Wedding June 2016... Which Resort? Please Help!

[lululuvs2travel]

We are getting married next June, and I am so excited! I thought picking a desitination wedding was going to be easy, and a lot less stressful than having the main event home (Toronto), but so far seems like there are a lot of things to consider.

 

We cannot make up our minds.. I am leaning more towards the Royalton Riviera Cancun or the Grand Sunset Princess... but haven't been able to decide.  Below are some of the other resorts we are considering, and my biggest hurdle is I want to make sure I pick the best resort for the wedding, and a great resort for us and our guests to enjoy.  I was hoping to have more of a private ceremony and reception, but am finding that places charge extra for that.  Are there some resorts that it is included with?

 

Resorts in the running are:

 

-Royalton Riviera Cancun

-Grand Sunset Princess (more affordable for guests)

- Riu Palace Mexico or RM (not sure the diff between the two)

-Sensatori Azul or another Karisma property that allows kids

-Grand Palladium (not sure which of the properties is best)

-Barceló (again not sure which one?)

 

I really appreciate your help and feedback! Thanks so much!

 

-Lu

[acw271011]

@@lululuvs2travel Congrats and welcome! This is a great place for tips and ideas on planning your DW! The ladies are great for passing on their experiences.

 

You have quite a list of resorts, and all are popular with the brides here. You'll definitely get different opinions on them. However the decision will be based on a few factors, namely what your budget is, what your price point is for your guests, how many guests you think might attend, family oriented or adults, your must haves and don't wants.

 

Do you have a travel agent yet? A travel agent will help you with your resort decision and will deal with your guests arrangements and inquiries that will leave you free to deal with your wedding plans. I see you're in Toronto. I know there are a couple of agents that the ladies here recommend for Canadian packages. If you just ask I know they'll pass along names.

 

Good luck and happy planning!

[lululuvs2travel]

Thanks ladies! Which resorts did you get married at or are planning to get married ? What were your experiences? I'm pretty open to suggestions. I'm working with destinationweddings.com, however my travel specialist is pretty much leaving it in my hands to make a decision. Her response was they're all great resorts so it's up to you. Did you have more guidance from your agents?

[calgarybride2015]

Thanks ladies! Which resorts did you get married at or are planning to get married ? What were your experiences? I'm pretty open to suggestions. I'm working with destinationweddings.com, however my travel specialist is pretty much leaving it in my hands to make a decision. Her response was they're all great resorts so it's up to you. Did you have more guidance from your agents?

No I'd say the guidance I got from my TA was the resorts that fit the bill for what I wanted and price. She had some of the wedding info or I had to seek that out myself. She was also the middle man in getting my date booked then I took over. She handled all the bookings, etc.

 

We married at the Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya. It's classified as a 5* but it may be a level down from some of the resorts you have listed. We loved the palapa we had our reception in. The resort is large but modern, clean, lots to do and top notch service.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[acw271011]

I'm actually a Jamaica bride but we are renewing our vows at a private beach club and styaing at the Valentin Imperial, which is an adults only 5* resort, so that may not fit your bill.

 

There are so many beautiful places in Mexico - the Riviera Maya and the west coast as well in the Cabo san Lucas area. This is why a travel agent will be very important to you and as @@calgarybride2015 said, will help you wade through all of the information and work with what you want and what's important to you.

[Moments That Matter]

Welcome to our forum community, and Congrats on your upcoming dw in our magnificent Mayan Riviera, Lu !!!

 

It's such a popular destination choice for so many wedding couples for Good Reason - it's GORGEOUS!!! All the resorts you're considering would make beautiful backdrops for your wedding day love story in photos - as you can see here.......

 

....from our Grand Sunset Princess Wedding Album:

 

....from our RUI Palace Peninsula Cancun Album: ( RUI resorts are all very similar)

 

....from our Azul Sensatori Wedding Album:

 

....from our Grand Palladium Riviera Maya Wedding Album:

 

....from our Barcelo Maya Colonial Wedding Album:

 

Wishing you happy research, and all the best with your plans - cheers!!! team MTM

Edited October 3, 2015 by Moments That Matter

[Stephieee]

Hi! Not sure if you picked a place yet, but what I did was look at trip advisor. I looked at general hotel reviews and traveler pictures to get an idea of how the resort was - its location, restaurants, beach, pool and rooms. This really helped us narrow down our choices, but we ultimately went with a hotel I had stayed at on a previous vacation - The Royal Playa del Carmen in the Playa del Carmen.

 

Anyways, after you narrow down the hotels check out the wedding packages they offer. Some have strict rules on all guest needing to book directly through them and not an outside travel website, or restrictions stating 80% of guest at the wedding must be staying at the hotel - this pretty much only applies if your having a large wedding.

 

Don't forget all resorts offer add-ons and additional things you don't think about. Most hotels have fees when you use outside vendors ( not their vendor).

 

Im doing my flowers, DJ, hair/make-up at my resort, but searched outside them for a photographer/ videographer. Photos are something that last forever and I wasn't going to settle for what they offered. I found Octavio Montes through google and cant wait to see what my picutres and video look like. He was really easy to get in contact with and has great sample work. Im super excited to work with him and have had great reviews in private message conversations with other brides on this forum.

 

www.octaviomontes.com

 

I think finding a photographer was the second biggest hurdle after the venue.

 

Let me know if you have any questions about wedding planning. Mine is two months away!