Real Wedding: Amy & Lukas at Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta

Wedding Date: April 27, 2024 ~ Resort: Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta ~ Photographer/Videographer: Del Mar Wedding Photography ~ Bridal Gown: Misora Bridal Boutique ~ Groom's Attire: Jos A. Bank

What led you to choose a destination wedding?
 I think having a destination wedding was always in the cards for us. My husband is from Germany and my family is Dominican and before working with Romance Travel Group, our options were to either elope and upset everyone or pick one destination over the other and upset one of our families. Ultimately, we decided we wanted everyone to take a little vacation with us and see us get married.
 
How did you select the resort? What were the deciding factors?
For the resort, we were looking for something that was family friendly and felt somewhat private. When we saw that the Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta did not share its beach with any other resort, we knew that was the one.  

What were some of your biggest fears about having a destination wedding?
One of our biggest fears about having a destination wedding was the potential feedback and being an “inconvenience” to our guests. We were asking our friends and family to take a vacation with us, for a weekend, in a country of our choosing, so that we could get married. At the end of the day, everything turned out great and everyone had a good time, but we did receive a mix of positive and negative feedback leading up to the wedding. 

Describe what it was like working with the wedding coordinator at the resort? What went well? Any challenges?
Our wedding planner Nayely was amazing, and we never had any issues. When we were first introduced to her, she gave us a timeline for things that needed to be done/decisions that had to be made and she held our hand the entire time.  Most of our conversations were via email but there were a few times that we jumped on a call or zoom to figure things out. It's always weird making such important decisions “online” and not in person, but she was extremely knowledgeable and understood what we wanted and with her help our wedding turned out better than we could’ve imagined. 

Tell us about your wedding attire – How did you find it? Who went shopping with you? How do you feel wearing your wedding attire?
I love my dress! It made me feel both elegant and sexy but also reminded me that this is real, and I was getting married. With all that said, finding my dress was one of the hardest parts of this entire process. I’m not used to going into stores anymore, so going in to try things on was overwhelming and depending on where you go, the bridal specialists can be pushy to get you to pick something (especially if you tell them you already liked something elsewhere). I ended up having a “favorite dress” at every store I went to and wanted to settle for one of them. My best friend and MOH came with me to every appointment and noticed that my “favorites” all happened to come from the same designer, so she booked my last appointment at a boutique that carried most of that designer’s collection. Sure enough, this is where I found my dress. Funny thing is, I ended up picking something from a completely different designer. 

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Describe the booking process for your guests. Did they find that to be easy to navigate?
The booking process was simple to navigate. I completed the booking for my parents, and it was straightforward. There is even an option to make payments in the event that your guests are unable to pay all at once.  

Describe the meeting you had with the onsite wedding team when you arrived at the resort.
As soon as we checked into the resort, our planner Nayely was there to greet and welcome us. We had a scheduled meeting with her the following morning and got to sit down and go over everything from the menu to the DJ list, and the flowers. After we got the details out of the way, we did a walk through to see where our ceremony and reception would be held.    

How easy/difficult was it to travel with your wedding attire? Did you carry-it on, where did you store it? Did you get a lot of comments at the airport?
Traveling with my dress was easier than I expected. I considered buying a separate garment bag to carry my dress but the place where I did my alterations talked me out of it. Prior to flying out, my alterations team folded my dress and got it into my carry-on luggage. It was perfect because no one knew what I was traveling with, and I was able to avoid any unwanted attention. 

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?
We kicked off our wedding weekend by having a welcome party on the beach the night before the wedding so that everyone could meet and get to know each other. The day of the wedding, we kept everything pretty traditional. Our ceremony was held on the beach and then our cocktail hour and reception took place at the penthouse where we overlooked the whole bay. I think the biggest difference between having a destination wedding and having a wedding where we live in Houston was the cost. There is just no way we would’ve had the wedding we did in Houston without spending at least 3-4xs what we paid. 

What was the best part of having a destination wedding?
The best part of having a destination wedding is the fact that you are on vacation with all your favorite people. We had a little over sixty guests and whether we were eating breakfast, or lounging by the pool, or organizing a volleyball game, we were always hanging out with our friends and family.  
What would you do differently? What advice would you give to couples just starting the planning process?
If I could go back and change anything, I would tell myself to be present and enjoy the ride. At times, I was so caught up in the details that I would forget the reason behind all the planning. So many months of planning go into preparing for this one day and when it comes, it's over before you know it. Everything will work out as it's meant to, especially if you have a good team by your side to guide you along the way.

Would you recommend Romance Travel Group to other couples who are considering a destination wedding?
I definitely recommend RTG to anyone considering a destination wedding. Heather and Shelli were wonderful every step of the way. They did everything from helping us pick our resort, creating our website, getting us setup with our planner, helping our guests get booked, organizing airport transport, and keeping me sane. There is no way we would have been able to plan and have the wedding we did without RTG.

​Congratulations Amy & Lukas!! Best wishes always!