Have you thought about a vow renewal in Riviera Maya to celebrate an upcoming milestone anniversary?
Planning a vow renewal in Mexico can feel pretty daunting.
How are you going to pull this together from another country, and where do you even begin?
Have no fear, because you’ve found us!
We are vow renewal specialists in the Riviera Maya, and will help you streamline your choices for the best vow renewal locations.
This article is for you if you are at the very beginning of your vow renewal planning adventure and need a general direction of where to begin.
1. Hotel vow renewals
Your first vow renewal venue location option is a hotel. Obviously.
Naturally, if you plan to stay at a hotel or all-inclusive resort in the Cancun or Playa del Carmen areas, arranging for a vow renewal on the property might seem like the most reasonable choice.
Destination weddings are big business in the Riviera Maya. The resorts are fully equipped to handle your vow renewal, no matter how many guests you invite.
The ‘Good’ of a hotel vow renewal:
If you do not want to leave your resort at all while you are on vacation, then this is the easiest way to go.
Most hotel vow renewal packages will include wedding details like a bouquet, symbolic officiant, and an arch. You can choose to add chairs if you have guests, cake or champagne, and a reception party or romantic dinner on the beach, all without venturing off the resort.
The ‘Bad’ of a hotel vow renewal:
But wait!
Before you jump in and book, make sure you are familiar with any hotel’s outside vendor policy. Although they offer vow renewal packages that make your planning appear simple and easy, they will gently ‘force’ you use their own wedding vendors. This means that your vow renewal package will be staffed by resort employees rather than professional vendors.
If you want to hire a Riviera Maya photographer or florist who’s style you love, then the resort will charge you a penalty for that vendor to come onsite. These outside vendor fees are dirty, but unfortunately, standard practice.
Furthermore, if you look around at your other ‘off-hotel’ venue options, you will notice how expensive the resort vow renewal packages actually are!
The takeaway?
Planning your vow renewal at a hotel in Mexico will be your easiest, hands-off option, but will also be your most expensive and restrictive.
For our ultimate list of the best Riviera Maya wedding resorts, read this next.
Do you want more freedom and creativity than the pre-fabricated hotel vow renewal packages your resort offers?
Then the next location options are for you!
2. Private beachfront vow renewal
The Riviera Maya stretches from Cancun to Tulum, and with all that beach in between, there are loads of private venues to have a vow renewal.
Your most popular options are a beach club or a villa.
The ‘Good’ of a private beachfront vow renewal:
You can make the experience uniquely yours. The only limit is your imagination – and of course, your budget.
- Choose the best florist
- Rent fun decor elements like couches, doors or signs
- Have a native-English speaker perform your ceremony
- Hire a Riviera Maya photographer and videographer whose style you love!
And of course, the other big bonus is privacy. Renting a private venue is the best way to get that intimate beachfront experience you are envisioning.
The ‘Bad’ of a beachfront private venue vow renewal:
Money. Prepare to pay for the perks of privacy.
Villas require you rent them by the day, not the hour. In some areas it makes more sense to use the villa as your vacation accommodation, killing two birds with one stone.
Beach clubs are the friendlier budget option, with some of our secret spots charging a reasonable fee for a 2-hour booking.
And of course, keep in mind that round trip transportation will also carry a cost.
The takeaway?
Renting a private villa on the beach or booking private time at a beach club is the best way to ensure you have your vow renewal exactly as you want it.
But freedom and privacy can be expensive.
If you want to explore your venue options, contact us directly to get started.
3. Cenote vow renewal
Are you hoping for a more unique vow renewal experience?
Let’s move away from the beach for a moment, and think about the jungle!
The Riviera Maya sits on top of thousands of lush freshwater jungle cenotes, and many of them can be reserved for a private vow renewal.
The ‘Good’ of a cenote vow renewal:
You will have complete and total privacy. No beach venue anywhere in Mexico can guarantee this – there is always the possibility of a curious onlooker walking by.
You can employ a genuine Mayan Shaman for a variety of different spiritual ceremonies;
- Honoring the 4 elements
- The union of souls
- Cacao ceremony
- A family unity ceremony
This is an unforgettable experience! If you are spiritual people, then your union will be blessed on a deeper level of consciousness. The Shaman will conduct various symbolic rituals and blessings connecting you with nature and the spirit world.
You can hire your all of own wedding vendors, and tailor the ceremony with loads of extra options to contribute to your personal experience, like dancers, decor and alters.
And of course, there is the guarantee that you will not have any stinky ocean sargasso in your photos! This is the unsightly seaweed that we wrestle with often in the Riviera Maya.
The ‘Bad’ of a cenote vow renewal:
Cenotes can carry a hefty fee. They are either only used as private venues and have a fee to reflect that exclusivity, or they have a special rate to close to the general public for a few hours.
Other factors to consider are heat and bugs.
The best light for your cenote vow renewal photography is close to midday when the sun is overhead, but without the ocean breezes, it gets hot, hot, HOT!
On the other hand, if you aim for a cooler time like earlier in the morning, or later in the afternoon, then you are battling mosquitos. No bueno.
The takeaway?
If you can handle heat, this is a once-in-lifetime experience, with the flexibility to have the vendors and wedding details of your choice. Expect that a vow renewal package of one hour or 1.5 hours maximum will be long enough before you (and your guests) will want to leave.
Would you like to book your vow renewal at a cenote, but don’t know where to start? We work with the best. Contact us now.
4. Private yacht vow renewal
Imagine setting sail on the Caribbean sea, with the sun shining, and your own personal crew tending to you and your guests as you celebrate your continued success as husband and wife.
A day does not get much better than that!
There are two main ports in the Riviera Maya where you will have no trouble finding a boat for every budget; the Cancun hotel zone and the gated community of Puerto Aventuras.
The ‘Good’ of a private yacht vow renewal:
Once again, privacy tops the list of great reasons to choose this location.
Also, the freedom to choose your own vendors and create a ceremony without hotel restrictions is another important distinction.
As with the cenote option (above) avoiding the sargasso when it is heavy is a huge plus!
And of course, if you have guests, this is the kind of experience everyone can ‘get on board’ with. Yachts in Mexico are just so fun and exciting for all! You can make this an all-day affair, snorkeling and paddle-boarding after your ceremony. Or you can keep it quick and intimate with a 2-hour sunset cruise.
The ‘Bad’ of a private yacht vow renewal:
Perhaps this is so obvious, it almost does not need to be mentioned, but a privately chartered boat won’t be cheap.
Boats come in all shapes and sizes and luxury-level, and although you can always find one to fit your budget, you know that you get what you pay for.
The takeaway –
Freedom, fun and privacy. You have accumulated more resources over the years of your marriage, and if you can afford to rent a yacht for your vow renewal, you will not regret it!
Don’t worry, we can help you find the perfect boat, and bring your vision to life. Contact us now.
5. Public beach vow renewal ceremonies
Is your vision of saying “I do, again” with the feeling of warm sand between your toes, as you stand beside the twinkling turquoise Caribbean sea?
BUT –
You want to avoid paying the outside vendor fee at a hotel, and you don’t want to rent a private venue?
Well, there is a great option for this as well, and it is the most popular choice with our clients.
We help arrange round-trip transportation for you and your guests to leave the hotel and meet us at any one of our favorite beaches in the Riviera Maya that has a public access point. Then we hold your simple seaside ceremony.
The ‘Good’ of a public beach vow renewal:
With so many miles of stunning beaches in the Riviera Maya, it is super easy to choose one of them, and walk out to the water’s edge for an intimate vow renewal ceremony on the beach. If you want to keep things easy, this is about as relaxed as it gets!
And sometimes it is the simple things in life that are the most special.
The ‘Bad’ of a public beach vow renewal:
All beaches in Mexico are public property. Unless you have a private venue or hotel, then decor elements are tricky. Furniture or structures mean permits, and that translates to big hassles in this country.
Also, although total privacy is never guaranteed on ANY beach here – not even at a hotel or villa – it is challenging to find privacy on a public beach.
The takeaway:
If your ceremony vision includes an arch or chairs for your guests, then a public access beach is not the right location for you.
But if simple and intimate is what you are after, we recommend a morning ceremony when most tourists are still sipping their first cup of coffee OFF. The sun has just risen over the ocean, the beach is quiet, and the heat has not kicked up yet.
Hopefully now you are clear on the best location for YOU.
The next step is choosing a team to help execute your vision, and of course, capture the memories!
We are the best vow renewal photographers in Playa del Carmen, not just because we capture beautiful moments, deliver an exceptional experience, and are super fun people.
No, it’s more than that.
Fun In The Sun Weddings are the best because we help organize your vow renewal for you. Your hand will be held throughout the whole process. Our goal is to keep this easy so you can go back to more important things than searching for Riviera Maya vow renewal packages.
Ready to get started? Contact us here now! We are Fun In The Sun Weddings, for the best vow renewal photography in Riviera Maya, Mexico.
So, let’s hear it. Now that you know your options, what location will YOU choose to renew your vows?
Share them with us below.
Want to learn more?
- Go to our Vow Renewals Service Page.
