RIU Wedding disappointment

[Lifes_a_Beach]

We are not long back from our destination wedding in Aruba. We stayed at the RIU Palace for a week along with 13 other people who joined us to celebrate our special day as well as get away to a beautiful island for some relaxation. We booked an upgraded suite that included the external Jacuzzi. The room was very nice, clean and with a great view. We did the Civil and Religious Ceremonies under the CAPRICE package offered by RIU Weddings which cost nearly $2800 which was in our opinion a total rip off. We chose this package because it was supposed to come with everything and we didn’t want to worry about anything, hence the choice of a destination wedding……boy were we wrong. Luckily we booked Jason Margarita and his crew for our photos and video. They were all absolutely amazing and were the only reason our wedding wasn’t a disaster. Most of our guests actually thought Jason and his crew were the Wedding Planners because they were the only people making things run smoothly. The wedding planner at the RIU is Abigael. We will elaborate more for all of you so you can understand our frustration and disappointment. We apologize for the length of the review, but we wanted it to be thorough.

We first booked the RIU wedding over a year ago. We tried numerous times to get a hold of our wedding planner at the RIU to ask questions. Most times, if she even responded at all, it was weeks later and only after sending follow up emails. We even tried a few times to use our travel agent to get answers to our questions. Since we had the Civil Ceremony, we needed to be sure the paperwork was done correctly. After getting no response by email we decided to just call and get her on the phone but cost us $200 in phone bills. Once we got our questions answered and the required details that the wedding planner required from our end sorted, we started to feel a bit better thinking everything was under control and good to go.

On Monday morning we went to her office to make an appointment to find out she doesn’t make appointments you just have to track her down and hope she isn’t busy with other wedding parties that week. Once we found her and sat down to get the details sorted she asked all the same questions that we already gave answers to via email / phone months prior. It was as if we had never spoken to her before. We asked about the reception part because we had a sunset photo shoot planned. Our concern was that dinner was booked at 6:30pm and the sunset was at 7:06pm and wanted to be able to leave dinner to do the photo shoot. Our wedding planner was absolutely no help with that and said we had to go ask the Restaurant manager ourselves which we decided not to do and to just show up late and see what happens figuring it is easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission. We also had a bunch of items to give her for décor, cake topper etc. Part of our Caprice package was to get a “Surprise Gift” and “Couples T-Shirts” which we had to go and ask for on Tuesday when we had to go remind her we needed a basket for the flower girl.

Fast forward to Wednesday, the day of our wedding. Our Civil Ceremony was booked for 10am so the bride had her hair appointment set for 8am. This turned out to be a complete disaster. Not only was the lady late for her 8am hairstyle, the lady spoke ZERO English so she couldn’t understand what she wanted done even after showing her a picture of what she wanted. The Maid of Honor had to go look for someone to translate. With only 15 minutes before we had to leave to be married at the civil, the maid of honor had to go to her room and to get her own curling iron to finish the bride’s hair. Crisis avoided. Of course our wedding planner was nowhere to be found cause she doesn’t get to work until at least 10am. Luckily once we got to the Civil Registry at the Town Hall, Jason and his crew were there which included Allan, who was the bride’s own personal stylist for the day who was just amazing! The Civil Ceremony went very well thanks to Jason, his crew along with Arlette Oduber. The bride was just getting over pneumonia and was coughing frequently so Jason had his crew get her some Halls and water. This saved her from her coughing fits during the exchange of our vows. It was completely above and beyond the expectations of a photographer and helped us so much. We couldn’t have imagined our day without them! Even after the ceremony was done the crew went and got all 15 of us bottled water to help cool us down during the photo shoot. After the civil we all get back to the RIU and start getting ready for the wedding ceremony. The groom and most guests headed to the lobby at 3:50pm in hopes to be given direction on what to do since we hadn’t heard anything. We were told by our wedding planner that the bride was having some dress difficulties and to go to the lobby bar and get a drink as we were going to be a bit behind schedule. Jason & the crew helped the bride out so much by going to the doctor to get her some medicine & cough drops so she wouldn’t have a coughing fit during the other ceremony. They also helped her get into her dress since it was extremely difficult for her to fit into. They all had a good laugh trying to get her into her dress that made the bride a lot more relaxed. So about 2 minutes after getting a drink we see the photography crew in the lobby who asked us what we were all doing here as the bride is already in the elevator on her way to the lobby. The groom had to try to find an exit strategy to get down to the beach without seeing the bride in her dress. At this point everyone is running around like chickens with their heads cut off with no idea what to do. The bride only got her bouquet as well as the flower for her hair upon arriving in the lobby moments before walking down the aisle. We felt it was unprofessional and unacceptable for such an important day. The mother of the bride kept asking where the ring bearer was in order to join them to walk down the aisle but the wedding planner was extremely rude then just ignored her. Long story short, the ring bearer didn’t get to walk down the aisle with the rest of them as he was sitting down on the beach with no clue what to do. None of us had a clue what to do as nothing was explained to anyone beforehand and whenever we did have questions, her answer was always “relax”. Well we would have relaxed if our wedding planner was doing her job. Once the groom was down on the beach he and some of the guests tried to move people’s loungers out of the background area of the gazebo. Reverend Geoffrey, was very helpful and nice. With the couple minutes he had before the bride was coming he tried his best to explain what was likely going to happen and where to stand and what to do. Once the bride started making her way down the aisle on the beach there were hundreds of gockers which was expected, but what wasn’t expected were people jumping in the middle of the aisle to try and get a picture of the bride, as well as so many fat people in speedos and thongs in the background and even right up beside the gazebo trying to take pictures and hear us say our personal vows. Some were so close you would think they were in the wedding party. We had 4 of our guests standing as there wasn’t enough chairs set up for everyone to sit during the wedding. One of the guests that were standing had to go over and tell the people to step back from the gazebo and get out of the way. It was extremely frustrating when we went over the number of chairs required so many times prior to that day. You would also think a hotel like the RIU that does so many weddings would have a couple security people to clear the area of these fat, ignorant rubber neckers. I hear this is common practice at some other resorts on the island that take weddings more seriously.
After the wedding ceremony and champagne toast we placed the starfish that held our rings on the table beside the gazebo and went to get some photos on the pier. When we returned the starfish had disappeared. Turns out someone stole it. We thought the champagne guy would be there longer but once we went for pictures nobody from the RIU wedding staff was to be seen or heard from again. I think it is the unfortunate part of having the earlier wedding time slot. (There was also another wedding booked at 6 pm) As soon as our ceremony was over with, it was on to the next one and they are done with you.
We had no issues with the reception dinner and staff who were all wonderful. The only problem was that we had asked for a chocolate wedding cake and got a vanilla cake instead. Our wedding planner ordered the wrong flavor and was nowhere to be found to ask to about it. Once again it was discussed numerous times prior to that day. Also we noticed that a cylinder we had given her as a decoration was cracked and broken but still displayed. The restaurant staff were very accommodating and let us hang out there longer than our reservation was for. The rest of the night went well.

The next morning we were supposed to get breakfast in the room. We didn’t receive anything. When we asked our wedding planner about it we were told that it should have been delivered because she already talked to the front desk about it. When we asked the front desk they said we needed to order it 24hrs in advance. We also didn’t get any room decorations or fruit/chocolate and champagne that were expected to be included in our package.
The next day we went to find our wedding planner to voice our concerns. When we talked to her about there not being enough chairs, the wrong cake, our missing starfish , broken vase, the overall disorganization of everything and the lack of items we were to receive with our package, she got defensive and started getting rude with the bride. She went on to tell us that “I am NOT a wedding planner nor a babysitter, that isn’t my job….I am a just a co-ordinator not a planner” The bride was upset and left. Then the mother of the bride came up to talk to her to voice some other concerns. She got defensive once again and was rude to her as well. The groom stayed to talk to her about things and try to get some sort of a refund since most of the package that was paid for wasn’t received. He also explained that in the future maybe she should go over the wedding package details and what to expect on that day. She said that she normally just lets Jason and Reverend Geoffrey run the show that day and stays out of it all. This is NOT the responsibility of the photographer nor the reverend because this is not their responsibility, but hers. She said that she didn’t have the authority to do anything for us but will send an email to the RIU MISE manager in Mexico to see if we could get a partial refund. We still haven’t heard anything back yet, so that shows how they really feel about customer care. I believe the problem is that there are 400+ weddings at that RIU Palace in Aruba alone per year so they couldn’t care less about what goes on as long as people keep going there. We believe that it all boils down to lack of care for her job as well as any respect for people’s wedding day. Our advice is that if YOU ARE LOOKING TO GET MARRIED IN ARUBA WE STRONGLY SUGGEST GETTING MARRIED ELSEWHERE. There are many other resorts on this island that would at least try and put some care into your special day.

Not to get this confused with the RIU Palace resort on a whole as a place to stay for your vacation in Aruba. The resort itself is great. We have no complaints about our overall stay at the RIU resort, only with the piss poor job the wedding planner did. The rest of the staff in the hotel was great. The food was amazing and the nightly entertainment was enjoyable too.
The only thing that saved our whole wedding experience was Jason Margarita & his crew along with Reverend Geoffrey who are all very highly recommended by us to make your wedding day extra special and unforgettable….but in a good way

[rettie2011]

Stop the bus!

Constructive critisim would be good for future brides, not a step by step guide to your day and how bad it was… I cant see why we would want to know that the bride had trouble getting into her dress… as im sure she doesnt!

The civil wedding is the civil wedding and nothing to do with the Riu

You must have known the language barriers with the spa and men in Speedos on a the PUBLIC beach... you are visiting a foreign country and its very ignorant to think everyone should speak the english language well, this is their country not yours.

The fact that the bride was feeling rubbish all day is unfortunate but again, probably didnt help matters. Also, how would the the guests know how long she would take to come downstairs... seems like there was a lack of organisation and communication in the wedding party. Again, someone could have picked up the flowers from reception well before the bride came down

The only comments i can see that’s justifiable is the cake error and possibly the chairs..

The breakfast rule is probably standard, regardless of you getting married and maybe should have been sorted out in advance.


People from the US have such high standards that other countries will struggle to achieve that level as its not America you’re in its a Caribbean island. We are from the Uk and although we too have high standards, we also have civility and accept we are not at home and things might not be as we would expect but surely thats why you go on holiday?.... its the reason why we want a destination wedding ...to be different from your norm.

ADVICE - if you want a top notch - super duper high calibre wedding, dont opt for a destination wedding, stay at home where you feel more comfortable!

Its sad that you have left on a sour note...unfortunately, with all weddings – be it home or away – there will always be something that doesn’t go to plan...even if its minor! FACT!

We will ensure this review does not spoil my forthcoming wedding!

[gaby]

its true that some people from the US (and everywhere else for that matter, too) have higher standards than others. but i think its because if you pay for something, you expect to get it. if your job is specific, ie wedding planner/coordinator or whatever you want to call it, then you should do your job or go work somewhere else. i have no tolerance for most people so i would never ever venture to work in a field of dealing with people on a day to day basis. but rest assured if i paid for specific things, then with the exception of an "act of God", i expect to get it. and if you're going to work in a field that deals with brides who by nature are nervous nellies and stressed out, have compassion. it seems Jason the photographer gets it. Every post I read about something bad at the Riu seems to be corrected by him. If he understands what should and shouldn't be done at a wedding then why shouldn't the wedding planner? and if you want to have weddings as your specific function, then the place should get it, too.

but i take umbrage to the fact that the "USA" has such high standards. perhaps it would have been better to have said that people from the US "just have standards". And like i said from a previous post, Aruba is NOT a 3rd world country. It is a prosperous, sophisticated island.

Once again, kudos to Jason. I only hope when my SD decides to pick her date, he's available.

[rettie2011]

I did not say Aruba was a third world country... in fact we've been to many caribbean islands and it has by far the hightest standards we've seen so far. Im making the point that its a different culture and not what you would expect back home!

[gaby]

I agree its a different culture but what would be the point to hiring a wedding planner if they don't do their job. you can make your own mess for free. this is their job. if i'm paying someone to do something that they are suppose to be the expert at and i'm not which is why i'm hiring them, paying them, then do it. aruba is known as a wedding destination. the riu is a major world hotel chain. it is not a mom & pop hideaway. and this is not the first bride who seems to have a problem with this abigail person. every time i see a posting with a problem with a wedding, it seems Abigail's name is right next to it. perhaps if they hired someone who WANTED to be a wedding planner, they wouldn't have a problem.

when i read reviews, i read them all because you're correct=some people complain about everything (and not just americans). i've read complaints, not here but on tripadvisor where they actually blame the hotel for the weather. so i see what their complaints are before i make a decision. but it seems whenever there is a complaint about a wedding disaster, abigail is not far behind. so to me that would suggest that alot of these complaints are warranted. if its one, okay. but when there are quite a few, well as they say-if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, its probably a duck.....

[ctfirewife-mjn109]

While it is so very unfortunate that the day was not all that was to be expected, sometimes things go wrong, even here in the states, I can attest to it, and the goal is to not let them ruin the day in the end.

Jason sounds like a wonderful, caring man and it sounds like that's just his nature. Not many people would go so above and beyond like him and his crew do, in my opinon. And the fact that he was there to jump in and help is a huge plus for the day. He is in the business of great customer service and unfortunately not everyone else has the same ethics he does, another fact of life.

I definately agree that once you pay for something, you expect to get it.


I believe that a review is a matter of opinon and what might be devastating to one person may just be a minor blip to someone else so it all has to be taken in stride. Being a bride is one of the most stressfull things I have ever done (second to giving birth to my son) so I definately understand the frustration and hopes and dreams set forth for the day. I will have been married 4 years this Thursday and I remember the day, all the good (great family & friends) and bad (crappy photographer, DJ & limo driver, ugh!) that came along with it. If I could do it over, would I choose more wisely, most certainly, but that comes with experience and knowledge and you trust those giving you recommendations. Especially in another country.

So all I can say is try to take it all in stride and remember that in 20 years when you and your husband are looking back at your wedding in paradise, try to remember the good-Jason & his crew, the beautiful island, and try to let the bad go. I wish you all the luck in the world and enjoy your new married life!

[Andrea J.]

the original poster (and i am unsure if it is bride or groom)
is from CANADA.

remember, as long as the posts fit the rules, it is appropriate.

one of the rules includes respect and acceptance of different opinions.

Originally Posted by rettie2011

Stop the bus!

Why is every negative review from us citizens!

I think your comments are unjustified and certainly dont constatute a full refund!

Constructive critisim would be good for future brides, not a step by step guide to your day and how bad it was… I cant see why we would want to know that the bride had trouble getting into her dress… as im sure she doesnt!

The civil wedding is the civil wedding and nothing to do with the Riu

You must have known the language barriers with the spa and men in Speedos on a the PUBLIC beach... you are visiting a foreign country and its very ignorant to think everyone should speak the english language well, this is their country not yours.

The fact that the bride was feeling rubbish all day is unfortunate but again, probably didnt help matters. Also, how would the the guests know how long she would take to come downstairs... seems like there was a lack of organisation and communication in the wedding party. Again, someone could have picked up the flowers from reception well before the bride came down

The only comments i can see that’s justifiable is the cake error and possibly the chairs..

The breakfast rule is probably standard, regardless of you getting married and maybe should have been sorted out in advance.


People from the US have such high standards that other countries will struggle to achieve that level as its not America you’re in its a Caribbean island. We are from the Uk and although we too have high standards, we also have civility and accept we are not at home and things might not be as we would expect but surely thats why you go on holiday?.... its the reason why we want a destination wedding ...to be different from your norm.

ADVICE - if you want a top notch - super duper high calibre wedding, dont opt for a destination wedding, stay at home where you feel more comfortable!

Its sad that you have left on a sour note...unfortunately, with all weddings – be it home or away – there will always be something that doesn’t go to plan...even if its minor! FACT!

We will ensure this review does not spoil my forthcoming wedding!

[Andrea J.]

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[ArubaJAK]

I'm sorry that you didn't have a nice experience with your wedding planner. Unfortunately it seems to be the rule rather than the exception at the RUI.

Jason - I know you are a member here and post very often. I just wanted to tell you that you must be an amazing person and photographer and that anyone who hires you on is very lucky and get way more than expected (the same goes for your entire team). You and your team always receive glowing reviews and if I were lucky enough to find the man I would spend the rest of my days with and blessed to be able to get married in Aruba I would hire you and your team in a New York second.

Another thing Jason, you may want to think about adding wedding planning to the list of services you offer since it seems like you end up acting as the planner for just about every wedding you are the photograph. You are a true professional and should be compensated for your skills - tangible and intangible.

[leighfrompoole]

I think that Rettie2011 made some valid points and was showing her views coming from a the angle of a future bride herself.

Posts made after the wedding can also affect future brides and people also need to respect that.

We all have different core beliefs, my idea of a "disaster" would be the groom not turning up, or that the wedding was cancelled. That's just my opinion. If the Riu have over 400 weddings a year, I'm sure that the wedding planner must have some kind of previous knowledge/experience in this field and surely can't be that 'piss poor' as the post says? again, just my opinion.

Someone I know got married there a few weeks ago with the same planner and said that it was the best day ever and that the wedding planner was excellent, not my opinion but a fact.

It is also good that Gaby had a lot of positive things to look back on, which on reading, far outweigh the negative. I understand that we are paying for 'experts' to handle all of the arrangements but I consider myself to be an 'expert' in my field of employment, however I still make mistakes, things dont go to plan and I'm learning all the time.

If I dont get a tee-shirt or breakfast in bed or have to pick up my flowers from receptioon....well hey...who cares...not me...I AM GETTING MARRIED IN ARUBA, a beautiful Island, with the sun and the sea and friends and a holiday thrown in.......

I hope that when Gaby looks back on her photos she can remember all of the positives and that the negative ones fade in time.