Real Wedding: Charlotte & Brittany at El Dorado Royale

Wedding Date: September 29, 2023 ~ Resort: El Dorado Royale ~ Wedding Planner: Claudia García Exclusive Weddings & Events ~ Photographer/Videographer: AMO Studio MX ~ Beauty: Sara Tamargo ~ DJ: DJ Party Rod ~ Bridal Gown: Lily's Bridal Outlet  ~ Tux Salon: Indochino

Why did you choose Romance Travel Group?
We chose Romance Travel Group because we did a ton of research and we found that Romance Travel Group had great reviews on social media from past wedding couples and they provided all the services we needed for our wedding including the fact that they have had past experience with weddings in the Cancun area.

What led you to choose a destination wedding?
We chose a destination wedding due to the fact that we both love to travel and a traditional wedding in the USA was not something that we wanted.

How did you select the resort? What were the deciding factors?
We selected El Dorado Royale largely due to the fact that they had allowed and performed LGBTQ weddings prior to ours and it made us very comfortable. There were a few other resorts that also could have been good options for LGBTQ wedding but this resort caught our eye with past couples displaying their pictures and experiences on social media pages. This resort offers 3 "resorts" in one with an adult only side, another adult only side but more of a romantic vibe where you get your own casita, and then a kid friendly side which offered many food options between all three. They gave many different options of where to have our wedding within the resort as well including beach options, indoor options, and a skydeck option. We ended up getting married on the beach.

Were there any objections from your wedding guests about your decision to have a destination wedding? If so, how did you handle overcome those?
We had no objections from our guests. When planning our wedding, we knew it was a cost for people so we didn't hold it against anyone who couldn't travel due to money or health concerns. For those we really wanted there, we added in our budget to assist those people to get to our wedding. 

What were some of your biggest fears about having a destination wedding?
Our biggest fears were just being in a different country with maybe a language barrier, bringing items through customs, or making our guests feel safe traveling into another country (along with getting passports). We found some amazing vendors who were AMAZING in understanding our wants and needs and we used destination wedding facebook groups to see how other couples got items to their destination wedding. We made our guests feel comfortable traveling because we did a day trip to our destination wedding resort to get a feel ourselves so we could provide feedback in a pdf we shared with our guests.

How did you come to decide on your wedding date? Is there meaning behind it?
The 29th day has meaning due to a lot of big events for us end up on the 29th day in other months and it is Brittany's hockey number as well. 

Did you invite guests in a unique way, like a themed save the date or announcement party?
We did send out our own custom made "passport" themed wedding invites to our guests.

Describe what it was like working with the wedding coordinator at the resort? What went well? Any challenges?
We heard on our destination wedding facebook pages that resort wedding planners don't seem to answer as quickly until it gets closer to time. As extensive planners, we went ahead very early on hiring a wedding planner that we found who had previously worked with our resort to do the communication for us.

Tell us about your wedding dress – How did you find it? Who went shopping with you? How do you feel wearing your dress?
The wedding dress was long white dress with thin straps on the shoulder and the back exposed. A few close friends/family went shopping with me and I felt that my dress was absolutely stunning.

Describe the booking process for your guests. Did they find that to be easy to navigate?
Romance Travel Group created a website for us where there was a link to book their rooms and give a description of each room. We learned as much as we could about the process so we assisted those that might not have understood fully but most people figured it out on their own if they read everything thoroughly. 

What were some of your biggest fears or things you worried about as your wedding date drew near? How did you get through this?
Some of the biggest fears was just more about hoping that we didn't forget anything back home and all of our items made it over there with us not damaged during travel.

Tell us about how you chose your bridal party and asked them to stand up with you.
We chose just one maid of honor which was Charlotte's sister and one best man which was Brittany's brother.

Describe the meeting you had with the onsite wedding team when you arrived at the resort.
The meeting we had when we had arrived at the resort was the next morning after we arrived. We went over everything we had discussed through emails or calls about the setup of our wedding and reception and firmed up all the details/seat assignments. This set to rest any small fears we may have had and we really had such a streamlined wedding where we didn't have much to worry about at all. Our assigned wedding coordinator for that week, Gloria, was absolutely fantastic and catered to our every need (which wasn't a lot since everything was pretty much taken care of for us but we appreciate everything). Our wedding planner Claudia was there from day one in our wedding planning process and made sure to show up for us on our day trip and the whole week of our wedding. She held our hand through everything and we couldn't be any more grateful for her communicating with all of our other vendors including the DJ and photo/videographers. Our photograper/videographer (AMO Studio MX) was very communicative and their instructions on wedding day were just on point. Our DJ did amazing as well. We have zero complaints with everyone we worked with and we will be making sure to give them all the best reviews. They were all so positive.

Were your guests wowed by the resort and the all-inclusive concept? What was their reaction upon arrival?
Yes, they were all wowed with the luxury shuttles to the resort and the customer service at the resort. Quite a bit of people hadn't been out of the country in general yet so their experience at the resort in Mexico was a once in a lifetime experience.

How easy/difficult was it to travel with your wedding dress? Did you carry-it on, where did you store it? Did you get a lot of comments at the airport?
We put our wedding dress and suits in our carry on bags. We bought garment bags that folded over and then we through them into the carry-ons. We wanted to keep those by our side. We read on destination wedding sites that it was best to split out decor in multiple bags and among guests bags so we didn't get questioned at airports. We did separate our items and we also made sure not to wear like matching outfits to airports so we didn't stand out. Funny enough, there was a huge group on our flight who had matching outfits so they got questioned right before us and we didn't get stopped at the airport.

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 did have a ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner reception, and dance. I'd say it was a little different because we had only about 30 people at this wedding and everything was outside. The ceremony was on the beach and the rest were under a huge tiki covering with a private pool. We did do a small first dance and dances with fathers. Our DJ brought in a big dance floor with our dinner tables surrounding it. We did bring bubble maker guns and glow sticks which made the dance pictures and experience so cool. The unique items of our wedding is that we both don' t like cake so we did a churro bar on wheels as our extra dessert item as people dance and drank. The other unique moment is that our entire wedding party jumped into the pool closer to the end of the night and got served at our swim-up bar there! We had a donkey at our wedding ceremony on the beach!! We took pictures with the donkey and so did all of our guests.

What was the best part of having a destination wedding?
I'd say absolutely everything and everyone we worked with but the coolest parts were the unique parts mentioned in the above question.

What is your most favorite memory of your wedding experience?
I would say the donkey at our ceremony or our entire wedding party jumping into the pool at the end of the night. And we got to marry the love of our life in front of our closest 30 people in Mexico. Can't beat that!

In what ways did Romance Travel Group make the planning less stressful for you?
They coordinated all of our travel and not one guest had trouble finding the people who would shuttle to and from resort. Everything was on time and planned to perfection. We had minimal stress.

What would you do differently? What advice would you give to couples just starting the planning process?
We would do nothing differently and the advice we would give is to do research on social media destination pages. Also, don't just use everything a resort has to offer. There may be approved vendors from outside of the resort that the resort will charge you a fee to come in and do their work. The outdoor vendor fees and the fee for the vendors work majority of the time ended up being less than using what the resort had to offer and the services they provide can be outstanding. That was our experience and we loved every single vendor we brought in and much easier to communicate with them. And get a wedding planner! These wedding planners that have previously worked with the resort can get faster responses earlier on.

What surprised you the most about having a destination wedding?
After doing our research and finding the most amazing people to work with, we were surprised with how extremely easy it was for us. Our dream wedding happened flawlessly.

Would you recommend Romance Travel Group to other couples who are considering a destination wedding?
ABSOLUTELY

Is there anything Romance Travel Group could have done to make the experience even better?
No, everything was perfect for us.

​Congratulations, you two! Best wishes to you always!