JasminMattPhoto

@@bridalu4ria welcome to the amazing BDW community. We are photographers based in the Mayan Riviera but we travel throughout the Caribbean photographing wedding. We were recently in Cuba & Jamaica for weddings a few months ago. Send us a message if you have couples looking for great wedding photographers <3

@@heatherd26 You are very welcome <3 let us know if you have any other wedding planning questions. We'd be happy to help

@@heatherd26 One of the best places we've found for Caribbean attire is http://www.cubavera.com/ Phil & his groomsmen got their outfits from Cubavera and we think they look awesome! More photos: http://www.jasminandmatt.com/portfolio/annie-phil/

Good morning @@Hbinning congratulations on your engagement and upcoming destination wedding. Also, welcome to the most amazing wedding planning community BDW.com!!! We may not have an answer for your budget question but we're sure there is a member on this forum that can give you a hand. We've been lucky enough to work at Sandos Caracol a handful of times and it's always been a wonderful experience. If your wedding ends up there we know you're going to have a great time <3 <3 <3 At that, we'll leave you with some inspiration.

@@mrsjohnson2017 congratulations on your upcoming wedding!!!! @@StylingTrio is amazing! you should seriously look into them

Morning @@MichelleL we are in the process of doing some research for you but in the meantime let me leave you with a few places we've personally experienced that have been nice and you may want to look into. #1. Secrets Silversands - Resort located near Puerto Morelos between Cancun & Playa del Carmen. Family of ours stayed there and we spent a day with them on the resort. The resort is absolutely beautiful and completely adults only. http://www.secretsresorts.com/silversands-riviera-cancun #2. The Royal Suites Yucatan by Palladium is also a beautiful resort. Grand Palladium overall isn't adults only but this beautiful section of the resort is and you and your guests would have private pools, bar, beach etc. We've photographed many weddings at Grand Palladium and the experience has always been really wonderful. We highly suggest this resort. http://www.palladiumhotelgroup.com/en/riviera-maya/the-royal-suites-yucatan-by-palladium/? #3. Hideaway at Royalton Riviera Cancun. Again another resort that offers an adult only section. This resort is stunning with everything you would ever want from a destination wedding resort. http://www.royaltonresorts.com/en/Hideaway-At-Royalton.aspx

@@Hmariscal welcome to the amazing BDW community and congratulations on your upcoming wedding. June 2017 will be here before you know it and you are going to have an amazing time at Barcelo. We've had the pleasure of both working there and staying there a handful of times and it has always been an absolutely wonderful experience. Regarding your question about the Coral Grill. If I am thinking of the correct place the grill is right on the water and you'll have a great breeze coming in through the big windows to keep you nice and cool. Its a much nicer setting then their banquet rooms. (just our opinion as photographers) I've attached some photos from our work there for inspiration. <3 This is the grill by the beach, as you can see big open windows with the sun just finished setting in the background.

@@marieshannon Huge congrats on your upcoming wedding. Eloping is such a nice way to have your wedding. Calm, quiet and so much less stressful than a big event. It looks like the amazing @TA Patty has your answers covered so in the meantime we'll leave you with some photographic inspiration <3

If you are JUST wanting ceremony, your best bet is to inquire with your resort. It would be most cost effective this way rather than having to hire another outside company, potentially pay more fees when really they are just there for 30-60 minutes. Cheers!

@@MichelleL congratulations on your upcoming wedding!!!!! and welcome to the amazing bestdestinationwedding community. There are so many wonderful resources here. Can we ask what you consider "not too overpriced" If we know your budget we can certainly make some suggestions for beautiful adults only resorts/hotels. In the meantime we'll leave you with some inspiration.

@@Jessicaallie Congrats on your upcoming wedding, and welcome to the BDW forums. You'll find these forums and this site to be a vital tool while planning for your dream destination wedding. I know there was already a suggestion by @@AliciaW (congrats with your April 2017 wedding, btw!) regarding the private rooftop at Sandos Caracol, along the Riviera Maya strip (closer to Playa del Carmen than Cancun). We have had the pleasure of photographing at that resort several times, once even with the ceremony and the reception all private on the rooftop, which are the photo examples that follow. You'll notice there's a decorative pool on the rooftop, plenty of seating available, and you have your own private serviced bar too. Another GREAT option would be Azul Fives. Again, this is not along the hotel strip in Cancun, but in the Riviera Maya. The resort is wonderful, great staff, grounds well maintained, a pier to use for photos, and the option to have the ceremony and/or reception on the rooftop terrace, which is again completely private. The turquoise waters are still visible from the rooftop, and make for a great backdrop with the photos. I'm including a few examples from a recent wedding we photographed there that really highlight how lovely the water looks, how nice the setup with the resort is, and an evening entrance photo so you can see the other portion of the space (the stairs & elevator used to/from the rooftop). If you have any other questions, don't be shy to ask. Happy planning!

@@Johnsonspartyof2 May is probably our favourite month down here. Not too hot, not too cool and the weather is typically wonderful!!! Now Sapphire is a wonderful resort. We've worked there many times and the wedding coordinator Juan Carlos is absolutely amazing. You are going to have a blast there!! We'll share some photos from our most recent wedding there and of course more links from our website http://www.jasminandmatt.com/?s=now+sapphire

@@Johnsonspartyof2 welcome to the amazing bestdestinationwedding community and congratulations on your upcoming wedding. 2018 will be here before you know it! Regarding booking your wedding for August. We find that August can be a fickle month. Some years there is more rain than others. Even recently we just missed a tropical storm and have had a couple days of rain where as last year I can't remember getting much. The tropics in the summer time is always a gamble but that shouldn't deter you. Most resorts have wonderful backup plans and will work with you to try and make your perfect wedding happen regardless. Photos in the rain can be fun too!

Congratulations @@NishaBree on your upcoming wedding. July of next year will be here before you know it you'll be packing your bags for the beautiful sand and sun of Cancun. The Hyatt Ziva looks absolutely beautiful. You are going to have such an amazing experience. Also, welcome to the amazing BDW community. There are so many wonderful resources and members here. Pretty much any question you have can be answered.

@@NSbride16 @@LissaChic A huge congratulations on your upcoming weddings. The Dominican Republic is such a beautiful country and if the GPP in the DR is anything like the one here in the Mayan Riviera you are in great hands and are going to have an absolutely wonderful experience. <3

@@Canadorecc congrats on choosing the Royalton and your upcoming wedding. February may seem far off now but before you know it you'll be packing your bags for the beautiful sand and sun of the Mayan Riviera <3

@@Billandchrissy1111 congratulations on your upcoming wedding. November will be here before you know and it and the Dominican Republic is such a beautiful country. Just think of the sand, sun and perfect blue/green water any time you start to feel a little stressed and let the ocean wash away your worries <3 <3

Welcome to the amazing BDW community!! All three of those resorts are amazing but we have to say that our favorite, hands down is Now Sapphire. Juan Carlos the wedding planner there is an absolute star and he will ensure you have the best possible wedding experience.

what a terrible situation you are in and believe me, you in no way sound like an evil step mother. Best of luck!!! <3

@@priee47 as TA Patty said, congratulations on your engagement and upcoming destination wedding. It sounds like you are going to have an absolutely amazing time <3

If you are looking for an awesome zip lining experience check out Xplor. We went little while ago and it was incredible. You can even go at night on some days and everything is lit by fire. It's really out of this world. Another great excursion is Xel-Ha. Incredible snorkeling. If you are wanting to do ruins there is always Chichen Itza or Tulum. Coba is amazing and just a little further than Tulum. You can rent bikes and ride through the jungle under the canopy of trees. AND YOU CAN CLIMB THE RUINS!!!! If you are interested in nature and exploring there is also Sian Ka'an and the Muyil Ruins which is an absolutely amazing experience. Your best bet for the best deal is to look online and go into Playa del Carmen. There will be tones of tour operators especially on 10th ave and you can save quite a bit compared to the resort. We used a tour operator on the corner of 10th ave and 10th street north https://www.locogringo.com/mexico/ways-to-play/mayan-ruins-archaeological-sites/coba-ruins/ http://www.xelha.com/ http://www.xplor.travel http://www.visitsiankaan.com/mayan-canal/ http://www.roamingaroundtheworld.com/how-to-visit-sian-kaan-biosphere-preserve/

@@BexA congrats on your upcoming wedding. GSP is such a beautiful resort and the staff are so friendly and helpful. We were there just a few weeks ago photographing a wedding and we had a blast!

@@WattGriffiths congrats on your upcoming destination wedding. February 2017 may seem far off right now but before you know it you'll be packing your bags for the beautiful sand and sun of the Riviera Maya <3

Are you wanting coverage for the full day or just the ceremony?

Regarding budget and decor add-ons, you'll need to communicate with your contact (wedding coordinator) at your chosen resort (Luxury Bahia Principe Akumal, if I'm not mistaken). They will have all that information available for you. These add-ons can range in price, and include various items like string lights, paper lanterns, erecting poles for further lighting, centerpieces, etc etc etc... We've definitely found in previous weddings that add-ons provided by the venue/resort are typically more expensive than bringing down your own purchased decorations from back home, or conversely, there's a few local companies here that can be hired (though outside vendor fees to your resort may apply). One company that we would highly recommend, offers additional decor/lighting/etc but they meet with you before the wedding so you have a chance to obtain those items yourself, which eliminates the need for them to come to the resort and set things up, but have you charged for bringing in outside vendors. Katy is at the head of the company Love & Lace, and here's her Facebook page link. https://www.facebook.com/loveandlacedecor/ Other add-ons to keep in mind is additional seating at the ceremony, and more importantly, at the reception. Packages will include a certain amount of plated meals (if you're doing a private reception) but sometimes, it will only cover something like 20 guests, with each additional guest costing $XX per plate. Those are definitely other price factors you'll want to confirm with your wedding coordinator. As for gift bags for your guests, our experience is always one of producing a "survival kit/bag" that's geared towards items you may need (and may have forgotten to pack) while vacationing at an All-Inclusive in the tropics. Simple items would include things like tylenol/ibuprofen, bandaids, pepto-bismol, waterproof watches (no excuse to be late), tide-to-go, lotion, sunscreen, sunglasses, baby wipes, etc etc... There's a great thread on here with a previous bride who includes several photos of her items and lists what she packed the kits with: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/64500-mjkh-wedding-week-survival-bags-are-done-lots-of-pics/ Hopefully this information will help you thus far, and of course, any other questions that come to mind, we'd be more than happy to help answer.