Detroit/Toledo - Riviera Maya, Mexico wedding

jmarcoccia

HI there!  I am getting married at El Dorado Royale, Riviera Maya, Mexico in May 2010!!  Yah!  Anyone been there or planning on being there?  Any ideas, advice, etc?  Also we are planning on having a party reception in June when we come back for all those who were not able to join us.  I am looking for a venue in the Metro Detroit, Toledo, Ann Arbor area or somewhere in between.  Any ideas/suggestions?  Budget friendly but nice and maybe outdoor setting?

Thanks

suzannepdc

Hi there and welcome!!

I am not getting married there, but I am getting married at the Azul Beach Resort, another Karima hotel.  (But we are honeymooning at the El Dorado Royale).  I know that the U.S. based company that does the wedding planning can sometimes be difficult to work with, but myunderstanding is that once you get to the actual resort, the onsite people are awesome.  You might go over to www.bestdestinationwedding.com too - they have forums that are resort specific, which has helped me to learn a little more about the Azul. 

jmarcoccia

Thanks so much for the info!  The site is fantastic!!  Congrats and have fun at the wedding.  How are you feeling about it?

suzannepdc

I'm excited for the wedding and I really like the Azul (we had to go with the Azul since we're having some kids come).  Even though my wedding is coming up fast, I actually haven't done that much!  Gonna get on things after the holidays...I think!

jmarcoccia

Yeah I need to get going too.  It seems like there is a lot to do for not having that much to plan.  Are you planning on doing a private reception?  I would like to have dancing and such but not sure about the extra costs for a private event (I mean it is ALL INCLUSIVE)!!  I guess since I have never experienced or been to a destination wedding, I don't know what to expect!

FunnSun

We had our DW at El Dorado Royale and I cannot rave about it enough, everything was way beyond of what I expected.  We had 30 people and it was the perfect amount of guests and I did not feel like I had to entertain everyone. We used Nancy from www.myislandgetaways.com.She was a huge help in planning for the guests and the wedding and frankly could not have pulled everything off without her with me and we got some great pricing. We did have a welcome back celebration with about 75 people and had a Mexican theme party. GL you will love El Dorado Royale!

jmarcoccia

Thanks FunnSun, did you have a private reception at EDR or did you do the dinner?  Thanks!!!