DESTINATION WEDDING IN RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO

Wedding date: July 2021

Travel advisor: Andrea Norfolk

Resort: Secrets Akumal in Riviera Maya, Mexico

How did you meet?
Francisco and I met way back in 2012. We were hired by an events company – me in sales and him in operations – within the same week of each other. We worked together and became friends. Over the years, we continued to end up at the same company. After a few years, I would get a different job and invariably within 6 months, I would find a way to get him in at the new company I worked for. :-) We made such a great team and worked together so well. It wasn’t until 2019 that we started dating and realized that we were each other’s soul mates.

Why did you choose to have a destination wedding?
Several reasons. We wanted something small and very intimate for our wedding, but also something a little different. We are both sort of “outside the box” type of people. Plus, with us both working in the special events industry, we didn’t want anything too big or crazy. A destination wedding seemed like the perfect way to achieve both of those. Also, all our family & very closest friends live very spread out from each other – both all over the US and in South America. Since everyone was going to have to travel a long way to celebrate with us, it seemed like more fun to all meet somewhere where we could really relax and get to spend quality time together, while extending the celebration out just a little longer than the typical weekend. :-)

Why did you choose your resort and destination?
Mexico has become one of our favorite vacation spots, so it’s special place for us. We have some really amazing memories from our trips together there. The resort we chose to host the wedding at is one we’ve been to before. Even though we weren’t engaged when we visited, we got a chance to see their event spaces, and totally fell in love with them (anywhere we go, we’re always scoping out event spaces because of our jobs). Plus, we loved the food, the drinks, the beach and the staff! It’s a resort that really has something for everyone: plenty of gorgeous places to sit and do nothing, and plenty of fun stuff to do for those who want to be more active. In particular, we loved that our resort sits on a sea turtle sanctuary, and getting to swim close to them was really cool.

What was your most memorable moment during your ceremony?
We ended up with an audience of a couple hundred resort guests & beachgoers, which honestly wasn’t necessarily our intention, but kind of sweet to have so many people cheering, both as I walked down the aisle and right as we were finishing the ceremony. Coming around the corner from the resort along the path that led to the beach (where our ceremony was held) and seeing each other’s faces definitely was a moment I’ll never forget and then having the ocean behind us as read our personalized vows was incredibly special.

What was the best part about having a destination wedding?
Getting to spend several days with some of our favorite people vs. just one day. We all basically got to go on a vacation together! There were a lot of people there who didn’t know each other before coming to Mexico & by the end of the trip had become lifelong friends! 😊

What was your experience using Shoreline Destinations?
Andrea was incredibly helpful in navigating the contract process with the resort & keeping track of all of our guests bookings/arrangements, which was wonderful to not have to do ourselves. It allowed us to concentrate on just planning the actual wedding part, which made the process infinitely easier. It also kept us from having to field a million questions from everyone about details, wedding weekend itineraries, deadlines & travel questions that everyone had. We’re forever grateful for keeping all of that organized and helping facilitate so many things.

Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya

Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya, ideally located in the heart of the Riviera Maya along the famed white-sand beaches and calm, clear waters of Akumal, fuses elegant and original design with nature’s elements. Rated as one of the "Top 10 Beaches in Mexico" by TripAdvisor® and with a name meaning “place of the turtle” in Mayan, Akumal is renowned for its beautiful beaches and green sea turtle population making this oasis a premium snorkeling location. This stunning new resort offers adults a charming, picturesque escape complete with an exceptional Unlimited-Luxury® experience.

Unlimited dining - choose from six gourmet á la carte restaurants, a grill, a buffet and a café where reservations are never required.
Unlimited international and domestic top-shelf spirits
Unlimited natural fruit juices and soft drinks
Pool and beach wait service
Daily refreshed mini-bar with soft drinks, juice, bottled water and beer
Endless daytime activities and live nightly entertainment
Theme parties, oceanfront bars and entertainment venues
No wristbands required
All taxes and gratuities included
Enjoy free Wi-Fi and free international calling to the US