Riu Palace Nov 2014 Wedding

[CaboLinds]

Hi All!

 

So let me start off with how excited I am for our wedding in Nov 2014!  Congrats to all of you as well!

 

We've hit a bit of a snag as of today and my FI is trying to calm me down but I need some ladies perspective !

 

So we decided on Riu Palace back in Aug 2013, because we knew we wanted Cabo and had many recommendations from friends who have stayed there.  We got a quote from Sunwing on multiple departure cities in Canada,,, the rate is awesome, but I also had to do all the legwork by getting passport names, DOB's and CC #'s for deposit.

 

We originally assumed the trip from Vancouver & Victoria BC would be Thursday - Thursday because that is what their flight schedules were this year.  We even went down in Dec 2013 to do a site check (and a vacay of course) and it was Thurs - Thurs.  The resort was beautiful and I knew our guests would love it as well.

 

So after we got back, we gave our deposit for the group rate and we were told the dates would be Sat - Sat from our gateway in Victoria.  Since I had already reserved the Monday as our ceremony date there was an issue.  The Riu has a strict policy that the bride and groom have to be at the resort for 2 business days before the ceremony.  The wedding coordinator provided through Sunwing made me change the date to Wed, saying the resort would not allow us to have a ceremony as early as Monday.

 

So here we are today at the deposit deadline, with 58 guests ready to book and I've organized all their legal names, DOBs and CC info.  I get an email at 10am saying that the airline has changed the flights back to Thurs- Thurs.  This means our ceremony would be the day before we leave.  We are not down with that, so I get in touch with the WC to see if she can change it... however the Riu headquarters is in Cancun and they don't exactly reply to emails consistently or promptly.  I didn't receive an email by the end of the day or as of yet.

 

So before the end of business, I sent off our 58 person group booking deposit spreadsheet, without hearing whether we can have our Mon ceremony date back.  I didn't want to lose the 50 spots we had reserved at that rate.

 

You may think I'm being paranoid, but the RIU has an online wedding ceremony booking engine and literally every slot within the week we are there is filled,  I'm either stuck with Wed, the day before we leave or looking at booking the actual wedding offsite.

 

My question ladies: What would you do in this situation??

 

 

PLEASE HELP!!!

 

 

 

[csho]

Eekkk that's a good question! I wouldn't worry too much about it though. I am sure that everything will workout in the end as it should. Hopefully they will have a cancellation or be able to host your wedding on the Monday anyhow. I know it seems stressful now, but you have a date on the Wednesday and although its probably not ideal, I am sure it will still be amazing if you do have to stick with the Wednesday. I guess just don't stress and wait to hear from the wedding coordinator.

[acw271011]

Ouch. Not fun. The airlines can drive you mad, and it's one of the main reasons why I have said before not to book too, too far in advance. Yes - I know all the things about resorts being full, flights being full, and so on. We went through the same thing but it was only a sunday to saturday departure change so no biggie. But the airlines are notorious for doing it, especially when it's technically "repositioning" season! lol It has to do with gate availability too at the departure point. Airlines bid on departure gates and airports only allow X number of flights.

 

We got married on Thursday and left on Saturday and I wasn't happy about it. Not quite the same I know but I wanted a couple of days to have a short "honeymoon" after our wedding and I managed only one day! What about making your own trip 10 days if possible, or even 8 days? Maybe have a couple of extra days just the two of you after friends and family leave?  This is one of the joys of a destination wedding and sometimes you need to be ready to take some things in stride. Again, not what you want to hear maybe but if the resort can't accommodate a date change, you may need to just hop on and go with the flow! Either way, it will be beautiful and you will be married to the man you love! That's the most important thing!

 

Best of luck!

[TammyWright]

oy.  Charter flights are great because they are cheaper but these are some of the issues that you come across.

 

Usually wedding dates are booked months in advance.  i am not sure, is this a legal or symbolic ceremony?  A symbolic would add some flexibility but with a 60 person group your wedding and reception choices are limited because of size.

 

Can you email the WC directly to see if there is any flexibility for your wedding... i used to email [email protected]

[CaboLinds]

Thanks for the support ladies!

 

I'm still waiting to hear back on whether we can have the Monday spot back.  I've actually even thought that we could take the wedding off the resort altogether.... If I bring that up I have a feeling the resort may also make an extra effort to keep our business and get us a Monday spot.

 

I did email Jatziri at the resort, but then my WC in Canada emailed and said I should only contact her. The head office in Cancun is where the wedding dates get booked so that's where we are waiting to hear from.  I do also understand that its a busy time of year for the resorts in general.

Also, it's just a Renewal of Vows, we are going to get married right before we head down.

[MelissaH113]

@@CaboLinds Hey there! I'm also getting married at the Riu palace in November. What weekend are you?

[CaboLinds]

Hi Melissa, 

 

Sorry for the late reply, I haven't been on this site for a while!  We are there Nov 6 - 13 and our wedding day is nov 10th.  When is yours?

[MelissaH113]

@@CaboLinds Mine is Nov 15! Will be flying in November 10 and leaving the 20th. Maybe we will run into each other! Although I'm kinda nervous about the hurricane that just came through :-/ 

[MelissaH113]

@@CaboLinds Hey there! I'm assuming everything is still on for your wedding Nov 10? My WC said my wedding the following weekend is still good to go. My fiance is going there next weekend to make sure the hotel is in good shape. I told him to take lots of pictures. I could update you on how it goes!

[CaboLinds]

Hey! Again, sorry for the late response!

 

Yes our wedding is still a go and it sounds like everything is back in great shape at the hotel!

 

That would be great if you have any pics!!  I think the only thing that may not be back to normal is the palm trees... they took a beating it seems!

 

Where are you having your ceremony and reception?

 

We are doing the San Jose Gazebo  and the Don Julio private terrace.....