Check In:  Check in was a bit chaotic.  There were 25 of us coming from the same bus, and other people (not a part of our group) trying to jump in front of the line.  We were brought welcome drinks, thank goodness, because we stood in line for a long time! Some of our group didn't get the right rooms and they were pretty frustrated, but eventually it all worked out… it probably was about 20-25 minutes but it felt like it took forever! 

Room:  Our room was great.. we stayed in 133, which was a Junior Suite Oceanfront Walkout.  It was nice to be so close to the beach, and it was literally a 30 second walk to the ceremony location. Perfect! It was a big room with a huge bathroom! Since it was an upgraded room category we also were entitled to eat at the restaurants at the Royal, which was great for nights that we wanted to enjoy without interruption.  Definitely recommended!  

The Resort:  We loved the resort!  It was the perfect size… we could always find people in our group, but everyone could have their own space if they needed it.  The staff were great, and the beach was beautiful.  

Food  There was a great variety of food that everyone in our group was able to enjoy.  The buffet was great, changed themes every night.  We loved the Italian restaurant, but heard mixed reviews about the Mexican one… apparently the prime rib was amazing but the rest was less satisfying.  

Since we had privileges to eat at The Royal, we went there most evenings. Asiana was by far our favourite.  The spring rolls and sushi were so delicious, as was everything else on the menu that we tried!! 

***Wedding Day*****

Zulma: Zulma was great, she put us at ease as soon as we met her. Everything was so stress free… we handed her our stuff and she ensured that it got to the correct place! She even placed all of our candy favours into their tins, which we had expected we'd have to do ourself. 

Salon/Getting Ready: I was lucky enough to have a hairdresser friend on the trip with me, so she did my hair, but I did have my makeup done at SpaZul. The lady who did it didn't speak great English and I was nervous about the outcome, but it looked great! They genuinely want to make sure that the bride is happy.   

Flowers: I had my heart set on a beautiful calla lily bouquet, but I was quoted $360 and couldn't accept that. I ended up ordering my flowers from Hector at Cancun Flower Shop.. he was great to work with.  He met me outside of the resort so that I'd avoid paying an outside vendor fee.  We got my bouquet, my fiancés boutonniere and 3 bags of rose petals for $255.  Much better!! My only issue was the fact that a few days before the wedding he called to say that they may not be able to get the callas in and he'd have to substitute them… but he pulled through and I got exactly what I'd asked for.   

Ceremony: Our ceremony was at 5 pm, because my photographer fiancé planned it all according to the best lighting for photos. Haha.  It was perfect, we had the entire day to get ready… I spent the entire morning just relaxing with my friends!  It was perfect, everything went just as we'd hoped and it was absolutely beautiful.  They even added a few extra touches that we hadn't expected… like an aisle runner and starfish going down the aisle.  

Cocktail Hour I didn't get a chance to have any of the food here, but I'm glad that we did the cocktail hour because it gave us an hour to take photos before the reception. Everyone really enjoyed the food and it was a nice progression into the reception. 

Photos: We brought our own photographers from Canada, and they were awesome! We took the family and group shots after the ceremony and a few with us, but the majority of our photos were taken the next afternoon, along with a trash the dress shoot!  

Reception: We had our reception right by the ceremony site, which I was unsure about at first but in the end I was glad. It was nice not to have to shuffle people from one place to another…. everything was in one location and I was still giddy sitting down for dinner being able to see the huppah.  Dinner was delicious, although it took awhile for everything to come out. We had the tomato and zucchini salad to start, which was great.  Our main course was the beef filet tornedo with mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes and asparagus… the potatoes were so, so good! For dessert we had the hazelnut mousse, which was also great.  The best part was the amazing sunset as we ate! 

We ordered the mocha wedding cake, and it was good although we asked for the leftovers to be brought to our room and never did receive them.  It was probably for the best.... we ate waaaay too much at the buffet most days! 

We opted to use an iPod instead of paying for a DJ, and it worked out perfectly. We spent the money on a light up dance floor, which was a hit with the guests!! The guy that programmed it also took care of our music, we just told him what to play when, and he did an awesome job. Since we extended it an hour, we ran out of songs and he was quick to play some of his own music. We even had him searching YouTube for a particular song request... 

We also splurged on the cold fireworks, just to get that perfect shot of our first dance. When you marry a wedding photographer, a huge part of the planning is "what will look good in photos?"  

Overall, the wedding was a dream come true, and despite a few minor glitches, I would do it all over again exactly the same! The staff truly go out of their way, and all of our guests told us that it was the best wedding they'd ever been to! I agree, although I may be a bit biased... If you are considering this resort, book it! We have absolutely no regrets. 

I could add a million more photos and descriptions... if you have any questions feel free to ask! I haven't got the pro photos back yet, but once I do I'll be glad to share!  If you want more of a play-by-play of the wedding day, I do have a blog post here.. Happy planning!!!