Mexico Destination Wedding Details
Wedding Date: January 26th, 2024
All-Inclusive Wedding Resort: Majestic Elegance Costa Mujeres
Wedding Location: Costa Mujeres, Mexico
Wedding Venues: Beach Gazebo and Beach
Wedding Photographer: Junior Cruz Photography
Destination Wedding Travel Agent: EverAfter Travel
Majestic Elegance Costa Mujeres Wedding Resort Highlights
Family-friendly, all-inclusive resort with a large adults-only section
Beachfront property on a long stretch of powdery white-sand beach
Located about 40 minutes north of the Cancun International Airport (CUN)
Seven dining options with everything from Italian to Japanese and more
12 bars/lounges including multiple swim-up bars, beach bar and sports bar
12 pools and eight jacuzzis
Daily activities and entertainment including live shows and theme nights
Majestic Elegance Costa Mujeres Wedding Review With Sara & Jason
Why did you decide to have a destination wedding?
We wanted a more intimate wedding celebration that allowed us to spend quality time with the people closest to us. We're from Minnesota so we also wanted to give our friends and family a break from the harsh winter weather with a tropical vacation!
What were your biggest concerns about planning a destination wedding? What were you struggling with the most before reaching out to EverAfter Travel?
Our biggest concern with a destination wedding was ensuring the safety of our guests and making travel as safe and easy as possible for everyone.
Before contacting EverAfter Travel, we knew we wanted to have our destination wedding in Mexico but we were really struggling to narrow in on a specific region and resort - there are so many options, it was extremely overwhelming and confusing trying to decide what was best for us.
We were also very overwhelmed by the logistics of reserving a room block, coordinating transportation to and from the airport, and tracking our guests travel and bookings.
EverAfter Travel made all this SO easy!
What were your "must haves" for your destination wedding? What were the deciding factors for choosing your resort?
We wanted an all-inclusive resort that was within a 45 minute drive of the airport, featured pristine white beaches and beautiful aqua waters, offered lots of dining and restaurant options, had clean and comfortable accommodations, and was affordable for our guests.
EverAfter Travel provided several resort recommendations that met all our "must haves". We ultimately chose our resort, Majestic Elegance Costa Mujeres, for it's beautiful, modern aesthetic, superior restaurant and entertainment offerings, and exceptional wedding accommodations. Additionally, the fact that EverAfter Travel had other couples that had positive experiences getting married at this resort gave me a lot of peace of mind.
I am beyond grateful that EverAfter Travel recommended Majestic Elegance Costa Mujeres - we absolutely loved our experience with this resort, both from a vacation and a wedding standpoint.
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 had a fairly small and simple wedding - we had 42 guests (out of roughly 65 invited) with a ceremony right on the ocean at the beach gazebo and a private reception dinner on the beach.
We really wanted to lean into the beauty of beach and the ocean, as well as the tropical weather, so it was important to us that all our wedding events take place on the beach.
While we wanted to keep our reception fairly low key (we didn't have a DJ, dance floor, etc.), we wanted to make it really beautiful and nice for our guests since they spent so much to attend our special day - we did this by upgrading a lot of the decor like chairs, place settings, lighting, the bar, etc. so they were just the standard decor offerings. We also had tropical flowers on all the tables, the sweetheart table, and the bar.
Overall, our wedding cost $12k - while this is by no means inexpensive, it felt like a much more affordable option than a traditional wedding in Minnesota would have cost, and the incredible beauty and quality we got for this cost was well worth it.
Our wedding was absolutely beautiful and everything went incredibly smoothly thanks to the incredible wedding department staff at the resort.
Was there anything you splurged on for your destination wedding and if so, did you feel like it was worth it?
We ended up splurging more on flowers than we originally planned. We initially planned to let the beauty of the beach speak for itself, but as we got into the details of planning we got worried about the ceremony gazebo and the reception tables looking too bare so we leaned in and ordered more flowers! While I think the space still would have been beautiful without so many flowers, I am so glad we splurged on them! We went with tropical flowers and they really added to the aesthetic and added an extra touch of beauty and magic to our wedding events.
I also ended up splurging on bringing an external vendor in to do my hair and makeup. I was really worried about using the resort's spa as I had heard mixed reviews, and I'm not super skilled at doing my own hair and make-up. Unfortunately, I did not feel this splurge was worth it - while both my hair and make-up looked fine, it wasn't what I asked for and I don't feel paying the external vendor fee was worth it.
Was there anything you tried to save on for your destination wedding and if so, did you feel like it was worth it?
We wanted to save by doing a simplified reception. Rather than doing a full-blown reception event with a DJ, dance floor, entertainment, etc. that lasted all night, we kept it simple with a private dinner on the beach that included an open bar and lasted 3 hours.
We rented speakers and a microphone through the resort so we could play music from a playlist we curated ourselves, and we were still able to do speeches and the first dance, mother/son dance, and father/daughter dance! Our reception was over at 9pm and we kept the party going afterwards at the resort bars until 2am! There was even karaoke going on at one of the bars that was so much fun!
Overall, I am so happy we did the simplified reception and leaned into the resort's bars/nightly entertainment to keep the party going - it was still so much fun and we saved a ton of money!
What were your favorite parts about your destination wedding?
My absolute favorite part of our destination wedding was the beautiful setting - the ocean and the beach were gorgeous and provided the perfect backdrop for our ceremony and reception. Having our wedding events on the beach added a really magical and surreal quality to our special day that you just can't get anywhere else.
My second favorite thing about our destination wedding was all the wonderful quality time we got to spend with our friends and family - we had so much fun hanging out with the people closest to us in the days leaning up to and after our wedding day! It was a really rare and special thing to be able to go on vacation with ALL our favorite people at once and I am forever grateful that we got extra time with them outside just the wedding day.
While our wedding day was beautiful and perfect, some of my favorite memories were from the simple moments where we got to hang out at the pool/beach, try out the different restaurants, enjoy the resort's nightly entertainment, and just be with the people closest to us.
Is there anything you would change about your destination wedding?
Honestly, no! We had a very easy and seamless destination wedding planning process thanks to EverAfter Travel, and we are so happy with the decisions we made for our trip and our big day. While there were minor hiccups and mishaps along the way, overall we are so happy with how everything went on our wedding day and wouldn't change a thing!
What were the most helpful online websites/social media groups/content creators/YouTube links that helped you during the planning process?
EverAfter Travel and the resources they provided were invaluable to us! Beyond that, I joined a couple Facebook groups consisting of other brides who were getting married or previously got married at our resort, and I found those really helpful. I was able to read reviews from other brides and get ideas and insights for our wedding.
Shout out to any wedding vendors you loved e.g. photography, DJ, makeup, etc.
We absolutely LOVED the staff in the wedding department at our resort! Our Wedding Specialist and On-Site Coordinator were beyond amazing - they genuinely cared about us and our experience, and they went above and beyond to make our wedding day perfect.
We also loved our photographer, Abraham, through Junior Cruz Weddings - he was so kind and really put us at ease, and he was very familiar with the resort and knew all the best spots to take photos!
What advice do you have for other couples planning a destination wedding?
Trust the process! Planning a destination wedding looks very different than planning a traditional wedding - the timelines are much farther out, communication with the resort/wedding department is less frequent, there can be a language barrier, and things can sometimes feel more informal because there aren't always written contracts, formal invoices, etc.
For someone like me who is more high-strung and likes to be in control, this can feel very stressful and uncomfortable. But the resort wedding staff are pros and they know what they are doing - they put on these weddings every day and they will ensure everything goes according to plan! So try not to stress and just trust the process - it will all work out in the end.
What kind of feedback did you hear from your guests? This could be about the resort, the wedding, and/or EverAfter Travel.
We received really positive feedback from our guests all-around! Our guests really loved everything about the resort - it was stunning and everyone loved the clean, modern aesthetic, they restaurants were all great and had delicious food and provided lots of different cuisines/offerings, the resort provided entertainment in the evenings was a big hit, the staff were all incredible and made our guests feel welcome and well cared for, there were lots of pool and beach options with plenty of space and lounge chairs, and the rooms were very clean and comfortable.
Our guests also really enjoyed the wedding - they thought the beach setting was beautiful, the food at our wedding dinner buffet was incredible, everyone loved our officiant and thought he did a great job, and overall everyone had a lot of fun! Many guests even said it was the most beautiful wedding they had ever been too :)
Last but certainly not least, everyone loved working with Jodi from EverAfter Travel! Jodi was incredibly helpful and responsive, provided invaluable resources and information to our guests, eased a lot of concerns and fears some people had around traveling in Mexico, and ultimately made the whole experience really easy and seamless for everyone!
Why did you choose to work with EverAfter Travel for your destination wedding?
After deciding we wanted to do a destination wedding, I was immediately overwhelmed by the planning process. We couldn't decide on a region in Mexico let alone a resort, and I had no idea how to go about reserving a room block or coordinating transportation. I went on The Knot to try to find resources for destination wedding planning and thankfully I came across EverAfter Travel!
There were several things that drew me to EverAfter Travel - the company had outstanding ratings and reviews across multiple sites, it's a smaller company and we would receive personalized support unique to our needs, and they not only specialized in travel assistance but also in destination wedding planning.
Ultimately though, the reason we chose to work with EverAfter Travel was Jodi herself! Even from our first interactions with her, it was clear that she truly cared about us as individuals and she went to great lengths to understand exactly what it was we wanted for our wedding. It was clear off the bat that Jodi would be there for us throughout the entire process and she would go above and beyond to ensure our destination wedding was everything we dreamed of.
How did working with EverAfter Travel make planning your Majestic Elegance Costa Mujeres wedding easier/better/less stressful? Would you recommend EverAfter Travel to other couples planning a destination wedding?
Working with Jodi at EverAfter Travel made planning our destination wedding easier, better, and less stressful in EVERY way!!
Before reaching out to EverAfter travel, I was completely lost and overwhelmed and had no idea where to start in the planning process. Thank goodness I found Jodi and EverAfter Travel!
Jodi took the time to really understand what we were looking for and what we wanted for our destination wedding, and in turn provided amazing recommendations for regions and resorts in Mexico that were tailored to our needs.
She created a very thorough and informative wedding website for us that allowed our guests to easily obtain all the info they needed for their trip and for our wedding.
Jodi did all the heavy lifting to lock in our wedding date with the resort, reserve our wedding event locations, secure our room block, and arrange transportation to and from the airport for us and our guests.
She worked closely with our guests to ensure they stayed on track with their bookings and payments so they didn't miss any critical dates or deadlines, and she diligently organized and tracked all their travel details.
Jodi was readily available to us and our guests throughout the entire process to answer questions, provide guidance, relieve concerns, and assist in any way needed!
I am so happy we worked with Jodi at EverAfter Travel to plan our destination wedding, she turned what could have been a stressful and overwhelming experience into a seamless and enjoyable one!
I highly recommend Jodi and EverAfter Travel to any couple planning a destination wedding - she will make your destination wedding dreams come true!
Anything else you'd like to add?
THANK YOU, Jodi and EverAfter Travel! We are so grateful to you and all that you did to make our dream destination wedding a reality. We truly could not have made it through this process without you! Thank you!
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