Advice For Couples Planning a Riviera Maya Destination Wedding - Brides Without Borders

Advice For Couples Planning a Riviera Maya Destination Wedding - Brides Without Borders

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18 February, 2015

By M&J Photography

We love working as Colorado wedding photographers during the summer and fall, but we also love working as Riviera Maya wedding photographers in Mexico during the winter and spring. We have learned a lot about destination weddings after working in both countries for the past four years. Since it's not so hard to organize a destination wedding in the U.S., we want to share our knowledge about Mexico, specifically the Riviera Maya.

Why Do A Destination Wedding?

Once the unofficial guest list hits 300 and the costs began to spiral out of control, you start thinking about a destination wedding. Something small and intimate on the beach in the Caribbean or in an alpine meadow starts sounding good. You wouldn't be alone, since destination weddings are wildly popular. How popular? A top web site for destination weddings just reported nearly 200,000 unique visitors a month!

There are a number of good reasons for choosing a destination wedding (not least of which is reducing the burgeoning guest list): the honeymoon and wedding are done in one trip, you can get married in the great outdoors, you'll be surrounded by 30 to 50 of your closest friends and family, and an exotic location means exotic foods, decorations and photo sessions. In our case, much of our family had not met prior to the wedding. Our destination wedding on Cozumel allowed them the opportunity to get to know each other on "neutral" turf and in a relaxed setting. As Riviera Maya wedding photographers, we live in what is arguably one of the most popular wedding destinations in the world. We have been part of many happy weddings. We have also been part of a couple of unhappy situations and we would like to help you avoid those.

Deciding if a destination wedding is right for you

First, are you sure a destination wedding is for you? There is a bit more work involved, with unfamiliar surroundings and sometimes even a language barrier. If you are looking for the perfect day, with total control, perhaps a beach or mountain meadow wedding is not your ideal venue. So, ask yourself, do I want to walk down the aisle wearing fabulous high heels and a four-piece dress, admiring the groom and his men wearing Armani tuxes? That's probably not going to work on the beach or in a mountain meadow. Make sure your personality fits the style of the destination.

All Inclusive vs Boutique Hotels

Many brides want to go someplace new and don't have the budget for a site visit, so they depend on travel agents to steer them to the right resort. The Riviera Maya has more than 70 resorts of all shapes and sizes from Cancun to Tulum, but the one that your agent is going to sell is the all-inclusive (AI), partly because of better commissions to the agent, but also because there are more things for a group to do on site. They do make the packages look very attractive. The more guests you bring, the more perks they throw in, such as a reduced price for the bridal suite, a free dance floor for the beach reception, or free nights. Sounds great, right?

You receive a great package that includes a DJ, a cake, the flowers and the photographer. However, the photographer will be good at snapshots and will have your husband dip you backwards in a Gone-With-the-Wind movie pose and perhaps get everyone to jump in the air (WHY?). If that isn't your style, or if you don't like the look of the flower samples and decide to use an outside vendor, here is where the unpleasant surprises begin. For example, one resort chain will not allow outside vendors and several chains charge couples more than $500 to allow an outside photographer to work on their property (we have shot at these resorts before and will do so again - we think it is unfair).

Our advice is to ask a lot of questions, read the fine print, negotiate exactly what you want (yes, the time and location of the ceremony), and don't sign anything or send any money until you have all of the details in writing. Don't take no for an answer, especially if you have not signed a contract. Most everything is negotiable. The all-inclusive resorts have a lot to offer, but make sure that the particular resort is for you and make sure that you understand all of the charges. If you can't do a site visit, then choose a travel agent that has been to the resorts and can help you choose what is right for you.

If your style is more elegant and chic, consider one of the boutique hotels along the Riviera Maya coast, or on Isla Mujeres, or one of the fabulous haciendas on the Yucatan Peninsula. To achieve your vision of elegance, search for an independent wedding planner. With web sites and Google searches, a good planner is easy to find. Good, organized planners with a sense of style should have a good web site. It should be easy to navigate, have photos that show their style and a couple of ways to connect with them. A good wedding planner wants to hear about your style and your expectations and will suggest a small number of venues, including boutique hotels or private villas. Once a planner knows your style and your budget, the choice of food, flowers and music becomes easier.

Finding your photographer

Finding a good photographer here is easy. There is an enormous selection of talented photographers with a wide range of styles and pricing on the Riviera Maya. Why anyone would want to have their wedding day documented by the same guy who does the pool snapshots is beyond comprehension. Once again, visit photographer web sites, read testimonials from other couples and conduct an interview. We usually don't meet our couples in person until they arrive in Mexico. So, we always have a Skype conversation with our couples before we agree to photograph their wedding. It's important for both parties to see if they are a good fit and a nice Skype video chat is the perfect solution for hiring a Riviera Maya wedding photographer.

Choosing the right ceremony time

For a Riviera Maya wedding, we recommend a ceremony start time about 60 - 90 minutes before sunset. Don't make the guys wear tuxes - it's hot, especially from April to November. Don't make your attendants wear heels - they'll beak an ankle walking in the sand. We shot one wedding where the attendants wore heels and every woman was looking down as she walked down the aisle so she wouldn't trip. No smiles, either.

Trash the dress/day after session

One of the great advantages of a Riviera Maya wedding is the day-after "Trash the Dress" session. Because of our beaches, the warm Caribbean ocean and the crystalline freshwater cenotes, we have a variety of locations for adventurous couples who want to create something special from their wedding trip. Let's face it, a talented photographer will create memorable images for you. However, if you want GREAT images, the best thing you can do is give your photographer time. Plenty of time, means time for scouting a good location, experimenting with different light and poses and being open to serendipity. If the wedding day is too busy with events, the day-after session is the perfect opportunity to create unforgettable images.

Before you book

Here are our top five things to do before booking a planner, a resort, or a travel agent and plunking down the big deposit to save your day:

1. Do a site visit. This is simply the best way to discover if this is the place for you. Plus, you get to meet the independent planner or the one at the resort. Visit several places and ask hard questions. Don't worry about being nice, it's your money.

2. What is the weather like? I read where 9 out of 10 couples say that the weather is an important factor in deciding where to go for a destination wedding. This may be a no-brainer, but I have heard more than once from a bride who remarked how reasonable the prices are in October (wet, humid, hurricane season). We suggest late November through March as the best months here. Unless you are used to hot, humid weather, the summer and early fall temperatures and humidity can be insufferable. There is usually a nice ocean breeze in this part of the world. However, in the summer and fall months, the ocean breezes subside. Wedding photos the groom who has wet clothes from sweat will not look good on your wall or in your album. This is one of the reasons why we don't work here from June through October.

3. Ask the all inclusive resort how many weddings are held per day? How many do they hold per week? (you'll know if they are telling the truth by how many locations they offer and how many times they say the location is already booked). The big all-inclusive resorts average 10 weddings a week in high season. We just booked a wedding where the bride was told, "sorry, but all of the afternoon times are taken, the only other time for the beach wedding is 11:30am"!! Really? Standing in the sun at noon!!!

4. Use one of the many online forums where brides have been posting questions and reviews. Some of these have been active for more than five years and are a great resource.

5. Does the resort/hotel have a back-up plan for rain? It does rain on the Riviera Maya at virtually any time of year. If there are three weddings at your resort ("don't worry, we have a 20 acre property and you'll never know there is another wedding") where do they all go if it rains?

About The Author

M&J Photography is Michael and Jennifer Lewis, a husband and wife photography team based in the U.S. and in Mexico. Between them, Michael and Jennifer have more than 30 years of experience shooting weddings, as well as shooting for magazines, book publishers and various corporations including National Geographic and TIME Magazine. Michael and Jennifer held their own beach wedding on the Riviera Maya, and shoot all of their weddings together. They believe that photography is the most important part of your wedding and that it is the one thing that will last long after the memories of the dinner, the dancing and the cake are gone. All Photography By: M&J Photography

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