2012 Riu Sante Fe Brides

[golden011]

So from reading all the advice, I went online to the Riu site and booked the day and time for our wedding (4-5). How long does it take to hear from a wedding planner to ask questions?....as I chose the free package and want to know if that is the best option for what I would like

[tiffanylauren]

That's a good time.  We had ours at 4:00 as well It honestly took me awhile to hear from a wedding coordinator and it sometimes gets frustrating but just keep in mind how many weddings they do a day/week/ etc so they are very busy... it is hard not to freak out but rest assure, everything comes out perfectly! 

 

I actually am not sure how long it took for the person to contact me after I reserved... it will be two different people who contact you.  The lady who contacted me first was Sakura and she was in group sales I believe and then there is your wedding coordinator who will contact you later on.  I recommend you just ask the person who contacts you first as many questions as she can answer (I knew she got tired of me) I chose the Royal package and it was a great chocie!

[emk415]

Thank you so much for all the advice! It is so helpful to hear from someone who's actually gone through the process! I think I am definitely going to go with this resort - I can't pick a date yet as they don't have 2014 dates available yet.  You mentioned you had a rehearsal dinner, did you actually do a rehearsal of the ceremony?  And did you do a Civil Ceremony or a Religious Ceremony? We were thinking about getting married in the US first and then going and having just the religious ceremony I believe.  Also, did you go through a travel agent to help book your rooms all together? Or can you request this from the wedding/event planner? I think I will probably go with the Royal package as well, it doesn't seem like you get that much for in the Caprice package for the cost.  I feel like it is going to be sooo hard to wait until right before the wedding to plan everything with the wedding coordinator... it is so great to hear how they took care of everything for you and that you had such a great experience! 

[tiffanylauren]

There is no rehearsal which was a little stressful but they told everyone what to do before the wedding and it turned out just fine we got married in the US before and then just did the religious ceremony down there. It was more expensive to do the civil and we wanted our vows to be said in English and I don't believe they are in the civil ceremon (at least they weren't w my friends) also, wasn't too fond of getting my blood taken hehe. I highly recommend your guests using a ravel agent. We didn't use ours for us specifically but it was so comforting knowing they were going to be take care of and all on the same flights or sometime around there and also their transportation was booked. Just makes it less stressful on you let me know if you have anymore questions. The Royal package was perfect. I had originally picke the Caprice but changed bc I agree with you, not much for the price increase.

[kerri85]

Hi Ladies,

 

I just got back from my wedding at the Riu Santa Fe (was held on January 17, 2013) and wanted to pass along some information on hair and makeup.  I was originally torn between paying the extra to use Suzanne Morel outside of the resort, so I decided to use the on-site Renova Spa.  I booked a trial for my hair and had it done two days before the wedding day.  I cannot express how disappointed I was.  The esthetician was very nice, but very limited English, and just did not have the skills required to give me what I was asking for.  I was using a style that Taylor Swift had used, and brought multiple photos of the style to capture all angles so that she could see exactly what I wanted.  Throughout the appointment, I kept asking her try change things to make it look more like the photos I brought, but no matter what she tried it just did not look anything like what I was asking for.  For the rest of the evening I was panicking because I knew I would not be happy on my wedding day if I used their services.  I frantically ran to the sports bar the following morning to use their internet to send Suzanne Morel's spa an email to see if they had any availability.  I knew I was taking a shot in the dark seeing as my wedding was the next day, but at this point I would have done anything!  All I had stated in the email was that I was staying at the Riu Santa Fe, and Suzanne Morel herself took the time to contact the resort and use my name to find out my room number.  I was delighted when the phone rang and she was on the other end!  Thankfully, she was able to get me in for 11:30 the morning of my wedding. 

 

So, my photographer and I took a taxi to her salon the next morning (only an $8USD ride) and had the wonderful Melissa greet us upon arrival.  Melissa was very attentive to what I was asking for, and translated everything to the stylist that was doing my hair and makeup.  I cannot express how happy I was with the service there - constantly checking to see if we needed anything to drink, etc, and even offering to go to the store to pick us up chocolate treats if we wanted!  Melissa routinely checked in on us to make sure that everything was going how I wanted and to see if anything with my hair or makeup needed to be changed.  Right from the moment I sat down though, I knew that the stylist was an expert and I put all my trust in her hands.  She had set my hair to curl, and turned me away from the mirror to do my makeup.  Once she turned me around, all I could say was WOW! and found it very hard to hold back the tears!  She had given me exactly what I had asked for.  I don't usually wear a lot of makeup, so I had asked for something natural looking.  My skin looked flawless, yet I felt like I was not wearing any foundation at all (I should point out that all MAC cosmetics were used).  Then the curls were taken out and she got started on my style.  Again, I put all my trust in her and it more than paid off.  I can honestly say that I left there looking even better than I had ever dreamed of.

 

During the appointment, Suzanne even called the spa to talk to me to make sure that everything was going ok, and to see if there was anything that I wanted done differently.  I could not have been more impressed with this personal service!

 

I cannot thank Suzanne Morel enough for her efforts in contacting me and for fitting me in on such short notice.  I recommend her salon in a heart beat to any bride getting married in Cabo.  In the end, I didn't even pay much more than I had at the salon at the resort, but the difference in experience level of the stylists is well worth any extra penny I spent!

 

Hope this helps you ladies if you were looking into using the spa at the resort and were not sure.  Any questions you may have, feel free to message me.

 

Good luck with your planning!
 

[adritorres]

Hello Ladies!

 

We are booking our wedding at the Riu for this oct 2013, my fiancee is concerned about the resort since weve never stayed at the Riu..did you guys enjoy your experience? What was the feel of the resort? How was the food and service?

 

Also we were thinking of doing a semi-private dinner and maybe adding a cocktail hour, did any of you do this or did you just go with the semi private dinner that was included?

 

I was told we had to have 50 in order to avoid doing a private party, how strict are they about the numbers? I am just concerned we may have a few over the 50 however we are going to try our best to keep the numbers below 50!

 

Did anyone do any research for local photographers in the area?

 

Did they allow you to book a large reservation for a rehersal dinner? Also our wedding time is at 4pm, how did the wedding day schedule of events go?

 

Any other tips, advice?

 

Thanks to anyone who can advise!!

[Melissa015]

Hey ladies! I just got back from my wedding in Cabo, I have to say I am a little confused on how many ladies were happy with their experience with then RIU because mine was horrible. I booked a wedding there because of how great the prices were but two month before my wedding they changed the pricing and other details of my wedding including moving the dinner from 7 to 8pm. I did not want my guests sitting around for hours so finally after a lot of frustration we moved our wedding to the Sunset Da Mona Lisa only 45 days before our wedding. Yes it was more expensive but it was amazing! Extremely private and with breathtaking views. We had 60 people attend our wedding and I am so happy that we changed locations. We had many guests tell us it was the best wedding they have ever attended. We still stayed at the RIU and had our rehearsal and dinner there. We had the rehearsal on the beach at the RIU where they have all their wedding. We had chairs setup so people at the pool thought we were actually having a wedding. The ceremony space is between a massage tent and a chain link fence. People were yelling from the pool above to my now husband saying "don't do it she'll destroy your life". Tons of drunk people are overlooking the ceremony from the pool watching. Even though it was just my rehearsal i was so mortified. I couldnt wait to show my friends and family where we were actually getting married. People were selling stuff were 15 feet away. I dont mean to be harsh and the Riu might be perfect for some brides but I had to tell my full experience. My husband and I have been together for 7 years and I wanted our wedding to be special, private and amazing. The Riu has up to 3 wedding a day and our location will only allow one. It was an ok place for my guests to stay. I also didn't like how you had to use the RIUs vendors or pay a $300 fee. All of my vendors were also amazing, we had a cigar bar which was a huge hit. My family got their hair done at the Hilton and they had great pricing. They have an amazing spa so they also got full access to that. Our wedding planner was Coca which I found from our flower shop los cabos flowers. We did most of our own flowers and they sold us all the stems. We got hand blown glass vases from Baja glass blown art shop in San Jose. They gave us great pricing and made them custom with the colors of our wedding. We then gave them away to family who loved them! I would be happy to give any bride more information. Thanks!

[tiffanylauren]

I did love my experience but you ladies may want to take in account that I had mine almost a year ago.. I know wedding coordinators have changed since then which can affect your whole wedding. As far as people from the pool, yes, I did have people watching but everyone that watched mine was very well behaved so I guess it depends on which crowd you get.

[RNtoBe]

Originally Posted by Melissa015 

 

Hey ladies!

 

I just got back from my wedding in Cabo, I have to say I am a little confused on how many ladies were happy with their experience with then RIU because mine was horrible. I booked a wedding there because of how great the prices were but two month before my wedding they changed the pricing and other details of my wedding including moving the dinner from 7 to 8pm. I did not want my guests sitting around for hours so finally after a lot of frustration we moved our wedding to the Sunset Da Mona Lisa only 45 days before our wedding. Yes it was more expensive but it was amazing! Extremely private and with breathtaking views. We had 60 people attend our wedding and I am so happy that we changed locations. We had many guests tell us it was the best wedding they have ever attended.

 

We still stayed at the RIU and had our rehearsal and dinner there. We had the rehearsal on the beach at the RIU where they have all their wedding. We had chairs setup so people at the pool thought we were actually having a wedding. The ceremony space is between a massage tent and a chain link fence. People were yelling from the pool above to my now husband saying "don't do it she'll destroy your life". Tons of drunk people are overlooking the ceremony from the pool watching. Even though it was just my rehearsal i was so mortified. I couldnt wait to show my friends and family where we were actually getting married. People were selling stuff were 15 feet away. I dont mean to be harsh and the Riu might be perfect for some brides but I had to tell my full experience. My husband and I have been together for 7 years and I wanted our wedding to be special, private and amazing. The Riu has up to 3 wedding a day and our location will only allow one. It was an ok place for my guests to stay.

 

I also didn't like how you had to use the RIUs vendors or pay a $300 fee. All of my vendors were also amazing, we had a cigar bar which was a huge hit. My family got their hair done at the Hilton and they had great pricing. They have an amazing spa so they also got full access to that. Our wedding planner was Coca which I found from our flower shop los cabos flowers. We did most of our own flowers and they sold us all the stems. We got hand blown glass vases from Baja glass blown art shop in San Jose. They gave us great pricing and made them custom with the colors of our wedding. We then gave them away to family who loved them! I would be happy to give any bride more information.

 

Thanks!

Was your wedding booked at the Riu Palace or Riu Sante Fe? From my understanding there is a big difference between the two in regards to weddings etc

[Melissa015]

The Santa Fe, the palace would be a much better location. One thing I forgot to mention was the photographer at the Riu, they were great and I would highly recommend them.