Christina & Paul
May 6th, 2024
If you’re thinking about planning a destination wedding in the Riviera Maya, you’re in the right place! As exciting as it is, we know that organizing a wedding from afar can be challenging and, at times, stressful.
Today, we’re diving into the real wedding of Christina and Paul to share every insightful detail of their planning journey and wedding day at this stunning venue.
After a frustrating experience with another agent, and knowing my attention to detail in wedding planning (plus being a guest at a wedding I previously organized), Christina and Paul reached out for help with arrangements for 105 guests—my largest wedding party to date!
I was thrilled to assist, and this amazing couple made the most of every benefit that comes with working with me, a WOW All-Inclusive Weddings specialist with Hard Rock. Thanks to the size of their celebration, they were able to enjoy two full events! Insider tip: with Hard Rock, the more rooms you book, the better the perks! (See more in this post)
Let’s dive in….
Q & A WITH CHRISTINA & PAUL
What was your biggest fear when planning your Riviera Maya destination wedding?
- My biggest fear when planning our destination wedding was not being able to be in complete control 24/7, hands on & on site. I was also worried I would regret not having some loved ones with us on our big day
Why did you choose Hard Rock? What were some of the deciding factors?
- I spent countless hours researching & even visiting a couple different resorts before landing on Hard Rock Riviera Maya for our destination wedding. We actually booked our wedding site unseen. Our checklist wasn’t long but it was specific and included – A resort big enough to host our guests with enough restaurant options for everybody. We are foodies so this was important to us. We also wanted a swimmable beach AND pool. Last but not least, a resort that had great wedding perks being that we did indeed have a large group attending.
Was there anything about having a destination wedding that you were surprised by?
- The vender pricing and vender fees for using an outside venders! Although, there are numerous loop holes I found throughout the planning process which helped us tremendously. One other thing I was surprised by was that Hard Rock did not bring any apps or sandwiches, drinks….nothing to the bridal suite while getting ready and since there were so many girls in my room, room service wouldn’t bring anything either. A couple of girls had to go down to the café to get some grab & go food!
What was your experience with the on-site wedding coordinator?
- I was extremely nervous after reading horror stories on a Facebook page for Hard Rock brides. Furthermore when the off-site coordinator (Miami) reached out to me with a wrong date for my wedding & didn’t reply after numerous emails, for close to 6 weeks. My offsite coordinator was less than ideal and honestly made my months leading up to the wedding way more stressful than they needed to be. A terrible experience with her. Moving forward, my onsite was FANTASTIC. She truly went above and beyond for us. We had Liliana & she was the absolute sweetest!
Was there anything you splurged on for this wedding? Would you do that again?
- Our cocktail & reception area. It was the only spot on the resort with a “set up fee” per person. It was at the Solarium Roof top. 10/10 recommend.
Any Vendors you loved and want to mention?
- Bifloral – I initially contacted them about a new collection they had. They did not have any personal flowers (bride, bridesmaid bouquets, boutonnières) for this collection yet but they assured me they could get them done in time for my wedding! Bifloral is not a preferred vender but we were able to get around the outside vender fee since they delivered and picked up the flowers to the lobby. The fake flowers assured they didn’t wilt in the heat & were beautiful in pictures.
What kind of feedback did you get from your guests?
- Since our wedding 1 month ago we have heard rave reviews about our guests whole vacation from beginning to end. Everyone has had great things to say about the resort as well as our wedding itself. A good amount of our guests had never even been outside of the United States & all have said they want to travel more. In addition, many guests have said they want to do more group vacations & even started a Facebook group for future plans together! Some even already booked a trip back to Hard Rock & 2 couples have decided based off our wedding they will also be doing a destination wedding in the future!
If you could change anything about your wedding at all – what would it be?
- Honestly, nothing!
In what ways did Vacations By Melissa make this less stressful for you?
- Oh where do I even start? Melissa handled booking all of our friends & family with grace, which was not an easy task. We originally had 140 people booked with a deposit & in the end wound up with 105. We did expected to lose a few because life happens! The website Melissa crafted for our wedding specifically was a HUGE help with making the booking process as simple as possible for everyone. All of the google drives, pages, links, etc. she created to help keep me organized were absolutely necessary. I would truly have been lost without her! I could absolutely go on for days raving about Vacations by Melissa. Again, 10/10 recommend & will forever. I appreciate everything Melissa did for us. I will never be able to put into words the gratitude I have for Melissa as well as her assistant, Alysia.
What is your best piece of advice for couples entering the planning process?
- Do your research. Join Facebook groups, reach out to people to ask questions from experience. I saved us thousands, from just doing research and finding loopholes. Don’t be afraid to negotiate pricing! If it is within your means, do a site inspection to meet with the wedding department. Know that life happens & not everybody that you want to be there will be able to be with you! Last, but certainly not least, do not stress. Everything falls into place. To us this is our once in a lifetime, to the resort workers they see multiple weddings a day. I was mind blown when we went to our site inspection 4 months prior to our wedding, feeling as though I was so behind & the wedding department & venders kept telling us we were way ahead of the game! Our wedding all came together in the 2 weeks prior to our big day & was everything I could have dreamed of. I wish I had not stressed the way I did in the months leading up to our wedding!
Ready to start planning your dream Riviera Maya destination wedding in paradise? Let’s make your vision a reality! As an all-inclusive wedding specialist, I’ll guide you every step of the way, ensuring an unforgettable experience for you and your guests. Contact me today to learn about exclusive perks and start your stress-free planning journey!
Vendor Credits:
Venue: Hard Rock Riviera Maya
Flowers: Bifloral
Photos: Studio by The Ferry
Hair: Styling Trio
Entertainment: PME- Party Music Events-Cancun
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