Mexico Destination Wedding Details
Wedding Date: February 5th, 2024
All-Inclusive Wedding Resort: Dreams Vista Cancun Golf & Spa Resort
Wedding Location: Cancun, Mexico
Wedding Venues: 1) Ocean Deck Palapa 2) Beach Bar 3) Rooftop Infinity Pool Terrace
Wedding Photographer: Sara Marie Photography
Destination Wedding Travel Agent: EverAfter Travel
Dreams Vista Wedding Resort Highlights
Family-friendly, all-inclusive resort where all rooms have an ocean view
Beachfront property in the exclusive gated community of Puerta del Mar (north of the Cancun Hotel Zone). adjacent to Isla Mujeres' dock
About 30 minutes from the Cancun International Airport (CUN)
Only 20 minutes from the Cancun Hotel Zone area with shopping, restaurants and nightlife
9 dining options with cuisines like Italian, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian (Teppanyaki tables and sushi bar) plus a cafe with coffee, pastries, and ice cream
6 bars/lounges including a swim-up bar, beach bar, a rooftop bar for Preferred Club guests, and a sports bar that becomes an adults-only music lounge with a DJ at night
3 pools: activities pool, relaxation pool, and adults-only Preferred Club rooftop pool
Two surf pools for stationary wave riding and a splash waterpark for younger kids
Gorgeous sunrises on the east coast of Mexico
Discounted green fees at 18-hole Puerto Cancun Golf Course, designed by Tom Weiskopf
Non-motorized water sports like kayaking are included with your stay
Daily activities and entertainment including live shows and theme nights
Dreams Vista Wedding Review: Abby & David
Why did you decide to have a destination wedding?
We wanted something intimate and loved the idea of a vacation with our closest friends and family members.
What were your biggest concerns about planning a destination wedding? What were you struggling with the most before reaching out to EverAfter Travel?
My biggest concern when thinking of planning a destination wedding was that we would feel uncomfortable constantly reminding our guests about deadlines. I also worried that stressing over the logistics of guests getting to the resort was going to distract us from planning the actual wedding.
What were your "must haves" for your destination wedding? What were the deciding factors for choosing your resort?
One of our must haves was that we wanted to have the wedding at an all inclusive resort. We love traveling to all inclusive resorts and some of our friends and family members had never gotten to experience that type of stay before our destination wedding.
Everyone was thrilled with the quality of service and the quality of the food and drink! We chose Dreams Vista Cancun Golf and Spa Resort because I heard great things about the wedding department at Dreams Resorts, and because we wanted a resort that felt more like a hotel, one big building where we would constantly cross paths with our guests.
If the resort would have been too big, it would have been tougher to see people at every meal. It was the perfect size for us and our group!
Tell me about your wedding e.g. events, venues, special touches, etc. How many guests did you invite to your destination wedding and how many people ended up attending? If you're comfortable sharing, how much was the total cost of your destination wedding celebration (not including things like travel expenses, your dress, etc.)?
We invited 60 guests and about 50 ended up attending!
Our wedding package included a rehearsal dinner for our families and bridal party the night before the wedding. We chose the Mexican theme night. The food was amazing and the ocean view terrace was a gorgeous and intimate place to share a meal with about 25 people.
The resort offered me as the bride an extra room for the day of the wedding. I thought the rooms were absolutely beautiful so we had our getting ready events in the extra room instead of the bridal getting ready suite that is also available to wedding parties.
We decided when we got down there that the over the water palapa was gorgeous and decided to move our ceremony to that location , rather than right on the sand which was our original plan. Everyone at Dreams Vista Cancun was happy and accommodating, and our wedding coordinator gladly switched the location for us.
We had our reception on the rooftop of the resort and it was breathtaking. It actually poured during our reception, but because there is a covering on the rooftop it took us a while to notice the droplets on the pool. The space was perfect for a 50 person guest list. The dance floor was cozy but everyone was familiar with each other by the wedding day, it felt like one big happy family on the dance floor!
Was there anything you splurged on for your destination wedding and if so, did you feel like it was worth it?
It was important to me to have a wedding photographer that captured the emotion of the day the way I wanted it. Sarah Cole, @photosbysarahmarie is the sweetest person and she gave the best advice to help people get comfortable with photos. She got right in there and did an amazing job of capturing the important moments.
Was there anything you tried to save on for your destination wedding and if so, did you feel like it was worth it?
Destination weddings are beautiful locations just as they are, so I didn’t feel like I had to go crazy with the decor, and we saved a lot of money on decor compared to friends of ours that have gotten married in Minnesota.
The minimal candles and flowers we went for were the perfect little touch. The beauty of the ocean and the sand and sky made the wedding beautiful and unique.
What were the most helpful online websites/social media groups/content creators/YouTube links that helped you during the planning process?
I read a lot of articles on Wedding Wire , The Knot, and Zola.
Shout out to any wedding vendors you loved e.g. photography, DJ, makeup, etc.
Our amazing photographer Sarah Cole @photosbysarahmarie.
My amazing sister who was the makeup artist, Grace Johnson @esthibygrace.
My amazing friend and hair stylist, @blondebybethann.
What kind of feedback did you hear from your guests? This could be about the resort, the wedding, and/or EverAfter Travel.
Everyone arrived to the resort seamlessly, the shuttles were polite, prompt and well prepared to accommodate our group. Before I met with Jodi at EverAfter Travel, my head was spinning thinking about coordinating all of that transportation for my guests myself. Jodi made it look easy!
All of our guests said they hoped to come back to Dreams Vista Cancun Golf and Spa Resort again. We had several guests use the spa and raved about their wonderful experience there.
The rooms were beautiful, the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, and the food and beverages were always delicious at any time of day.
What advice do you have for other couples planning a destination wedding?
Follow your dream and plan the size, the location, the times of day, the dress code, everything you can think of your way! Try not to let what others think skew your decisions from what you want.
JUMP IN THE WATER IN YOUR SUIT AND DRESS. JUST DO IT. The memories will last forever, and in the heat of the moment, we could not even feel the cold.
What were your favorite parts about your destination wedding?
A few of my favorite parts of our destination wedding was the sound of the ocean in the background of everything we did, from getting ready to walking down the aisle. It added so much peace to the day.
I also loved watching our friends and family members bond the days leading up to the wedding, everyone was comfortable with letting loose and dancing together because they all knew each other so well from traveling together the past few days.
Another one of my favorite parts of our destination wedding is that it truly felt like we got to have a wedding week, not just one day. Every second of the day and most of every night was spent celebrating.
Is there anything you would change about your destination wedding?
I wouldn’t change a thing, things that didn’t go as I planned ended up being even better than I could have planned it!
Why did you choose to work with EverAfter Travel for your destination wedding?
Jodi and I made a good connection right off the bat. I knew I could trust her with the things I was nervous about and she would take care of helping my family and friends so that I didn’t have to stress about it.
How did working with EverAfter Travel make planning your Dreams Vista wedding easier/better/less stressful?
I would recommend EverAfter Travel to other couples planning a destination wedding. Trusting Jodi with the logistics of getting your guests where they need to be safely is incredibly helpful, you can focus on making memories and preparing special events for when they all get there.
Review posted by Abby and David about their experience:
From the first conversation, I knew Jodi was the right destination wedding travel agent for me. I could tell she cared and was looking out for me, my husband and our guests every step of the way!
The booking process was easy for each of our guests and we did have a fair amount of guests that were traveling out of the country for the first time. Jodi was there to answer all questions and sent our helpful travel tips and details about our destination.
Everyone arrived to the resort with ease and I was extremely relieved not to have to handle coordinating everyone’s shuttles to and from the airport. It was so great to hand the responsibility of those logistics over to Jodi so I could focus on the wedding events themselves. She checked in with me often and was a great resource to bounce ideas off of!
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