Need Help: Looking For A Budget Friendly Wedding Location In Cancun

[tygrrlily]

Congratulations on the engagement!

 

Like @@shelikespink mentioned above, the costs of destination weddings are about as high as they are back home - the big difference is that you will have fewer people. Things like makeup, photographer, flowers and videographer, I think we\re actually paying MORE than we would be at home. What we're "saving" on is that we will have 40 people vs. 200 at home.

 

You said you are hoping to spend 5k on the wedding. Is that including all vendor costs including photography, flowers, dress, etc.? You might be able to do it if you get a "complimentary" wedding and have very few upgrades or vendors, but as mentioned above you have to usually pay more per person over 10 or whatever number is included, and if you want a private reception. I had no idea of the costs associated with a DW until actually planning one. Going into this, I thought spending 10k would be a ton and definitely include everything - we're realistically looking at closer to 15-20k now and that's with us budgeting heavily in certain areas. But again, it depends on your preferences and pickiness about things. Also, it's very easy to get sucked into things you never even thought about before like ttd shoots and oot bags

 

The other thing to make sure about for a DW is that you are okay and prepared with a lot of people not going. I didn't really think about this before we made the decision - I assumed that of course our loved ones would come. But like every other bride here, we've been faced with a lot of disappointments as we've realized that a lot of the people we thought would come (and said they would originally) are not. As long as you are prepared for that, you can definitely still have a beautiful wedding, but yes, just something to think about.

 

Also, I think a lot of us will attest that planning a DW is definitely not stress-free - your stresses just come in different places! Haha I lost sleep when it came to choosing a resort and trying to find something affordable for people.

 

I don't mean to sound pessimistic or deter you. I just wanted to be upfront so you have a good idea of what it all entails. I went into it very blindly, and I'm not honestly sure if we would have still gone this route if we knew all of the factors. That being said, I am now VERY excited for our beautiful wedding, and I can't wait to get married in Mexico! My advice is to poke around the site and read different reviews and threads and you will get a really good idea

 

Cost wise, if you're not picky about the resort, there are resorts for under $1500, but they will often be in low season. You can't really compare the expedia price for a single trip to booking a block for 40 guests...  your rates will probably not be as low (and you will have to deal with guests telling you this!). When we were looking, we wanted to keep it under 1500 too but found it almost impossible because of our time of year. We could have, but it would have meant settling for a hotel we weren't as happy with and actually paying more for the wedding. But off the top of my head, I remember Now Jade being really affordable, and Iberostar Cancun (for guests - the actual wedding costs were fairly high). We decided to choose the hotel we wanted (Beach Palace), but we are going to spread out some of our discounts to make the costs more affordable for guests.

Edited July 24, 2014 by tygrrlily

[calgarybride2015]

 

 

You said you are hoping to spend 5k on the wedding. Is that including all vendor costs including photography, flowers, dress, etc.? You might be able to do it if you get a "complimentary" wedding and have very few upgrades or vendors, but as mentioned above you have to usually pay more per person over 10 or whatever number is included, and if you want a private reception. I had no idea of the costs associated with a DW until actually planning one. Going into this, I thought spending 10k would be a ton and definitely include everything - we're realistically looking at closer to 15-20k now and that's with us budgeting heavily in certain areas. But again, it depends on your preferences and pickiness about things. Also, it's very easy to get sucked into things you never even thought about before like ttd shoots and oot bags

 

 

I agree, was thinking that too.  I went with the free wedding package, which saved me $1800 BUT all my upgrades to the private beach/reception, DJ, open bar ended up costing me around $4500.  Then my resort package for the week, photography, decor, dress, gifts, etc.   I think we are paying around $13000. Give or take.   We get some bonuses thru the airline but they aren't confirmed yet until all payments are made.

 

think it depends on what you really want for your wedding day, and the budget. We will be tight, trying to save all before the wedding!

Edited July 24, 2014 by calgarybride2015

[becassidy]

We went to a ton of travel agents and asked what deals they offer. We found one that offers room upgrade, and each 11th person is free (11, 22, 33), so we are up to 19 people, so we have a free trip for one of us!

[TheBHolders]

I dont know what your budget is, but I booked my wedding at Playacar Palace. Palace resorts came highly recommended and the group perks are AMAZING. I have stayed at mostly Riu resorts and while I do love Riu, I wanted my wedding to be different than where my friends and I typically vacation. Palace is not cheap, it is about average, but, all the stuff you get for your wedding plus the group incentives are, must I say again AMAZING. I got engaged the end of May as well and our date is June 2016. We are leaving from NY and are estimating the trip to cost about 12-1300 a person for 4 nights. With Palace resorts you are able to get up to 7 free nights, room upgrades, unlimited private functions. I have looked at other resorts and other countries, but no one was able to top Palace. I was finding that other resorts still charged a per person rate for a reception dinner, chair and table rental fee, private event fee, drink fee, and the costs were seeming to be close to having a wedding at home.

 

Good Luck

We went to a ton of travel agents and asked what deals they offer. We found one that offers room upgrade, and each 11th person is free (11, 22, 33), so we are up to 19 people, so we have a free trip for one of us!

I am still shopping around for travel agents. Can you PM me with who you are using. I am from NY as well

Congratulations on the engagement!

 

Like @@shelikespink mentioned above, the costs of destination weddings are about as high as they are back home - the big difference is that you will have fewer people. Things like makeup, photographer, flowers and videographer, I think we\re actually paying MORE than we would be at home. What we're "saving" on is that we will have 40 people vs. 200 at home.

 

You said you are hoping to spend 5k on the wedding. Is that including all vendor costs including photography, flowers, dress, etc.? You might be able to do it if you get a "complimentary" wedding and have very few upgrades or vendors, but as mentioned above you have to usually pay more per person over 10 or whatever number is included, and if you want a private reception. I had no idea of the costs associated with a DW until actually planning one. Going into this, I thought spending 10k would be a ton and definitely include everything - we're realistically looking at closer to 15-20k now and that's with us budgeting heavily in certain areas. But again, it depends on your preferences and pickiness about things. Also, it's very easy to get sucked into things you never even thought about before like ttd shoots and oot bags

 

The other thing to make sure about for a DW is that you are okay and prepared with a lot of people not going. I didn't really think about this before we made the decision - I assumed that of course our loved ones would come. But like every other bride here, we've been faced with a lot of disappointments as we've realized that a lot of the people we thought would come (and said they would originally) are not. As long as you are prepared for that, you can definitely still have a beautiful wedding, but yes, just something to think about.

 

Also, I think a lot of us will attest that planning a DW is definitely not stress-free - your stresses just come in different places! Haha I lost sleep when it came to choosing a resort and trying to find something affordable for people.

 

I don't mean to sound pessimistic or deter you. I just wanted to be upfront so you have a good idea of what it all entails. I went into it very blindly, and I'm not honestly sure if we would have still gone this route if we knew all of the factors. That being said, I am now VERY excited for our beautiful wedding, and I can't wait to get married in Mexico! My advice is to poke around the site and read different reviews and threads and you will get a really good idea

 

Cost wise, if you're not picky about the resort, there are resorts for under $1500, but they will often be in low season. You can't really compare the expedia price for a single trip to booking a block for 40 guests...  your rates will probably not be as low (and you will have to deal with guests telling you this!). When we were looking, we wanted to keep it under 1500 too but found it almost impossible because of our time of year. We could have, but it would have meant settling for a hotel we weren't as happy with and actually paying more for the wedding. But off the top of my head, I remember Now Jade being really affordable, and Iberostar Cancun (for guests - the actual wedding costs were fairly high). We decided to choose the hotel we wanted (Beach Palace), but we are going to spread out some of our discounts to make the costs more affordable for guests.

 

I completely agree. I love Riu, it's affordable and beautiful, but many of my friends always vacation there so it's not special. Plus the actual wedding costs are quite high for what they offer.

 

Now Jade is beautiful, I considered them and the travel quotes I received are AWESOME. BUT!!! the prices to have my actual wedding were ridiculously expensive... come on, $3-5 a person for cake, $50 a person for a dinner... At an all inclusive, talk about highway robbery.

 

I have also seen brides host their wedding at off site locations other than their resort. I am not sure how this works and am completely satisfied with the resort I chose to not consider other options. But, in December we went to a club on the beach called Coco Maya, on their website they have pictures of a wedding set up and it is quite nice. I am sure you can find a ton of information on this website. I feel a little crazy planning so far in advance, but at least these things will be taken care of and I will have more time.

[linaco80]

@@soon2BHammel719 Congrats on your engagement!!!, check the palace chain, they offer tons of perks and you might get lots of freebies. Also you can create a bid in Expedia for a group rate where you will set the price that you are allowed to pay. Usually they require you to book 3 nights minimum for you and your group, you will start getting quotes from many hotels that can meet your price and that will help you to be familiar with prices in the area you select.

My huge recommendation is do no take this on your own...go with a TA because that is how you can get the perks and they will take care of you since the TA has history working with them good luck with all

[Tanya81]

I think you can definitely plan your wedding with a $5000 budget and keep the guest cost below $1500. It just depends on what type of resort you're looking for. I'm getting married at Gran Caribe Real resort and my guest are paying $464-$572 for 4 nights (depending on the room type) and the flight is between $4-$500. I'm having my reception on a boat which includes a DJ, food and drinks. I'm spending a little less than $5000 for 50 people. I estimate to spend about $5-5500 once I include my cake and photographer.

 

You can also look into having semi-private reception vs. a private reception to cut some cost.... I used Liberty Travel for booking, but my guest also have the option to book on their own if they find it cheaper. I prefer that they book though my TA, but hey I can't force them lol. I'm just happy they're coming...

It's doable but you really have to do your research... Hth.

Edited July 29, 2014 by Tanya81

[Tanya81]

Idk why my font is so small in my previous post, sorry

 

I think you can definitely plan your wedding with a $5000 budget and keep the guest cost below $1500. It just depends on what type of resort you're looking for. I'm getting married at Gran Caribe Real resort and my guest are paying $464-$572 for 4 nights (depending on the room type) and the flight is between $4-$500. I'm having my reception on a boat which includes a DJ, food and drinks. I'm spending a little less than $5000 for 50 people. I estimate to spend about $5-5500 once I include my cake and photographer.

You can also look into having semi-private reception vs. a private reception to cut some cost.... I used Liberty Travel for booking, but my guest also have the option to book on their own if they find it cheaper. I prefer that they book though my TA, but hey I can't force them lol. I'm just happy they're coming...
It's doable but you really have to do your research... Hth.

[acw271011]

Hey guys! I am a newbie in need of HELP! I just recently got engaged the end of May and still feel like I am dreaming:))So.. my fiance and I had finally found a location in our home town of Tucson, AZ. Right when I sit down with my parents to finalize everything they decide to tell me they are no longer able to help me with the wedding like the had planned on doing. Long story short.... We have decided to just plan a destination wedding/weddingmoon instead. Primarily to cut the costs and also just have a stress free "Vaca" wedding instead =D.

So that being the case... I am trying to find the cheapest way to go about it... I of course still want it to be beautiful and special though.

ANY help would be greatly appreciated. I have decided on the location as Cancun, flights are not to expensive and it is very beautiful.

If you could share with me your wedding details and pricing and any advice that would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much!

 

Congrats and welcome to BDW! You will definitely find whatever info you need here to help you plan.

 

First, I strongly recommend consulting a travel agent! They are the best people to help you with resorts that will fit with your budget. Since you're in the US, check out the owner of this site, Wright Travel. They are destination wedding specialists and have tons of knowledge about resorts and what they can provide you with. Some resorts offer perks for group bookings as well. Wright will be able to help you with that info. In the US, you generally book your hotel room block, then flights are handled separately. In Canada, that's not the norm. Usually the packages are all inclusive meaning air, ground transportation and hotel stay. It's much more expensive for us to book our air, namely because of the horrendous tax rates we get charged on flights.

 

You don't mention the time of year you would like. Obviously there are times of the year that are more expensive than others, and cheaper times too. Again, Wright can help you out with that. I'm not totally sure I agree that Cancun is always more expensive. There are definitely reasonably priced resorts just as Playa del Carmen has very expensive resorts. It will come down to what you want.

 

Good luck and happy planning!!

[shelikespink]

@@soon2BHammel719 Hehe even my engagement ring is pink! We've picked Moon Palace, based on many factors. We wanted somewhere that has kids activities, close to the airport, lots of activities to do, and can accommodate a larger wedding (120+ppl). You never know how many will show up! Our initial guest list has 320 and I'm estimating 40-50% will attend (our family and friends are super excited and have been expecting a DW since we got engaged in January!).

 

Off season is do-able to get cheaper guest rates. Talk to different travel agents too, as they all have different prices!

[dainya]

@@calgarybride2015 can you please post the pricing options they provided you? or send them to me in a message thanks!!!