We had the most beautiful, one of kind wedding in Xcaret Park on January 18, 2014.  Cristel Romero and her team were AMAZING!  We had our ceremony at The Chapel of Guadalupe and the reception at La Isla.  We had 94 guests fly out to Mexico for our wedding and although they have all been to many weddings over the years, they said it was the most unique, one-of-kind wedding they had ever been to.  Cristel and her team were so professional, so detailed, so accommodating, so wonderful!

At first when my husband and I decided to have our destination wedding in Xcaret Park about 11 months prior to the wedding, we were a bit disappointed because the Xcaret team were not very responsive to our emails or questions, so we hired a wedding planner to help act as the middle person and even up until two weeks before the wedding, Cristel and her team were still not very responsive.  Since, my husband and I had never been to Xcaret or met Cristel and her team, we were very scared that things might not go right.  We even opted out of doing the taste testing to save some money before the wedding.  But our wedding planner reassured us that we would be okay because Xcaret Park has many weddings throughout the year so we are not even on their radar until a week or two before.  Nonetheless, she was right.

We met with Cristel and finally got to see the venue three days before the wedding.  We just read reviews and asked other Xcaret brides what types of food they chose and Cristel was nice enough to send me pictures of the food in November, so that we could decide what courses we wanted for the big day. 

Cristel was soooo warm and friendly.  She hugged me, my parents, and husband as soon as we met and was very accomodating.  We went to her office to go over the details (meals, place cards, menu items, allergies, tablecloths, etc.) and we also met the head chef as we went over the meals.  He even asked us what special drink my husband and I wanted so that they could make it for us at the reception.  It was very sweet of him.  Then, Cristel took us on a tour to see the venues (church and reception) and we were blown away!  She said it would look different at night time and she was right! 

Ceremony: I provided a CD of songs for the ceremony which was played by the music director.  I also wanted flip-flops to be handed out before the walk to the reception, which Cristel took care of by putting them in baskets by the door once the ceremony was finished.  I also gave her all of the programs and readings that needed to be distributed before the ceremony began and she took care of it.  The only gripe I had was the music was not played on cue during the ceremony.  I believe there was a couple of parts where we all just waited for the music to be played, so if you have a CD, you may want to practice it during the rehearsal (which was held the day before the wedding).  Other than that, it was perfectly lit and just beautiful.  Cristel and her team were always asking me if I was okay and if I needed anything.  They were soooo accomodating.

Reception:  The reception at La Isla was a short 10 minute walk from the church and the path was lit with candles.  We were escorted by Conch Shell blowers (which we had to pay for and arrange beforehand).  Our guests were speechless and then when we walked through the circular "four elements" path, there were Mayans at the bottom reciting a prayer around the firepit.  It was soooo beautiful!  And then when you walked through the cave which was beautifully lit, we were then greeted by servers with special cocktails that they handed to each of our guests - Margaritas (alcoholic and virgin), Pina Coladas, etc.  It was so welcoming!  Cristel had an army of servers and coordinators.  They all had walkie talkies so they were constantly in communication with each other so that any and all questions would be answered and if anyone needed to find their way to the bathrooms or their tables, they were assisted accordingly.  Another thing that our guests were amazed by was the professionalism and order of the servers.  They worked diligently and had a timed presentation of the food at each table.  Throughout dinner we had the Tumbiecha play music (which was also paid for and prearranged).  The guests loved it.  My husband and I had our own sweetheart table and we had our own personal server who was constantly making sure we were okay, we had drinks, the food was good, etc.  One of the courses was even too spicy for me and they removed it right away and made me a less spicy dish.  Any drink we wanted, they made for us.  They were soooo accomodating and professional. 

We are indebted to Cristel and the Xcaret team for the rest of our lives for making our wedding so beautiful.  At first, you think that it is too expensive, but it was worth every penny. They are so professional and they know what they are doing, so don't worry if you don't hear from them as quickly as you would like because on the wedding day, they literally will take care of everything.  They all worked so hard to make our wedding day extra special and we are so grateful for that!  We love you, Cristel and Xcaret team!!!