Briggitte

I got the free package but upgraded certain things. We spent an extra $100 for the two teir cake and spent an extra $500 on the mariachi band (they play during the cocktail reception). We had our dinner in the mexican restraunt since we had under $30 people. That was $18 per person including all drinks. If you have over 30 people you have to rent out the reception area in the beach house (which is where they hold the cocktail hour) and the price can go anywhere from $40 per person for dinner to $65 depending on how many people. They have a whole warehouse filled with decor items that previous brides have left behind and items that they normally have anyways for events. So don't puchase anything until you ask the planner. They supply you with everything decor wise you will need so that ends up saving a ton of money.

You're going to love it! Let me know if you have any other questions!

Yes, unfortunately we did have to pay the $60 pp for them to enter the resort. I think it was worth it though! Yeah, before I visited the Occidental I was leaning towards the gazebo also because from the pictures they show you it looks like the better option. I did the site visit with my friend and we both agreed that the cliff side location was the hands down winner. My pros and cons are below (I like making lists LOL!) BTW just for reference usually they put pedestals of flowers and a table for a sand ceremony but I decided to forego both because I didn't think it was necessary afterall nothing can outshine the ocean! Palapa - Gazebo Location Pro: Island Feel with the thatched roof palapa would look nice in photos. Very close to Steak House cocktail reception area. Cons: Not private looks over both the beach and the adult pool areas, when I asked the wedding planner Luz about on lookers she said that in all honestly people will usually stop and watch the ceremony and there really isn't any way to stop them since it is out in the open. The grass area for the guests seating is right next to the side walk, it is also very small. The location overlooks the ocean but is not right next to the ocean. The groom will see you immediately when walking down. Cliff Side - Ruin Location Pro: Very private - there is a long wooded walk way that leads to the cliff side which they block off for you. The ceremony is behind the Mayan Ruin so no one will see you until you turn the corner into the ceremony area. It makes it really nice for lining up the bridesmaids and doing touchups before going down the aisle. Plus I liked how when they turned on the music I came around the corner. People from the beach and the pool can't see you. It's literally like you are getting married on the edge of a cliff in the wilderness. It has a very nice feel! Beach waves hit the cliff. It's totally gorgeous and even though it was somewhat hot the day we got married (in June) the temp was perfect because of the nice ocean breeze coming from the ocean. Can I say gorgeous location once again??!!! Seriously, everyone commented on how pretty it was! lol Con: The Mayan Ruin will be behind you. It's pretty small and I like that kind of stuff but I know some people might have an issue with that. Let me know if you have any other questions!

We got married at the Mexican restaurant and it was very private which I really liked! We had 27 people present including us. My photographers were Feather & Twine Photography based out of Dallas, Texas. It was honestly cheaper to fly in my dream photographer than use anyone in the area (since they did it free except for airfare and hotel stay) which was still cheaper than anyone local. I priced out some of the better photographers in the area and the average price was $2,000 pretty much on par with US pricing and IMO the quality wasn't as good. The food at the mexican restaurant was by far the best out of all of the options they offered. Along with that it was also one of the more intimate spaces. They give you a 4 course meal which was more than anyone could eat and everyone was raving about how good the food was. The papel picado on the ceiling of the reception was already there which I really liked also. TIP: if you do have dinner there make sure order the Mexican coffee. It's a drink with tequila which they make in front of you and light on fire. Everyone really enjoyed watching them make that!

Forgot to add, we got married at the cliff side location which was extremely private and gorgeous. The palapa location is right next to the pool, which I didn't really like since I wanted something more intimate. It's really hard to tell in the pictures they send you what the actual sites look like so thank goodness we visited. If you look through my gallery I linked above it gives a pretty good idea of the cliffside/ruin ceremony space. I would highly suggest you take advantage of the free site visit they offer. They also give you a free 1 year anniversary stay which we are using next year!

I got married at the Grand Occidental Xcaret in June 2013. My wedding was gorgeous and the wedding planner Luz is very sweet and fun to work with. She really took my ideas and ran with them to make my wedding gorgeous. The only thing out of the whole day that I was unhappy with was my wedding cake. It looked nothing like the pictures I had sent them but overall everything went extremely well and all of my guests were very very happy! I ended up spending so much less than I thought I would because they include so much for free with the package. It was really an extraordinary deal. We ate at the Mexican restaurant. I used Styling Trio Rivera Maya for my hair and my bridesmaids makeup. Here is a link to some of our wedding photos via dropbox. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/e4ghrlhyz9eri4j/1MEmxGn7Zt

If you get oily skin I would recommend using a product like Make Up Forever All Matte (expensive but worth it) which will keep the oil at bay all day long. I typically will give extra oily brides a couple of blotting sheets so that they can touch up throughout the night but most of the time if you use All Matte it should stay relatively non-oily.

I actually wrote that article for the wedding chicks a while ago. Let me know if you have any specific questions! Cheers! Briggitte Bloom Makeup Artistry

Hi everyone! This is my first post on here so I hope I put it in the right place lol My fiance and I are getting married at the Grand Xcarat on June 18th of 2013. I've found a few threads on the Occidental Xcarat but they are all really outdated. I would greatly appreciate any words of wisdom about booking, reception/decoration. Still trying to decide on which site to get married at (I've attached pictures below)