Secrets Playa Blanca Destination Wedding

Shawna & Michael

November 4th, 2024

It’s my pleasure to introduce this breathtaking Secrets Playa Blanca Destination wedding of Shawna & Michael (Mike) McBride in Costa Mujeres, Mexico. This unforgettable day was truly magical, and I was honored to both plan and attend every moment of their celebration!

The couple chose November 4th as their wedding date since it was a very meaningful date for them. Over the past two years, this exact date marked two major milestones in their relationship: their engagement and their legal marriage in the U.S.

This was my first experience being on-site with a wedding group, and I absolutely loved every second of it! As you browse the incredible photos captured by the talented Melissa Ann Photography and the insightful questionnaire you’ll also get an inside look at Shawna and Michael’s wedding planning journey. From their decision to host a destination wedding at Secrets Playa Blanca to the vendors they chose, their story is filled with inspiration and helpful insights.

(Pro tip: The couple cleverly brought in their own photography team as part of their wedding group, avoiding the resort’s “outside vendor” fees. Genius!)

Dive in to explore all the details and enjoy the beauty of this unforgettable day!

Glasses, rings and shells for Secrets Playa Blanca Destination Wedding

Wedding dress hanging up and newspaper article for wedding

Bride with bridesmaids popping champagne at Secrets Playa Blanca

Q & A with Shawna & Michael

What was your biggest fear when planning your destination wedding, and how did it all turn out?

We had two big fears when planning our destination wedding. The first fear was having our guests attend a wedding in a different country. We were worried about the prices, accessibility, taking time off of work, and not being able to celebrate with our friends and family. We were pleasantly surprised with how many people chose to make the sacrifice to come to our wedding. We ended up having a total guest count of 78 people!

Our second fear was booking a resort site unseen. We took Melissa’s recommendations to heart and followed it up with researching pictures and reviews on Instagram and Facebook groups. The resort was gorgeous and fit exactly what our needs were.

Why did you choose Secrets Playa Blanca for your destination wedding? What made it “the one”?

Initially we chose Secrets Playa Mujeres for our wedding resort in Cancun, Mexico. We chose this resort because it was all-inclusive, adults only, within a 45 min drive from the airport, and was cost effective for our guests while still maintaining a lively atmosphere and elegant wedding locations.

Unfortunately, seven months after we had signed our contract we were alerted that the resort was closing down during our wedding for renovations. We then were tasked with starting back at the beginning and choosing either to stay with a different Secrets resort or choose a different hotel group.

We were presented with the opportunity to book at a brand new resort, Secrets Playa Blanca, that was opening five months later. We only had rendering pictures to look at, but we decided to take a leap of faith and book Secrets Playa Blanca. This decision couldn’t have been better!

Bride having her dress fitted at Secrets Playa Blanca

Groom getting ready and playing pool with groomsmen before wedding at Secrets Playa Blanca, Costa Mujeres Mexico

Bride with bridesmaids in blue dresses and groomsmen in tan suits for destination wedding in Mexico

Did anything about having a destination wedding surprise you?

We were definitely taken aback with the prices of the wedding add-ons. The flowers, decor, linens, cutlery, signage, lighting, etc. compared to “typical” wedding prices in the US were either similar or in some cases, vastly more expensive. These extra details were not as important to us as the overall resort experience, spending time with our guests, and the vibe of the whole weekend so we opted to have more experiences than decorations at the wedding reception.

How was your experience with the on-site wedding coordinator?

Our experience with the on-site wedding coordinator was challenging. Prior to us arriving at the resort, communication was difficult at some times. It would take a while to get email responses, we only had 2 video calls together, and the majority of the wedding planning was done in the last month before the wedding.

Once we arrived on-site, the wedding coordinator was very helpful and made our wedding dreams come true. She even surprised us with upgraded wedding chairs for the ceremony and reception! Having a destination wedding was the true meaning of “trust the process”. Even though we found communication a little difficult in the planning stages, which could be due to the wedding department and resort only being established just that year, we thought the events went smoothly and everything was well organized, efficient, and beautiful.

Bride walking down the aisle for wedding at Secrets Playa Blanca

Wedding ceremony taking place outside on the deck at Secrets Playa Blanca

wedding ceremony at Secrets Playa Blanca, Costa Mujeres Mexico

Bride and groom with bridal party at destination wedding in Mexico

Bride and groom with bridal party, men in tan suits and bridesmaids in blue dresses at Secrets Playa Blanca, Costa Mujeres Mexico

Did you splurge on anything special? Was it worth it?

We chose to surprise our guests with a mariachi band during the welcome party. This splurge was fun, interactive, and was memorable for the guests. The mariachi band played traditional mariachi songs as well as playing current popular songs in the mariachi style. This was totally worth the upgrade and we would do it again if given the opportunity.

Wedding welcome reception at Secrets Playa Blanca, Costa Mujeres Mexico

Any vendors you loved and think other couples need to know about?

We did not use any external vendors as all of our vendors were provided through the resort, such as florist, DJ, catering, lighting, hair and make-up, and mariachi band. We did choose to bring our own photographers instead of going with the resort provided company, however, we did not need to pay an external vendor fee because we brought them along as guests. This hack was one of our best decisions of the entire wedding weekend. We were able to get all of our events photographed and build a rapport with the photographers, which made taking pictures more comfortable and enjoyable.

What did your guests say about the whole experience?

Our guests had the best time and absolutely loved the wedding weekend! Everyone keeps asking “Are we doing this again next year?”. The guests really enjoyed how there were planned events but also the flexibility to do their own thing and still enjoy vacation. The resort was laid out perfectly to have larger groups hang out, but also had many options for smaller gatherings as well. Secrets Playa Blanca was the perfect location to host a wedding as it is brand new, insanely gorgeous, has pristine beaches, has multiple pools with different vibes, and over 14 different restaurants and bars.

Wedding reception table and chairs at Secrets Playa Blanca Destination Wedding

First dance and cake cutting at Secrets Playa Blanca, Costa Mujeres Mexico

Couple on dance floor and jumping into pool for destination wedding in Mexico

If you could change anything about your wedding or the planning process, what would it be?

Although everything for the wedding turned out amazing, if I could change anything it would be to have more communication and planning done before the last month leading up to the wedding. This caused unnecessary stress not knowing all of the details until right before the event. As being a planner and “Type A” person, we really had to go with the flow and know everything was going to turn out amazing, which it did!

What’s your best advice for couples just starting to plan their destination wedding?

Trust the process! There were months when we would not do any wedding planning and then some months where we made many decisions. There were ebbs and flows and sometimes it felt stressful but everything came together in the end.

Our advice to couples planning their destination weddings would be to not stress out about the wedding details. Your guests are there to have a good time and celebrate you! Enjoy your time with everyone and live in the moment. This is a once in a lifetime trip and most likely you will not have all of the same people together on vacation again.

Bride and groom portraits on the beach in Cancun Mexico

And because I’m always looking to make things even better—how did I make the process less stressful for you? Was there anything I could have done differently?

Melissa was an absolute lifesaver in our wedding planning process!! She took care of all the contracts, booking the rooms and transportation, made our wedding website, QR codes, PDFs, and videos for our guests, and helped us communicate with the on-site wedding coordinators!

Since we booked our destination wedding almost 2 years before our wedding date, we got to know Melissa on both a professional and personal level. We had routine check-ins to make sure everything stayed on track and she provided us with endless amounts of support and help in making decisions. We truly could not have planned our wedding without her!

When we got the news our previous resort had canceled on us, she was so proactive in reaching out to Secrets and providing us with alternatives. Although this was a stressful time being told your wedding plans had come to an end, she made everything go seamlessly and even got us into a brand new resort.

We also had the pleasure of Melissa coming down to our wedding in Mexico! Having Melissa on-site for the wedding was a huge help as she facilitated many of the behind the scenes activities. Her knowledge of both the wedding and travel industry enable her to truly be the best at her job. On top of her knowing so much about the biz, she is extremely personable, organized, easy to work with, and has a secret power of communicating effectively with other people. We are forever grateful for all the help she gave us and we wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Any additional information or advice you want to share for other couples looking to play a Secrets Playa Blanca Destination wedding ?

We knew we wanted to do something fun with our bridal party and close friends so Melissa suggested a private catamaran. This was one of our most memorable activities of the weekend! We also had our photographer come aboard and take pictures during the excursion, which was nice not having to worry about taking pictures and getting true candid photos.

Wedding party on board a catamaran in Costa Mujeres, Mexico

Ready to plan your dream destination wedding in Mexico? Whether you’re looking for expert advice or hands-on planning support, I’d love to help make your vision come to life. Let’s start creating memories you’ll cherish forever—get in touch today!