Weddings have become the specialty of hotels and companies that take advantage of the unique opportunity to offer packages and services for you to have an unforgettable ceremony in one of the most paradisiacal areas of the planet.

If you have already decided that you want to get married in the Riviera Maya, now you just need to choose how you want your celebration to be.

1. How to organize your wedding in the Riviera Maya

Riviera Maya is one of the most coveted locations for couples from all over the world and, in particular, for Mexicans, who see in this idyllic location the perfect place to swear eternal love.

Of course, this area of Mexico has become the ideal setting for any type of wedding, whether you opt for the best beaches of the Mexican Caribbean, some of its lakes in the jungle, or the halls of a luxurious resort. Hundreds of companies and hotels have specialized in this type of event, everything is prepared to offer a unique experience, from the moment you land at Cancun Airport. We give you some ideas on how to organize your wedding in the Riviera Maya.

2. Choose the perfect venue

No problem. This should be the slogan applicable to any of the Riviera Maya destinations: Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, Xcaret… Everything is possible! Choose the perfect place for your wedding and make your dream come true. Most of the hotels of the main hotel chains have wedding planner services and you can also contact one of the many specialized companies that will accompany you throughout the process and take care of everything.

2. The documentation you will need

Official weddings in Mexico require the following documentation:

• • Birth certificates
  • Blood tests
  • Copies of passport or tourist visa
  • Divorce certificate, in case one or both parties are divorced.
  • Four witnesses, which usually must be provided by the hotel.
  • Other requirements for those getting married in Mexico.
  • Page of the civil registry of Quintana Roo: qroo.gob.mx

3. Organize a tailor-made wedding

Riviera Maya prides itself on being the leading wedding destination in Latin America and this has allowed them to become true specialists. Thus, the establishments have teams of planners really prepared and are able to organize weddings completely tailored to each couple.

If you wish, you can order absolutely everything: invitations, guest rooms, banquet, ceremony dresses, brunch, music, flower arrangements, hair and make-up services for the couple or for all the guests, transportation, photographers, cameramen, picnics, farewell parties…

However, you must be clear about what and with whom you hire, since hotels provide their own services and do not usually allow other event planners to participate in the ceremony already agreed with the establishment. On the other hand, hotels may offer you the ceremony free of charge if you have contracted a good vacation and honeymoon package.

4. Themed Weddings

You won’t believe it, but there is almost a specific ceremony for every type of couple. In Riviera Maya it will be difficult to choose the one you like the most, because they are specialists in themed weddings and some ceremonies are very appropriate for the area: Mayan wedding, beach wedding, wedding in a cenote, wedding in a hacienda, wedding in a resort… for sure anything that all your dreams can be fulfilled.

5. Before the wedding

If you already know what your ideal ceremony will be, it is also time to think about what you can do before the wedding. In this sense, the Riviera Maya is also fantastic in offering party services, pre-wedding shopping or spa.

Your personal consultant will prepare spectacular days for you, whether you want to relax or prefer a good party. In the first case, Riviera Maya is the first spa destination in the world, so here you will find all kinds of massages and relaxing sessions, either alone or as a couple. In the party section, you can’t miss the bachelorette party with a party on the beach, somewhere as sensational as the famous Mamita’s Beach Club.

6. The guests arrive

You don’t have to worry about your guests. You can book accommodations at the same hotel where you are going to have your ceremony or where you are going to stay or through your wedding planner. If you wish you can also plan airport pick-ups and transfers, a well-known company transfers with the Cancun Airport Transportation service, highly recommended for group transportation for events and weddings.

7. The banquet

The wedding reception in Riviera Maya can be as varied as the ceremonies themselves. Of course, the resorts have a wide range of rooms with the most diverse styles for your perfect wedding; but there is more.

Don’t rule out an agape in the jungle, a dinner on the beach or an after-party with DJs. The menu will also be to your liking: Mexican food, fusion, international, haute cuisine, vegetarian, informal, picnic … and then cocktails, juices and mixed drinks.

8. The musical ambiance

Romantic as anything in the world and more Mexican than a ranchera, the performance of mariachi to welcome the bride. From there you can choose to provide musical ambiance to everything surrounding your wedding in the Riviera Maya. Wedding march, recorded or live music, classical music quartets, singers, bossa-nova, DJ’s for the party… You should know that there are also companies dedicated exclusively to the ambiance, sound and lighting of your wedding.

9. The honeymoon

The wedding is over and now it’s time for the newlywed couple. The Riviera Maya is the perfect setting for honeymooners. Here you will find everything and you can enjoy beaches, romantic walks, relaxing activities, cultural visits, excursions to cenotes, nightlife, theme parks, adventure sports, Mayan ruins… We also recommend a Temazcal session, an ancient pre-Hispanic ritual of steam and water, which takes place inside a mud dome. Ideal to share as a couple. It’s time for an unforgettable honeymoon and you are in the Riviera Maya: congratulations!

7 Original Wedding Ideas In The Riviera

1. Mayan wedding

It’s time to relive a ritual closely linked to your Mexican identity. The ceremony has no legal validity, but it can be a prelude before the official wedding. A shaman will introduce the couple to Mother Earth and the spiritual force of the ancestors.

In some places, the Mayan wedding is officiated in the original language, although of course, you can choose to have the ceremony in Spanish or even bilingual, in case one of the couples does not speak Spanish. In this particular section, Xcaret has become a real specialist, although you can enjoy this ceremony almost anywhere in the Riviera Maya. But, as a curiosity, remember that this park was chosen by Paulina Rubio to give her “yes, I do” to her ex, the Spanish Colate. You don’t have to panic, the price list is very varied since it will depend on the type of location, how many guests, which restaurant you choose if you ask for a wedding party… The best thing to do is to ask the organizers for information.

2. Underwater wedding

Riviera Maya and the Caribbean Sea go hand in hand. Water activities are unavoidable in this part of Mexico and it is one of the most fun and stimulating pleasures you can experience. Crystalline waters, an intense turquoise color, pleasant temperature, sea bottoms of unparalleled beauty…

Yes, for sea lovers there are several types of weddings and you can choose, for example, an underwater ceremony. The truth is that you can not be more original. Of course, those who want to attend the event will have to know how to swim or stay aboard a boat while the wedding takes place. You can choose to get married through institutions such as the Underwater Museum of Art of Cancun (MUSA) or through hotels such as the Bahia Hotel. Places like Cozumel have already specialized in this type of ceremony.

3. Hacienda Wedding

If you dream of a more luxurious, elegant, and traditional wedding, perhaps your choice should be one of the many haciendas that exist between Cancun, Quintana Roo, the Yucatan Peninsula and the Riviera Maya in general. Just arrive at the Cancun airport, their Cancun Airport Transportation service can take you, the planners, and even the guests to any destination in the Yucatan Peninsula.

In some cases, you will find the original buildings of the old colonial-style haciendas, where tobacco, mezcal, or chocolate was produced. Many of the Mexican haciendas have been converted into hotels, but they respect the historical value, the original conception of the building and, in addition, have been decorated with furniture and objects of the period.

Generally, when you hire the services for your themed wedding at a hacienda, the staff will take care of everything, including the paperwork with the local church or cathedral. You can also choose to celebrate your wedding in one of the hacienda’s halls or in one of the patios and beautiful gardens that accompany these imposing buildings so closely linked to Mexican culture.

4. Beach Wedding

How can we overlook what is perhaps the most typical of all the ceremonies celebrated in the Riviera Maya? Getting married on the shores of the Mexican Caribbean, on the white sand and with the sound of the waves as background music… it couldn’t be more romantic. To organize a wedding on the beach you will not find any kind of problem, especially for the number of hotels and wedding planner companies that have specialized in joining marriages on the beach.

Within the beach weddings section, the Riviera Maya also offers an endless variety: night weddings, Mayan weddings, spiritual weddings, informal weddings, traditional weddings… just dream and here they make it happen, because they also take care of everything.

5. Spiritual wedding

Although you can hire this non-binding ceremony anywhere in Mexico, the truth is that in Tulum they are specialists in organizing spiritual weddings. As in the case of the Mayan wedding, this rite can be combined with your official wedding, before or after the legal betrothal.

It consists of toasting the bride and groom to the forces of nature and Mother Earth, presenting themselves to the four cardinal points. After the performance of the officiants, the bride and groom remain in the center of a circle formed by the guests, who will approach them to offer them a song or a poem that blesses their spiritual union.

6. Boat wedding

Taking advantage of the sunset to celebrate your themed wedding aboard a boat sailing the Caribbean waters of the Riviera Maya is much more than a dream. The ceremony will take place on the high seas and you will only have to choose the type of boat, depending on the number of guests you want to accompany you on one of the most important occasions of your life.

There are many companies that are dedicated to organizing weddings on a boat and, in addition to the wedding, they offer a party, cocktail, live music or with DJ’s and food. You can get married on a luxury yacht, on a traditional sailboat, aboard a catamaran, on a replica of an old galleon, on a Mississippi steamer… take your pick and enjoy.

7. Jungle Wedding

The Mexican jungle and cenotes are very special places to celebrate a themed wedding. The culture of this area of Mexico is closely linked to the sacred sites that served the pre-Columbians as a home and source of spirituality.

Choosing these locations can make your wedding an even more profound event. You can opt for hotels closer to the jungle or hire the services of an event planning agency. They will take care of everything and you can even have your wedding underwater in a cenote or sacred lake.