Matt Adcock

Has anyone else out there contacted the resort? Rocio was out recruiting, so she didn't send us the info right away. We have followed up a few times since she was supposed to get back but we still haven't heard back. I'm sure she is super busy, and I feel bad sending message after message to them but we really need to put our deposit for our ceremony down so i'm hoping to finalize picking a reception area soon! if anyone else has gotten the info and could PM it to me that would be AMAZING! 

Hi @@badgerbride ! Have you had any luck? We've reached out to the hotel, they must be super busy right now. We will let you know if we hear anything! Please feel free to touch base with us and let us know how things are going for you.

All the best, hope it's going great!

Hi! I am planning my May 2016 wedding, and I reached out to Rocio to get info from her! She respond so fast to let us know that she will be out of the office recruiting, but will get us the info when she returns on Wednesday. I am crossing my fingers this is THE place after looking around for so long!

Fingers crossed for you @@badgerbride! Keep us posted, looking forward to seeing how it's going for you! 

Wow! It's a beautiful resort! The rooms are just a tiny bit ultra modern for my taste but the colours are gorgeous! Couldn't find anything about AI though, but even so, using points for a flight is doable.

The hotel is not All Inclusive. 

One of the things that did stand out during our site visit was that the management is interested in creating very custom and unique experiences and plans to work with each bride.  Focus is on "Experience" and not necessarily a packaged in the box deal.  Seems they are very flexible and have a lot to offer each couple.  

From what I have seen in Playa del Carmen after 7 years of living here, NO HOTEL offers this view: 

I mean that most properties are actually so close to another one that you see other parts of playa where in this property and the way its been designed you certainly feel like nobody else is around you... Its one of those experiences you must live I think.    

After our site visit today....I must say WOW. 


I found that the beach ceremony site has an amazing HUGE hardwood deck for those who want to keep the high heels... they got you covered here!   The salons are HUGE, massive ballrooms (that can be made into smaller rooms, but the decorations are wowwwser)




Here are some decorations in the ballroom

But most of all, the view of this place is so so so unbelievable.  The breeze is perfect and the property is actually designed around a mangrove, so the inside green spaces are left natural in places and they emphasize the connection w/ the nature.




Hope this helps    

@@Matt Adcock the little girls expression in the first photo is priceless. What a great shot. So innocent and filled with excitement, I'm going to show Carla this photo!

Thank you   Kids are pretty precious and every wedding we are constantly looking for them, they are uninhibited and amazing to photograph.  In fact, Huffington Post recently featured "Stylish kids at weddings"... we had a few photos published in that article.  

Cheers

Hola Senores y senoritas...  Matt here, yesterday I was doing some droning around in Playa. 

 

We've been following closely the construction of the new Hyatt Playa del Carmen, set to open June 1, thought we would share some photos and FAQS (see the link to our blog post) about the new venue! Looks like this is going to be a luxurious wedding venue, family friendly, great beach, wedding gazebo and steps to the famous 5th Avenue of Playa del Carmen. Can't wait to share more!

Has anyone booked their upcoming wedding here yet? 

Hello Ocean Coral and Turquesa wedding planners! Congratulations to you all, a lovely choice of venue for a destination wedding. The resort has a "homey" feel to it, we love the colorful architecture set amidst the palm trees and rustic palapas. Great place for a beach ceremony and a terrace reception.

Happy planning, please let us know if we can assist with anything!

Hello ladies! The Blue Venado Beach Club is a great venue for intimate and personalized weddings. Very private and their team will ensure that the decor, entertainment and menu is fine tuned to your tastes. Being a venue that allows you exclusivitiy (ie, there will not be anyone else around!), you have a lot of freedom in your choices, including having the party go a bit later than in other venues. It's a great choice if you are looking for something "off resort". It's a pretty beach, a gorgeous palapa restaurant and there is even a cenote nearby should you like to do a little exploring (great photo opportunities!)

It has been an unusualy heavy year for the sargasso seaweed but the resorts do a great job of cleaning up, especially before a wedding ceremony. The seasons are changing, we may see the seaweed disappear, fingers crossed! I would certainly ask your coordinator if they have a plan for cleanup before your ceremony. The great thing is that even with seaweed, the ocean is turquoise and the sand is white and you are in love! 

All the best!

Hi @@courtneydolan !
Congrats on the upcoming wedding! We have shot a couple of weddings at Villa del Palmar Cancun and we look forward to more. It is a beautiful venue, totally luxurious, we love the colors of the buildings and the architecture. The beach is big and the water is calm in this area, lovely! The weddings we have witnessed used large tents on the beach for the reception, decorated and personalized to each bride and groom, very cool. The tent gives a festive atmosphere, the dance floor, lights and decor to your liking all beside the sea with views of Isla Mujeres (and if you are lucky, a full moon!) There are lots of palm trees and palapas, feels like paradise. 

Here are some photos to inspire you!

Happy planning!

Hi Matt,

Thank you for the suggestions! I would love to have my wedding at Las Ranitas but they are undergoing renovations and won't be open in November which is when my wedding is. The other venues you mentioned are already hosting weddings as well so that's why I am debating between Piedra Escondida or Zamas or maybe I can rent a private beach villa and host the wedding there. It's just difficult deciding when you have never visited the area, haha. 

 

-s

Hi Shauna,

Love the idea of a private villa wedding (this link will show you all our weddings in private villas). Tulum is fantastic and nearby Soliman Bay has a unique venue called "Casa Buena Suerte".  Here are some pics of the venue:

Casa Chic Tulum weddings are intimate and romantic!

There are many private villas available in Puerto Aventuras as well, Hacienda del Secreto, Hacienda Corazon, and Hacienda del Mar just to name a few. 

Hope that gives you some more ideas for intimate villa weddings! 

Hi Shauna!
I understand you are "frantic", picking a venue is hard if you don't know the destination! I'd like to offer up a couple of other ideas for Tulum weddings, some really beautiful venues available. 

Akiin Beach club weddings are great, they have a beautiful beach, a large palapa and a coordination team that ensures that YOUR tastes are satisified, very personal detailed service.

Las Ranitas weddings, wow, this place is great. Exceptional beach, pretty terraces, a pool (not common in Tulum) and a big beautiful palapa restaurant. This Las Ranitas wedding of Vanessa and Seumas is one of our all time faves for sure. 

Cabanas La Luna weddings are the third option I will share, they are so charming and intimate. We recently shot a Cabanas La Luna wedding just for two, bride and groom traveled from Italy to have a totally romantic wedding day. When the garden is set up with the twinkling lights, lanterns and candles, it is gorgeous!

So many options it is a tough decision! Definitely check out as many photos and reviews as you can to get the "vibe" of the place and ensure it matches your vision. All the best, happy planning!

Chichen Itza is a grand excursion, but it is an all day event so some of your guests may not be up for it. The Tulum archaeological site is closer and can be done in half a day, a good idea for those whose guests may want to return early to the resort. 

Xelha and other ecoparks are fantastic, but most likely your group would not stay together. If "bonding" and sharing the experience are important, you might look at private tours of some of the smaller cenote parks where you can keep the clan together, Aktunchen and Hidden Worlds come to mind. Xoximilco is a fun night experience, "trajineras" are specialized boats that do a canal circuit, guests are served authentic Mexican dishes, there is live music, games on board and lots of tequila. Your resort may be able to offer a private group tour on a catamaran or snorkeling excursion, always worth asking your coordinator for guidance too as so many hotels have in house tours that may end up being more economical.

If your guests have a mixed bunch of tastes, sometimes you may offer a couple of options, ie, golf outing for some, archaeological site for others, snorkeling trip for the rest. I do like the idea of doing something as a group though, makes the experience something special. There are SO many options that it can be tough to decide, I would measure your group's interests (and your own of course, it should reflect your taste!) and narrow down the list.

Have fun planning!!

@@JenniferH114 Thank you for taking the time to describe the reasons why you chose ERC. It is honestly all very helpful

 

Is it really only $45 per additional guest and it includes everything??? That's crazy! You are right, I've seen a few price lists and they charge for napkins, chairs, candles, flowers etc + setting up costs + food + alcohol.... I haven't added it all up because I might just decide to elope!

 

Have you received detailed information regarding prices for additional services: music, decor, flowers, etc.? Do they offer any perks such as additional nights / upgrades or events depending on how many guests join you?

 

How have they been in terms of communication? I have yet to hear back from them (or any one else for that matter) and it is starting to get very frustrating   Thank God you gals are here to answer all my questions! 

@@Moments That Matter & @@Matt Adcock thank you for your suggestions!

 

Since you seem to be experts on the matter I though I would ask you a couple of questions. As I mentioned before I want pictures on the beach with the beautiful blue and turquoise waters as the background. However, in some of the pictures I've seen the colors don't translate quite as bright on the pictures and they turn up with the colors being a bit dull. I'm just wondering if there are any factors that have an impact on the color of the water. Is it the lighting? The location? I just don't understand why some pictures look kind of meh and others look amazing even when taken at the same spot.

 

Also, how important is the actual beach in getting those amazing pictures? Is it really worth it to go to a place with a better / nicer beach in order to get better pictures? Or do I just need a very talented and experienced photographer?

 

Thanks in advance, I hope my questions make sense and they are not to silly 

HI @carov 

No such thing as a silly question, happy to help! The color of the water in photos is affected mostly by time of day, the angle of the sun reflecting on the water will change how it appears. Weddings that start before 3 or 4 will have the turquoise you are thinking of, but you will be quite hot and you will have a longer wait time between ceremony and reception. Sunrise light and or morning light will have a reflection coming from the east until the sun reaches its highest points in the sky and then at sunset hours until dusk, sun passes its highest point in the sky and as it falls, casts a reflection away from the beach and thus, less saturated colors. Sometimes cloudy conditions can cause less saturated colors, depending on the photographers method of making exposures. Water conditions and location play a role as well, if there is a lot of seaweed for example, or in places that have a seabed of grass (turtles love it!).

Our Riviera Maya Photography Seasonal Guide has some good advice on picking best times and dates. Hope that helps!

Hi everyone 

 

This is my first post after lurking for a couple of weeks. My fiance and I got engaged two weeks ago and I'm starting the process of planning our wedding. I think we both share the same vision for our day: Closest friends and family, beach wedding, relaxed feeling.

 

We are hoping to get married April - May 2016 in Cancun / Riviera Maya. Our guest list is at 65 people now. I'm thinking we could have as many as 50 - 60 guests join us. Our guests will be traveling from all over the world (Europe, South America, Canada, U.S) so we needed a place that would be easy to reach and would offer lots of options for our guests.

 

So I've been doing some research online and I can say I'm extremely overwhelmed by the number of options and different elements that play into the decision. Like I'm getting headaches from it LOL! So I thought I would ask you to help me make this decision.

 

The following are some of our priorities:

• Gorgeous beach: We want to get married on the beach and I want stunning pictures, also a lot of our guests will be visiting for the first time and don't want to take them to a meh beach
• Food: My fiance and I are both foodies so good quality food and options are important to us
• Family vs adults only: Honestly, I would prefer an adults only resort. Our guests are mostly young and single (no children) and our parents and rest of our family all have grown up children. Not a deal breaker though
• Location: As I mentioned before, we have several single, young guests so I feel like we should be close to the action so that they can go party if they want to. Or if the resort has a club that would work as well!
• Bang for our buck: Because obviously....

So far I found that the Palace resorts offer great perks while Dreams try to nickel and dime you on everything. Any other suggestions? I would also like to do a site visit but feel like I should narrow it down to 3 options before making arrangements for it. 

 

Thanks in advance!!!

Hi CaroV, congratulations on the engagement and welcome to the crazy world of wedding planning! Choosing the venue is the hard part, though fun too! I have a couple of suggestions for locations for you, hope you find some inspiration!

The Secrets Maroma resort is on one of THE best beaches in the world, is adults only, has incredible food and a great wedding coordination team.

The Paradisus Resorts are another good option, part of the resort is adults only, part family friendly. They are located close to Playa del Carmen so you can enjoy the nightlife with your young group. 

Weddings at Grand Velas Riviera Maya are always lovely, great beach, luxurious resort, amazing food and not far from Playa del Carmen.

Happy planning! 

Beach Palace is a great idea, the Sky Terrace has great views of the ocean and the lagoon, gets incredible sunsets and is totally private (and no sand!)

Hello! I'm so overwhelmed going through all these resorts! This board is definitely helping.

I thought I had it narrowed down to the Paradisus but now I'm getting worried about all the not-so-little add ons.

I do like the privacy of the Gabi bridge since I really don't want strangers in the bathing suits in the back of all my pictures! (and i would totally be one of those people if it wasnt my wedding!) 

Has anyone found any similar family-oriented places (read: fun pools, nightly entertainment) in the Cancun/Riviera Maya area with private ceremony space? oh and i also dont like sand....lol yea laugh at me for choosing a beach wedding, but i want to be looking at the beach but not standing in it

I will keep searching and let you know what we decide

Hi @@RJE! 

Choosing a venue can be totally overwhelming, so many things to consider and so many options! As @@acw271011 said, having more information about your needs and desires would help guide you, but I am happy to make some suggestions for private, personal and intimate spaces in resorts (where you can avoid the sand in your toes!) Definitely look for places with terraces or piers over the water, this will ensure sand-free feet and more privacy. You may also consider having the wedding off-resort at one of the beach clubs like Blue Venado (mega private!) 

The Nizuc Resort and Spa in Cancun

The Nizuc Resort and Spa is one of the newer resorts in Cancun, we've shot a couple of weddings there since they are opened and we are impressed. The pier is a great way to have your intimate and sand-free ceremony and the chefs are out of this world (top notch cuisine).

The Viceroy Riviera Maya

The Viceroy Riviera Maya is a really fabulous venue, one bride recently described it as having a "Gilligan's Island, deserted island feeling with luxuries". The pier here will also fit your needs.

Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita

Zoetry is one of our favourite venues, they do a fantastic job with weddings, personal, intimate and luxurious (and a lovely pier!). The architecture and colors of the resort are warm and cozy.

Blue Diamond Resort Riviera Maya

The Blue Diamond Riviera Maya is another luxurious venue that offers intimate weddings on a great pier.

I hope that gave you some ideas. I wouldn't write off the Paradisus Resorts, the Gabi Bridge really is a great spot! Happy planning!

Flowers are such a big part of the wedding, it is definitely worthwhile checking around for vendors, not only for prices but to match your style and "vibe". If I may, I'd like to mention some outside vendors that do lovely floral work, like Maya Diseno Floral, Vanessa Jaimes Floral Design, Cherry Blossom, Flores Riviera Maya, and Planner 1 Events just to name a few. (Clicking the links will take you to weddings with floral design by that vendor). You can also follow our "Bridal Bouquet" board on Pinterest. 

Here are a few inspirational floral photos (you can almost smell the roses!) We notice a trend towards succulents in the bouquets lately!

The weather is heating up and we're enjoying more and more trash the dress shoots in the Riviera Maya. Thought I would share just a taste of our recent adventures, who will be our next mermaid bride? 

Definitely check out some reviews, we've captured some pretty weddings at the Grand Sunset Princess. The gazebo is really lovely!

Hello Dreams Riviera Cancun planners! We hope the details are all coming together for you and thought a bit of photo inspiration may be in order (particularly for those of you feeling the cold bite of winter!) 

Butterflies!

We LOVE the gazebo, but do not discount a beach wedding here! Dreams Riviera Cancun is luxurious but family friendly, elegant yet cozy, we have enjoyed many weddings at this lovely resort. 

Hello wedding planners!

Greetings and salutations from Playa del Carmen, sending you all some warmth if you are suffering from winter blues!

With regards to vendors and response time, it is unfortunate that often the priority is placed on brides that have closer wedding dates. During high season they may be totally overwhelmed too! That said, we have always had positive experiences working with Planner 1 and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. Just send them a little nudge email as a reminder that they are overdue in responding.

And now, photo inspiration from Secrets Maroma weddings! 

Happy planning! 

Weather in the summer/fall months is a cause for concern, but nothing that cannot be dealt with. it will be hot, that is without a doubt, we recommend LOTS of water being on hand for sure. We suggest that men do not plan on wearing suits or jackets, it's just too darned hot. Rain? We LOVE the rain, makes for some great photos and awesome stories! 

If we're talking about bigger storms aka tropical storms or hurricanes, the season is technically June until November, the later in the season you go, the more likely a storm may be. Do NOT be afraid of any predictions for "heavy season" this early, the reports say that EVERY year! Usually with a big storm we do have plenty of warning that it is on the way, days before landing. Ask your travel agent about insurance and weather options!

The month of May is my personal favourite weather month, warm days and nights, little chance of rain, and not "high season" like April.

Here is our Cancun and Riviera Maya Seasonal Guide to give you a breakdown of weather, sunrise and sunset times and more!

Bumping this one up wedding planners, we are so excited about the upcoming spring season! As others have mentioned, choosing a photographer is not easy and involves a few different points on your check list, but we think the most important is that you are MOVED by the portfolio, that you feel the emotions of the events and special moments. Each of us have different styles, find the one who matches yours and makes your heart sing when you see the photos.

How is the planning going?

It was definitely an honor for us to top the list, thanks for sharing!