Here is my review from our wedding at Hotel Xcaret Mexico on 1.15.26! (better late than never hehe) Reading reviews in these groups helped me SO much while planning, so I wanted to return the favor and share our experience for future brides.
Vendors
Travel Agent: Yellow Umbrella Events
Hotel Wedding Coordinator: Yadhi
Wedding Planner: Claudia Solis Weddings
Photography: Luxart (Abi & Gon)
Videography: LuxLikeArt
Florals: Corazon
Hair & Makeup: Styling Trio (Gabi & Isabell)
DJ: Fernando Sanchez
Ceremony: Bar Bio
Reception: Cuevas Kayak
Welcome Party: Playon Espiral
Guest Count: 56 including bride and groom
Our wedding was truly the best day of our lives and we honestly do not have a single regret. My husband and I spent around 60k total for everything and I can genuinely say it was worth every penny to us. We already booked a trip to come back to Hotel Xcaret and we fully plan on doing a 10-year vow renewal there with the exact same wedding planner, photographers, and videographers. They were truly the best of the best.
First things first, if you are on the fence about hiring an outside wedding planner, DO IT. Communication with the resort was honestly one of the hardest parts of planning. Thankfully I had Yellow Umbrella and my wedding planner Claudia Solis helping me through all of it. Claudia was absolutely incredible and handled so many logistics behind the scenes. Her assistant Krystal was also AMAZING on the wedding day itself. She stayed with me basically the entire day holding my lipstick, carrying my dress so it wouldn’t drag, helping keep everything organized, and just making me feel calm and taken care of the entire time. I truly cannot imagine doing this wedding without them.
One thing I learned quickly with the resort is that being stern and direct honestly got me much further than being overly nice or passive. Once I started advocating more firmly for what I needed, things improved significantly.
My husband and I stayed in the Junior Suite Fuego and had absolutely zero regrets about spending the extra money. It ended up being PERFECT for getting ready with all of my girls on the wedding morning. There was plenty of room and it made the whole experience feel relaxed and luxurious.
The resort itself is absolutely stunning, but it is HUGE and honestly very confusing at first because so much of it looks similar. If possible, I highly recommend trying to have your guests grouped together in the same building or even on the same floor. I would especially recommend ground floor rooms for elderly guests because there is a lot of walking involved throughout the resort.
Our welcome party at Playon Espiral was beautiful, but if I’m being honest, the location felt a little too large for our group size and was somewhat difficult for guests to find. If I could do it over again, I would skip a formal dinner after the welcome party and instead just have everyone meet at Mercado for dinner afterward since it’s so central and easy for guests to navigate.
We had our ceremony at Bar Bio and it was absolutely beautiful. The scenery at Xcaret honestly speaks for itself, so I personally didn’t feel the need to overdo décor. Everything already feels so naturally magical there.
Our reception at Cuevas Kayak was incredible and felt so intimate and unique. One thing I WILL say though, I highly recommend getting extra fans inside Cuevas Kayak. Even though our wedding day weather was literally perfect (around 70 degrees with minimal humidity), when we viewed the space the day before it felt much more humid and sticky inside. Fans would definitely make guests more comfortable.
The food was AMAZING. We chose to do the buffet because we have a lot of picky eaters in our family and honestly it worked out perfectly. Our guests could not stop talking about how good everything was. My biggest recommendation though is to intentionally take 15-20 minutes alone with your husband to actually sit down and eat because the day moves SO fast. We barely got a few bites before being pulled in different directions, which I now totally understand when brides warn you about that.
Also, one thing I wish someone had told me beforehand: make sure you specifically ask your planner or coordinator to bring cake back to your room after the reception. We literally only got one bite of our cake and barely any of our guests even got any before the night moved on. I was so sad about that afterward because the cake was amazing from the tiny taste we got!
Our photographers from Luxart (Abi & Gon) were unbelievable. Abi stayed with me while I was getting ready and Gon was with the guys, and somehow they both managed to capture everything while feeling practically invisible the entire day. Nothing ever felt forced or intrusive. They worked so seamlessly and naturally, and I already know these photos will be treasures for the rest of our lives.
Our videographers from LuxLikeArt were equally incredible. Their communication throughout the entire process was AMAZING and they genuinely made us feel like their priority was making sure we were happy and comfortable every step of the way. On the wedding day they captured the emotion and energy so perfectly while also being so easy and enjoyable to work with. Highly, highly recommend them.
Hair and makeup by Styling Trio was also amazing. I did do a trial beforehand, which I HIGHLY recommend. I actually didn’t love how I looked after the trial initially, but they listened so carefully to my feedback and absolutely nailed it on the wedding day. Gabi and Isabell were both so sweet, calming, and easy to work with.
DJ Fernando Sanchez did a great job and kept the energy up all night long, although he did play our playlist relatively in order.
Overall, my biggest advice is honestly: don’t stress yourself out too much. Hotel Xcaret really is magical and somehow everything comes together in the end. Even with the planning challenges and little moments of chaos, our wedding exceeded every expectation we had and became the absolute best week of our lives.
