Hi! Newly engaged Newbies here!

[shelleyanderic]

Hi everyone!

Thanks to all of you to contributing to such a great and helpful site. It's been so useful already and we can only imagine how much we'll be on here as our wedding day actually gets closer lol

With all the info here as well as a few other reviews available online, we've been able to change our original idea of having our wedding at a small resort in Tulum to having our special day at one of the AI's in the Riviera Maya. We'll keep you posted on which one we choose...we're narrowing it down and have zeroed in on two finally.

[shelleyanderic]

Oh sorry, one more thing. I posted earlier that we've been so confused about which resort to pick. Like I mentioned originally we were going to have it either at La Zebra or Cabanas Tulum but after taking our guests into account, most of whom are middle aged couples, we opted to go the all-inclusive route.

We thought this would make it much easier and hopefully, once planning actually starts it will, but the decision on which resort to use for our big day is driving us crazy! lol

We want to get the save the date's ready because we are having a small engagement brunch for about 30 people in 2 weeks and want to have the STD's with the where and when on the favors

We've made some headway though, narrowing down the options from the Palladium, the Royal PDC, EPM, ERC, Dreams Tulum, Now Jade, Royal Hideaway, Iberostar Paraiso Lindo and Secrets Maroma Beach (whew!! was that ever confusing! lol) down to only 2:

Dreams Tulum (for a bit of a smaller resort feel) and Excellence Riviera Cancun (for a large resort feel with more options but still with a nice vibe to it)

 

I know there are reviews of both of these on here, but I was hoping anyone with experience at either of these 2 places could share their opinions and thoughts with us!

thanks so much!
 

[mandjphoto]

Hi Shelley and Eric,

 

Congrats on your engagement. We think there are a lot of questions to ask your two resorts as you move toward your decision.

 

How many weddings do they have per week? Will you be forced to choose a time or location that is not your first choice because another wedding was scheduled before yours? What are the fees for outside vendors?

 

We answer a lot of these questions in a blog post: http://www.mandjphoto.com/2012/03/tips-for-getting-married-in-the-riviera-maya/

 

The two resorts on your short list are at two different locations. The Tulum location puts you closer to several nice cenotes and the Tulum and Coba ruins, all great for day trips. Overall, Tulum has a more hip, cool vibe than Cancun, but neither resort is particularly close to town.

 

Good luck with your planning,

M&J

[Moments That Matter]

 

 

Congrats Shelley & Eric! and welcome to our forum community! so many brides we work with have asked advice on how to choose the best resort for them, we compiled a webpage with our answer - at this link .....http://momentsthatmatterphotography.com/choosingresort.html

 

here are some magical wedding "moments that matter" from each one.........

 

Dreams Tulum........with more at the album link here...https://www.facebook.com/pages/Moments-that-Matter-Photography/18683524486?sk=photos_albums#!/media/set/?set=a.274981489486.139554.18683524486&type=3

 

 

and the Excellence Riviera Cancun......with more at the album link here......https://www.facebook.com/pages/Moments-that-Matter-Photography/18683524486?sk=photos_albums#!/media/set/?set=a.10150697683169487.415266.18683524486&type=3

 

 

 

Wishing you all the best with your planning process, and the most amazing wedding EVER! here in our magnificent Mayan Riviera! Enjoy

[shelleyanderic]

Thank you for the input. We are really kind of stuck right now. I think we personally like ERC better due to location, the price of the package and what it offers. Dreams Tulum is beautiful too but the distance for the guests to travel plus the fact that it would likely cost us more money that Excellence..which is odd because based on reviews, ERC seems to be the better resort?

 

The only thing holding us back is that Dreams granted us permission to bring our dog down for 3 days bc we really wanted him to be our ring bearer and I don't see Excellence granting us this exception to the rules. lol

 

I think we need insight from other people who have had weddings at either of these places. We've read the reviews but does anyone feel like sharing their thoughts here?
 

[olive0y1]

Congrats and best wishes!!

[Tulumbride2013]

Check out the dreams Tulum thread. Lots of info there. It's def a more secluded laid back area, but its gorgeous, and super close to ruins and the cenotes. I've stayed here before and that's why I chose it again. The staff are so nice and they know your name by the end of the week. Good luck! I know it's tough making decisions with soooo many options! Our wedding will be awesome wherever you go!