dessert Archives - Weddings in Playa

The Cost of it All

February 27, 2023

Wedding budgets and how to save some serious $$$$

Dollars are money spent for budgeting wedding — We have been organizing weddings since 2001 and know some tricks!

Weddings in Mexico! white beach, palm trees and tequilas!! Cheap price right? ehemmm…

All in all organizing these events was extremely cheap 20 years ago when we started the business yet certainly this has changed since all venues have doubled their fees and post- Covid prices have increased. Additionally, flights and hotel rooms have caught up.

plants as wedding decor — Plants instead of flowers

Weddings come in all shapes and sizes and with varying price tags. All things considere, hosting a beautiful wedding doesn’t have to mean to go into debt nor breaking the bank (unless you know how to…). We’ve used our collective experience to put together a list of the best wedding budget tips and hacks. Preparation and research can help save you a lot of your hard-earned money as you plan the big day.

Throw the wedding of your dreams with these wedding budget tips and money-savings secrets

You can have the wedding you’ve always wanted without wiping out your savings.

In this paragraph, moreover, i will suggest how to plan your wedding clearly during a less traditional time of year or time of day to make your rupee/dollar/peso/euro as well as that yin stretch… In addition some hotels give great accomodation deals if you book a large group! (we love https://www.hyatt.com/es-ES/hotel/mexico/grand-hyatt-playa-del-carmen-resort/cunpc)

1. Book in the off-season

Above all, if you’re interested in a destination wedding, choosing a wedding date during slower seasons can save you a lot of money on venue rental, overnight accommodations, flights and more, however that is not always the case. Check online deal and your TA or OTA.

2. Avoid holidays

Another key point is to avoid holidays and other special events that raise local prices. All in all in conclusion it should be noted that to have it at one location, so wedding ceremony, cocktail and reception will be less expensive!

dogs at wedding can be fun — Watch our for uninvited guests! Be clear with your friends if you allow +1…

Booking the venue ( Btw: we love https://bluevenadoweddings.com/)

3. Keep the guest list small

Altogether a small, intimate wedding will save the bride and the groom money on venue rental as well as food and beverage service,but in case of a very large wedding (i am planning one for 300 right now!), ask your guests for no gifts but cash contributions: however couples have everything since they already live together and that will help you both to give the party you dream of!

4. Look for venues that allow outside vendor setup

Also bringing in external vendors is often cheaper than using the in-house version and make sure to ask about additional fees for using outside vendors, set up/tear down fees, gratuity, and any other fees that may unexpectedly arise. Ask to see an example contract and compare various venue policies. We love DJ DIego https://www.instagram.com/evolutionmixaudiovisual/?hl=en

5. Create the ideal menu

Dance carefree because your budget is looking good!

Skip a full-plated dinner service that requires serving staff and includes multiple courses. Family style or buffet are great and everyone can get what they want! In conclusion altogether forget the cake and go for the delightful Mexican pastries like the ones we buy at http://www.chezceline.com.mx/ or at https://ahcacao.com/… We are clients and as a result have been buying for our couples their fab brownies ( for https://ahcacao.com/) and the creme brulee and mini tarts (@http://www.chezceline.com.mx/) since they opened!!

Ah cacao brownies, to die for…

6. Extend your cocktail hour to transition into the reception

As cocktail hour is wrapping up, unveil a slider bar, charcuterie station and break out the entertainment to seamlessly transition into the reception without including dinner service.

Signature drinks make your cocktail more you!

Thrifty decorations yet super cool!!

Spend your money where it matters most. Don’t allow decorations to take over your wedding budget; save money with these great tips. In addition, Pinterest is a super great helper!!!

7. Stick with one theme

Choose one style—one color scheme—and stick to it. Extra flowers, tissue paper, or linen can easily be repurposed to save elsewhere. Please no more gold and violet! seen and re-seen…

8. Paper flowers

Instead of shelling out major money for fresh flowers (be planet savvy since flowers have a high cost) , consider mini plants (like the ones at http://www.jardinfloreria.com) or origami flowers or other crafty DIY alternatives. Furthermore, they are they a bargain, they last a lot longer than “the real thing.” Plus they make a great gift at the end of the night! Arches also can be DIY…

Our clients were creative and got a unique decor for their kissable moment!

The look

We all want to look our best on our wedding day too; that’s a given (that is why our make up artists are the best: we use https://www.sarahgarnier.com/ and https://www.dorannahairstylist.com/ . Furthermore, you can still go glam without gutting your expense budget.

9. Accentuate a simple dress with standout accessories

Simple, classic dresses can easily be taken up a notch with an eye-catching accessory. Lastly, choose jewelry, hair accessories, or shoes that stand out when paired with an affordable gown.

10. Choose a simple hairstyle and add a headband or barrette (or find a good friend…)

Stylists are typically needed for excessive updos. Choose a simple, elegant hairstyle accentuated by a headband or barrette to save on styling costs. If you have good friends, you can ask them for a make up or a touch up…

Financial planning

Financial responsibility is essential to wedding planning with less stress. It’s also a core component of a healthy marriage foundation. Start your marriage off right by setting financial goals, tracking expenses, and working with your partner to stay within a designated budget.

11. Discuss your budget with your partner and agree early on

Set goals and limits that you both agree on. Ensuring that you’re on the same page from the beginning will help avoid unnecessary drama down the line. Set a credit limit, and don’t go over it… Be financially responsible with your wedding planning. If you are comfortable paying off $500 of credit card debt this year, for example, set that limit and stick to it. If you can’t afford it, don’t charge anything at all. Only purchase what you can afford right now.

12. Decide what details are negotiable

Pinpoint “must have” and “can definitely live without” wedding details so that you can allocate money to what you want most. Take advantage of credit rewards and benefits. f you already have a credit card or two, research your reward benefits. See which retailers your creditor partners with to find unadvertised discounts and cash-back opportunities.

13. Look for unexpected expenseTry to anticipate any unforeseen expenses. Will you need to rent restroom trailers for an outdoor wedding? Is there ample parking? Most venues in Riviera Maya are far away from the city. consider that… what is the cost of transportation for the guests? and what if they want to leave earlier? Ask us for everything you need to know, we are always available at Watsapp +529838337771. You can never have too many options. Buy and create the items you really want and set for a budget friendly and amazing wedding day!! ENJOY in the creation…

Thanks for the photos to : https://delsolphotography.com/, https://www.lilibretonphoto.com/ https://www.facebook.com/officialABPhotography, /https://deansandersonweddings.com/ https://naalweddingphotography.com/

Weddings In Playa Laura Joe — Thanks to all the great vendors that make my job easy

Mayan Riviera, a nearby heaven for legal weddings

July 31, 2020July 30, 2020

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 and all you need are your valid passports.

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.

Just relax, have a margarita and let it happen!

Wedding trends 2019: it’s all about You!

January 21, 2019

Hola everyone,

i hope you all are having a great 2019.

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 the both of you. Never mind grandma wants a Catholic Wedding: if you want to get married by a 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 day and 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 about them 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:

Be you

I never address this topic long enough but mark my words: this is the one day that will be in your memory forever: why not just go all the way?

if you like 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

Smaller weddings but unique experiences

No one wants to have a cookie cutter wedding or copy Meghan 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 to create 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 20 years married… Erica Bressan how come we got so grown-ish up?)

Photo Alessandro Banchelli

www.photostudioab.com

www.weddingmexicophotography.com

Food : artistic edible displays

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

Greenery instead of too many flowers, but also colours!!

We love palms leaves, they are cheap and beautiful! So many brides are chosing the option of a mostly green 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.

Matt and Holly, you are trendy!

Photo Alessandro Banchelli

www.photostudioab.com

www.weddingmexicophotography.com

Meaningful ceremonies: variety and real feel

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 living every moment fulfilled. We want to invite you to a dance that will never cease to amaze you. The dance is your life. 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!!!!

Tamara and Russell, Gran Coral Beach Club Wedding

April 3, 2018February 24, 2018

We have been blessed to witness many weddings, listen to many ceremonies and seen many exchanges of vows. I have to admit there is one ceremony that I will never forget. Not just because the groom came to the ceremony on a boat, but due to the way the ceremony had been performed.
Let me tell you this whole story.

Russell, the groom actually wanted to get to the wedding site with a catamaran.
As any good planner, after also seeing the desperate look on the his bride Tamara’s face, I had completely forbidden it! I could see the groom stranded in the ocean, if the wind was not cooperating! No way that I could give him that chance!

So we settled on a fishing motor boat.

As in any good story, the two moms got lost on the way to the venue and they had the rings too. No moms. Ceremony delayed till their arrival.
The groom had to wait offshore and was offered to fish to try to entertain himself.
Tamara was waiting in the limo and getting nervous for him.

Anyways, like any good tale, we finally started.

They had their own minister and made a sand ceremony as well.

The highlight of the ceremony were Russell’s vows. I have never seen anything like that before and I do not know if I will… well maybe somebody will be inspired.

He was actually very clever and did not have to work hard on preparing them. He got everybody in the party involved. The microphone was passed from one to another. Each one of the 50ish guests asked him a question to which he answered I DO or I WILL.

Will you take her as your beloved wife?

Will be with her in good and bad times?

Will you embrace her family as your own and seek out ways to strength these ties?

Will you wake up every day early in the morning and prepare a coffee for Tamara and not talk till she has finished it?

Will you let her go out with her girlfriend every Thursday night?

Will you help her taking care of your future children, change diapers and feed them in the middle of the night while she is resting?

And so on. I will let you imagine the questions!

At the end, the final surprise. Diego, our dj, had the recording of Grandma’s question? She was not able to come due to her age and health but she was there with us, in more than spirit!

Well we were all crying, from laughters and emotions.

It was very romantic

And spectacular with a fire show, when they were still allowed!

Party time

Well, i have one more anecdote to share about Tamara. That goes way before the wedding. She had the biggest tasting in the history of all the tastings I have done in 17 years. Chef Luis accepted it, not without grinning. It was Tamara, her mom and of me. They loved everything, but half way through the tasting we had way more than enough.

My beloved chef came out of the kitchen after hearing that and from his 5 6” height (he kind of looked 6 4” that moment) and he said very quietly: I am sorry. You made me cook all this and now you are going to try it all. We all felt like little kids and very obediently did as we were told. I won’t comment on the way we ended up walking to my car!

It has probably been 7 years since that wedding.
We do not remember the names of all the couples. Though we remember the faces, those little stories and what they made us feel. This is what makes our job the best in the world.

With love
Erica and Maria

Details of the wedding

Pictures courtesy of www.playaweddings.com
Details of the wedding

Jaimie and Craig, Blue Venado, Destination Wedding, Playa del Carmen

November 1, 2017March 28, 2017

Another Weddings In Playa event with spectacular scenery and lots of amazing details, this wedding was held at Blue Venado Beach Club on 1.12.17.

The Bride gets ready

The dress is finally revealed!

Ready to start

The Bride, Jaimie and her Groom, Craig got married on a perfect sunny day followed by a light, refreshing rain during the reception.

What better way to celebrate than with custom maracas?!

The bride had taken care of lots of small details and their big day featured piñata, games, balloons and amazing props for the dance floor!!

Around 60 guests attended and they all had a great time.

First Dance

Pictures kindly provided by Dean Sanderson Weddings

Sarah and Ian, Grand Coral Beach Club, Playa del Carmen Destination Wedding

June 13, 2017November 4, 2015

I hope you love beautiful details… because this wedding has them all! Sarah and Ian’s destination wedding at Grand Coral Beach Club in Playa del Carmen is one to remember. From the gorgeous ceremony on the sand to the modern Mexican reception, feast your eyes on this wedding perfection!

Pops of color in reds and pinks, classic white and a touch of fiesta made a great combination for this celebration on the beach. We love the pineapple centrepieces most!