Excellence Riviera Cancun Reviews

We had our wedding at Excellence Riviera Cancun on March 15th, and it was truly everything I could have dreamed of and more! The whole experience was so smooth, so fun, and I would absolutely do it again!

For starters, if you are looking to book your wedding at this resort, I highly recommend joining this Facebook group: Excellence Riviera Cancun Weddings. There are tons of past brides and grooms who can answer questions, provide insight, and have given reviews. There are also TONS of photos shared in there that can help your inspiration!

Welcome Party – Beach Oregano
We started the weekend with a welcome party on the sand at Beach Oregano. We had a 3-hour open bar and served our signature cocktail, the “Spicy Marry Me Margarita.” We opted to not add food options, but we told guests to eat beforehand or grab dinner after. It seemed silly to pay extra for appetizers when the guests can eat anywhere around the resort since it's all inclusive. We had 7 high-top tables, no chairs, just a pretty casual setup. I would recommend bringing a speaker to play music or something. I know others have said this too, but it slipped my mind. They had Karaoke starting just shortly after our party ended so our group walked over to that and closed out the night.

Getting Ready
My bridesmaids all came to my room to get ready with me, and we had one of the junior suites. It was more than spacious enough for the 9 of us to hang out and get dressed. Everyone did their own makeup, and one of our groomsmen (who’s also my bestie and a hairstylist) came and helped with hair for anyone who wanted it. The guys got ready in one of the groomsmen's rooms.

Hair & Makeup (Bride)
My hair and makeup were included in our package, so I went to the spa the morning of. I don’t remember the name of the stylist, but she did both hair and makeup and was honestly incredible. I told her I wanted a light, natural makeup look and needed an updo that could handle frizz, humidity, and wind since I have naturally curly hair. She made sure my hair didn’t budge, even after hours of dancing, my hair still looked flawless.

Florals
We used the resort florist to make the most of our included package and concessions, and I was really happy with how everything turned out. I told Elizabeth to have them make it colorful and fun, and that I wanted it to be primarily pink and orange with some purple and blue mixed in and sent her some pictures for inspo. My bouquet ended up being a custom mix of BB25 and BB26 styles, while the groomsmen had birds of paradise boutonnieres (BB16). For the reception, we picked centerpiece style BC15 but asked them to match the bouquets. If you have an idea of what you want, just ask them!

The Ceremony – Beach Gazebo
The ceremony took place at the Beach Gazebo and was everything I dreamed of. The ceremony setup was all included with our package: river rocks and candles for decor, an ivory carpet aisle runner, and white chairs. We added a couple of cocktail tables to hold fans and tissues, and Velvet Design did the signage for that. It was extremely windy that day, and our runway ended up being buried in the sand, but oh well! My dress looked amazing blowing in the wind and the photos are stunning!

Cocktail Hour – Kitchen Table Terrace
After the ceremony, we moved to the Kitchen Table Terrace for cocktail hour. Our signature drinks were the “Mint To Be Mojito” and the “Marry Me Margarita.” We had three hot and three cold appetizers being passed, they were all SO good! We also had the Romantic Trio perform in mariachi style. They were such a hit—my husband's family is Mexican and Nicaraguan, and everyone was singing along and making requests. It was a really great addition!

Reception – Beach Oregano
Our reception was magical. We extended it to 4 hours (HIGHLY recommend doing this!) to allow more time for dinner, cake, and plenty of dancing. The setup included a sweetheart table and 9 guest tables with 5–8 guests per table. We also had the open bar included in the package, and chose the Marry Me Margarita for the signature cocktail. Every single thing was delicious and we heard so many compliments from our guests!

Cake
We went with the heart-shaped 3-tier cake in tres leches flavor. It was SO good—super moist and creamy. I only got a few bites, but they were worth it. We brought our own cake topper and the resort provided the knife and server.

DJ & Dance Floor
We used the resort DJ and he absolutely killed it. We also paid extra for the RGB pixel dance floor—definitely worth it because it gets really dark on the beach at night, and the lights gave it an extra party vibe. We asked our guests to submit song requests when they RSVPed and created a Spotify playlist from that. I gave that list to the DJ with a few “must plays” and “do not plays.” I asked for dinner music to be the slower/not so dancy stuff, then for him to just keep the party going all night. He totally delivered. After the cake cutting, he asked everyone to get out on the dance floor for our photographer to take a group picture, she got the shot, then he started playing Danza Kuduro which got everyone hyped, and the dance floor stayed packed ALL NIGHT!

Decor by Velvet Design
Velvet was amazing to work with and handled all our signage and lighting. We had:
10 strings of lights over the reception area (a must for beach weddings after dark)
Welcome sign
Signs for fan/tissue tables
“Wish You Were Here” memorial table sign
Shot glass seat assignment wall
Table numbers
Photo guestbook sign

Our Coordinator – Elizabeth
Elizabeth was everything I needed in a wedding coordinator and more. Communication with the resort was a little slow to start (which is super normal for destination weddings), but once we got closer, she was responsive, helpful, and made everything feel so easy. She got on video calls, answered every question, and handled last-minute details like a total pro. On the day of, when she came to drop off the flowers, she told me it was extremely windy and offered to move the ceremony and/or reception somewhere else. She even walked me through other options. But when I asked if anything was unsafe (thinking lights or speakers falling), she said no, it might just be a little uncomfortable. I told her I could handle some wind, and I’m so glad I trusted my gut. She supported that decision and made sure everything was still perfect despite the weather.

Photography
We had our photographer travel from Phoenix, AZ. I had seen photos that the resort photographer does and it just didn't quite fit my vibe. Also, the price for what you get just didn't seem worth it to me. We DID have Seasons do photos of the ceremony because it was included in our package and WOW I am so glad that I brought my own photographer. Lacie's photos are just significantly better than what Seasons provided. Lacie Photography is her page if anyone is interested. She also shot our engagement photos and our local church ceremony before our Cancun wedding. Her work is incredible and I am so so so glad I found her!

Prices
I opted to not add my costs in my review because I know that the resort has changed their packages and prices since we booked our wedding and I don't want to mislead anyone. If you have any specific questions, I am happy to share, but just be aware that it may not reflect accurately.

Final Thoughts
This whole experience reminded me exactly why we chose a destination wedding—to let go of the stress and just enjoy the moment. The team at Excellence truly knows what they’re doing. From planning to execution, everything ran so smoothly. The staff was professional, kind, and genuinely cared about making our day special, I truly felt like royalty the whole time. The food was amazing, the setting was beautiful, and the entire vibe was full of love and celebration. If you’re considering getting married here—do it. You’ll be in great hands!