Phew! Finally!

[ilovemypitbull]

I’ve been on this forum for a little while now but I’ve mainly been lurking and using it to research wedding locations. So much useful information here!

 

We have FINALLY decided on a wedding location, after months and months of going back and forth and asking the advice of everyone we know (multiple times, which annoyed the crap out of a lot of people … oops!) and we couldn’t be more excited about it!

 

We were originally thinking about the Riviera Maya but after considering the inconvenience for our guests (we live all the way in San Francisco), we thought Cabo or Puerto Vallarta would be more wise and considerate options because we were worried about people not attending if we hold it so far away. However, after a couple of months of research, we realized that we were slightly depressed about the location change because the Riviera Maya is literally our dream wedding location and we just couldn’t get excited for Cabo or PV. So we finally took the advice everyone had been giving us, namely that few, if any, people who would be willing to make the trip to Cabo or PV would be unwilling to fly to Cancun (so we probably wouldn’t lose any guests) and have decided to get married where WE want to get married, in the Riviera Maya. In fact, we think that possibly more people will come now that we’re having our wedding in a gorgeous, tropical location because the RM is so much more appealing to most people than Cabo or PV.

 

We are obsessed with those balmy, tropical evenings where you can cruise around in shorts and a tank top and be completely comfortable (I’m ALWAYS cold) so now that we’ve decided on the Riviera Maya, we’re extremely excited about the whole planning process and plan to take a site visit sometime this month.

 

We’re not really AI-type people because we would feel bad making our guests stay at a resort that we’ve picked … we’d rather give them a few options and let them pick whichever one works best for them. Also, we’re pretty low-key people who prefer things that are somewhat off the beaten path and more intimate and quiet. However, we’re not completely closed off to the idea. If we found a small AI resort that is very close to other hotels, that could work but I can’t seem to find any that fit that description. Our perfect situation would be to take over an entire hotel, somewhere small yet still classy and beautiful. Here are some places we’re considering for our site visit, after I do more research to make sure they would work for us and fit in our budget:

 

- Le Reve (probably too expensive)

- Ana y Jose (probably too expensive, plus we don’t really want to go as far as Tulum)

- La Tortuga (I can’t find any info on La Tortuga weddings! Suggestions?)

- Petite Lafitte (Can’t find any info on Petite Lafitte weddings either!)

- Al Cielo (Could be a good option, need to look into it a little more)

- Shangri-La Caribe (Also looks like a good option)

- Zama Beach Club in Isla Mujeres (Not completely jazzed about the idea of being on the island though)

 

Can you guys think of anywhere else I should be considering? Or where I can find some info on La Tortuga or Petite Lafitte weddings? I have found tons of extremely useful information and advice on this forum and it’s been my most indispensable wedding planning resource. Thank you all for contributing what you do and sharing your wisdom and knowledge!

 

-Jen

[poohshek]

Hi Jen,

 

Here's the link for wedding information for Shangri-La Caribe, Petit Lafitte and Illusion.

Weddings - Turquoises Reef Group

[poohshek]

Here's the link for La Tortuga.

 

Weddings in Playa del Carmen and Riviera Maya - La Tortuga Hotel-Playa del Carmen

 

La Tortuga is not on the beach but they can help you coordinate a beach wedding and maybe refer you to other wedding planners/coordinators that they work closely with.

[Jacilynda]

You can also look into Akumal. Its about 15-20 minutes south of PDC. MarieSam and I are getting married there and not have resort weddings. there are 3 bays to Akumal and lots of different accomodation options and you can rent golf carts are bikes to get back and forth. Also its not crazy busy like resorts around spring break it gets busy but in August we're going to be pretty much the only ones there on the whole main bay.

[jesmcan]

Hi Jen,

 

How is your research going? We are also planning a non-resort in Playa. We are going on a site visit in November and looking at all the same places you are. Did you go on your site visit? We are acctually going to be staying at La Tortuga. Let me know if you did not get any information from the above places, I have lots of info. I also have info on other vendors, florists, bakeries, and photographers. Still working on the Mariachi, solo guitarist and I don't know whether to do a DJ or a live band? what have you decided to do? Let me know if you need more pictures of a place or anything in Playa, I can take them for you when I go.

[Destination Scout]

How many people do you have? I love the Soliman Bay area and Tulum. I know they are further from Cancun, but they are so private. Tulum has a nicer beach but Soliman Bay is really nice for those that like to snorkel and swim.

 

I would add Milamores in Tulum, which is right on the edge of the biosphere or renting out several of the private homes in Soliman Bay.

[gdavcu]

I know the feeling it took a lot of back and forth before we decided that the Riviera Maya was really our best looking option. We are planning to use Mayan Palace for our wedding. A couple of key things that I liked about Mayan Palace are 1. It's not an All-Inclusive resort. 2. Getting a one week condo there is pretty inexpensive with the right resources. i.e. endlessvacationrenals.com or Holiday Systems International ownership just to name a few.

[ilovemypitbull]

Thanks for all the advice ladies!

 

We're hoping to go on a scouting trip in August and have decided that Tulum is too far. Since most of our guests will be coming from San Francisco, we don't want to ask them to travel all that additional distance on top of the already long flight(s). So now we're mainly considering Ceiba del Mar (although I have a feeling that may be a little out of our budget) and Zama Beach Club (on Isla Mujeres). We'll definitely check out other places though.

 

Throughout this entire process, I've been going back and forth a lot, changing my mind, considering different places, going in different directions, etc. Yet I always keep on coming back to Zama Beach Club. It's funny because I was the same way when trying to choose a general location, and kept on coming back to the Riviera Maya. Once I finally decided that I had to stop second-guessing myself and just pick the Riviera Maya and stick with it, I felt sooooooooooo good. So I'm thinking it will probably end up being the same way with Zama.

 

- Jen

[svetayasofiya]

I have a question... what is it about the AI that people don't like?

[ccone]

I love the idea of AI (as long as you pick a place that has good food and drinks).People pay up front for their vacation and know exactly what they are spending going into the trip instead of being worried about running up a tab at the pool bar one afternoon. Also, mexico is so laid back, you can just leave your room for a day with no money and not worry about a thing. The only thing is you have to pick one that's nice to make sure the food is good. On a site visit you can sample the food. I just went on a site visit at Azul Sensatori and the food was so good but not so much at Iberostar Quetal. I think Cieba del mar looks awesome.

Just my opinion on AI. Good luck planning