Hi everyone - I've been reading everyone's posts for the last couple of weeks and this is really my first response. I have also decided on Riviera Maya (finally) but have two back-ups in Cancun, just in case I can't get my date reserved at our top choices. We are getting married November 17th, 2007 and have chosen El Dorado, Riu Palace, Aventura, and Omni Hotel & Villas, as our top picks - and all this after reviewing over 100 possible resorts, and the details of the surrounding area. The wedding itself will undoubtedly be beautiful no matter where we go - mother nature at her finest in the Riviera Maya!! - so what becomes important to us is the responsiveness and friendly service of the staff, how accommodating the wedding coordinator will be with special requests and changes outside of their packages, how affordable it will be for all our guests, and how many activities are offered either through the resort or in the general area.
We decided to do a destination wedding as a fun and affordable alternative after my non-stop search for a viable location in Phoenix came up way short of our needs and completely blew our budget. After doing a general search for airfare and hotel deals all around the carribbean including the bahamas, puerto rico, turks & caicos, u.s.v.i., jamaica, etc., we found cancun to be the most affordable, and easily accessible for guests traveling from all over the U.S.
I have LOVED all the posts and especially the slide show images of past weddings. I can only hope to secure such wonderful photography for our wedding, as I will love to look back on our special day having each moment captured perfectly. My main concern right now is getting a photographer that the hotel will allow - most of these places won't let other vendors provide services, and make you use their in-house staff - much of which I have not been impressed with having seen those photos on the internet. (
My quest continues......thanks again to everyone for all the info. I will try to do the same myself.
Hi everyone - I've been reading everyone's posts for the last couple of weeks and this is really my first response. I have also decided on Riviera Maya (finally) but have two back-ups in Cancun, just in case I can't get my date reserved at our top choices. We are getting married November 17th, 2007 and have chosen El Dorado, Riu Palace, Aventura, and Omni Hotel & Villas, as our top picks - and all this after reviewing over 100 possible resorts, and the details of the surrounding area. The wedding itself will undoubtedly be beautiful no matter where we go - mother nature at her finest in the Riviera Maya!! - so what becomes important to us is the responsiveness and friendly service of the staff, how accommodating the wedding coordinator will be with special requests and changes outside of their packages, how affordable it will be for all our guests, and how many activities are offered either through the resort or in the general area. We decided to do a destination wedding as a fun and affordable alternative after my non-stop search for a viable location in Phoenix came up way short of our needs and completely blew our budget. After doing a general search for airfare and hotel deals all around the carribbean including the bahamas, puerto rico, turks & caicos, u.s.v.i., jamaica, etc., we found cancun to be the most affordable, and easily accessible for guests traveling from all over the U.S. I have LOVED all the posts and especially the slide show images of past weddings. I can only hope to secure such wonderful photography for our wedding, as I will love to look back on our special day having each moment captured perfectly. My main concern right now is getting a photographer that the hotel will allow - most of these places won't let other vendors provide services, and make you use their in-house staff - much of which I have not been impressed with having seen those photos on the internet. ( My quest continues......thanks again to everyone for all the info. I will try to do the same myself.