Couples of different nationalities hear us: the Mayan Riviera, a nearby heaven for legal weddings
Love does not know boundaries nor walls, but sometimes it requires a visa. Do you want to get married to your French fiance’?
Do you urge to marry your beutiful Brazilian girlfriend?
If you are a US citizen, Canadian or European, you know how complicated it could be if your partner comes from abroad.
The Governments require a Spouse visa and you need to arrange a lot of papers to make sure they can be able to enter the US or Canada and legally spend their lives with you.
Even the wedding friendly Las Vegas won’t help and if you plan to travel to their country and get married there, think again, you still have to hassle with bureaucracy.
We have great news for you: Weddingsinplaya.com can make this process pretty simple. Here in the State of Quintana Roo, the Mayan Riviera, the legalities are simplified.
Legal documents are easy to obtain with our help!
You can travel here to get legally married, while having a small vacation by the Caribbean sea andall you need are your valid passports.
Legal weddings made easy
Even if you are eloping and nobody is coming with you, we can provide witnesses. Nothing else. No birth certificates, unless one of the two is a Mexican citizen, no special visa or any kind of permit. It is as simple as having a shot of Don Julio Reposado… with lime.
Come to Playa del Carmen for 3-4 days and we will make it happen. Around one month later we will mail you your international wedding certificate with the apostille, which makes the certificate internationally valid. We also provide the service of legally translating it into English, so you do not even have to worry about that, when you register your wedding back home. Now you can file your wife or or husband visa permit as your legal partner and start your happy life together! Contact us for specific infos and we will explain you all the steps of the process.
What happens after the princess marries her prince?
A few success stories after we say good bye…. Happy Val DAY!
Today is February 14th, Saint Valentine.
I am in love with love, not for nothing i do this job.
It is so amazing to get to meet our clients before they get married and start their life together, but what happens after it?
I often remind to my brides that if they put the same effort in the marriage as in the wedding… it will go always incredibly well! Something must stick, because on 600 couples only 5 divorced, so we must bring some luck… or they are quite amazing themselves…
The fact that we say good bye at the beginning of the adventure is not a motive to let years go by without any news. We keep in touch with our ex clients, send them love and also see some of them in Playa, like Erica in this photo!!
We often hear from them, some come to Playa and remarry after 5 or 10 years… we meet the children and i cannot wait to see what else they are going to experience.
Not all have kids, some party like rockstars, like Maryann and Cesar, below, that got married with me in Tulum over 10 years ago….
We love all of their choices, because life is made of real people and real adventure. Here 3 of my fav, Jaimie and Denee, married at Grand Coral 11 years ago.
All of our clients are dear to our hearts, yet time goes by and some of them we never see.
Yet we have fond memories of all of them and wish them a life that is amazing, long and full of love .
This is Maria, we have reachedthisyear 18 years of Life at weddingsinplaya.com. Finally we can vote ( or drink)!
Many clients ask us: what is yourstory?
how did you becomewedding planners?
how did you land here in Playa del Carmen?
Today wewillunveilthe story of us, Erica and Maria.
We were born in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, a region of great wines (Picolit, among all) and intense wind (bora winds canarrive to160Km/h in winter through the Julian Alps).
I am thethird of three and Erica is only child, but she grew up with her 3cousins just next to her.
Here is me at one, in the middle, with my two Brothers. They are honorary bros. to Erica as well!
Growing up in a little village, even ifLeonardo Da Vinci createdthe project, is boring ( I tried running away at 2 years oldbut Iwas found on theroad, happily walking, by a neighbour). Erica, born 6 years later, was facingthe same challenges.
Finally oneday in 1990, one cold day in October, we met. It was Fun at first sight! We recognised a kindred spirit in one another and we decided to have a good time, whenever we could.
It was a great friendship and we planned a lot of trips and adventures together…. one summer we left with our motorbikes for Rimini, in the Italian Riviera, on board of our Vespa and Ciao, for a long haul of 390 Km… Needless to say it was a cool adventure and a fond memory!
Over the years we lived in different countries: Erica left for Shangai and I went to Australia. After 16 months around the world, after many countries and many beers, at the beginning of 1996, i first saw Playa Del Carmen: it wasa simple paradise: 5th Ave. stopped at8th streetand Constituyentes was jungle! Can you believe it?
I fell in love!
This was Playa in 1996. All green…. Porto Real Hotel had not been built and neither the others. I found a job at Viva Maya and met the future husband i did not know I was going to marry.
Destiny is grand and after a year in Playa I went to live in Texas, happy new motherof a baby girl, born in 1998, Skylar. Erica came tovisit me and my husband, Sharky, in Houston and assisted to the birth. Happy times! And life flies: we move back to Playa in 1999. Immediately Erica and I got together, just to find out that she was pregnant with Maia, who was born inthe year 2000, another incredibly happy event! Here they are, all grown!
But back to business: in 2001, Erica was working at the famous Yaxche’ Mayan Restaurant and was getting a few inquires from Americancouples to organise a weddingin Mexico. I owned the Coffee Press, a cafe’ for expats that used to wake up at 7a or return from the beach at that time after the party….
One day wewere chit chatting and she blurted out: What do you think, Maria, do you wantto enter into business and do weddings together?
I said YES I do ( right in theme… ahaha), and that was 18 years ago.
There was only another wedding planner in town, Brenda, an American restaurant owner that organised weddings at her restaurant.
The first year we planned 3 weddings, asking very little money and making a lot of mistakes.
We knew a Mayan shaman and started organising Mayan weddings first at Yaxche’ and then in many other locations.
Then we started getting an education from the best, going to courses and meetings in Usa, like Weddings MBA and courses with Alan Berg.
Once we were on our 3rd years, we were making some sense. On our 10thyear, about 30 morewedding plannersstarted to work in town, now we have celebrated over 500 weddings! What i love about wedding planning is that for 1 year, you are the confidential sister of the couple. Then after the wedding has ended, you go back to being nobody: it’s healthy for the ego!
Life has been a wonderful gift, i still meeta lot of ex clients that 15 yrs later come to Playa with their kids and stop by to say hi: we love to see how our clients have kept the promise of Love of their wedding day and transformed into a lovely family!
Photo courtesy of A. E.
So, this is our Story,
we have been so lucky to arrive inPlaya at a time when therewas so much opportunity, so little people, so muchto live. We know that.
We can onlysay:
Gracias, Playa. Gracias to all of our clients, past and future, that love us, support us and believe in us. We give the best to all of you!
This is Maria here offering a personal and uber selected array of wedding trends for 2019. Ready?
First of all, let’s keep something very clear: it’s YOUR wedding.
Not your mama’s, not your sister’s and not your best friend’s.
So get personal! Hire vendors you connect with on a personal level, not just the ones that suit your aesthetic or budget, you will be working with your planner for a year or more so it would be grand if you 3 click.
You 2 are the heroes of this story and you 2 are going to decide together what is important to theboth of you. Never mind grandma wants a Catholic Wedding: if you want to get married bya Mayan shaman on the beach at the sound of drums on a full moon, that is what grandma should see (and she will like it too, because your happiness is her happiness).
Be bold enough to be you: aren’t you worth it?
I always tell my clients : this is YOUR dayand you pick how the day will unfold… so go big. This year’s trends finally are listening to the wisdom of the centuries (ours! LOL): that’s why I am particularly excited aboutthem and happy to introduce my top fav coming up in 2019.
They’re proof that these major life events are becoming more and more about the couple : weddings are getting more personalised and that is a great sign!
No more FOMO nor following the trend: you are the trend, you never missed out anything, because you are creating this Moment!
The year is shaping up to be one of the most incredible wedding seasons ever.
So here we go:
1.
Be you
Inever address this topic long enoughbut mark my words: this is the one day that will be in your memory forever: why not just go all the way?
if youlike purple, go purple.
If you want to get married in moody colours, go with them (colour will feature more heavily than in previous years, think deep shades like burgundy and hunter green for a striking and moody look to your day or mix several shades from the same palette to create a fresh style….gowns with asymmetrical elements will also be trendy… bridesmaids no longer in same colour but shades of same palette…)
This one-shoulder dress is from Justin Alexander’s spring 2019 collection. Ovidiu Hrubaru/Shutterstock
2.
Smaller weddings but unique experiences
No one wants to have a cookie cutter wedding or copyMeghan Markle and her prince: the trend now is
THINK UNIQUE
Expect 50 to 70 guests weddings but a lot of flare.
We will see more planners getting out there tocreate a journey and experience for all the guests to enjoy…not only on the wedding day but also at welcome parties and post wedding brunches (sometimes on a catamaran, sometimes in a cave), something we have always done and got rewarded with lots of loving gratitude from our over 500 clients (yep we have started in 2001, many of our clients are parents and soon will be celebrating 20years married… Erica Bressan how come we got so grown-ish up?)
Food as art, amazingly yummy and beautiful to look at!! that is a trend i relate too, as Italian. Many couples are ditching traditional wedding buffets for more memorable options. Popular examples of interactive food stations include tequila tasting with meat and veggie tacos, ceviche bars and churros carts. Also a trend: grazing receptions, where there won’t be a sit down dinner but more of a selection of different appetisers and snacks with something for everyone, from the vegan to the meat lover. Tom and Jon you are totally 2019!!
Also a trend: less traditional array of seating elements and more fluid use of space: high top tables, pillows and carpets to create a Maroccan suuk with hookas and belly dancers, use of beach chairs covered with Mexican blankets, use of indigenous art like Huichol and Otomi…. in a word: Whimsical!
Photo subject to Author’s right
4.
Greenery instead of too many flowers, but also colours!!
We love palms leaves, theyare cheap and beautiful! So many brides are chosing the option of a mostlygreen arch or bouquet.But also bright and rich colours… You can incorporate these colours in all aspects of your wedding decor from table settings, candles, linens and florals. Turquoise is definitely one of the key colours for 2019… Coral as well.
We love our couples and we would love to see something personal in every ceremony. Whether it’s writing vows that tell an untold story, a touching song from your brother or the newest and original rings warming passage (all guests pass the rings in a pouch and hold them in their hands sending their blessed energy to the couple), we love that unique touch that talks about you. Also signs in all languages and fonts!!
Lots of unexpected twists on the traditional wedding in the year….
Photos subject to Author’s right
So you got the idea: it’s all about you! We are here to simply send an invitation: an invitation to livingeverymoment fulfilled. We want to invite you to a dance that will never cease to amaze you. The dance is yourlife. The invitation is to live it in joy, amazement and infinite Bliss. Your guests will thank you. And years from now, the memories will be amazing!!!!
In 1997, I Maria, and my man decided we were eloping. We woke up one morning and he asked if I wanted to head down to the courthouse and get married. We had been engaged for 1 month, together for just 9, and were feeling overwhelmed. We weren’t overwhelmed by our quick decision to get married, but by the reaction to our wedding plans—our day of choice was shot down (it was on a Wednesday, six months in the future).
We were young and in love, so when he told me to go all in on eloping, I did and we got married later that day.
Therefore I always am very happy when I meet other couples who want to do the same, like Tonia & Michael who got married last Nov. 12th on Paamul beach. I love when people make a conscious joyous decision to just do it, so be it. I am thrilled to say that, to get married on a deserted beach legally, they needed 4 witnesses and their dear friends accompanied them in the happy occasion: congratulations Tonia and Michael, I adore your joie de vivre!
The couple exchange rings
It’s always hard not to cry at weddings!
Inky fingers from signing the register
And they’re married! Time to have some fun…
To elope, most literally, means to run away and to not come back to the point of origin. More colloquially, elopement is often used to refer to a marriage conducted in sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one’s place of residence together with one’s beloved with the intention of getting married …
Thanks to Kalu Restaurant for food and drinks, Flowers Jardin for bouquet, Isaura Rodriguez for photos and Styling Trio for Hair and Makeup.
Todays wedding at Xcaret‘s Chapel of Guadalupe is so special. We absolutely loved all of the intricate details that make this venue so magical. The shadows, the lighting and the dramatic tone make this an absolutely unforgettable experience for you and your guests. It’s truly one of the most unique venues to host your wedding.
There were many romantic details incorporated into the evening. The reception took place in the Hacienda and was beautifully decorated with crystal and white.
Congratulations Lilian and Sergio and thank you to Jaime for the beautiful photos!
