ChiTiff

@@salutvie I actually didn't have a room block, and that made things a lot easier on me because I wasn't on the hook for a bunch of rooms if a lot of people didn't end up coming. The way my TA did it was by requiring a $50 deposit to reserve a room for each guest. We had our guests call her to set that up. I also found it was a good way to get a confirmation about who was actually coming (even though a few people cancelled after paying deposits), and our guests were able to get the best rates available by doing it this way. You can still get the free unlimited events by doing it this way as well, they just aren't technically marked as free until you hit the required number of rooms. You may want to also check out the Royalton http://www.royaltonresorts.com/riviera-cancun It just opened in March, and they may have better promotions available. It looks super nice (and allows families), we seriously considered it but decided the opening date was too close to our wedding to feel comfortable.

@@salutvie I wish some one had told me about ALL of these free items and discounts before I signed the contract! I really think it would have saved me a lot of money, and I would have had a lot more negotiating power if I had done this upfront. As I was writing this, I realized it could helpful for other Brides, so I pulled together everything that all the girls have mentioned in one list. Ladies - feel free to add to this! Discounts and deals that you should negotiate before signing your wedding contract Lomas Travel/Wedding Policy/rate for outside decor. Negotiate for them to either waive this or come up with a flat fee for all of your events. This can really add up, since it says in their docs that any outside decor is $5/per person per item which is CRAZY. I think some other girls got a flat rate $100 - $500 for them to set up the decor they were bringing in at all of their events. Guest Count at "Free" events. The limit for some of the events I got for free was 40 people, but since I have 55 guests, I ended up paying the per person rate for 15 people at each event. Fees for "special" locations like the pier/sky deck. Confirm locations for all of your events (even if it's a non-special location, like the beach or pool). The fee for the Pier and the Sky Deck can be waived since you're booking early Lighting at locations - This sounds crazy, but one of my "free" events is on the beach because there is no where else available to host it. Unfortunately, the resort provides no lighting on the beach, so I had to spend $100 on tiki torches for lighting at the area. This also goes for the lights on the balcony of the Sky Deck. Unlimited Free Events - If you have at least 30 guests (I think) and have your wedding on a non-weekend day, you get unlimited events every day! Free Catamaran Cruise - when you book 10 rooms or more plus a $1200 credit for Food & Beverage on the cruise $250 guest credit per room (can be used for the spa/ wine bottles/ & private candlelight dinners) Travel & Travel Agency Credits Deal for Free Flights: If you and your guests book their trip on a Funjet charter flight, usually the bride and groom will get a free flight. I'm not sure what the exact specifics are since we didn't use it, but I would have explored it more thoroughly. Lowest Price Guarantees: If the price of rooms at the resort drops or there is a sale AFTER you book your trip, get an agreement from the travel agent that they will give you a credit for the price change. @@rtscent recently posted about a 50% off sale at the GRM that ended up saving me about $300 in a credit because it was less than the rate I booked at! "Free" Gift from your travel agent at the resort: If you use one of Karisma's GIWC, you get one of the following: 1) a free brides package (I think it's mani/pedi for the bride, a guest, hair, makeup, and something else?), 2)one hour cocktail party, or 3)$500 credit from Caribe Photo. 1 Free Night for the Couple for every 10 guest rooms @@rtscent - Did you get the $250 credit for guest rooms from the travel agent or Lomas Travel? It's waaaay too late for me to add in a catamaran cruise (and I am lame about boats anyways), but I know my guests would appreciate that!

I will share lots of pics @@rtscent ! For the bags, I made a list of everything I included in each bag. We have four giant checked suitcases, two carry on bags, my dress, Tim's suit, and our two personal items. We managed to barely make it all fit, but I'll be happy to unload it all soon! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ladies... My wedding is in about 2 1/2 weeks and I just got an email from my WC that read like a goodbye email. Did you start to work with the on site coordinator around this time, or should I just expect to have little contact with them until we arrive? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Welcome @@salutvie ! I will say that's it's tough to keep costs down. The resort is usually unwilling to negotiate the prices on their site, so you don't have a lot of wiggle room there. I would recommend thoroughly researching all available promos and offers BEFORE you sign a contract... So many people got deals that others didn't know about and it could save you a lot! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@@rtscent does your TA have price matching? I believe mine does so I'm going to reach out to them!

We stayed at the Paradisus last year and loved it... But unfortunately planning a wedding there was too difficult (they were very unresponsive, overpriced, etc.) We chose the Generations Riviera Maya because they have the same quality/feel as the Paradisus, and a private sky deck! You might want to check on other Karisma properties, I know the Azul Fives also has a sky deck. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@@kfracassi Talk to Nikki! I think you should definitely be getting ALL of the discounts that @@rtscent mentioned (though I'm not sure about the $250 resort credit for each guest). I found the details in an email Nikki sent me when we first signed our contract, the subject is "Your Group Details Sheet". I did just notice that your wedding date is Dec 30, so it's possible that you're getting married during a black out date for that promotion? I think I recall there being a few of those dates right around that holidays. Hope this helps!

Ladies - Crazy logistics question. How does everyone get to the airport with all of the wedding luggage? I know this sounds crazy, but we'll have at least 4 large suitcases, 2 carry-ons, my wedding dress, and a 100lb dog (we're dropping him off at a boarding facility near the Chicago airport). I am in serious doubt that all of that stuff will fit inside of our car (a Jetta), so my other consideration was using a pet friendly car service to get an SUV - however this is going to cost us about $200! Our friends/family also have smaller vehicles (city living), and I couldn't bear to ask anyone to take us to the airport at 6am on a Sunday morning.

@@lauralane I hope your wedding is amazing!

Good luck @@lauralane ! I'm sure it will be fabulous, and all of us can't wait to hear about it. @@girlinthecity97 You've also been my wedding angel and are frequently discussed in our house! It's actually pretty funny, you're like family.

@@girlinthecity97 Thank you for answering all of my questions so thoroughly! I feel reassured and a LOT clearer on my random crazy lady concerns and will be following up with WC about some things. I think it's time to just have a glass a wine and relax!

@@girlinthecity97 You have been MORE than helpful, thank you! On the Sky Deck thing - my WC assures me that we can have the ceremony and dinner completely set up at the same time without an issue (but you are making me question this). Because of this, we chose to just have everyone stay at the roofdeck for cocktail hour. But instead of having to pay for an extra cocktail hour, we chose to make our reception 3 hours, and took the time for the cocktail hour out of the 4 hours that was alotted for the reception anyways. Ok, BIG Question - BUGS? ON THE SKY DECK? On the pier? Please elaborate. My FH and I are both terrified of creepy crawlers (we make a wonderful pair when there is a spider in the house). I also heard a horror story about a friend's DW and a mosquito attack, so I'm a little on edge about this issue. Our ceremony is at 6pm, sunset is at 7pm. I'm also now a bit worried that it might be too chilly up there at night, but I'm not sure if that can be helped at this point (because the Pier is already booked for another wedding). Ok thank you, again!

@@girlinthecity97 First - well done! Everything looked amazing, you looked gorgeous, and I'm so happy for you! I had some questions that maybe you can answer... so sorry for the onslaught, it looks like we're going to harrass you! How many guests did you have? We're at 60, which is kind of big for a DW. Officiant - did you use one of the officiants that came with the package? What were they like? Were you happy with it? Reception - Did you have your reception AND ceremony on the Sky Deck? Was there good lighting on the sky deck at night? I am a wee worried it's going to be too dark, since our ceremony is at sunset. Anything interesting about the Sky Deck location? Welcome Cocktail Party - Did you feel that any decor needed to be added to this event? I am trying not to stress myself out about this (especially because ours if free), but I just want to make sure it's not too plain on it's own. Rehearsal - Were you able to do a rehearsal of the wedding? Sorry I'm so all over the place and asking so many questions! Your wedding looked so amazing!

@@rtscent love the cake topper! I ended up making one, I'll have to figure out a way to share a photo with our group! Yay @@girlinthecity97 ! I'm excited to see pics!

@@lauralane I seriously may be emailing you once you get back! There are so many questions that I don't know the answers to, but have resigned myself to knowing. The biggest thing bugging me is the rehearsal... I guess we're going to have to DIY that one! Hopefully one of my recently married friends can coordinate!