Gorgeous location for wedding and the wedding planner is fantastic. They took all the stress away for wedding!

I am going to do my best to make this review as detailed as possible without being too long. Here are our wedding details:

1. Wedding Date - January 2019
2. Number in Bridal Party - 10
3. Number of People in Attendance - 53

Before we got engaged we had discussed having a destination wedding. We are a couple who loves to travel and we wanted to incorporate that into our wedding day. In October of 2017 we got engaged and immediately started narrowing down locations and hotels for potential venues. A few things that were important to us:

1. Reviews of Grounds
2. All-Inclusive
3. Food Reviews
4. Pricing

From our search we came across a few properties in the general Riviera Maya area. We contacted multiple of them to receive wedding pricing along with the price of what we thought would be an average stay for a guest (Thursday-Sunday). There were many beautiful properties, with great reviews but what stuck out to us regarding the Excellence Cancun was the price, as well as the reviews associated with them (in general, not just weddings). They have major 5 star reviews across the board for food, service and cleanliness of property and that was major to us.

We emailed the wedding department and started discussing possible options of packages. Out of the package options, we went for the Gold Package because it included so much and we knew we would have at least 20 guests in attendance. We were assigned Liliana as our wedding coordinator, and from the beginning she was a DREAM. I cannot give Liliana enough props for executing everything we communicated (mostly over email as well!).

The biggest advice we received was to VISIT properties and see exactly where the proposed venues lie, and where the ceremony will be. There are a million resorts with beautiful spaces, but until you are onsite you do not notice the ceremony space is right next to the pool and there are intoxicated vacationers enjoying an evening swim. Excellence Cancun's beach ceremony space is not completely secluded, but it is not on top of guests and you do have a good amount of privacy. There are other options if the beach is not what you wanted, however the beach is definitely their go-to option and what they recommend. During our site-tour we were able to tour every reception and ceremony option and Liliana discussed with us how each venue is available certain days of the week. Also during this time we did a menu and cake tasting and WOW the food was phenomenal and the cake even better. At this meeting at as well we met with Katie with Alquimia Events as well as Mannia DJ Services.

Once our visit ended we decided we wanted to have our ceremony on the beach (due to numbers), the cocktail hour at square (by Flavor Market) and the reception at Agave. For our back up we chose oregano for the ceremony and the upstairs terrace (by the lobby) for the reception. Upon reviewing what was including with the Gold Package, we knew that we were going to want to have additional décor services added to our venue. Katie with Alquimia events (https://www.alquimiaevents.com/) reached out to us and we began discussing exactly what our vision was for that day.

I am a very type A personality, so I found organization key when discuss options for both wedding execution and décor with Liliana and Katie. We opted to do a lot of flowers, a private cloth wall to close off the area, and tons of flowers in the fountain at Agave with floating candles. For the ceremony and reception, we opted to upgrade to nicer chairs, and we upgraded the bridal table as well. Guest were to be seated at round tables.

Emails were typically returned in 2 business days, and for my organizational purposes I kept everything in the same email chain. This way, if needed, I could go back and reference what I needed to. We had a few phone calls throughout the year as well if there was anything specific we needed to discuss that required more detail than an email could provide. I found communication with all the Excellence Staff and Alquimia Events professional and helpful.

We ended up doing hair and make up with Mille Spa (onsite) and we paid an extra fee to have everyone’s hair and make up done in their room. The make-up is a bit darker than I am used to but TRUST ME when I say you will look FANTASTIC in pictures. I had so many compliments on my make-up! Hair was also wonderful! I had given them images from Pinterest of what I wanted for hair and makeup and they followed them to the T. I also opted for a make-up trial on our rehearsal night, so I felt that was helpful to get to know the make-up/hair artist and really make sure I knew exactly how I wanted to look.

For photography, we decided do not utilize Seasons. Photos are the most important thing to both of us and we had a very specific look we wanted. We found Monica Lopez (https://monicalopezphoto.com/) and it was the best decision we made. I cannot tell you how easy she was to work with, and how high quality her work was! She was also easy to communicate with and provided us assistance throughout the entire planning process. Helping me with my timeline of events, and suggesting best places to take pictures.

Overall, our wedding was pretty customized. I opted to bring a few homemade decoration items, and my own Welcome Signs, Seating Chart, etc. I am in the events business for work so I opted to create my own floor plan, seating chart, and other organization items. Excellence completely could have done this, but I really wanted some ownership of tasks. When we arrived onsite for our final walk through 2 days before the wedding Liliana had everything I’d sent waiting for us. It was so impressive.

The day of –

We got married the last week of January, which does not typically fall into the rainy season. However, that was not our luck. It was sunny during the day but at about noon Liliana informed us we would need to go to plan B for the Ceremony and the Reception. We knew this was a possibility and we had chosen décor that would look lovely in either space. Liliana gracefully handled everything regarding setup, while we continued to get ready for the day. About 20 minutes prior to the ceremony the rain continued, and our back up ceremony space (Oregano) ended up flooding….when I say it rained, it RAINED. Not a typical beach storm that passed, it rained for a solid 1.5 hours almost. Liliana had to therefore completely execute a new ceremony venue…her team sprung into action, allowed our guests to go to get a drink, hang out for a bit while they moved the wedding ceremony for a 2nd time that day. This is where the team truly shined. While we were delayed a bit, everyone was so kind in keeping us informed but assured that everything was being handled. We tended up having our ceremony in Toscana/Barcelona. It was just as special as it would have been getting married on the beach and I have Liliana and her team to thank for that.

The reception which was originally planned for Agave, was moved to the terrace, which due to the strong winds and rain also got flooded out. Again, Liliana came calmly over to us while we were taking pictures and informed us we would need to move into the ballroom. The ballroom was my last choice ever for a wedding in Mexico, but Liliana and her team did everything they could to make it just as beautiful as it could be with only 20 minutes to flip the venue. During this entire process, I have never been more impressed with a team, and we are so grateful we had the Excellence staff in our corner during this day.

Our guests all raved about the experience of staying at Excellence as well as the wedding! We received so many compliments regarding the staff, and the entire property.

I highly recommend Excellence Riviera Cancun.

*side note* If you are considering this booking, since we had our wedding there, we can refer you and you will receive a free upgrade to the GOLD package! My email is michellereynolds@outlook.com and I am looking forward to hearing from you :) best wishes. I have been to the Excellence several times. After our first visit here (before we got engaged) I knew this was the place I wanted to get married and my boyfriend at the time agreed. From the service to the decor to the food and drinks, let me tell you this place is 5 star! I fell in love the minute I walked in and saw the martini bar which was at the bottom of a double wrap around stair case. The check in was super easy and every single staff member was so attentive. I will say the Excellence pays attention to every detail. After booking our wedding we flew back in to meet with our wedding coordinator, Ariana. She is one of my favorite people still to this day we have kept in touch. Ariana is so kind and quick to respond. Our wedding was everything we dreamed of and more. All of our guests gave us so many compliments I couldn't be happier. Destination weddings can be tough with guests canceling on you last minute, but if you are debating on whether to have one, or have it here, don't hesitate just book it! If you are considering this booking, since we had our wedding there, we can refer you and you will receive a free upgrade to the GOLD package! My email is michellereynolds@outlook.com looking forward to hearing from you :) best wishes.