Riu-Montego Bay

[Emmalou53]

I have pictures posted in my album section of my DIY bouquet.  They need to be fluffed up a little bit, and I might play around with the arrangement and maybe tweak the colors to more neutral ones.  Not sure yet though.  It was really hard to cut through the wire stems.   I used actual wire cutters, as you can see mine are really jagged so I will have my fiance clean them up a bit.  I suggest having your fiance do the cutting, because it really hurt my hands.  Overall, really satisfied with the way it turned out, and even more satisfied with all the $$$ I'm saving by doing it myself!

[Kerbear051]

Hi Everyone,

 

I am new to the forum.  I have just begun my wedding planning and I am seriously considering Riu Montego Bay.  How do you go about securing your date?  Do you do it through the Riu wedding site?  I have no idea how many people are going to come to the wedding.  Can I secure a date and then change the package?  Also, is there an e-mail address to contact the hotel that you use?

 

Thanks for any help you can give me!

 

Kerry

[Emmalou53]

Welcome KerBear!  It is so exciting to start planning your destination wedding.  Have you both decided on a date?  We are getting married at RIU MoBay on June 20-12.  I started reading everything all the brides have to say on this website about their planning.  RMB is newer than the other resorts and so there has not been a lot of info compared to the other resorts.  The best thing I can tell you is to pick a date and set it in stone.  I can tell you that we changed our date soooo many times.   I wanted everyone to be able to come and when I found that even 1 person couldn't come at that time, I would change it.  Then it was really expensive at the time I changed it to, and my FI sister couldn't afford it, so I changed the date again.  Don't do that.  If they want to come to your wedding, they will find a way to make it work.  Give everyone a heads up way in advance.  I mean, if you know for sure you are going to have a destination wedding, you need to start making calls to tell everyone that your planning on this certain month, you want them to be there, start saving $$ NOW, and get your passport NOW.  A lot of people are probably not going to like this, and will only think about how much money it will cost them. What they don't realize until much later is that they are actually getting a vacation out of the whole thing.  LOL. 

Once u have your date, secure it on the website with the hotel.  They will send u an email and u have to confirm it within 7 days I think, or they won't hold your date anymore.  RIU will want your cc info at that time but they wont charge u until the day u meet with the wedding coordinator.  Once u confirm your date, the wc will send u some info attached in an e-mail about your different choices for the ceremony, reception, flowers etc.  U don't choose all of that until you get there.  That's 1 of the reasons they want you there 2 days before the wedding.  Sundays and the day you arrive do not count towards the 2 day requirement, at least that is what I was told.  The free package isn't actually free.  U have to pay for the minister and fees.  I think it comes to around $380?  I don't think it is any more than $400.  To be able to get the free wedding, you have to have at least 5 rooms booked for a stay of 3 days or more.  80% of your guests have to stay at the resort.  They have a photographer that they contract for your photos but I don't like his work.  I hired a photorapher in Jamaica that I love, and will have to pay a vendor fee in order for her to take my photos on their property.  Trust me, it's worth it.  Don't expect too much from the wedding coordinators during the months leading up to your wedding.. They are very busy and take forever and forever to answer any emails you send them.  I found the best way to communicate with them is through my travel agent. She gets me an answer within 2 days max.  I have called them before and got to speak with a wc right away to ask about the vendor fee.  If you are still comparing resorts to have your wedding at, it will drive you crazy.  Riu is a great resort chain.  I have stayed at the Riu Cancun in mexico before and I had a blast. They have activities going all day, and theater shows and a diso at night.  Your guests will not have to leave the resort for entertainment.  If you go with a cheap resort, you will lose out on several restaurant choices, entertainment, etc.  I considered staying at a cheaper resort so some guests could afford it, but this is MY wedding.  Riu is not even a 5 min drive from the airport, so at least everyone liked that LOL.  Your tasks for this week are to pick a resort, pick a date, and give eveyone a heads up.  Ready go.  If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to ask.  I learned everything I know from Jwed and MrsHamblett, they are great sources of info.

[Jwed12]

Well said, Emma Lou! Have you gotten your plane tickets yet? We just got ours last week. It's all so official now. Hotel is booked, flights are booked...no turning back! We'll be arriving on Wednesday around 11. What time is your ceremony? With it being almost December and thus, New Year's Eve, everything feels so close!! Yikes! I finally ordered my flowers last week too. I got them all from Hobby Lobby for a dollar a stem! How did I not know about Hobby Lobby before! It is a-m-a-zing! Everything going well with you?

[Emmalou53]

Yea we will be on the charter flight out of chicago, so we booked our flight and hotel stay as a package.  7 months to go!  It will go by sooo fast!  Our ceremony is at 4 pm, but I'm worried because a lot of people said that the evening entertainment is really loud and will interfere with the ceremony.  I hope that is not the case.  I still don't know if I want the beach or the gazebo.  I want whatever is more private and quiet.  I can't believe you didn't know what hobby lobby was!  They have amazing things! 

[MrsHamblett2012]

Welcome Kerbear! Let me know if you have any questions!  The only thing i still have not thought about and dont really know where to begin with is what we are going to do after dinner..Do we rent out the disco or not...the other thing is music...i just dont know about any of that!  We have not booked out flights yet...we are flying out of Vermont and US Air and Jet Blue are the only airelines that fly to Jamaica...Jet blue just came out with their prices at the beginning of November adn they were $732 per person..Our travel agent tells us they are gonna go down...which i just checked today and they are now $690...so i guess they are inching down...I would like them to be around $500...so i will wait a couple mroe weeks and see what happens! 

 

Our ceremony is at 4 too and I have also heard that...some people say to def use a microphone and its much betrter...soo we'lll see...

 

Emmalou your flowers look great...i think they are perfect for a tropical wedding...I just ordered a couple calla lilly samples from save-on-crafts..they should be here anyday...I want to see if I even like them..SO i just ordered a couple!

[Jwed12]

Oh no! Loud ceremony music? That would stink. With all of the weddings they do, you'd think they'd find some way around that.

[Emmalou53]

MrsHamblett, thank you so much.  I'm still going to play around with the flowers to see if there is any other arrangement that I like better.  I'm not sure what to do after dinner either.  I think we will just all hang out and drink.  My guests leave the day after the wedding, and knowing my family, they will probably spend their final night going out with a bang. lol  Kasey and I have our TTD session the next day so I definitely do not want to look hung over, so I'm sure we will take it easy.  I have been reading reviews about RMB on other websites, and to be honest, I'm getting kind of scared.  I hear that things get stolen, even from the safe. If someone takes my rings or passport I will freak out!   I read that air conditioners in the rooms don't work very well and some donn't work at all, that they have "sand fleas" in jamaica, and they bite your ankles and feet, that the mosquitos are bad so bring bug spray.  I hope Jamaica is as fun as cancun, because I don't want to be disapointed.=(   Anyway, I hope you end up liking your calla lillies that you ordered.  Keep us updated.  Save on crafts is amazing! 

[MrsHamblett2012]

EmmaLou - Honestly I started reading reviews on Trip Advisor before I picked my location....RMB is rated 19 out of 61 hotels in Montego Bay...So I figured it was pretty good...I have read a ton of bad reviews but I have also read a ton of good reviews...It got to a point where I had to stop looking at the reviews because I picked RMB and didnt care what everyone else had to say...I think its what you make it..I read reviews where people are like "Who cares..its not 5 star but its Jamaica..you have fun"  For me...I dont really think I'm a 5star type of person anyways..lol...I am ok with middle of the road,  make your own fun type of place...The one good thing I took away from the reviews is where people said "if you go looking to find bad things with a place you will" So I stopped looking at reviews and I am going with an open mind and just a mind set that I know everything wont be perfect and I'm ok with that!!  But I know where you are coming from...i was nervous at first  too!!  Below are a couple of things I ordered off save on crafts...The fans I am going to put on everyones chair for the ceremony...They can fan themselves if they are hot...I heard it was pretty windy anyways..but I thought they were cute so I ordered a sample...Also...I will be carrying White callalillies but I thought to get some color in I would have my girls carry another color....I think I like the one all fo the way to the right but my next step is to hold them against the girls dresses...The dress color is called Oasis...Its like a turquoise color...I think my colors will be turquoise and pink! What do you guys think? I think they look and feel so real!!

 

[Emmalou53]

Turquoise and pink sounds FAB!  and your white calla lillies will add a nice touch of elegance. 

You are right about the pros and cons, I just hope it turns out to be the right choice for me.