A Riu Palace Baja California Wedding unites the setting of Cabo beach, adults-only resort, and the scenery of Los Cabos. Riu Palace Baja California is located in El Médano Beach in Cabo San Lucas and features all-inclusive 24 hours service. Therefore, couples and their guests have a chance to spend time staying, dining, relaxing, and celebrating all in one place.
The wedding setting plays an important role for destination weddings. El Médano Beach can become a natural background for a ceremony, while the resort has some additional spaces for the reception or any other wedding-related event.
RIU has several Wedding Collections that you can choose depending on the size of your celebration and required services.
Why to choose Riu Palace Baja California for your wedding?
There are many things you should know about this resort. One of the most important is that it is adults-only. This makes it the perfect destination for couples who want to have a wedding weekend with only adult guests instead of families with children.
Another feature of this resort is that it is located directly in the El Médano Beach – the most popular beach in Cabo San Lucas. Your guests can have fun in the beach, pools, restaurants, and bars without spending their vacation running across the whole destination to do something. At the moment, the resort has seven bars and 24-hours all-inclusive service. This combination can make destination wedding planning easier.
Your guests will have one single resort to stay in. The wedding ceremony will take place in the resort. Dining and beverages are included in the all-inclusive plan. There are some entertainment opportunities offered by the resort for guests during off-wedding hours.
Riu Palace Baja California wedding venues
The chosen venue plays a significant role in the character of the wedding.
El Médano Beach
If you dream about a classic beach wedding in Cabo, El Médano Beach is exactly what you were looking for. The beach can be used for a ceremony, reception or cocktail hour and it gives you the opportunity to have the scenery of Pacific and Sea of Cortez typical for Los Cabos. According to the current wedding information, the beach has capacity for up to 100 guests. A ceremony in a beach gives a good opportunity for those couples who want to keep the decoration simple. Coastline itself serves as the main background for your wedding, thus, the flowers, seats, aisle decoration, ceremony structure can be used for emphasizing it.
Terrace
Another wedding venue offered by the resort is the terrace for the wedding ceremony. It gives capacity for up to 100 guests. It can be a great place for the wedding ceremony for those couples who want to have an outdoor wedding ceremony, but not standing in the sand. Also, the terrace can be used as a place for the reception or cocktail hour, depending on the venue organization and availability for your wedding date. While choosing the outdoor venue, ask wedding team how the venue is organized for your guest count and what kind of weather backup plan will be used for it.
Riu Palace Baja California wedding packages
RIU organizes the wedding in a form of Wedding Collections that vary from small celebrations to more complex weddings. The collection of wedding services offered by the resort can vary depending on the resort, therefore, it is recommended to check the available collections for your wedding date. Currently, published information about Riu Palace Baja California wedding offers Classic, Royal, Caprice, and Indulgence collections for the wedding ceremony with different guest count and wedding services included in the packages.
Classic Wedding Collection
This is the smallest collection of the resort and it is designed for smaller wedding ceremony. Currently, it is available for 10 guests with the price of $2,299 per DestinationWeddings.com. This package includes aquamarine decoration of your wedding, recorded music, bridal bouquet with matching boutonniere, symbolic ceremony minister, semi-private dinner, wedding cake, sparkling wine toast, romantic room decoration, and spa discount for the couple. This package can be a great idea for couples who want to have a wedding ceremony but not to organize a large reception around it. The additional privacy given by this package gives it a good opportunity for couples who want to have their wedding dinner to feel more dedicated.
Caprice Wedding Collection
The Caprice Collection is available for 30 guests for the price of $7,499. The package includes lavender decoration of your wedding ceremony, recorded music, flowers for the couple and members of the wedding party, private dinner, cake and sparkling wine, and private cocktail event with the opportunity to have a rum or tequila tasting. In addition to that, there are several services specifically for newlyweds, such as massage, breakfast in bed, room upgrade and late checkout, when possible, and beauty services for one person. This package gives a great opportunity for couples who want to have a wedding weekend that will give them more experiences than just the ceremony and dinner.
Indulgence Wedding Collection
This is the largest package currently available for the resort for the price of $12,399 per 50 guests on DestinationWeddings.com. The package includes four-hour private reception with a special menu, open bar, DJ and lighting setup. There are also included private cocktail event with 45 minutes of live music, wedding cake and sparkling wine, romantic dinner, beauty services, massage, newlywed services, and other inclusions. For couples who plan a larger wedding with dinner and dancing, this package will give a completely new level of reception coverage from smaller collections. Package prices and inclusions can vary, therefore, the current contract should be considered as the final source for your wedding budget. RIU confirms that couples choose one of the Wedding Collections according to available for their destination, while the pricing of the resort should be clarified during the booking process.
What should you budget beyond the wedding package?
As we said earlier, the package is only a part of the destination wedding budget.
You should also consider:
- Resort accommodations for the couple and guests
- Flights
- Airport transportation
- Photography and additional photo coverage
- Videography
- Extra floral decoration
- Hair and makeup
- Additional entertainment
- Reception upgrades
- Private events that are not included in the package
- Legal fees if you want to have a legal wedding ceremony in Mexico
- Wedding attire and accessories
- Guest excursions
- Travel insurance
This is the reason why comparison of the wedding packages according to prices only can mislead you. For one couple, a less expensive package may be appropriate, while for another couple the cost of a wedding can depend on the cost of photography, entertainment, decoration, or a larger reception.
Symbolic or legal wedding?
RIU offers several types of ceremonies, such as civil ceremonies, symbolic ceremonies, and vow renewals. Symbolic ceremony is simpler from the planning point of view as you do not need to organize the legal marriage process in Mexico. In case, if you want the ceremony at Riu Palace Baja California to be your official marriage, make sure to clarify this issue before organizing everything else. The process of getting a legal marriage in Mexico can differ from the symbolic ceremony. This is one of those aspects where getting professional help from the beginning can save you from dealing with unexpected issues closer to the wedding day.
How to plan your Riu Palace Baja California wedding
Start with the guest list
Guest count influences almost all wedding-related decisions. Wedding for 15 people gives completely different options from 50 people reception. Once you know your realistic guest count, you can start choosing the right Wedding Collection and venue for it. Do not invite guests according to the package maximum guest count. First of all, choose the people you want to have at the wedding and then pick the package around it.
Decide how much of your wedding weekend you want to share
Destination wedding gives you a chance to spend more time with your guests than a traditional wedding. You can organize a welcome party for your guests before the ceremony or a get-together after the wedding. However, you do not need to schedule everything. Your guests are also on a vacation. Give them a chance to enjoy it.
Plan photography according to the location
Los Cabos offers great opportunities for photos, but the timing is an important factor. In case if you want beach photos, talk to your photographer about the right time of day for the photos. Make sure to leave enough time for the ceremony, family photos, and the bride-and-groom photos. Do not try to fit all of your photos in just several minutes just because the reception is scheduled right after the ceremony.
Check the weather backup plan
One of the main advantages of destination weddings in Los Cabos is an outdoor ceremony or reception. However, every outdoor wedding requires the weather backup plan. Ask the resort where the ceremony or reception will be moved in case if weather conditions make your initial venue inappropriate. You should know it before the wedding day.
Why Riu Palace Baja California works for a luxurious Los Cabos celebration
A luxurious wedding does not have to include each possible upgrade. Riu Palace Baja California offers a luxurious setting for the wedding just because of its location, beach, adults-only resort, 24-hour all-inclusive service and the resort facilities. The Wedding Collections allow couples to choose how much they want to add. For a smaller group, Classic or Royal Collection may be enough. Couples who plan a larger reception will probably prefer Caprice and Indulgence Collections because these collections include additional private events and reception services. The right choice depends not on which package seems to be more impressive, but on what kind of experience you and your guests expect from your destination wedding.
Why Choose Liz Moore Destination Weddings
Organization of a wedding in another country involves more planning than just choosing a resort and signing a contract. It includes travel plans, guest questions, venue selection, wedding package details, timelines, and dozens of other things. Liz Moore Destination Weddings helps couples organize the destination wedding around their priorities. Instead of working through all the resorts’ options yourself, you can have somebody help you in this process, compare all necessary things and organize the planning from the very beginning till the end of your wedding trip.
For couples who are considering the Riu Palace Baja California wedding, the wedding planning help can be really useful in the case of comparing the Wedding Collections, guest accommodations, ceremony venues, reception and additional services.
The main goal of this planning is the following: to choose the wedding experience that matches you, your guests and your expectations.