Xcaret 2012 Brides

[Rola Nabhan]

Hi ladies.... I actually am pretty bummed since every weekend is reserved for the month of march April and may?.so if I do decide to get married here it will have to be end of June or July...Imy site inspection is set up for the 7th with Gabrielle....so we we will see I guess. Ps...did you ladies have to guarantee 100 people for the reception? What is everyone doing for hair aNd makeup....the hotel I am looking at offers hair and makeup but not sure if I want to take the risk

[JessiTaylor]

well the pdf file they sent me says: "* A minimum guarantee of 100 adults is required on weekends (Friday, Saturday
and Sunday) of the following months: February, March, April, May and November and 70 adults from Monday to Thursday."

 

so i assume that means if you go for june/july then it doesnt apply? when she sent the initial quote ot me for my march wedding, i said i wanted 100 people but she based the quote on 80 (as once you sent the deposit, you can increase the things you want - people, more music, extra hours etc - but you cant decrease it). so im not sure how strict they are on that?

 

the advantage of the riviera maya is the temperature is pretty steady. it does admittedly get more humid later on, but its not like where i live in mexico (monterrey) where the temp steadily increases from february onwards to peak in the summer/ so what i mean is if you pick a bit later then it shouldnt make a massive massive difference. also... depending on how long people are coming for, could you do a weekday wedding? it often doesnt make a difference to people for destination weddings since they dont have to worry about work the nxt day etc

 

im going to wait and see what my wedding co-ordinator comes up with - kristee from fresa weddings is helping me lots, as xcaret doesnt handle things like flowers, extra decorations. favors, transport etc...and as my spanish is pretty rubbish, arranging the extras was stressing me out! but apparently its possible to hire someone who does your main makeup before the ceremony, and then can do touch ups later in the night
 

[mayralina]

Did anyone end up having their wedding in Xcaret this year? If so, please share your experience. I have October 5, 2013 reserved for my wedding there! Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated!

[rehanak]

Mayralina,

 

I have Xcaret reserved for my wedding in April 2013. I have had a great experience working with them. They are friendly, great at answering my questions with quick responses. I still have a few things left to do but most of it is set and ready to go. Just need to have the wedding:)

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

[JessiTaylor]

Originally Posted by mayralina 

 

Did anyone end up having their wedding in Xcaret this year? If so, please share your experience. I have October 5, 2013 reserved for my wedding there! Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated!

 

not this year, but im having mine march 9th 2013, so 7 months before you. so hopefully my review + rehanak's reviews will be early enough to help you!

im also probably choosing a few non-xcaret entertainment options so can tell you how they are

[mayralina]

Thanks for your response rehanak! Are you working directly with Xcaret Wedding Coordinators? I am working with Weddings In Cancun wedding planner and they have been great with us too! As I continue planning a little more I will def have questions, thanks again for your response!

[mayralina]

Thanks Jessi! Yes, that would really help. I am so excited to have found you ladies on here! I couldn't find many brides having their wedding in Xcaret - it will be great to hear about your weddings!

[Matt Adcock]

Hello Xcaret Brides,

 

Congrats on your upcoming weddings!!! This place is simply magical, the food is excellent and the locations photograph beautifully.

 

A few tips and ideas:

 

- Choose a hotel or getting ready location that is close to the park and consider the travel times in your schedule. Most of our gals got ready at the Mayakoba Complex or El Taj Condos

 

 

 

- Splurge on a cool ride to the park!!!

 

 

 

- Plan a Couples Portrait Session in the park prior to the ceremony. A good 1hr and 30 minutes will do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Book your ceremony at least 1.5 hrs prior to sunset. This will put us in the sweet spot of light and temperature.

 

- Ask your guests to plan ahead and bring some comfortable shoes. Xcaret Park is huge and requires a bit of walking!!!

 

 

 

 

That is all I can think of now, here are some slide shows of fairy tale weddings we've done at Xcaret to help you dream about your big day:

 

Savi + Robert

Emily + Jim

Alexis + Jim

Elvira + Rodrigo

 

Good luck and happy planning!!!

[rehanak]

Mayralina! Yes I am working with the Xcaret coordinator. I was planning on getting a wedding coordinator but Graciela, from Xcaret, is great and really easy to work with. If you have any questions at all just let me know.

 

JessiTaylor: Non-xcaret entertainment options? Im very interested in this..was Xcaret ok with that? Would you mind sharing?

Mayralina and JessiTaylor: Just curious, where have you chosen to have you ceremony and reception?

 

Happy planning!

[JessiTaylor]

Originally Posted by rehanak 

 

Mayralina! Yes I am working with the Xcaret coordinator. I was planning on getting a wedding coordinator but Graciela, from Xcaret, is great and really easy to work with. If you have any questions at all just let me know.

 

JessiTaylor: Non-xcaret entertainment options? Im very interested in this..was Xcaret ok with that? Would you mind sharing?

Mayralina and JessiTaylor: Just curious, where have you chosen to have you ceremony and reception?

 

Happy planning!

 

having my ceremony in the st francis of assisi chapel, and reception in la isla.  i wanted a cocktail reception by the water...but alas im too poor!

 

so im going to try and explain what im doing. im a bit hungover so this may be a terrible explanation

 

xcaret says you have to use 3 of their musicians/groups...after that you can bring people in. i really wanted a live band and fi always wanted a mariachi

 

we are having the trio xcaret suggests for the church bit. and because the live band costs a bomb, we decided to have a harp during dinner rather than playing the expensive music when people cant dance cause theyre eating. so we figured that we could at least outsource the mariachi or live band because with them itd bring us up to 4 artists/ then i thought if i hired the cheapest artist they have to play music as guests arrived... i can outsource both. so im planning to hire a guitarrist for 567 dollars or whatever so i can go elsewhere for both

 

to give you an idea about savings

 

xcaret live band is 5840 dollars (plus tax) for four 45 min sets (they play 45 mins, rest 15 mins)    musicancun have just quoted me 3780 dollars for 4 sets (including tax) and there are cheaper paclages available

 

xcaret mariachi is 1985 dollars plus tax for 45 mins, musicancun prices range from 595 dollars for 1 set of 45 minutes with 5 musicians, and 1070 dollars for 11 musicians (again, including tax)

 

so by hiring a guitarist that i dont particularly need or want, i think i can save myself around 2000 dollars. as graciela said 3 of ANY musicians. didnt say had to include specific ones

 

i met her last saturday - she was at a wedding expo here in monterrey.. and she tried to convince me that xcaret mariachi was worth it...but honestly it isnt. for that, its my fi's call as its his most importatn wedding thing. if he doesnt mind, then it goes!

 

does that make sense?