Bride: Amy

Groom: Matthew

Resort: Finest Playa Mujeres

Advisor: Terrah

What was the highlight of the experience?

Highlight was having a smaller, more intimate group and being on vacation together over an extended time. All our friends and family got along and some of them had days together to hang out at the pool/beach. We had friends going to dinner together, making new friends, etc. and that was so cool to see. A big, stateside wedding wouldn’t have allowed for our friends and family from all over the country to get to know one another since the day would be over in a flash. 

A highlight from the wedding itself would be the photographers and DJ(s) - both were way beyond my expectations. The DJs were amazing and the music was SO good. Everyone danced the entire time, no one was sitting down. It was the most fun dance party of my life.

What was the biggest surprise?

There honestly weren’t any big surprises - which I think is a GOOD thing for a wedding :) everything was as expected and all of our planning came together perfectly. I suppose one surprise at the resort was that we had to wait for dinner every night ... even when it was just Matt and me - we were never seated right away. It seemed the restaurants might have been understaffed - or at least the host/hostesses. We couldn’t make reservations (they said we wouldn’t need them anyway) and then had to wait every night to be seated. Sometimes just 5 minutes but one night we waited over 30 minutes for a table even though there were tables empty. 

How was your on-site Wedding Coordinator to work with?  
Great! She gave us her extension after we met and explained that anyone in the resort could call her for us. She reached me twice while I was in the spa (it was fun having a phone call to take) and I felt like she had her eye on where I was - which was GREAT. She was very thoughtful, a great listener, assured us all along the way, explained everything, answered all our questions, etc.  I will say the three weeks leading up to the wedding, we emailed her twice and never heard back. I didn’t get stressed out because I knew we could finalize everything once we got there, but I could see how some brides might freak out if they are asking questions three weeks before their wedding and email is the only communication channel and you’re not getting a response.  She did tell us it was the busy wedding season and she had a wedding (or two or three) every day - so I was prepared that she might not be very responsive. Once we got to the resort, she answered all my questions and everything was fine. 

If your best friend were planning a destination wedding what would your advice be to her?
First - smart decision. It’s the best and all your guests will thank you multiple times during the trip for having a destination wedding. Also a lot of your guests will tell you it was the best wedding they’ve ever been to and that’s a really nice thing to hear from people you love. 

Advice: Have Terrah coordinate everyone’s travel :) - and one thing that Matt and I wish we would have done : Communicate the itinerary and any other important details to all the guests 2-3 weeks before anyone arrived at the resort. The only stressful thing that Matt and I had to deal with was a ton of people texting us during our first three days at the resort asking where to go, what to do, what we’re doing, where to have dinner, what’s the plan, what do we do when we get to Mexico airport, etc. it was like all our guests thought we were planning their entire trip and they didn’t realize that we only had a quick cocktail hour planned Friday (people arriving Wednesday and Thursday were asking us what the plan was, etc. ) — So looking back, I wish I would have asked Terrah to send out the itinerary to everyone in early May.   Neither Matt nor I had everyone’s email addresses so we didn’t have an easy way to communicate one message to all the guests.  Matt and I thought it would be fun to share the itinerary in the Welcome Bags - like a surprise - but instead our guests felt uncertain and anxious about not knowing what to do when they got to Mexico.  

I would also be sure to let another bride to be know that the resort wedding planner will not reach out to you or be in contact much at all until about 45 days before the wedding. So you and your fiancé should be following Terrah’s timeline of picking out flowers and centerpieces and the cake using the catalogues the Resort would have sent you - but your wedding planner will likely not communicate with you at all. Compile all your questions and know that when you get close (1-2 months out) your planner will get in touch with you and you’ll get to finalize everything. Don’t freak out due to the lack of communication. The resort people are experts at weddings and everything is going to be more fabulous than you are even envisioning so chill out and let them do their magic. Trust the process. 

One more thing - if you’re having trouble getting help for things in your suite - let your wedding planner know.  Our room was hot - the AC couldn’t go below 69 and it was so sticky and humid. I asked for a fan for our room - twice. And after 24 hours still no fan. The next day I told Paola (the wedding planner) about it and within an hour there were two fans brought to my room :) your wedding planner can make things happen for you !!