Destination Wedding Review: Excellence Playa Mujeres
One of the things we’re most proud of at Social Butterfly Express is our personal connection to travel. SBE grew from the personal passion for travel of Founder and Lead Travel Consultant Rosalyn Cooper, combined with her planning savvy, and she is constantly on the road scouting locations for her destination wedding couples, honeymoons, and even large group trips!
Our "On the Road with Rosalyn!" series chronicles Rosalyn’s personal and professional travels, giving you the scoop on the best locations, venues, and excursions. And now, we're excited to announce our collaboration with guest blog contributors - friends and colleagues of SBE who are gracious enough to share the deets of some of their favorite all-time trips! (Interested in being featured? Submit an application here.)
In this edition, we hear from SBE team member Taylor Walker to learn about her 2022 destination wedding in Playa Mujeres, Mexico. Check out Taylor’s story below!
After our engagement in September 2019, we quickly got to work with planning our dream destination wedding the following month. Plan #1 was to get married in 2020 with 5-10 joined by 5-10 guests. Cue not one but two COVID postponements (and a ton of stress!) but we finally had the most perfect wedding day on April 15, 2022 with 26 of our closest friends and family.
We got married at Excellence Playa Mujeres in Cancun, Mexico, an absolutely gorgeous resort chosen after a TON of research. I started by writing out a list of all the things I knew I wanted at the resort where we’d say our vows, followed by many hours spent on YouTube researching and comparing our options. Ultimately, Excellence Playa Mujeres came out on top with the best accommodations, amazing customer experience reviews, and the most beautiful location.
Once we decided on the resort, the planning could really begin. Excellence Playa Mujeres is an adults-only resort, which we selected because people don’t always get a chance to travel kid-free and really let their hair down, and we wanted to give our guests that opportunity.
When planning a destination wedding, one of the important decisions that need to be made before selecting a resort is whether or not the wedding and the trip itself will be kid-friendly. Remember, this is your day, so make the choice that suits you and your spouse-to-be best. Plus, you can always talk to your travel advisor about multiple lodging options if you want to invite children but prefer to say at an adults-only resort yourself.
There are a ton of things to think about with destination weddings that slightly differ from getting married locally. For example, are you going to hire local vendors (photographer, wedding planner, DJ, hair/makeup, etc) to travel with you to the resort, or work with vendors on-site or local to the resort? In our case, I did all the planning myself and took advantage of resort vendors including day-of coordinator, photographer, videographer, and DJ.
Many of these resorts are well-versed in destination weddings, so I knew we were in good hands. We met with our wedding team the day we arrived at the resort, including our coordinator who came up to our suite and introduced herself along with the gentleman that was bringing our bags up to our room. Estephanie was an absolute dream to work with and I couldn’t have wished for a friendlier or better-prepared wedding coordinator!
Estephanie was transparent in letting us know there was one other wedding happening that week, but she also assured us that she was going to be available to us whenever we needed her. In fact, when we initially chose this resort, their wedding department made it very clear that they only accepted 1-2 weddings per week in order to not overwhelm themselves, their brides, or their vendors. I cannot tell you how much I appreciated this - as a bride and as a travel advisor. If you’re considering a destination wedding, this definitely needs to be on your list of questions to ask potential venues and/or your travel advisor!
The following day, we chose our ceremony and reception space after a quick tour, and she also showed us the rainout location - a beautiful ballroom space that they were ready to set up for us in the case of inclement weather.
We were also impressed with the resort's wedding package, which included a 4-course plated dinner that we selected about 2 months in advance of the wedding. We also chose to add on things like music and photography during the reception, but packages are customizable so you can really make it your own!
Overall, Excellence Playa Mujeres made this planning process SO easy and I could tell they truly cared about us having a beautiful day - and we certainly did! They went above and beyond in more ways than one, including setting up a private meet and greet and even making us a reservation for a private, romantic dinner in the days following the wedding. This experience exceeded my expectations from start to finish and I would absolutely recommend Excellence Playa Mujeres to any couples considering a destination wedding or just a gorgeous getaway!
For those of you who are planning your own destination wedding, the best piece of advice I can give you: HAVE PATIENCE! (And after 2 postponements, this is one I learned the hard way!) For example, after choosing and booking a resort for your destination wedding, there is a good chance you may not hear from the resort again until a month or so before your big day - and for a bride, it can be extremely stressful to feel like you don’t know what’s going on. That said, when they do reach out they will be ready for every little detail you’ve been planning on your own in the meantime, and the resort’s wedding team will make sure everything comes together beautifully on your big day.
If you’re able, I also suggest visiting the resort in advance of your wedding. I went in completely blind (aside from YouTube + other online research), and while it turned out absolutely amazing for me and Excellence Playa Mujeres exceeded my expectations, sometimes a place may not be the fairytale destination the pictures make it out to be, or the events department may not be as experienced with bringing your vision to life.
If you can’t get there yourself, LEAN ON YOUR TRAVEL ADVISOR! Your travel advisor can help you select a resort they have firsthand experience with visiting, and in many cases already have existing relationships with event planning staff so take advantage of their advice and expertise. After all, that’s what we’re here for!
Overall, it was a perfect day and trip, and I wouldn’t trade our experience for the world.
Are you planning a destination wedding?
Excellence Playa Mujeres in Cancun is an incredible destination for your big day, and SBE would love to help you get there! Consultations are complimentary and obligation-free. Request a quote today, and hit the road with Social Butterfly Express!
Rosalyn Cooper,
Founder + Lead Travel Consultant, Social Butterfly Express
