Where to start?... :(

[clgriffi7]

A lot of places charge a fee for an outside photographer but they wave the fee if the photographer is staying as a guest.  It would be worth asking that question either to the resort directly or finding the thread for that resort on this forum and asking the brides there.
 

Originally Posted by preciosa41987 

iam having trouble finding one too, my main thing is budjet and since iam going during March, i want to avoid spring breakers as much as possible ..i even thought that ganna be kinda tough to do, ..but i have narrowed it down to the Rivera Maya area,..and thats about it! lol...everys single place has its pros and cons..

here are the places i was looking at and the things i didnt like about them that bothered me the most:

Now Jade- the area around it is ugly and i read dangerous! and no nightlife
 

Barcelo Maya Colonial & Tropical-this place is HUGE!!..i think it would be hard to find my guests! and they charge $300 for on outside photographer!..iam bring a friend who does photography you think they'll charge me?

 

dream riviera & dreams cancun- out of my price range

moon palace- really big! just think about it this place has 2,500 rooms!!..thats alot of people...

 

iam not trying to be a debbie downer, i am just expressing my feelins towards my own personal situation. If i could afford it and my guests i would get married at Dreams Riviera! but now iam having to look at somewhere else

 

[anichols8]

Great advice!

[anna524]

Great advice!!
 

Originally Posted by clgriffi7 

This is how I picked my resort:

1.  First you have to narrow down where you want to have your wedding (Mexico, Jamaica, etc).  If you could narrow it down to a town on the island (like Ocho Rios or Negril) or a location in Mexico (Riviera Maya or Cancun) at this point that would be helpful.

 

I chose Mexico because the flights would be cheaper for guests, and I chose Cancun because 1) the ride from the airport would be shorter, 2) the beaches are fantastic (thus why the area because famous), and 3) access to night life for the younger guests

 

2.  Based on personal preference and the guests you really want to come, decide if you are looking for family friendly or adults only.

 

My fiance's brother has 3 kids - so adults only was not an option if we wanted him to be there.

 

3.  Decide what type of wedding package you want.  Do you want it to have a private reception (ex:  on the beach) or is a reception in a portion of one of the resort restaurants what you want?

 

I definitely wanted a private reception where we could have a DJ and a dance floor.

 

4.  Look at ceremony and reception locations at the resort.  Make sure you are happy with at least one of these locations.

 

I wanted to have my ceremony at a gazebo and my reception on the beach.  BUT I didn't want my gazebo ceremony to be right in the middle of everything (ex:  right next to the pool) - so I looked for a gazebo where you can actually get pictures of the wedding without getting an old man in his speedo in the background.

 

5.  Then look at resort reviews to help you narrow down the last few resorts.  Look at reviews from brides, but also look on tripadvisor for vacationer reviews.  Remember that you and your guests need to have a great vacation expereince as well.

 

Hope this helps!!!  Of course there is no wrong selection so don't stress out too much over it. 

 

[Manda123]

I narrowed down to the area we wanted to get married in, then looked at the resort itself, then compared prices for our guests. Having a TA definitely helps.

We chose the Grand Palladium because:

 

1) It's in the Mayan

 

2) It's HUGE, which can be good and bad. A good point is that it has areas that are adult only and 5 star, and areas that are family friendly and 4.5 star. Guests are free to use all areas of the resort.  

 

3) Price - It was fairly priced

 

4) Date of departure - We are quite restricted for time (Christmas break - want to arrive New Year's Eve), and the package fit our timeline

 

5) Bonus - unlimited a la cartes!

 

6) TA feedback - she has had lots of customers travel there and they've loved it. She even had one couple who had a wedding there, then honeymooned at the Barcelo or Gran Bahia (can't remember), and left that resort and went back to the GP!

 

7) Has a very nice gazebo

 

I think you need to come up with the criteria that is most important to you. A downside to the GP is that the wedding package is fairly pricey, and you need to have a private reception if you have over a certain number of people. This was not a deciding factor for us, but I know it is for some.

[eldiexs]

Hola Tawa, I recommend you the Drems Tulum is the best between your rank. still a all inclusive hotel but small than the others,  the hotel is really beutiful and the beach es gorgeous

Good Luck

Diego

[krsmith]

I totally hear you!

 

I had such a hard time too! When there are a ton of amazing resorts, its hard to pick one if you've never been there or seen it for yourself. One thing that really helped was this site of course (wedding reviews BIG time), and the Del Sol Wiki. There are pictures of a ton of weddings at the different resorts all around the Riviera Maya. They all show lots of pictures of the resort itself, rooms, ceremony and reception locations, decor...etc! It was helpful being able to actually visualize what a wedding might look like at a particular resort. And I of course got lots of ideas for my own big day! 

 

Just make a list of what your TOP priorities are then go down the list and check things off as you see them. I made a little spreadsheet of the different resorts and used columns and had check marks in the boxes of things they had that I wanted. Once it was all done I was able to compare the resorts side by side. It was a little bit of work, but totally worth it! 

 

Happy Planning!!

[martin]

Hello dear

Have you decided?

Hope yes :-)

Try to take first contact with the wedding planners of the resorts, youwill finde interesting info there, they have a lot of experience and soon you will know if the resort is for you or not.

Also take a look on the videos in this web it may help you to see the resorts.

 

 

http://vimeo.com/channels/framesvideoweddings

 

 

Best Regards

 

Aida Navarro

 

Our Team

 

Astrid & Martin

 

http://www.cancunwedding-photography.com/

 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cancun-Wedding-Photo/405881376123

 

 

[mandijacole]

Congrats and Welcome!  I had a hard time choosing too!  I actually asked my travel agent to help me narrow it down.  She was able to find out what was most important vs least important and helped me narrow it down that way.  Also, we wanted an adult only resort, so that helped narrow it down as well.  Good luck!