Rebecca1314

Quote: Originally Posted by jmehra Date has changed - getting married June 13, 2014! We reserved the Lobster House for the reception, but I'm starting to worry about wind and mosquitos. I also haven't heard anyone talk about the set-up at the Lobster House for a reception and that scares me a bit. Any advice to those that had their reception at the Lobster House, or that considered it and decided against it? The lobster house is a really pretty space looking out over the pools at night. The wind will probably be a welcome thing for dancing, etc. I know when we had our reception on the Cecco terrace, it was brutally hot even after dark due to the lack of wind. Also, the mosquitos do come out fast and furious around 7-8pm. We brought mini bug sprays and our guests were appreciative!

Hi Whitney....when I was married at EPM there was bride whose wedding dress did not ever arrive as it was held up by customs and despite Lleny making a personal trip to customs to try to get it, they were unsuccessful! I carried on my dress without any problem whatsoever and all the airline personal were so kind and accommodating.....on of the more packed flights they even hung it in the cockpit for me so that the dress would not be crushed! Good luck and if you have any other customs related questions or otherwise I'm happy to help!

When we went we just bought an extra suitcase at TJ Maxx etc. and packed it with everything and it was very easy. We just brought all of our receipts for customs and paid the extra bag fee. Even with those fees it was still less than shipping to the resort and we were able to easily keep track of the bag that way. Our wedding coordinator at EPM told us to be careful with shipping things as customs can get picky on what they allow in duty-free, however, customs at the airport is very familiar with brides bringing items as long as they have their receipts.

Hi Monica, I did not have any trouble just bringing my marriage certificate to Social Security and DMV, banks, etc. and having my name changed with just that as proof. It is a legal, binding document and requires no translation. Good luck!

If you are looking for an outside photographer, check out Lori from Sweetfire Photography. She did my wedding at Excellence Playa Mujeres in May 2012 and her work is phenomenal and she is so professional and fun herself! Good luck! http://www.sweetfirephotography.com/

Here is the email for the spa. [email protected] They can set up all your appts and answer any questions you have. I had a gentleman (his name escapes me!) who did a FANTASTIC job with my hair and makeup. I had done a trial here in the US to figure out what I wanted and took photos of it and he was able to replicate exactly what I wanted, and frankly it was more beautiful than the stylist here! EPM has so many weddings that the spa staff are constantly doing up-dos and make-up.

Quote: Originally Posted by bekahlee03 What is the best way for us to book with our guest, thru the resort or thru a travel agent? I mentioned something to the resort about getting a special group rate and they said something about talking with a travel agent. I really didn't want to go thru one but if that is whats best I will. What are y'alls opinions? We used a travel agent for everything and found it to be so much easier! I originally spoke with the resort directly, but I must tell you how slowly they respond sometimes! Our travel agent coordinated EVERYTHING for us and by doing it through her, people were able to make payments throughtout the course of a year instead of having to have the entire amount up front and she responded to questions quickly vs on "Island Time" . Also, she negotiated and coordinated group rates/free upgrades, transport for all of our guests from the airport, got group rates for airfare, and the chartered catamaran that we did as well as nightime trip to Cancun. My advise is just to make sure that your travel agent is RESPONSIVE.

We used a travel agent for everything and found it to be so much easier! I originally spoke with the resort directly, but I must tell you how slowly they respond sometimes! Our travel agent coordinated EVERYTHING for us and by doing it through her, people were able to make payments throughtout the course of a year instead of having to have the entire amount up front and she responded to questions quickly vs on "Island Time" . Also, she negotiated and coordinated group rates/free upgrades, transport for all of our guests from the airport, got group rates for airfare, and the chartered catamaran that we did as well as nightime trip to Cancun. My advise is just to make sure that your travel agent is RESPONSIVE. If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me,

I did! I found cute gift bags that had a light blue and navy starfish pattern on them that said Welcome to Our Wedding! I included sunscreen, mini aloe vera gel (almost EVERYONE used these), starfish and clam shell shaped bath fizzes to use in the jetted tub, a welcome letter and itinerary for the week, a disposable underwater camera (we chartered a catamaran for the day after the wedding and people loved these), and personalized mint tins in our wedding colors with our name/wedding date. I either included one bag per couple or if people were traveling as singles, a bag for each person. The bags were delivered at turndown service on the first night that guests arrived. If you do bring a lot of gifts just make sure that you bring all of your receipts with you for customs. There is a $300 limit for each person traveling in to Mexico of items that they can bring duty-free. There were 10 of us who traveled together going down (the rest of the guests joined 2 days later) so they just divided the total $$ amount by 10 so that I was in the clear. In some cases I used Microsoft Word templates to make customized receipts for things that I either didn't have a receipt for or if the value amount would have exceeded the overall allowance.

The only way that the ceremony can take place in the gazebo is facing away from the beach due to the configuration of the podium and the areas for guests to sit. I believe they designed it that way because the area of the beach behind the gazebo is the end of the resort beach where they have most of the sailboats that guests can take out and those would be in the photos. However, the set up for the weddings on the beach is absolutely beautiful, it just will be a little bit windier so keep that in mind when planning your hair and veil!

Here is the PDF of the legal ceremony wording, you will likely have to be a supporting member to open it. If you aren't just private message me and I'll email it to you. This is the wording as of May 5, 2012, so hopefully it hasn't changed! Legal Ceremony.pdf

Yay! You will be so happy with Lori and her assistant Tanya...they absolutely MADE our wedding day and were so sweet....our guests loved them too! I decided on the gazebo due to my father having difficulty walking. However, the gazebo was a perfect size for our group of guests (35 guests) and allowed them to be shaded while waiting for the ceremony to begin. Also, everyone was able to wear heels without any issues (I did kick off my heels during the photographs though). We had a 5pm ceremony on May 5th and even at that time, it was still sunny and 80 degrees F. I don't think that you can go wrong with either the beach or the gazebo, both are equally beautiful! I would just consider time of day of the wedding and how hot the avg. temp is that time of year and what type of photos/footwear you would like. Good luck with your planning and if you have any questions I'm happy to help!

We used Lori from SweetFire photography. We ABSOLUTELY LOVED her! Here's a link to her site. http://www.sweetfirephotography.com/ Our wedding at EPM is one of her featured albums, so it can give you some ideas of areas for shots. Just keep in mind that there is a $500 outside vendor fee for a photographer.

We had a mariachi band and they played at X-lounge at cocktail hour...our guests loved it and it was so fun and authentic!

Hi Diane! We had our reception on Ceco terrace on 5/5/12 and it was indeed BEAUTIFUL! The mosquitos were brutal for about an hour between 7-8 pm. We had brought small bottles of Ben's 30% deet bugspray and 2 bottles was enough for our 36 guests. We chose that one specifically because a very small amount goes a long way; it was easy and small to pack and we didn't smell horrific afterwards. Obviously the wedding can be indoors, but they often keep the doors open to the terrace allowing bugs in anyways. I wish there was a way to avoid them, but you'll likely experience them at dinner if you eat at any of the outdoor restaurants. They come on fast and furious and disappear quickly after that 30-60 minutes so if you can bear with it for that short time it will be worth it! Goodluck!

i would HIGHLY suggest doing your gown as your carryon. When you get to the desk at your gate just make friends with one of airline personnel and they will likely speak to the crew and either hang the dress in one of the crew closets or in my case they actually hung it in the cockpit with the captain so that it would not get wrinkled I would highly recommend wearing your hair up and being careful about a veil with the wind...the staff at the spa do a great job! And finally, yes the resort nightlife is pretty quiet but Cancun is just a 20 min cab ride south and lots of fun!

You can pay with either cash or credit at checkout (I don't believe that travelers checks are allowed). Your wedding coordinator will give you a line item listing of the charges when you meet with them before the wedding. Just a warning, all prices are calculated in pesos and the resort will not convert it to US Dollars...so be ready to calculate the conversion to be sure that the price that your coordinator quoted is indeed what they are charging you! We did not have an problems with our bill but other brides on this site have had some issues. At least you will have a couple days to look over the bill before it is due.

We used Lori from Sweetfire Photography. She and her assistant are AMAZING and we loved all the photos, but especially the newlywed photos. Her style is artistic photojournalistic. http://www.sweetfirephotography.com/ She's also on Facebook and I know a lot more of her photos on on there, as well. Good luck!

You don't need to do anything is the US beforehand. When you return within the first month, your wedding coordinator will send you your Mexican Marriage Certificate. You will only get one copy unless you request extras. It WILL be in spanish and will be the document that you need to show at social security, etc. if you change your name. I had no problem just bringing it down to the SS office, DMV, bank, etc and changing it. I also went to National Passport Day (offered once a year) and changed my passport name. The reason I chose to all this in person is that they want to see an original marriage certificate for name change purposes and since I only had the 1 copy...I did NOT want to let that copy out of my sight! When you are down there, I would probably ask the coordinator if you can have more than 1 copy mailed to you (I would suggest 3).....I wish that I had! Otherwise there are legal translation services that can make certified copies of the certificate but obviously at a cost. Usually this varies from $150 to $250 depending on who you use. Hope that this helps and good luck! It will be beautiful I'm sure...I wish that I could do it ALL over again!

The glasses vary by the style of drink. They are all acrylic outside. Either pilsner, margarita style, champagne, pub style, etc. based on the type of drink ordered. Make sure that you and your guests try the "Icebergs" when you are there....they are delicious! Also they make great mojitos.

Hi Carley, It is possible to have guests stay off-site and just travel to the resort for the day of the wedding. The charge is either $100 or $125 per person day fee, plus the regular wedding costs. The only thing that I would let them know is there are not really any other hotels within easy distance of the EPM. It's about a 30 minute drive (through some less than desirable areas) to reach the resort. So if you went that route, you would likely need to arrange for transport for your guests as well. The only hotel nearby is The Beloved Hotel, which is immediately adjacent. I think that their prices are similar to EPM but possibly a little less. This hotel also allows children, but no one under the age of 18 in allowed on the EPM property even for the wedding. Good luck with your planning and I hope that you are able to have your wedding here...it is GORGEOUS! Quote: Originally Posted by carleyUK Hi Ladies, First off let me say how beautiful all of you look in the photos ive seen so far!! amazing. Im looking to get married with my partner here in April 2013...got a few hesitations/queries though. 1.Symbolic or civil ? im so worried about messing up all the paperwork and the translations and blood work etc? do you think its easier to marry before and just have the "proper" party/ceremony there. is the symbolic ceremony much different to the civil ? 2.A few of my guests are complaining about the prices to stay here, is it possible to bring guests that arent on site to the wedding and does anyone know the cost implications of this ? The resort is just so fantastic that i really dont want to change because of my guests but on the other hand i would like my nearest and dearest with me on my special day. Any help/comments would be greatly appreciated thank you x

This is a link to a mini slideshow that my photographer, Lori at Sweetfire Photography, formerly partners in Moments that Matter, put together for us! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dSs9yJ1lxQ We absolutely LOVED our wedding at the Excellence. We dealt with a slew of different coordinators (Yamina, Gustavo, Nayeli) during the planning stages, but Lleny was the actual coordinator who helped us down there. We too were frustrated by long response times with emails, but in the end everything turned out perfectly and without a hitch. The only hiccup was the rehearsal dinner, but that ended up turning out better than the original plan for the Fiesta.

I did have a private rehearsal dinner. It was held on the terrace of the French Restaurant (BEAUTIFUL!), and they closed the entire restaurant for our group. It was held there as the Fiesta (original location) was moved from the Friday that week to the Weds. as another large group was at the resort. As a result, we had the private rehearsal at no extra charge, however, I believe that there is usually a per person surcharge associated with a private event. We were able to pick a customized menu off of the same list of choices as the wedding menus. The only thing that I would note is, wherever you have your rehearsal or wedding reception, if it is outside at night....bring bugspray! We also got eaten alive both nights until the bugspray was used