Review of my Wedding at The Riu (NEVER AGAIN!!!)

[bradrick1971]

Let me start by saying that the people in this forum need to start warning us when it comes to bad hotels!!!!! when i visited this forum a few months before my wedding, all I read were amazing reviews about everybody, and all the hotels which now in hindsight infuriates me. Our destination wedding was at the RIU, and I recommend if you are planning to get married there DO NOT read this review because this review is for those who have yet to book their wedding location. The RIU is the most disorganized and messed up hotel i have ever been to, and it saddens me to say this because the people themselves who work there are very very nice, except for our planner and the management, and the restaurant manager who are without any doubt completely incompetent. Our wedding was booked for 6:00pm on the beach, and at 5:45 i was still in the salon for them to finish up with my hair and make-up which at the end of the day looked horrible and I needed a dictionary to communicate with the hairdresser who spoke NO English!!!! Ran up to the room afterwards, and was informed by the front desk that my flowers would not be brought up to the room, but I would have to go get them downstairs, i was like, really?? I have to go get my own flowers? and she said yes. My maid of honor tried ordering champagne for the room, and they responded with you are already getting champagne on the beach so we can't give you more! So much for all inclusive!!! And trust me, the list goes on, and the day got worse! We managed to get down to the beach by 6:10pm, did the ceremony surrounded by a 100+ spectators of which most of them were fat and in speedos, and who had no respect for my wedding. One of them even sat down on one of my chairs. And then the minute it was done we are walking down the aisle and Abigail comes up and says we have to head to the restaurant, because our dinner reservation is for 6:30pm, and if we are not seated we would LOSE our reservation, yes we would have lost it. So straight from our ceremony we had to go to the restaurant for dinner at 6:30 in the afternoon. My Husband went over to talk to the restaurant manager and asked if we could chill on the beach for an hour and enjoy of the sunset and stuff, and he didn't even hesitate and said NO, everyone has to be seated at 6:30pm or we give your reservation away, the man had no compassion whatsoever!!! and by then Abigail already disappeared and was nowhere to be found! So pretty much if you are planning a destination wedding go somewhere else AND NOT the RIU!!!!!!!!!!!

Now...the only reason we didn't stop the wedding is because my mother kept my husband cool, the staff themselves were very very nice and my photographer Jason and his people were amazing. He was there an hour early with 5 other who were filming all dressed in uniforms, suit and ties and radios, my maid of honor thought we hired the secret service to do the wedding. At 5:00pm they were completely setup, and he send one of his people to pickup my flowers, he also send his people to buy hairspray and pins so my sister can fix my hair, every-time I almost exploded he would smile and whisper to me that he's there to make sure this day goes amazing so don't worry, the man is a "bride whisperer" and he was so professional it was ridiculous. The one thing I hated thou, is that he kept making up excuses for the hotel and speaking well of everyone even-tough is was clear the hotel SUCKED!!! When we were walking down one of his employees carried my dress because the bridesmaids and maid of honor were so frustrated they wanted to just get this day over so they kinda went before me and when we got to the aisle Abigail was standing there with cups of tequila shots, yeah shots before my ceremony, and when we told her NO she insisted we had to drink it because that was the tradition!!! so imagine a shot of tequila on a empty stomach on your wedding day, so thanks to her I spend my whole ceremony standing there with an upset stomach!!! at 6:30 we all had to be seated, yet I don't know how but jason managed to speak to the manager and he came over and got the whole wedding party and we went to beach for pictures, and his people brought our glasses of champagne for us, and we got to spend the sunset on the beach taking pictures, filming and relaxing. The people filming made us do some really romantic stuff for our wedding video and I don't know how but by 7:15 I had a smile on my face and I was happy. When we went back the servers were amazing, our glasses never ran low, and the food I have to admit was really good! Our cake wasn't waw but the people filming guided us and it turned out real fun cutting the cake and licking frosting of my husbands nose. After dinner we went up the lobby area and they permitted us to take pictures in the lobby area, which was amazing, jason had 3 lights up and it looked like a Hollywood photo-shoot, and everyone was coming close to see what we were doing...it was super super fun and I felt like a celebrity which in turn kept the smile on my face!!!

Soooooooooo to be very honest, the Island is amazing, the people are amazing...but the The RIU has no business doing weddings and the restaurant manager should be fired, it was my wedding day, how dare he say no to us! And the RIU should get a real planner, because what they have now is nowhere close to be called a planner!!! And without doubt if you are getting married in Aruba hire Jason and his team, they are AMAZING and I don't have the words to thank them or praise them enough and when we went for our picture viewing at his studio the pictures look unreal, like I couldn't believe we looked so good and most important of all...All the people around who ruined my wedding were gone, don't ask me how but somehow he photoshop it and it looked as if we were alone on the beach! Make sure to have a translator handy when going to the salon, and eat something before your ceremony because Abigail is going to force a shot down your throat, and also keep an eye on her because she disappears exactly when you need her the most, and nobody can even find her.

[Andrea J.]

BADRICK1971 wrote......Let me start by saying that the people in this forum need to start warning us when it comes to bad hotels!!!!! when i visited this forum a few months before my wedding, all I read were amazing reviews about everybody, and all the hotels which now in hindsight infuriates me.


if others had horrible experiences, i would have hoped they would have posted.

I am sorry that you had a poor experience.
I am sorry that you felt this forum was not helpful in your choice of hiring the RIU.

Who did you use as a planner, florist etc? or was the whole thing a package deal from the RIU and Abagail is the planner?


Sounds like a nightmare.

Since Jason is affiliated so heavily with the Riu, i am shocked that he tolerates the kind of nonsense you dealt with.

Originally Posted by bradrick1971

Let me start by saying that the people in this forum need to start warning us when it comes to bad hotels!!!!! when i visited this forum a few months before my wedding, all I read were amazing reviews about everybody, and all the hotels which now in hindsight infuriates me. Our destination wedding was at the RIU, and I recommend if you are planning to get married there DO NOT read this review because this review is for those who have yet to book their wedding location. The RIU is the most disorganized and messed up hotel i have ever been to, and it saddens me to say this because the people themselves who work there are very very nice, except for our planner and the management, and the restaurant manager who are without any doubt completely incompetent. Our wedding was booked for 6:00pm on the beach, and at 5:45 i was still in the salon for them to finish up with my hair and make-up which at the end of the day looked horrible and I needed a dictionary to communicate with the hairdresser who spoke NO English!!!! Ran up to the room afterwards, and was informed by the front desk that my flowers would not be brought up to the room, but I would have to go get them downstairs, i was like, really?? I have to go get my own flowers? and she said yes. My maid of honor tried ordering champagne for the room, and they responded with you are already getting champagne on the beach so we can't give you more! So much for all inclusive!!! And trust me, the list goes on, and the day got worse! We managed to get down to the beach by 6:10pm, did the ceremony surrounded by a 100+ spectators of which most of them were fat and in speedos, and who had no respect for my wedding. One of them even sat down on one of my chairs. And then the minute it was done we are walking down the aisle and Abigail comes up and says we have to head to the restaurant, because our dinner reservation is for 6:30pm, and if we are not seated we would LOSE our reservation, yes we would have lost it. So straight from our ceremony we had to go to the restaurant for dinner at 6:30 in the afternoon. My Husband went over to talk to the restaurant manager and asked if we could chill on the beach for an hour and enjoy of the sunset and stuff, and he didn't even hesitate and said NO, everyone has to be seated at 6:30pm or we give your reservation away, the man had no compassion whatsoever!!! and by then Abigail already disappeared and was nowhere to be found! So pretty much if you are planning a destination wedding go somewhere else AND NOT the RIU!!!!!!!!!!!

Now...the only reason we didn't stop the wedding is because my mother kept my husband cool, the staff themselves were very very nice and my photographer Jason and his people were amazing. He was there an hour early with 5 other who were filming all dressed in uniforms, suit and ties and radios, my maid of honor thought we hired the secret service to do the wedding. At 5:00pm they were completely setup, and he send one of his people to pickup my flowers, he also send his people to buy hairspray and pins so my sister can fix my hair, every-time I almost exploded he would smile and whisper to me that he's there to make sure this day goes amazing so don't worry, the man is a "bride whisperer" and he was so professional it was ridiculous. The one thing I hated thou, is that he kept making up excuses for the hotel and speaking well of everyone even-tough is was clear the hotel SUCKED!!! When we were walking down one of his employees carried my dress because the bridesmaids and maid of honor were so frustrated they wanted to just get this day over so they kinda went before me and when we got to the aisle Abigail was standing there with cups of tequila shots, yeah shots before my ceremony, and when we told her NO she insisted we had to drink it because that was the tradition!!! so imagine a shot of tequila on a empty stomach on your wedding day, so thanks to her I spend my whole ceremony standing there with an upset stomach!!! at 6:30 we all had to be seated, yet I don't know how but jason managed to speak to the manager and he came over and got the whole wedding party and we went to beach for pictures, and his people brought our glasses of champagne for us, and we got to spend the sunset on the beach taking pictures, filming and relaxing. The people filming made us do some really romantic stuff for our wedding video and I don't know how but by 7:15 I had a smile on my face and I was happy. When we went back the servers were amazing, our glasses never ran low, and the food I have to admit was really good! Our cake wasn't waw but the people filming guided us and it turned out real fun cutting the cake and licking frosting of my husbands nose. After dinner we went up the lobby area and they permitted us to take pictures in the lobby area, which was amazing, jason had 3 lights up and it looked like a Hollywood photo-shoot, and everyone was coming close to see what we were doing...it was super super fun and I felt like a celebrity which in turn kept the smile on my face!!!

Soooooooooo to be very honest, the Island is amazing, the people are amazing...but the The RIU has no business doing weddings and the restaurant manager should be fired, it was my wedding day, how dare he say no to us! And the RIU should get a real planner, because what they have now is nowhere close to be called a planner!!! And without doubt if you are getting married in Aruba hire Jason and his team, they are AMAZING and I don't have the words to thank them or praise them enough and when we went for our picture viewing at his studio the pictures look unreal, like I couldn't believe we looked so good and most important of all...All the people around who ruined my wedding were gone, don't ask me how but somehow he photoshop it and it looked as if we were alone on the beach! Make sure to have a translator handy when going to the salon, and eat something before your ceremony because Abigail is going to force a shot down your throat, and also keep an eye on her because she disappears exactly when you need her the most, and nobody can even find her.

[Jason_Margarita]

Originally Posted by Andrea J.

BADRICK1971 wrote......Let me start by saying that the people in this forum need to start warning us when it comes to bad hotels!!!!! when i visited this forum a few months before my wedding, all I read were amazing reviews about everybody, and all the hotels which now in hindsight infuriates me.


if others had horrible experiences, i would have hoped they would have posted.

I am sorry that you had a poor experience.
I am sorry that you felt this forum was not helpful in your choice of hiring the RIU.

Who did you use as a planner, florist etc? or was the whole thing a package deal from the RIU and Abagail is the planner?


Sounds like a nightmare.

Since Jason is affiliated so heavily with the Riu, i am shocked that he tolerates the kind of nonsense you dealt with.

Andrea darling, we are just vendors that make part of a long list provided to any couple getting married at the RIU from which they select their wedding photographer and videographer. It may seem that we are affiliated because we get booked and requested a lot, but at the end of the day we are just vendors, and if we complain about anything, you could kind of imagine what would happen.

We tried our best to accommodate this guest eventough the hotel according to her was not meeting her expectations. We have no power, and in many ways we are in the same boat as the couple when working at the RIU, we just have to deal and adapt to whatever comes our way the best we can. I did my best to keep the bride calm and happy during the whole ceremony and reception, and I was hoping by doing the best my team and I could do, that she would overlook the shortcomings of the hotel and not give a bad review...which she ended doing anyways...:-(

_______________________________________________
For all your Wedding Photography, Cinematography & Planning
http://www.everafteraruba.com | http://www.jasonmargarita.com

[Andrea J.]

i understand!

difficult situations must hit you folks every day.

i wish this bride had been able to make peace with the riu .
i hate to see such bad bad bad press.
but, it is what it is i suppose.
being a bride is such a stressful situation, but to have other nonsense thrown your way during the event would make me one of those "bridezillas".

[cindyo]

Hello Rui...you owe this bride something...a free vacation for their 1 yr anniversary...something. If it was me I would have been nutso.

[rob o]

Originally Posted by bradrick1971

Soooooooooo to be very honest, the Island is amazing, the people are amazing...but the The RIU has no business doing weddings and the restaurant manager should be fired, it was my wedding day, how dare he say no to us! And the RIU should get a real planner, because what they have now is nowhere close to be called a planner!!! And without doubt if you are getting married in Aruba hire Jason and his team, they are AMAZING and I don't have the words to thank them or praise them enough

It was nice of you to remember the good and separate them from the bad. Weddings are stressful even when everything is perfect....

[rettie2011]

Dear Bradrick 1971 / ALL

To say i am upset is an understatement - we are getting married at Riu in Oct and Abigael is our planner!

Points of significance:

- Flowers - i think getting the flowers delivered to your room is standard practice - having to collect them from the reception is ridiculous....they have porters! if you didnt have any guests to assist you...would they expect the bride to pick them up like a set of keys on her way out...

- champagne in the room is also normal and something i would want... and would be happy to pay extra for this - did you enquire about that??

- the spa - i have always been apprehensive about what service they would provide....and not sureb what to expect... did you bring any photos of styles you wanted as think this would help with the communication issues???

-the shots - im quite partial to a shot of alcohol but to be given this just before you walk down the isle is not on! even if she gave it to you in the reception so it wasnt so public ... I want to walk down and straight onto the beach not stop for a shot before.... what if you dont drink???

- timings - the amount of time you had between the spa and wedding and wedding and dinner seem quite tight.. was this arranged by abigael?? we have several hours in between ours so hoping it will be ok. HOWEVER - ITS A WEDDING NOT A RESERVATION .... AND surely you have that table all night... unless there was another wedding after you?

-the public beach - we understand there may be people watching - but if some people do not respect the ceremony area, the planner should be having words with them - as a matter of practive - and all of this should be done discretely to avoid stress to the bridal party

Your planner should be with your from start to finish and make sure everything goes to plan. we are from the uk but im sure everyone will agree that a wedding planner should have attention to detail. brides are stressed and want their day just how they planned it.... they give their trust to their planner in the hope that that will be fullfilled.... We understand
its the Aruban way ... but i sent Abigael an email 2 weeks ago and still not had a reply.... im trying to be tolerant but when you see posts like these it just makes you angry. we wanted to get married in aruba to make it less stressful, not more so!

We are paying a significant sum of money to fly from the uk to aruba to have your dream wedding in 12 weeks time....and we should be looking forward to it...not dreading something is going to go wrong!

In hyndsight we should have hired an independant wedding planner as a fallback!

I will be writing to the Riu manager and asking him what went wrong here as i need peace of mind that my wedding is going to go smoothly! I will also be writing to our tour operator.

Your thoughts are appreciated!

Thanks
Kerry

[rettie2011]

ps its ok asking for compensation...but its too late once your day is over!

[gaby]

Jason, I don't think the bride gave you a bad review. from what I read in her report, I would hire you in a second. she basically said if it wasn't for you and your team,her wedding would have been a disaster. she said you were the best thing and went out of your way for her. she bashed the Riu, which isn't even on our radar for a wedding, but she said you and your team were outstanding. from what i read, you and your team acted more like her wedding planner than the wedding planner did.

so all i can say is that from her report, I would hire you!! according to her, you and your team seemed to be the only ones who cared!!!!

[Andrea J.]

i copied the original letter and sent it to the email i had for the RIU.
i also put in a link to this thread and asked for them to review the thread and to be aware that there is a complaint, publicity about it and discussions relating.