Real Wedding: Adilene & Vince at Hyatt Ziva Cancun

Wedding Date: August 17, 2023 ~ Resort: Hyatt Ziva Cancun ~ Photographer/Videographer: Great Events Studio 

What led you to choose a destination wedding? 
 
We had always dreamt of having a tropical wedding by the ocean. Growing up in different tropical countries, we both cherished our childhood memories of living near the ocean. It was our desire to exchange vows with the ocean as our backdrop. Furthermore, we took into account the financial aspect and compared the value of a destination wedding to weddings held in the United States. It became an effortless decision when we discovered that destination weddings provided a superior quality experience for the cost compared to weddings in the US.
 
How did you select the resort? What were the deciding factors?
 
We wanted the process to be as simple as possible, so we made a concise list of what we were seeking in our wedding venue and enjoyable accommodations to keep our guests entertained throughout their stay. To ascertain these elements, we simply searched for images of the hotels on Google to visualize each venue and made a decision based solely on the pictures about which one offered the best experience for everyone attending. From the diverse range of hotels provided by Romance Travel Group, we conducted a straightforward visual assessment to select the most suitable resort from the available options without conducting any further research. We then proceeded with our choice, hoping for a positive outcome.
 
What were some of your biggest fears about having a destination wedding?
 
Our primary concern in planning an outdoor wedding ceremony was the potential for hurricanes or inclement weather. We were also concerned about providing suitable hotel accommodations to ensure our guests' comfort and enjoyment throughout the event. Additionally, the presence of seaweed on the beaches was a factor in determining the ideal date for our wedding.
 
Describe what it was like working with the wedding coordinator at the resort? What went well? Any challenges? 
 
Our experience with our wedding coordinators was inconsistent throughout the planning process. Initially, we worked with our first coordinator for about a year or so. She was responsive and organized, creating a master planner folder for all our information, took wonderful notes and provided suggestions and ideas throughout the entire process. However, after a few months, she received a promotion, and we were assigned to a second coordinator less than a year before the wedding. The quality of service from the second coordinator varied. She maintained the master planner well, recording most of the vital information discussed but often took almost 2 weeks to respond to our inquiries, compared to 1-2 days responses with the first coordinator. Despite the delay, she did provide thorough answers and shared details about the resort's services to use. When we had close to a year left to plan, we didn't mind the 2 weeks it took to respond but once we got closer and closer to our wedding date, we thought she would adapt and respond quicker but hardly changed for the better. At best, it would still take 4-5 days to respond, which we were running out of time to relay all of our information needed for the services that the hotel provided that we planned to use. Due to the slow responses, we changed our attention to outside vendors such as getting a DJ and decorators as they were quicker to respond to our inquiries and needs for our wedding that was quickly coming up. During our in-person meeting at the resort a day before the wedding, she was pleasant and efficient in preparing for the wedding, handling all the items we brought for the event and discussing when and where each item would go during the ceremony. However, on the wedding day itself, she unfortunately forgot several essential items needed during the reception, examples such as the guest book along with pens for greetings and signatures. During the reception, instead of keeping an eye out for any problems or the prevention of new problems from occurring, we noticed she was working on another couple's master plan on her laptop.
 
What were some of your biggest fears or things you worried about as your wedding date drew near? How did you get through this?
 
Small, insignificant things you don't really think about are building blocks that all add up to create the bigger picture of your wedding. We often had to visualize how the insignificant things would play out in our heads and had to create a list of the "smaller" points to help our wedding function properly months in advance to make sure we don't forget anything, to make the ceremony and reception run as smoothly as possible. Examples such as when our family and friends would walk down the aisle, in what order would they go? Picking the appropriate music/songs to play in the background during vital parts of the wedding, cocktail hour, and reception? Making sure to pick the correct food for the reception and that none of our guests are allergic to any of our choices for our buffet style dinner. We also often feared about how to get our guests to the resorts on time and safely as it was the first time for most visiting Cancun or even first time visiting a foreign country. There were also a few more issues that for our guests might run into such as a language barrier, issues with airports with delayed luggage and weather delaying/canceling flights at various locations, updating passports/Visas to travel internationally and getting transportation from the airport to the resort to make sure our guests were all set and ready to arrive. Luckily, Romance Travel Group was able to help us by providing detailed emails to our guests on what to do and organizing transportation for when they arrived at the airport. We also created a Facebook group to prepare everyone on any other issue that might pop up and share general information to help with any questions they might have, creating a community for everyone to get to know one another before leaving for Cancun.
 
Tell us about how you chose your bridal party and asked them to stand up with you.
 
From the start, we were eager to include our siblings in our celebration. Since we had an equal number of male and female siblings between both families, it was an easy answer to the number of bridesmaids and groomsmen. We thought it would be meaningful to have our siblings join us in these roles. Before we asked them to join our union, we decided to create gift baskets for each one of them, along with heartfelt letters expressing our desire for them to be a part of our special day. Each basket was catered specifically for each person. By choosing our siblings, we also ensured that coordinating attendance at events and assistance with our wedding projects would be easier, as we all reside near to one another.
 

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Were your guests wowed by the resort and the all-inclusive concept? What was their reaction upon arrival?
 
All of my guests were extremely impressed with the resort's all-inclusive concept. For many of them, it was their first time in Mexico and their first time staying at an all-inclusive resort. They were pleasantly surprised by how seamlessly the concept worked, such as ordering any kind of food at all the restaurants; same thing with asking for any kind of drink at the bars. They were amazed that they were able to get whatever they wanted without any limitations. As most of my guests live in the United States, they were accustomed to ordering one meal and drink at dine in restaurants then paying for it afterward. They were also extremely impressed with the resort's overall ambiance, from the lobbies, variety of dining experiences to the heartfelt kindness of the employees. They felt welcomed from the start with fresh, cold towels upon arrival and were made to feel like the guests were in their own homes throughout their stay. The views of the resort's many pools and stunning beaches truly captivated my guests, highlighting the exceptional amenities that the Hyatt Ziva Cancun offers for swimming. From the delectable fresh fruits, tasty foods to the specially crafted drink specials, the wonderful aroma that filled every hallway and how clean every corner of the resort felt, everything was exceptional. The staff's courteous and attentive nature made everyone feel incredibly welcome during their stay.
 
Tell us about your wedding – did you have a traditional wedding with a cocktail hour, dinner reception and dance? What was different about a destination wedding compared to a wedding at home?
 
Certainly, we did plan a traditional wedding for our destination wedding. Our ceremony commenced at 4 pm followed by a cocktail hour from 5 to 6 pm, and then our reception dinner and after-party from 6:30 to 11 pm. Remarkably similar set up of events if we were to do it in the United States. There are a few key differences between destination weddings and weddings held in the United States, primarily concerning the venue and what it all comes with. If our wedding had taken place in the US, we would have chosen a church for the ceremony, whereas, for our destination wedding, we opted for an outdoor setting by the ocean. Furthermore, destination weddings offer a streamlined approach to wedding planning, as many resorts provide a coordinator and comprehensive services readily available at the resort such as DJs, decorators, and catering, all under one roof. This eliminates the need to coordinate with multiple vendors in separate locations, often far away from each other. In contrast, a traditional wedding in the US would more than likely require us to find separate venues for the ceremony and reception, as well as finding decorators, DJs, catering to have them all coordinated at the correct location and times. We found it much more convenient to work with a single coordinator at the resort, who could provide all the necessary resources and relay information to all departments, rather than having to coordinate with multiple different people for different services.
 
What was the best part of having a destination wedding?
 
We did not have to worry about entertaining our guests since the entertainment crew at the resort and accommodations provided kept them occupied and having fun throughout their stay. It was also very convenient to have everyone in one central location for planning events between family and friends such as getting dressed up in themed clothing throughout the week or to plan a quick dinner together. Another great part of the destination wedding is that no one had to worry about driving home after a whole day of drinking by the pool. Having a highly centralized location was extremely beneficial for our wedding, as our guests could simply return to their rooms after a long day of activities.
 
In what ways did Romance Travel Group make the planning less stressful for you?
 
RTG was highly organized throughout the whole wedding planning process. They not only kept us organized but all of our guests as well, making sure everyone knew what to expect before, during, and after the trip. They contacted the hotel to set up the block of rooms and group rates for guests. The connected us with the staff at the resort to start the wedding planning process. They coordinated with everyone to align timelines so that we are all on the same page to get the best possible wedding planned.
 
Would you recommend Romance Travel Group to other couples who are considering a destination wedding?
 
We most definitely do and have already recommended Romance Travel Group to our friends and family!

Best wishes to you always, Adilene and Vince!!