SunsetBride

We are planning on having a big Mexican Fiesta party when we return. It will be very informal in my FMIL back yard with the pool but a way to celebrate with our friends and family who were not able to attend the wedding in Mexico. I was thinking of sending a wedding announcement instead of an invitation before the wedding. I would put something in the announcement that if they wanted to join us in Mexico they should contact...me, the TA, a website, or something like that. Also mention they should expect an invitation to follow for the "at home celebration" Do you think this is tacky? Alternatively, I guess I could narrow down a date for the "reception" at home and include that in the wedding invitation instead.

I am dealing with a similar dilemma. I would love to pick the resort for my wedding based on MY likes and dislikes and what my FH and I want. However, I am dealing with a bit of guilt because these resorts are little more expensive. So, do I have the wedding at a more affordable resort so more people can attend or do I just go ahead and plan my wedding the way I want it and not worry about them? All of the resorts are beautiful (Iberostar Tucan on the cheaper side and Excellence on the pricier side - not that much more money though, maybe a $2-300 more per person for a three night stay). I really don't like the idea of my guests being spread out at different resorts so I wouldn't want to choose the pricier resort for the wedding and have everyone stay somewhere else. UGHH! What to do, what to do?

I was wondering what your thoughts are on using a travel agent vs online booking through Apple or travelocity or other similar sites. I got some initial info from a TA but she has not been very helpful yet and I have seen some better deals online. I certainly want to make sure the trip is seemless for everyone going but I also want to get the best deal possible. Any thoughts?

Quote: Originally Posted by lnucks Riviera Maya Brides, I need your input. In the past week I have tried to narrow down my choices of an AI in Cancun or the Riviera Maya area. After much research I have decided on the Riviera Maya. I have about 50 people who will be attending the wedding with kids so I need a family resort. I would like the resort to be close to Playa del Carmen so we can go into town a couple of nights. I am pretty flexible on the dates (I can marry any day but wed in June & July) We are looking at a budget of 900 to 1200 per person for 5 nights including airfare. So airfare alone will be about $400.00 leaving about $500 - 800 to spend on the AI resort for 5 nights. I am looking at the RIU Palace Riviera Maya, RIU palace Mexico, and Iberostar Tucan. (I would love the Occidental, but my neices and nephews want the ocean to connect to the hotel so they can play in the big waves) : ) Are there any other AI family resorts that you can think of that are close to Playa del Carmen besides these three? What are your thoughts on these 3 places? Do you think I can stay at these places for $500-800 (per person) for five nights? Do they give discounts for kids to stay? Let me know your thoughts! Thanks : ) I just got onto this forum and saw your post from Dec - have you made a decision on the resort for your wedding. These are the exact same resorts I am considering for my wedding in May 07. I want to make sure it is affordable for my guests but I also want it to be absolutely beautiful and stress-free for my wedding. I am quite interested to hear what you have decided or found out at this point

Hello everyone! I am new to the forum and have found it to be very useful so far. I got engaged in November 06 and we want to get married in May 07. My fiance and I originally thought we would have a traditional wedding in Philadelphia but quickly decided to do the destination wedding thing after a painful month of checking out reception venues and finding that they did not have the dates available we wanted or that it was out of our budget or the food was aweful, etc. Since we have decided to have a short engagement, a destination wedding seemed like a great idea. Although I expect there to be some frustrations with a destination wedding, I am hopeful that it will be much less stressful and absolutely beautiful. We have not chosen our final destination, but we are leaning toward Riu Palace Mexico right now. It seems to be a pretty good deal for the money and from the information I have read and the pics I have seen, it seems to be a great resort all around. The other resort we are considering is Iberostar Tucan. Has anyone had any experience with this resort or info they would like to share? We plan on taking our parents and best friends with us and sending invites to another 80 guests or so. We are trying to keep the price of the vacation pretty reasonable so our invited guests are more like to join us. I am confused on how to negotiate rates for an unknown number of rooms though. What have other people done with this? Do the resorts block off a certain number of rooms for your potential guests? I have 4 months to go, so any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated! Wish me luck!