I just had my wedding at the Royal on August 22, 2009. We went with the $700 Romance Wedding option. We planned the whole thing in 2 months. We were very pleased overall with the coordinator, the wedding ceremony and reception. We opted to be married right on the beach. By the way there is definately a beach. I don't know why people say there is no beach-- that had me freaked out for a while till I got there.
PROS:
WebForm1 has a webcam directly facing right were they put the wedding huppa on the beach. So friends and family back home can tune in and watch your wedding live. They also offer 2 gazebos if you don't want sand between your toes. The food is OUSTANDING. Totally tasty and beautifully presented. They even print your names on the special wedding menus. The appetizers during the cocktail hour, the dinner and the cake and coffee were incredible. We had the shrimp and snapper. So, so, good. But really all the food at the hotel was first class. The cake was the best I ever tasted. We got the pineapple filling at first I wasn't sure about my choice but when I tasted it, I waw blown away. They even sent the rest of the cake to our suite afterwards upon our request. The wait staff was incredibly attentive and friendly. Such personalized service. The rooms are decorated with red rose petals upon arrrival and again on your wedding night. Plently of sparkling wine in your suite, the whole time. Patty Hernandez was my coordinator, she speaks english and she is very professional. Be specific and you will get what you want. Also, the hotel grounds give you amazing photo opportunities. The lobby, the beach, the suite, the sunset-- it is all perfect. We went with a local photographer in cancun: Luz Maria Avila. Luz Maria Avila
She is very well priced, very professional, very courteous and above all she is very fast. We had our musical photo CD, the hi resolution CD with all 150 images edited (some sepia, b&w) and 150 printed proof album (4x6) ready to take back to NY within 3 days. She did amazing work in such a short time frame. She was able to "zap" out virtually all the bikini-clad spectators on the beach to give us amazing pictures.
Cons: No kids are allowed--since it is an adults only resort. This means no flower girl or ring bearer. The bridal bouquet was much larger than I requested and my 2 bridesmaids bouquets were not what I wanted. The stargazers were in the middle of the bouquet--squashed, and surrounded by pink roses that looked a little bit damaged (perhaps from the heat). The groom's boutinniere was nice though. For the flowers I would recommend you bring pictures and tell them you want exactly what's in the picture or just go with one of their options, exactly. Don't tweak their arrangements because you won't get what you want. I wanted a huppa made of bamboo like in the picture they sent me with 3 turquoise colored piece of flowing fabric. On the day of, they said they only had 1 piece of fabric becuase the huppa was too big...bla bla bla. I only found out because I was able to see the huppa from my suite balcony while I was getting dressed. At least I got my money back for the turquoise fabric ($15). The decor was still beautiful just not exactly what I wanted. Lastly, be careful with the guest service people asking you to take the free real club tour over breakfast. Opt out. Sure you get 2 pareos, a beach bag and a tee shirt but we lost 3 hours of our vacation trying NOT to buy a time share.
Overall, I would recommend this hotel for a wedding in Cancun. I got married at 5pm so my wedding was shaded by the hotel. This was good because it wasn't so hot in the shade but I would have preferred the sun for the pictures. 4:30pm would have been perfect. The water takes on an amazing turquoise greenish blue color in the sun. The flowers were the biggest thorn in my side but they still photographed beautifully. I really liked the photographer as well. The food is the biggest selling point for the hotel as is the service and attention. Not to mention truly elegant grounds. If you want to see pictures email me.
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