cancun wedding...please help!

[lbberger]

hi! i am planning a march 8 wedding in cancun or the riviera maya and need some help and suggestions. my FI and i are planning a visit next week to look at hotels. we don't want all inclusive and are looking for 20+ rooms at $180-200 a night.

we originally were thinking about the riviera maya, but it seems the resorts there are really expensive and are all all inclusive which i don't want because i want a rehearsal dinner at a local restaurant and i don't want people paying for their own food at the wedding reception (and we want to host a brunch as well).

there are hundreds of hotels in cancun, it is so hard to choose. and the trip advisor has good and bad reviews on all of them. we are looking at the westin, the omni, the fiesta americana condesa, the hyatt, and the intercontinental presidente to name a few. are we missing any that we should check out? should we get a wedding coordinator or just trust the hotel wedding coordinators?

does anyone have restaurant suggestions for a rehearsal dinner?

can anyone recomment a good hair and make up artist?

i appreciate your help!

thanks *lauren

[*JillD*]

I'm not going to be a lot of help, but I just have a couple of things to add.

 

I can totally understand if you don't want to do an all inclusive, however, I just wanted to mention that even though its all inclusive, if you want a private reception or wanted a welcome dinner or whatever, you do have to pay for those things, so its not really your guests paying for their own food. You get charged the same as you would at a non AI.

 

Also, Fiesta Americana I think is where Anny got married in July and she had a very large wedding. She can probably answer some of your questions about FA.

 

You said you needed to book about 20 rooms, so thats probably around 40 people. I think the majority of people are just using the onsite WC at their resort and I think with approx. 40 ppl, you would be fine with that. Unless you don't want to do your own research for flowers, cake, etc... and depending on if you choose a resort where they can include any of these things for you.

 

I think I'm starting to ramble, so I'll stop now, lol, let me know if you have any questions.

[lbberger]

great thoughts...thanks! you are right about the AI, i just think i prefer a regular hotel. i will def. check out the fiesta americana. thanks!

[lbberger]

i just saw you are getting married in cancun too..and soon...how exciting!!! are you having a rehearsal dinner at the hotel or in town? are you providing transportation from the airport? did you check out any other hotels? where are you getting your hair and makeup done? i would love to hear the details. thanks!

[mkdela]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lbberger hi! i am planning a march 8 wedding in cancun or the riviera maya and need some help and suggestions. my FI and i are planning a visit next week to look at hotels. we don't want all inclusive and are looking for 20+ rooms at $180-200 a night. we originally were thinking about the riviera maya, but it seems the resorts there are really expensive and are all all inclusive which i don't want because i want a rehearsal dinner at a local restaurant and i don't want people paying for their own food at the wedding reception (and we want to host a brunch as well). there are hundreds of hotels in cancun, it is so hard to choose. and the trip advisor has good and bad reviews on all of them. we are looking at the westin, the omni, the fiesta americana condesa, the hyatt, and the intercontinental presidente to name a few. are we missing any that we should check out? should we get a wedding coordinator or just trust the hotel wedding coordinators? does anyone have restaurant suggestions for a rehearsal dinner? can anyone recomment a good hair and make up artist? i appreciate your help! thanks *lauren

Lauren -
check out the Gran Melia, too (right next door to FA Condesa). I also didnt want all inclusive for the same reasons...and checked out a number places in Cancun. I got the best room rate (it fits into your budget) on the Gran Melia - the prices I was quoted at the Marriott and FA Condesa were higher. We have been really happy with the Gran Melia so far. I've just been using their wedding coordinator and think she's great.