Getting Married on the Mayan Riviera

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Your Dream Wedding Can Be A Reality

No matter what your age or your reasons for running away to wed, there is nothing more fabulous than a destination wedding on the Mayan Riviera in Mexico. Join me and I'll tell you everything you need to do, from the actual legality of the marriage to getting your wedding dress to ensuring your day is a safe and happy one.

Choosing a Resort to Host Your Wedding 

The hardest decision you will make when it comes to your wedding is where it will be held. Usually, it will be in the resort you choose to stay at.

When selecting a resort, there are those that specialize in weddings. However, many of the better hotels also provide these services...it's just not the focus of their advertising.

If you have chosen the Mayan Riviera as your destination, begin searching for hotels. I always recommend nothing less than a 4 star hotel. Yes, they are a bit pricier than others, but spending a few extra dollars could mean the difference betweeen a dream wedding and a disaster. The higher the rating, the better the resort is equipped to cater to you and your guests. They also have higher standards of cleanliness and food safety. The last thing you want on your big day is traveller's diahhrea or some other affliction.

After you have a few resorts selected, see what weddding services they offer and price the wedding packages out accordingly. Do you want a simple wedding on the beach, or do want a lavish wedding complete with a horse-drawn carriage? Do you want a quiet ceremony or one accompanied by a Mariachi band? You also need to decide what kind of wedding you want. Do you want a religious wedding? A civil wedding? Or, are you simply renewing your vows?

The contract is usually available online so you can fill it out and print it or send it electronically back to the hotel. Again, be in contact with your wedding coordinator so there are no misunderstandings as to which package you want. You will also have to tell them what day and time you want the wedding to be held. The rule is that you have to be in Mexico for 5 days prior to the wedding. However, your wedding coordinator should remind you of this.

Here's another tip: the more guests you have attending your wedding who stay at the host resort, the better your chances of getting a discount on the price of the rooms for everyone. In our case, we had 42 people attend our wedding and all of them stayed at the resort. The price ended up being approximately $500 per person less than it would have been if we weren't coming as a group.

Our wedding was at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya and I can't even begin to thank them for the wonderful job the wedding planner did. We had a choice of being married in the chapel, on the beach or in the courtyard. We opted for the courtyard under a beautiful gazebo that was flanked by lush palm trees and fountains.

Resorts on the Mayan Riviera 

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Is Your Mexican Wedding a Legal Marriage? 

This topic was a tough one to find information on. There are so many web sites I sifted through that just touch the surface of the question but never really gave me an answer. I found a number of sites that go on and on about all the paperwork and translating everything into Spanish and paying for this, that and the next thing. At that point I thought who would want a destination wedding?

Even though I missed my calling as a detective, I've found other ways to put my research skills to use. I went to one of the trip advisor sites and found guest ratings of hotels. I searched further for people commenting on their destination weddings and e-mailed them with the question: what paperwork did you fill out to prove you had a legal marriage? Imagine my surprise when everyone who e-mailed me back gave the same answer: they "cheated" and went to a Justice of the Peace prior to leaving for their wedding.

I was not satisfied with this answer because I did not want to go to a Justice of the Peace. I wanted to be married in front of my friends and family, not just perform a show for their benefit. The research continued.

Finally, I found the answer.

Only a civil marriage is legally recognized in Mexico. If you opt for a religious service, it does not constitute a legal marriage. If you want a religious service, obtain the civil marriage certificate and then have a religious service afterward. Although the Canadian Embassy in Mexico tells you to contact the local "Registro Civil" of the city where you intend to hold the ceremony, the resort where you book the wedding will do this for you.

What else do you need for a civil marriage? You and your spouse-to-be will have to provide a blood sample. The hotel arranged this too by sending the doctor from the resort. I was pleasantly surprised at his professionalism and courtesy. The tools were spotless. If I didn't know I was in Mexico, I'd swear I was in Canada.

You will also need four witnesses. This will be your maid of honor, best man/woman, and two attendants.

According to the Canadian Embassy, a civil marriage in Mexico is recognized in Canada.

According to the United States embassy, "A marriage that is properly executed in Mexico is valid in the United States provided the marriage would be legal in the United States". In Mexico, on a civil marriage is recognized as a legal marriage.

For a civil marriage, you must be married by a Judge or Justice of the Peace. Hotels that offer a wedding package will arrange this for you. After the ceremony, you and your spouse place your fingerprints on the marriage documentation. Your witnesses will also sign. The Judge or Justice of the Peace will have an official seal that is stamped on the paperwork, a copy of which is filed in the local "Registro Civil" and a copy is given to you.

Other requirements include valid passports, proof of a legal divorce (if your ex is still living) or death certificate (if your former spouse passed away).

Although many web sites say you need your documents translated into Spanish, call the hotel you are considering and double check. In our case, the hotel did not require any of our documents to be translated.

In the end, when I came back to Canada and decided to take my husband's last name, I had absolutely no problems using the documentation as proof of marriage. It was readily accepted, without question, at the banks, utilities and government offices.

Planning Your Wedding 

A stress-free experience!

We all know that the planning stage is one of the biggest headaches facing any prospective bride. On the Mayan Riviera, that's just not the case.

So how do you plan the wedding? A few days before the wedding, you, your spouse and four witnesses meet with the wedding coordinator. At that time you provide your passports and any other required documentation. The wedding planner would have told you what documentation you need to bring when you were in contact with him/her prior to arriving in Mexico.

Next, you pick your flowers. In our case, I was shown numerous pictures of stunning tropical bouquets. I just had to pick one.

What color rose petals did I want for the guests to throw? Hmmm...do you have pink, I asked? Yes...and that was it.

What kind of cake did I want? What kind do you have, I replied. The coordinator smiled at me. Any kind, she said. I decided I would test her and I said I wanted the bottom half chocolate and the top half banana. She said okay, and that's what we got!

These are just a few examples of how easy it can be to plan your wedding. The amount of questions they ask will be based on the items included in the wedding package you have chosen. After about an hour, we were done and we headed back to the beach to continue our day.

Even the extras we asked for were provided without hesitation. We requested a microphone at the supper so our Master of Ceremonies could be heard by everyone. They provided it. My sister-in-law does a little old "baba" skit at family weddings and she needed a pair of rubber boots to complete her costume. The hotel gardeners were most accommodating, and even though they were puzzled by the request, they had a good laugh over it!

Your Wedding Dress 

Should you get a traditional dress, a destination dress, or just wear a bikini?

I've seen a lot of pictures of couples on the beach where the bride wore the traditional "pouffy" dress. Personally, I've never been a fan of the "pouf" and to me they appeared out of place in a tropical beach setting. But that's just my opinion. So I opted for a destination dress.

Destination wedding dresses are often quite simple. They come in white as well as other colors. Generally, they don't have as much fabric as the traditional gown and length-wise they often fall between the knee and ankle so it's easier to walk in the sand.

They are also cheaper than the traditional dress so if money is an issue for you, consider a destination gown.

The biggest problem I had was finding a destination wedding dress. Every bridal shop I went into would show me the "pouf". I kept telling them I didn't want that...I want something simple that I can wear on the beach. Many of them ended up showing me mother-of-the-bride and bridesmaid dresses in emerald green, flaming red and other fluorescent colors. But it's not what I wanted.

I ended up on the internet and lo and behold, I found manufacturers of destination wedding dresses. When I found the dress I wanted, I checked the website for authorized retailers in my area. Surprise! Found one! It turned out to be the one bridal shop I hadn't yet gotten to. So I called them up and gave them the manufacturer's information, the order number on the dress and they invited me in for a fitting and told me they would order it for me. Beautiful!

In the end, the dress cost me $350 and it was stunning. From the simple top to the scalloped bottom and the handstitched baby flowers and pearls sprinkled on the edges as an accent, it looked bridal yet it was simple and elegant. And that's what I wanted.

The next hurdle was getting the dress to Mexico. I was lucky in that the bridal shop I was dealing with had a packing service. I supplied the carry-on bag (do not put your wedding dress with the regular luggage!) and a white sheet and they did the rest. So if you are dealing with a bridal shop, ask if they have a packing service. If they don't, fold the dress into the white sheet and take it with you on the plane.

A few tips to ensure the success of your destination wedding 

You've dreamed about it...you've planned it...and now the time is here! Make sure your wedding is all you dreamed of by following these simple tips.

1. Go to a tanning salon for a couple of weeks before heading to the Mayan Riviera. The tropical sun is scorching and without a base tan, no amount of sun screen is going to protect you. And you do not want to look like a red lobster in your wedding pictures nor do you want to suffer the consequences of a severe sunburn.

2. The Mayan Riviera is humid and hot so pick a hairstyle that will work for you in these conditions.

3. If you are planning on going to a salon to have your hair done for the big day, or your package includes (as ours did) the stylist to come to your room, think twice about it. Some of the people don't speak english, and my stylist was one of them. She was shown a picture of what I wanted earlier in the day by an english-speaking stylist and she nodded many times that she understood. But when she came to my room and I saw what she had done, I wanted to rip my hair out. Literally. So on your big day, unless you pay for them to do you hair ahead of time so you can see the results, think about doing it yourself.

4. It's easy to forget that you're in a foreign country when you're surrounded by other tourists, beautiful beaches, modern malls and quaint little shops. However, always remember you are in a foreign country. I recall my companions and I traipsing from one trendy little store to another in a fashionable shopping district and then noticing the local Policia standing at every corner in plain view holding a machine gun. Yes...you're in a foreign country. Their laws are different, their culture is different, their courts are different and their entire legal system in nothing like ours. So please if you want to drink a lot, stay in your resort. And if you're stupid enough to get caught with drugs, there will be nothing the Canadian or U.S. Embassies can do for you...you'll be on your way to a Mexican prison for a good long time.

5. When you get to your hotel, unpack your wedding dress immediately and let it hang. The humidity will iron out the wrinkles. If you choose to use the hotel laundry services, make sure there is no miscommunication on what you want (which is easy to happen if you don't speak the language). You don't want to send out your dress just to get the wrinkles out and discover on your wedding day it's shrunk. I know...it happened to me! Thank god my sister-in-law was handy with a needle and thread!

6. When you're at the buffet, take small portions of each food item that you want. That way if something doesn't agree with you, you're not laid up for days because you gorged on it.

7. Watch your food and alcohol intake for the 5 days prior to the wedding. It's amazing how fast those calories can add up and you don't even notice it until you can't zip up your dress. After the wedding, you can get yourself a fork, pull a chair up to the dessert buffet, and go to town!

Destination Etiquette 

Just in case you were wondering...

A destination wedding is also unique in that there are points of etiquette that differ from a domestic wedding. For example:

1. Do you expect your guests to bring gifts? For our wedding, we specified on the invitation that guests were not to bring gifts of any kind. Our logic was that many spent enough travelling to the destination and their "presence" was their "present" to us. It is also more difficult to travel with gifts and there could be issues at customs depending upon which country you have chosen for your wedding.

2. Do you expect your guests to be in formal attire? We told our guests to come "as they are"; in other words, casual dress was the norm. Most of the women wore simple dresses. The men wore dressier shorts and a golf-shirt...similar to what they would wear to dinner at a resort. We did get calls about suits but were adamant that the men were not to wear shirts and ties and the women could dress down as well. However, that's your decision. Remember these people have to wear the clothes in hot or humid climates and, of course, pack them. People will, for the most part, accept your choices, however, you need to consider their comfort as well.

3. Remember to tip your serving personnel and anyone else at the resort who has paid special attention to your need and those of your group. They are often working for low wages at the resort and live off tips. We did this at the wedding dinner but also when our group went to the bar or the disco. We'd collect money from everyone, roll it up so it fit in the palm of your hand and, through a handshake, the bartender or the waiter(s) who served us discreetly got something extra on the side.

4. Do you expect your wedding party to dress in formal attire and pay for their suits, dresses and shoes? We allowed our wedding party to dress as they pleased because I personally didn't think it was fair to ask them to pay for special clothing on top of what it's costing them to come on the trip. And, I didn't have the money to pay for it myself. Luckily, our wedding party got together and came up with a plan on their own where the women wore white tops and a red skirt and the men each wore khaki pants and the same color casual shirt. However, do keep in mind how much you are asking of your friends and family and make your decision accordingly.

5. Book a travel agent to handle everyone's travel needs. Travel agents can often get a discount at a resort if you have enough people attending. It also easier to coordinate the wedding through one person and be on top of who is coming, and who isn't. This is particularly important if you have guests travelling from different locations on different dates and at different times.

6. Make sure you include all the information about travelling to the resort with the wedding invitation. Although we did not have the cute, compact wedding invitations, we made sure that information about the resort was included. We sent details of the resort, pictures, travel dates, costs and our travel agent's contact information.

Ready to start planning? 

Get more information on how to turn your dream wedding into reality.
The Knot Guide to Destination Weddings

The Knot Guide to Destination Weddings

by: Carley Roney, Joann Gregoli

Amazon Price: $13.59 (as of 01/01/2010) Buy Now

Fodor's Destination Weddings: The World's Most Extraordinary Places to Tie the Knot (Special-Interest Titles)

Fodor's Destination Weddings: The World's Most Extraordinary Places to Tie the Knot (Special-Interest Titles)

by: Fodor's

Amazon Price: $15.56 (as of 01/01/2010) Buy Now

Destination Bride

Destination Bride

by: Lisa Light

Amazon Price: (as of 01/01/2010) Buy Now

The Everything Destination Wedding Book: A Complete Guide to Planning Your Wedding Away from Home (Everything: Weddings)

The Everything Destination Wedding Book: A Complete Guide to Planning Your Wedding Away from Home (Everything: Weddings)

by: Shelly Hagen

Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 01/01/2010) Buy Now

The Ultimate Guide to the World's Best Wedding & Honeymoon Destinations

The Ultimate Guide to the World's Best Wedding & Honeymoon Destinations

by: Elizabeth Lluch

Amazon Price: $15.34 (as of 01/01/2010) Buy Now

Do you have any tips to share? 

If you've been there and done that, share your experience. Or, if I've missed something, let me know and I'll add it.

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