Selling Mexico’s Riviera Maya
by Laura Gipson

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Settled along 80 miles of pristine beaches, the Riviera Maya is just a short bus ride from Cancun’s international airport and features many historical and natural wonders including Mayan ruins, the world’s second largest coral reef, an ecological nature park, lush jungles, and the picturesque town of Playa del Carmen. Plus, it offers an incredible variety of hotels and resorts ranging from boutique to palatial and budget to opulent, all within a relatively short distance. Yet, the seemingly remote location gives guests a more intimate and authentic vacation ambiance which sets the Riviera Maya apart from its bustling Cancun neighbor.

To assist in the wedding and honeymoon planning process to the Riviera Maya among other destinations, Funjet Vacations offers a wide variety of charter and scheduled air flight options and hotels for every style and budget. In addition, a full-service customer support and group department is also available to aid you and your clients with planning the perfect wedding or honeymoon to the Riviera Maya. Not only does Funjet send nearly a million passengers to Mexico each year, but in 2003 the company was also honored to be the first tour operator ever awarded the Keys to the City of Cancun acknowledging the importance of increased tourism through high quality vacation services to the region's economy.

Evolving the All-Inclusive Experience

Since today’s travelers expect a more tailored and upscale all-inclusive experience that’s more than buffet restaurants, tiki hut tequila bars, and tackily decorated rooms (especially for their wedding or honeymoon), the Riviera Maya and Funjet Vacations have also stepped up to provide hotels that offer unique amenities that give them the distinctive getaway they now require.

For example, Funjet Vacations offers Karisma’s collection of El Dorado and Azul properties with Gourmet-Inclusive dining, which features only gourmet, a la carte restaurants including an all-lobster menu, private wine label and even gourmet baby food. The Moon Palace Golf Resort & Spa also features a Jacuzzi tub in every room while the new Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso offers beach butler service to make your guests as comfortable as possible, with everything from cool towels to fetching that book they forgot in their hotel room.

When it comes to tying the knot in paradise, resorts have also stepped up by now providing full time wedding coordinators and special wedding packages where the bride and groom can get basic wedding services and honeymoon inclusions for free. Plus, many resorts that are part of Funjet’s product line also offer upgraded wedding packages that your clients can purchase – giving them a great value considering it’s still a fraction of the cost for a wedding at home. The El Dorado Royale, a Spa Resort by Karisma even has a wedding chapel on the property for religious ceremonies and an on-site minister who performs over 600 wedding ceremonies a year at this resort alone.

Which Hotels are Best for Your Wedding or Honeymoon Party?

Adults-only hotels are becoming increasingly popular especially in the Riviera Maya to give clients an intimate atmosphere for a wedding or honeymoon. Some great options include the Aventura Spa Palace, Funjet’s newly-added Excellence Riviera Cancun, the El Dorado Royale, a Spa Resort by Karisma, and the El Dorado Seaside Suites, by Karisma – also named one of the most romantic hotels of 2006 by Forbes.com.

For weddings that have a mix of families and couples, Iberostar in the Riviera Maya offers several all-inclusive properties all within one resort complex (including one adults-only property) where guests can enjoy stay at one, play at all privileges at the other Iberostar hotels in the same complex. Other resorts like Riu, Moon Palace Golf Resort & Spa, Occidental Grand Xcaret and the Gran Porto Real Real Playa del Carmen also offer kid-friendly resorts with complete wedding and honeymoon packages and coordinators for larger wedding groups.

Requirements for Getting Married in the Riviera Maya

To have a legally binding marriage ceremony in the Riviera Maya, you need to do a little more than just exchange rings and have an ordained minister. While the requirements might differ from state to state, you’ll definitely need a passport or tourist permit, birth certificate, divorce decree or death certificate (if applicable), blood tests results, four witnesses and the marriage application form, which you can get at the local registry office in Mexico. All of the foreign documents above (except your passport) must also be translated into Spanish.

Once you have all the paperwork, pay the Marriage License fee of approximately $30 and allow the waiting period to go by, which is three days for a civil ceremony in the Riviera Maya, and you are all set to get married. Once the ceremony has taken place, you will then need to obtain a certified copy of the marriage certificate (Acta de Matrimonio) that proves your marriage was legally binding. It is also wise to get this document legalized in Mexico to ensure that it will be accepted as a genuine document back in the United States or other home country.

Laura Gipson is marketing manager for Funjet Vacations, one of the largest tour operators serving Mexico’s Riviera Maya region. She may be reached at lgipson@marktravel.com, or you can check the Funjet site at www.funjet.com.

(Credit: Funjet)