A destination wedding in Riviera Maya allows you to celebrate your marriage in surroundings of turquoise waters, warm weather, tropical landscape and all your dear and beloved people. However, resort selection is just the first step to create a wedding of your dreams and make it memorable for you and your guests.
Grand Riviera Princess is one of the resorts that attract many couples wishing to organize their wedding in Riviera Maya. The beach front resort with a variety of restaurants, pools, accommodation, entertainment and venues for your wedding will allow you to host your ceremony and reception and provide your guests with plenty of entertainment.
In case if you are looking for the Best Wedding Destinations in Mexico, Riviera Maya must be on your list. Here is the plan for your wedding in Grand Riviera Princess from early planning until celebration.
Create Your Wedding Vision
Prior to making any decisions about flowers, music and reception menu, think about what kind of wedding you want to have. Do you picture yourself walking barefoot along the beach towards the ceremony that will take place near the beach. Or maybe a romantic gazebo ceremony followed by cocktails and dinner. Or it is a bigger celebration with dancing, entertainment and reception party?
There is no wrong way to get married at Grand Riviera Princess.
Start with defining your priorities:
- Ceremony location
- Number of guests
- Wedding style
- Food and beverages
- Photography
- Entertainment
- Decorations
- Experience of your guests
- Overall budget
Choosing these priorities will make the following planning process much easier for you.
Choose the Perfect Ceremony Location
The location you choose will set the mood of your wedding day.
Romantic Beach Ceremony
If you dream to marry the classic way in Riviera Maya, a beach ceremony might be an obvious choice for you. The Caribbean sea will serve as a perfect backdrop for your ceremony and you will not need too much decorations. Just a floral arch, aisle arrangements, beautiful chairs and some accents will be enough.
The Wedding Gazebo
For couples wishing to have a bit more defined ceremony site, a gazebo might be a nice choice for them. A gazebo will give you dedicated location for your ceremony and will allow to keep the tropical environment and Caribbean atmosphere around you. It is a nice choice for couples who wish to have a romantic ceremony without being on the sand.
Indoor Ceremony Options
Not everyone feels comfortable about the outdoor ceremony due to various reasons. When speaking about wedding venue with your planner, you can always ask about indoor ceremony alternatives or discuss backup plans.
Decide How Many Guests You Want
Destination weddings tend to grow when invitations go out. Starting with the list of your closest family and friends, you will suddenly find out that you want to have more people at your ceremony. So before making your resort reservations, you should define a realistic guest list.
Think about:
- Your closest circle – people you cannot imagine yourself without.
- Extended family – relatives that mean a lot for both of you.
- Friends – people that were with you at key moments of your lives.
- Additional guests – family friends or other people that you would like to invite to your ceremony in case of your budget allowing it.
Plan Your Wedding Weekend
One of the things I like the most about destination weddings is that it is not limited by a day of the ceremony. Your guests travel to your ceremony location and it is a good idea to allow them to enjoy the destination.
Welcome Event
Start with something relaxed. A welcome cocktail or a casual dinner will give a possibility to guests from different sides of your family to get acquainted before the wedding.
Wedding Day
Schedule your wedding day realistically. You should allocate enough time for getting ready, wedding photographs, ceremony, cocktails, dinner, speeches, dancing and celebration. Do not try to pack too much into your wedding day.
Post-Wedding Day
Make sure your guests have a chance to relax. They can use pool, beach, restaurants, spa, activities offered by the resort and explore Riviera Maya. You do not need to organize each moment for your guests. Sometimes the best thing about destination wedding is just spending time with people that are dear to you with nowhere to go.
Think Beyond Ceremony About Your Decorations
Often couples pay a lot of attention to ceremony decorations and forget that guests spend much more time on reception. Think about your complete experience.
You can create a decor plan including such items as:
- Ceremony flowers
- A floral arch
- Aisle arrangements
- Welcome signs
- Cocktails tables
- Reception centerpieces
- Table numbers
- Customized menus
- Head table decoration
- Cake table
- Lighting
- Dance floor decorations
You do not have to use all of these items but choose the ones that will be more effective for your ceremony.
Make Your Food a Part of the Experience
Food is one of those details that guests remember for a long time. Being in Riviera Maya, you can make use of local food to create your special menu. You can discuss Mexican-inspired dishes, international selections, cocktails, desserts and other details with wedding team of the resort. In case if you have guests with special dietary requirements, remember about discussing this matter long before your wedding day. The same thing applies to cultural or religious food requirements.
Give Your Guests Opportunity to Enjoy the Resort
Your guests do not just attend a wedding. They have a vacation.
Grand Riviera Princess offers you a variety of activities and facilities to allow your guests to have an enjoyable vacation.
Some people will be happy to spend time at pool or beach. Other people may prefer active games, entertainment, dining, spa treatment or exploration of the surroundings.
Families with children will appreciate the possibilities to entertain children as well.
Try not to overload the itinerary of your guests. Give them a chance to spend vacation as they wish.
Organize Experiences for Your Guests Outside of the Resort
Riviera Maya has lots to offer besides the resort.
Such places can include:
- Visiting a cenote
- Exploration of Playa del Carmen
- Snorkeling
- Eating local Mexican food
- Visiting Mayan archaeological sites
- Visiting the beach
- Shopping
- SPA treatment
You do not have to organize all the activities for everyone. A simple list of recommendations will be enough.
Do Not Forget About the Weather
Tropical wedding sounds perfect. But you should have a back up plan. Prior to finalizing your outdoor arrangements, ask your wedding team about the weather back up plan.
You should discuss the following issues:
- Where will be your ceremony moved in case of rain?
- Can your reception be moved indoors?
- How much notice is needed for changing of the venue?
- What will happen to your decorations?
- Will your photographer have an alternative photo plan?
These discussions will give you peace of mind and you do not need to worry about the weather on your wedding day.
Allocate Enough Time for Photography
Riviera Maya offers you a variety of locations for wedding photography but your photographer should have enough time to make use of it. Do not plan your wedding day in such a way that you will have only 10 minutes for couple portraits.
The photography schedule can include:
- Getting ready photographs
- First look, if you have one
- Wedding party photographs
- Family photographs
- Ceremony
- Couple portraits
- Reception details
- Sunset photographs
- Dancing and candid moments
Make a list of your family photographs before the wedding. It will save you a lot of time after the ceremony.
Define Your Total Budget Prior to Making Additional Decisions
Resort wedding packages simplify wedding planning for the couples but often couples add additional expenses such as extra decorations, photographer, videographer, entertainment, flowers, food, private events and others.
Therefore, I would recommend to define your total budget before making too many decisions.
Divide your budget into such groups as:
- Accommodations at the resort
- Wedding package
- Ceremony
- Reception
- Food and beverages
- Photography
- Videography
- Flowers
- Decorations
- Entertainment
- Hair and makeup
- Wedding cake
- Guest activities
- Transportation
- Legal requirements
And then define which part you want to spend more and which you can save money on. Your wedding is not more meaningful because you spent more money on it.
Make Your Wedding about Your Guests as Well
Destination wedding is the common experience for you and your guests. Think about the needs of your guests throughout the wedding weekend.
Your guests should know about:
- Travel arrangements
- Accommodations at the resort
- Wedding schedule
- Dress code
- Weather
- Transportation from the airport
- Welcome event
- Wedding ceremony
- Free time
- Departure schedule
Your wedding website or information guide can help you to organize this information.
Why Riviera Maya is One of the Best Wedding Destinations in Mexico
There is a reason why so many couples choose Riviera Maya for their destination weddings. You get beautiful beaches, tropical environment, excellent resorts, Mexican culture, outdoor activities and possibilities to create a wedding weekend instead of only wedding day.
Grand Riviera Princess offers another advantage for couples that want to celebrate majority of their wedding at one place. You can host your ceremony, reception, guests’ accommodations, meals and many other activities in the resort while having an option to explore Riviera Maya. That is why this resort is worth considering when comparing the Best Wedding Destinations in Mexico.
Why to Choose Liz Moore Destination Weddings
Placing the wedding abroad makes the whole wedding planning process different from the one held locally. You deal with the resort located in the another country, you may have unfamiliar wedding requirements, travel arrangements, questions of your guests, vendors, details, etc. That is when an experience of a destination wedding planner is important.
At Liz Moore Destination Weddings we focus on helping couples to create a wedding that reflects their personality while making wedding planning process more organized and easier for the couple. From selecting the perfect resort and wedding location to planning travel of your guests, professional advice can significantly decrease stress of destination wedding planning.
For the Grand Riviera Princess wedding an experience of the planner who knows the destination will also help you to make all the right decisions. Your wedding should reflect your relationship and your guests should have a great vacation. With the right planning and support, Grand Riviera Princess can become a location for your beautiful Riviera Maya wedding that your guests will remember for years.