Wedding Review Excellence Riviera Cancun

THE WEDDING DETAILS

Wedding Date: April 22, 2026

Resort & Package: Excellence Riviera Cancun – Everlasting Memories

Onsite Wedding Coordinator (provided by resort): Cynthia

Total Guest Count (including bride and groom): 69

The Vendors

Travel Agent: Travel Agent Becky handled the contracts and making sure the guests travel logistics were taken care of.

Photo & Video: Seasons Photos. They were easy to work with and conveniently located on the resort. Our photographer, Jesus, was very respectful of our limited tolerance for picture-taking.

DJ: We used the DJ offered through the resort, but were pleasantly surprised with their services and ability to take our suggestions and make them a reality.

Hair & Makeup: N/A – my friends did my hair and makeup.

Décor & Florals: Velvet Event Design. The flowers were gorgeous and I am glad I went with the white seasonal flowers to keep things simple and not distract from the built in beauty of the beach.

Welcome Cocktail Hour

April 21, 2026

“Having a welcome cocktail hour was such a nice way to get guests acquainted the day before the wedding! It was helpful to gather everyone in one place and make introductions to take the pressure off doing them the day of the wedding. We were able to get a whole group photo at the cocktail hour and since we didn’t do a guest book, this will be a great memory to look back on and see all our guests in one place.”

Wedding Ceremony

Beach Gazebo, 3PM

“The gazebo was nicely tucked on the far side of the resort away from the main pool in the excellence area, so it still felt secluded and somewhat private. There were some other guests quite close to the cabanas, but they were respectful and we hardly noticed them. The gazebo was much needed because it was hot, but thankfully we had a nice beach breeze. So even though the ceremony was situated in a public setting, it still felt private and intimate. “

Cocktail Hour

X-lounge

“The cocktail hour was a nice time to debrief our ceremony with all of the guests. We really enjoyed mingling and having a drink before sitting down for the meal. The venue however was a bit packed for our guest count (~65 people), so maneuvering through all the small groups was a bit challenging but we made it work!”

Reception

Beach Oregano, 5-9PM

“Highlights for us included having the opportunity to thank our guests for coming and having a moment to speak in front of everyone. My main priority as the bride was always to have a packed dance floor, and we 100% accomplished that. The DJs did so well using the playlist I created as inspiration and made it better than I could have imagined (I even got behind the DJ booth at one point). Our two grandmas that made the trip told us at the end of the night they never left the dance floor once the entire time. The service was almost too good – wait staff were coming to refill our drinks before they were finished. Conveniently, karaoke was scheduled right after our dance ended so it felt like we had a built-in after party. We had an absolute blast during our reception.”

Wedding Day Menu

“The buffet at our wedding was actually some of the best food we had at the resort. We went with the Mexican buffet and were pleased with all the options and enjoyed the casualness of guests being able to serve themselves. Unfortunately I never left the dance floor to get a slice of cake, but I heard it was delicious.”

Overall Impressions:

For couples currently researching this resort — what do you wish you'd known going in?

“If you are looking for a pristine beach, this is not your resort. There was a lot of seaweed during the time of year we were there (April), so really we spent most of our time around the pools. The sand is nice close to the resort property and definitely good for lounging, it is only once you get close to the water that it gets a little gross.”

What exceeded your expectations?

“The resort property and the food. The pools were always clean and there were SO many options to choose from based on your vibes. If you wanted upbeat, lively energy the big pool area always had activities and if you needed a moment to relax and rejuvenate, the lazy river area was so serene and peaceful. The food at this resort was better than where we have been previously and we were sad we didn’t get to eat at all the restaurants while we were there.”

What would you tell your past self about the planning process?

“Do not stress about the responsiveness of the resort. We coordinated with Vendors first and didn’t formally hear back from the resort until a few weeks before the wedding. They are experts at planning and quickly accommodated all of our requests after only a 45 minute meeting while we were there.”

Anything you'd do differently?

“Make sure to request taking some of your photos in a shaded area. We were a bit disappointed that we didn’t take an extra 10 minutes to go to a different area in the resort to get better lighting.”

On a scale of 1–10, how likely are you to recommend this resort and Travel Agent Becky to a friend?

“9”

Any final words for future couples reading your story?

“I would 100% recommend a destination wedding to anyone without hesitation. We felt so grateful to have a week to spend with our closest family and friends instead of packing it into one day. We were able to just enjoy our wedding day instead of feeling pressured to spread our time across all of our guests since we had already spent a few days with them. There was minimal stress for the planning process and even less once we arrived at the resort because of the hospitality and preparedness of the staff. We absolutely loved having our wedding at Excellence Riviera Cancun and it was definitely the best week of our lives so far!”

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