Dreams Riviera Cancun - Brides post here (new thread)

[loripanori]

How did you guys find the time/length of your reception?  We are scheduled to get married at 4, and have the reception from 6:30 - 9:30...  but 9:30 seems so early to be done!  I don't really want to add an extra hour, because I've already gone outside my budget in a few other places.  And I'm not sure I should extend the time between the ceremony and the reception to any longer, because I'm thinking we're already going to have a bit of time to kill there (we're not doing the official cocktail hour, but will have the mariachi trio and drinks at the beach bar I think).  Did you guys find that everything was finished too early?  What kind of timing did you all have between ceremony and dinner/reception?

[Vika Yakovleva]

Hi girls, I need help! I leave for Mexico in less then 3 weeks and just now changed my mind about the type of ceremony we will be having. We were originally going to a symbolic ceremony but now I want to have a legal one. Can you please tell me what are the steps for that, what do I need to bring with me? And how do I go about translating it into English or how do I take that marriage license and make it legal in the US??? I already know about the blood test, it's more about all the paperwork needed, I saw somewhere that you have to bring a birth certificate, does need to be translated into Spanish? Any help will be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much in advance!

[Savs1027]

Originally Posted by loripanori 

 

How did you guys find the time/length of your reception?  We are scheduled to get married at 4, and have the reception from 6:30 - 9:30...  but 9:30 seems so early to be done!  I don't really want to add an extra hour, because I've already gone outside my budget in a few other places.  And I'm not sure I should extend the time between the ceremony and the reception to any longer, because I'm thinking we're already going to have a bit of time to kill there (we're not doing the official cocktail hour, but will have the mariachi trio and drinks at the beach bar I think).  Did you guys find that everything was finished too early?  What kind of timing did you all have between ceremony and dinner/reception?

 

Ceremony 3:30

"fake" cocktail hour

Reception 5:30-8:30. 

 

Because of the rain though we were extended until 9:30. I felt 9:30 was fine to end. I was SO tired and ready to go to bed!! haha. 

We all went to  Desires after the reception, but there was a Monday night football game on and no music or dancing. If you have a big group of partiers or want to have an "afterparty" then maybe 7-10 would be good and then go to Desires afterwards. I think 10 is when the music starts there. We went one night and there was a wedding party there and it was a lot of fun. 

 

Could you start your ceremony at 4:30 or 5 instead? It's lighter this time of year so the sun shouldn't be an issue if you start later. We started at 3:30 in december and I wish we would have started at 4 for more sunset beach pictures. We were just a little too early. 

[Savs1027]

Originally Posted by Vika Yakovleva 

 

Hi girls, I need help!

I leave for Mexico in less then 3 weeks and just now changed my mind about the type of ceremony we will be having. We were originally going to a symbolic ceremony but now I want to have a legal one. Can you please tell me what are the steps for that, what do I need to bring with me? And how do I go about translating it into English or how do I take that marriage license and make it legal in the US??? I already know about the blood test, it's more about all the paperwork needed, I saw somewhere that you have to bring a birth certificate, does need to be translated into Spanish? Any help will be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much in advance!

I would definitely check with the hotel to make sure it's possible. I had a symbolic but just from the research I did it seemed like a lot of stuff that had to be done before hand. I think your birth certificates have to be translated once you get to Mexico. 

[Vika Yakovleva]

Thank you, I just emailed Georgina, fingers crossed to get a response sometime soon! I started to get really sad that I will have two separate wedding dates. One when I get the license and one my actual date. I don't think I want that.

I would definitely check with the hotel to make sure it's possible. I had a symbolic but just from the research I did it seemed like a lot of stuff that had to be done before hand. I think your birth certificates have to be translated once you get to Mexico. 

[Savs1027]

Originally Posted by Vika Yakovleva 

 

Thank you, I just emailed Georgina, fingers crossed to get a response sometime soon! I started to get really sad that I will have two separate wedding dates. One when I get the license and one my actual date. I don't think I want that.

We had our legal ceremony here the Saturday before we left at our church and it didn't take away from our real wedding in Mexico at all. We invited just our parents and siblings and bestman and all had lunch and cake afterwards and it was perfect. We aren't going to celebrate that date and we dont even consider that our wedding.

 I'm really glad we did that before hand so we could semi-relax before the wedding in Mexico. I didn't want to waste 4 days getting blood work, going and getting paperwork done, etc. It was enough going to all the meetings with everyone. 

 

Everyone is different, but I'm really glad we did ours the way we did. I wouldn't change it at all.

[loripanori]

Originally Posted by Vika Yakovleva 

 

Thank you, I just emailed Georgina, fingers crossed to get a response sometime soon! I started to get really sad that I will have two separate wedding dates. One when I get the license and one my actual date. I don't think I want that.

 

Hi Vika,

I went through this recently with Lorena.  Below is the info she sent me.  There is a form you need to fill out in advance, it contains info about you and your witnesses. You need 4 witnesses total.  This is the only critical form they need in advance (she asked to have it a month in advance, but maybe 3 weeks will still be ok).  If you want to have your parents names in the wedding documents, you also need copies of your birth certificates certified and translated into Spanish at the Mexican consulate in your country.  This wasn't possible for us, as the closest consulate is very far away from where we live (not within driving distance).  We were told that if you can't do this, you just need to have your passports and tourist card (which you get when you land in Mexico), and can still have a fully legal wedding that will be recognized in your country.  The only difference is there will be no parent information in your wedding documents.  I hope this helps!  The text in red below is what Lorena sent me:    

 

For the CIVIL Wedding you need:

·                  Copy of your birth certificate (just the couple) with the apostille and the translation into Spanish (this is optional, as long as you decide that the names of your parents appear in the legal paperworks, if is not important for you, you only need passport and tourist card)

·                  I need that you fill out the attached document with capital letters and send it to me as soon as possible.

·                  4 witnesses (arriving the same day as you)

·                  The blood test (applied in Mexico, in our first meeting)

        Passports and tourist card. 

[loripanori]

Originally Posted by Savs1027 

 

 

Ceremony 3:30

"fake" cocktail hour

Reception 5:30-8:30. 

 

Because of the rain though we were extended until 9:30. I felt 9:30 was fine to end. I was SO tired and ready to go to bed!! haha. 

We all went to  Desires after the reception, but there was a Monday night football game on and no music or dancing. If you have a big group of partiers or want to have an "afterparty" then maybe 7-10 would be good and then go to Desires afterwards. I think 10 is when the music starts there. We went one night and there was a wedding party there and it was a lot of fun. 

 

Could you start your ceremony at 4:30 or 5 instead? It's lighter this time of year so the sun shouldn't be an issue if you start later. We started at 3:30 in december and I wish we would have started at 4 for more sunset beach pictures. We were just a little too early. 

 

Thanks Savs, this helps a lot.  I think I will talk to Lorena and see if we can shift everything a bit.  I previously asked her what time it would get dark, because of our reception starting at 6:30, and she told me the sunset would be around 6 and by 6:30 it would be "as dark as we want it", haha.  But I feel like this might be a bit off, we were in Mexico last year around the same time of year, and I don't remember it getting dark that early.  

[Vika Yakovleva]

This was very helpful, thank you! So if we do t include our parents names, do our birth certificates still have to be translated into Spanish?

Hi Vika, I went through this recently with Lorena.  Below is the info she sent me.  There is a form you need to fill out in advance, it contains info about you and your witnesses. You need 4 witnesses total.  This is the only critical form they need in advance (she asked to have it a month in advance, but maybe 3 weeks will still be ok).  If you want to have your parents names in the wedding documents, you also need copies of your birth certificates certified and translated into Spanish at the Mexican consulate in your country.  This wasn't possible for us, as the closest consulate is very far away from where we live (not within driving distance).  We were told that if you can't do this, you just need to have your passports and tourist card (which you get when you land in Mexico), and can still have a fully legal wedding that will be recognized in your country.  The only difference is there will be no parent information in your wedding documents.  I hope this helps!  The text in red below is what Lorena sent me:    

For the CIVIL Wedding you need:

·                    Copy of your birth certificate (just the couple) with the apostille and the translation into Spanish (this is optional, as long as you decide that the names of your parents appear in the legal paperworks, if is not important for you, you only need passport and tourist card)

·                    I need that you fill out the attached document with capital letters and send it to me as soon as possible.

·                    4 witnesses (arriving the same day as you)

·                    The blood test (applied in Mexico, in our first meeting)

        Passports and tourist card.  

[loripanori]

Hi again Vika,

No, Lorena told me that if we didn't want/need to include our parents names, we didn't need our birth certificates at all.  All you need in that case is your passports & tourist cards, 4 witnesses (arriving the same day as you) & their passports, the blood tests (which they do when you get there), and the legal form that needs to be completed and sent to your wedding coordinator in advance.  If you send me your email address I can email you a copy of the legal form so you can start collecting the information that is needed for that.  I would double check these things with your wedding coordinator as well, but that was what I was told.  We're getting married on April 18th, so we haven't actually gone through the full process yet!