Wedding Date: July 11, 2022 ~ Resort: Generations Riviera Maya ~ Photographer: Esteban Bahena
Why did you choose Romance Travel Group?
After speaking with many other travel agents, Romance Travel Group stood out. Shelli and her team were very responsive and professional throughout the initial consultation and booking process. All information was organized and everyone was so knowledgeable about what different resorts had to offer while keeping our wish list and budget in mind.
How did you select the resort? What were the deciding factors?
We chose Generations Resort in Riviera Maya because we were looking for a high end resort that was affordable for our guests, within a short driving distance to the airport, family friendly and within our budget. Generations checked off all those boxes and more. What made the resort even better was their countless beautiful wedding venue options and that they had 2 other adult only properties next door that we had access to if we wanted to take a break from the activities on the family side.
What were some of your biggest fears about having a destination wedding?
It is very hard to plan an event at a location that you have never been to before. We had visited Cancun in the past but never saw Generations in person prior to arriving a few days before the wedding. We were fearful that the pictures and reviews made the resort look much better than it actually was. It was also a little nerve-wracking selecting and booking vendors using email/Facebook to communicate and sending deposits via wire transfers and Paypal but luckily everything worked out perfectly!
Describe what it was like working with the wedding coordinator at the resort? What went well? Any challenges?
Working with the wedding coordinator at the resort was pretty easy as we got closer to the wedding date. Things started off slow and response time was up to a week but, around 6 months out, the response time became shorter and more details were confirmed. The details we were most worried about were the wedding date and venue choices but RTG confirmed those when we signed our wedding contract so we did not have to worry. At times, there was a bit of miscommunication with different languages and translation but our wedding coordinator was quick to fix mistakes and clarify details as needed.
Describe the booking process for your guests. Did they find that to be easy to navigate?
Guests received invitations about a year in advance with our custom wedding website link that Romance Travel Group made for us. The website had all room, travel, and booking information available to guests with RTG contact info for and questions or concerns. Guests were given a deadline to put their deposit down on a room and the booking process seemed to be easy to navigate and use and if questions arose, guests were able to get quick answers from RTG.
Tell us about how you chose your bridal party and asked them to stand up with you.
Choosing our bridal party was easy. We both had a childhood friend who we wanted to be a part of our special day. We also had other friends who were unsure if they would be able to attend a destination wedding. We decided to only have a maid of honor and best man so that we did not have to worry about people bailing or being unable to attend the wedding or creating additional stress. We gave the maid of honor and best man a box early in the planning stages with a tumbler and other small items when we asked them to be a part of our special day.
Describe the meeting you had with the onsite wedding team when you arrived at the resort.
We arrived at the resort on a Thursday and our on site wedding coordinator met us in reception as we were checking in. She gave us a card with our meeting information for Friday and told us to go enjoy the rest of our day. On Friday we met her in the wedding office and went over every detail for the day of our wedding. We gave her all of our decorations and showed pictures so the onsite team could set them up for us. We could tell the resort is very comfortable with weddings because every question and detail was discussed and it all turned out perfect.
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?
Traveling with my dress was super easy. I bought a trifold garment bag that i fit my dress, my husbands suit and a few other dresses in and brought it as a carry on. We were able to lay the bag on top of suitcases in the overhead compartment on the plane with no issues at all!
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 had a symbolic ceremony which only lasted about 10-15 minutes, a cocktail hour and a reception. Our cocktail hour was a little different as we had a donkey carrying cold cervezas!
What was the best part of having a destination wedding?
The best part about having a destination wedding was seeing all of our guests having a great time that lasted more than 1 or 2 days like a typical wedding. Most of our family does not travel and rarely goes on vacation so giving them a reason to enjoy themselves for a few days and celebrate with us was the best part.
What surprised you the most about having a destination wedding?
The most surprising thing about having a destination was how easy it was to plan everything. Although we were a little skeptical about planning a wedding from a different country, the wedding team at Generations was amazing and took care of so many small details that I wouldn't have thought of on my own. This took the stress out of the planning process and made it so much easier to enjoy the day!
Would you recommend Romance Travel Group to other couples who are considering a destination wedding?
Yes! Romance Travel Group made our destination wedding experience perfect! From the first phone call we had to getting home from Mexico, RTG was available and responded quickly. They found us the perfect location and resort which checked all the boxes on our wish list within budget. I would 100% recommend RTG to other couples planning a destination wedding!
PLAN MY OWN DESTINATION WEDDING!