then they sent me a confirmation email, and I was contacted by a wedding coordinator soon afterward.

 

I have to say though, that the wedding coordinator has not been great with communication since I've confirmed. She was fast with the initial emails, but I sent her a list of questions about the different types of receptions, and I haven't heard back in a while.

 

What kinds of receptions are you thinking of doing? Beach? Private dinner? Semi private? Conference room? There's so many options!
 

 

 

[MrsHamblett2012]

Congrats! And best of luck deciding where you want to get married!! The reason I chose the RIU is because of how affordable it was for my guests. My TA is also working on good deals and from what i've seen so far they are VERY reasonable!  I also chose the RIU chains because of their wedding package. Instead of giving you a wedding package that costs a lot they give you the option of having a free wedding package and adding on the things that you would like. This is the reason why I chose the RIU.  I was looking into all of the RIU resorts in Jamaica and the reason I chose Montego Bay is because of how close it was to the airport.  We are traveling with someone in a wheelchair and I thought it would be best if we were close to the airport so we wouldn't have to do much traveling!  Hope this helps and welcome to the forum! i am excited to see what everyone thinks about all the different resorts and to see everyone's planning!

[greatbritain]

Thank you! I am looking forward to getting the rates back from my TA but I also wanted something close to the airport just because it's much more convenient for everyone. The free wedding is something I would also like and then adding extras would be a lot easier than some of the packages I've seen offered by resorts that you pay for and include a bunch of stuff I have no interest in!
 

Originally Posted by MrsHamblett2012 

Congrats! And best of luck deciding where you want to get married!! The reason I chose the RIU is because of how affordable it was for my guests. My TA is also working on good deals and from what i've seen so far they are VERY reasonable!  I also chose the RIU chains because of their wedding package. Instead of giving you a wedding package that costs a lot they give you the option of having a free wedding package and adding on the things that you would like. This is the reason why I chose the RIU.  I was looking into all of the RIU resorts in Jamaica and the reason I chose Montego Bay is because of how close it was to the airport.  We are traveling with someone in a wheelchair and I thought it would be best if we were close to the airport so we wouldn't have to do much traveling!  Hope this helps and welcome to the forum! i am excited to see what everyone thinks about all the different resorts and to see everyone's planning!

 

[Jwed12]

Same for me MrsHamblett!

 

We checked out alllll kinds of hotels on the island, and I just really felt that we were getting the most "bang for our buck" with the Riu. It's a beautiful hotel, and I've only heard good things about it. I love that it's all inclusive and close to the airport. I also loved the wedding packages. My TA was really pushing us towards Beaches, but I haaated their wedding packages. I also liked that they allow you to bring in outside vendors (for a small fee of course), and they provide transportation to and from the MoBay airport. I believe its $24 per person (round trip).

 

A friend of mine from work just got married last summer at a Riu in Aruba and had a fantastic time. I know it's a different country, but she absolutely loved the hotel. Shop around though and see what you find before settling on anything.

 

Originally Posted by greatbritain 

I am working with a TA currently as well to get rates and am looking at Riu for around the same time as you, Jwed! I will let you know if we decide on Riu, it really depends on which resort gives me the best rates for my guests as well as the wedding packages. Was there a particular reason you settled on Riu?

 

 

 

[Megadon]

Jwed12, your posts have been really helpful.  I am curious about the pricing for the private reception for over 40 people and was wondering if you could shed some light on my confusion. I have reserved a date at RMB and they sent me over the fact sheets and optional extra's for the free package.  For the private reception do you know if you just need to pay the $500 - $1000 to rent out "Mahoe Bay" or do you have to pay for the meal (per person) on top of the private reception rental?  I am asking because the resort sent me a "fact sheet" on top of the wedding package documents that shows the steakhouse being free for 20 - 50 people and $19 pp for 50-150 people.  The wedding sheets don't refer to the fact sheet, thus the confusion on what is included in the wedding package. 

 

I am comparing RMB to Iberostar Rose Hall Beach, and the decision is resting on this one question.  We've moved up our date from February to December to get a better hotel rate, and I am finding that the posts and threads on this site are more reliable and speedy than the wedding coordinators!  Thank's everyone for their posts and willingness to share information!

[Jwed12]

Yay! I'm glad you're finding the posts helpful. I've found that us brides are a lot more on top of things and willing to help then some of the resort people. The Mahoe Bay private reception will be $1,000 on top of your wedding package. We're getting the Caprice package which is $2,365 I believe. With Mahoe Bay, it will come to $3,365. The steakhouse menu comes included in the $1000 dollars. If you want the beach bar-b-que menu, it will be an extra $55 per person.

 

I saw where it says $19 per person as well, and, to be honest, I really don't know what that's for! I know it doesn't cost anything to eat at the restaurant on a regular night. They just recommend that you make reservations. For the private reception, it's $55 per person.
 

Although, now that I look at the fact sheet again, it seems like maybe the $19 is if you reserve the steakhouse for a conference or something. For a wedding, it's going to be more though. I have the steakhouse menu and the bar-b-que menu if you want to see them. PM me your email, and I'll email it to you. The steakhouse menu isn't bad, but the bar-b-que definitely looks more classy. I don't know if it's $55 dollars worth of classy though....

 

Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by Megadon 

Jwed12, your posts have been really helpful.  I am curious about the pricing for the private reception for over 40 people and was wondering if you could shed some light on my confusion. I have reserved a date at RMB and they sent me over the fact sheets and optional extra's for the free package.  For the private reception do you know if you just need to pay the $500 - $1000 to rent out "Mahoe Bay" or do you have to pay for the meal (per person) on top of the private reception rental?  I am asking because the resort sent me a "fact sheet" on top of the wedding package documents that shows the steakhouse being free for 20 - 50 people and $19 pp for 50-150 people.  The wedding sheets don't refer to the fact sheet, thus the confusion on what is included in the wedding package. 

 

I am comparing RMB to Iberostar Rose Hall Beach, and the decision is resting on this one question.  We've moved up our date from February to December to get a better hotel rate, and I am finding that the posts and threads on this site are more reliable and speedy than the wedding coordinators!  Thank's everyone for their posts and willingness to share information!

 

[Jwed12]

Hey ladies!

 

     I was having a really hard time finding reviews about the Riu BDW, and I was starting to freak out a little. I PMed Tammy Host and she helped to point me in the right direction. I think you should check out these links.

 

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/42016/riu-tropical-bay-riu-montego-bay-april-7-2009-review

 

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/45413/riu-montego-bay-wedding-review

 

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/40732/riu-montego-bay-wedding-review-with-pics-4-11-09

 

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/46808/geralyn-s-riumbride711-riu-montego-bay-review-with-pics 

 

They were really honest and helpful. Some good...some bad. The last two are the best ones. Enjoy!

[Jwed12]

Hey ladies, how's the planning going??? Do you guys know how the group rates work with the Riu? I was told that in order to get the discount, your entire group has to book together and for the same amount of time. If any of you have info on this, it would be much appreciated!