Annabel Santos, a 28 year old Pharmaceutical Specialty Sales Representative, and Maurice Guzman, a 38 year old Family Practice Physician, chose to plan a Destination Wedding at RIU Palace Las Americas in Cancun, Mexico on November 22, 2007. They invited 40 guests to share in their getaway wedding, which was just their style…in a six-day dream celebration of their commitment to one another. Annabel says, “A destination wedding represents our lifestyle, interest and personality. We love to travel, we live an easy going lifestyle, and we wanted to extend the wedding for more than one day. With a destination wedding, your wedding seems like a celebration every single day, since you are on vacation with family and friends. Also, a wedding planner at the resort is available to plan your wedding with contacts to all the vendors you need to customize your the wedding to fit your needs. Basically, after exchanging a few emails back and forth the last year, you don't finalize your plans until you meet with the wedding coordinator at the resort. We really lucked out with an organized and well connected wedding planner. She came through for us with ALL of the plans we finalized with her. Some minimal changes were made to the initial plans, but aside from that, we got everything she promised us.”

Annabel and Maurice’s wedding coordinator was essential to their wedding dream coming true, and that’s the wish of all couples planning a destination wedding. The key is in choosing the perfect location that provides such wonderful experts to pull it all together. Annabel says, “First and foremost, we absolutely LOVE the resort. We have vacationed with the RIU Palace Las Americas twice before our wedding and we were just blown away with the accommodations package, location and service. An all-inclusive resort is a perfect vacation for couples and families. There is a lot to do outside the resort in Cancun from shopping the local market, to shopping at high-end boutiques to the nightlife available for a night out on the town. Also, it is easy to communicate with the locals, everyone speaks English and the Dollar is pretty strong compared to Pesos. And last but not least, it is a short flight from any city in the United States.” Annabel and Maurice hit all the important points in choosing the perfect destination for a getaway wedding! You have to think beyond the wedding itself to the kind of experience the entire weekend will be…for you, and for your guests. And of course, the issue of how strong the dollar is overseas or on any island is always a major factor. This couple’s wedding budget was approximately $15,000, which is almost half the national average of wedding costs!

Sharing The Plans With The Groom

“We planned the entire wedding together. The groom was very well involved with the location, flowers, cake, entertainment, photographer and other parts of the wedding. It made planning fun and less stressful because he was right by my side the entire time. Actually, he was in charge of communicating with the wedding planners, which is a big responsibility.”



These days, parents may be minimally involved with wedding planning when the couple works together on the large and small details, but Annabel and Maurice still ‘included’ them by talking about the planning process with them.

The Wedding Gown

“My wedding gown is made of French Chantilly ivory lace with a champagne taffeta sash. The designer is Cristoss/Amsal. I bought it at a boutique on Oak Street, in Chicago called Belle Vie Couture. The wedding dress shopping experience was a delight. The girls at Belle Vie are all about customer service, one-on-one attention and loading you up on their accessories. The day I bought my wedding gown, my sister-in-law and I ate chocolate covered strawberries and toasted with champagne!” Annabel says that the initial treatment while she was shopping was VIP, but she wishes the followup was a little bit better….which is a great warning to you. Ask your friends about their experiences with any gown shop. How were they treated all the way through the process? Did the gown shop give out any customer discounts for partner experts that you can ask for? It came as a surprise to Annabel that a friend of hers who also bought her gown at that shop received a coupon for a free coffee, so she didn’t miss out on much!

The Bridesmaids’ Gowns 

Annabel’s bridesmaids wore printed flower dresses form Banana Republic. “I chose the dresses for two main reasons, ONE a bright print stands out and pops in pictures for a destination wedding and TWO, so that the girls can wear them again after the wedding without having to add to their collection of one-time wear bridesmaid dresses.”

The Groom’s Attire

Maurice and his men wore white short sleeve button up shirts with embroidery, linen khaki pants and leather sandals, all purchased at Banana Republic. [Annabel says, “Here is a tip, you can save 10-15% off on these clothes when you open a credit card.” Just be sure to shop responsibly with that card and not get too far into debt with it! Trousseau shopping can be a bit expensive!]

The Bridal Party

Annabel lists her bridal party: Bridesmaids- My sister Mary Ann; Sisters-in-law Rhonda (brother's wife), Marcella and Erika (Maurice's sisters); Flower Girl- neice Gabriella. Groomsmen- My brother Anthony, my brother-in-law Magnus (sister's husband), and Maurice's brother-in-laws Frank and Jamil. Ring bearer, Maurice's oldest nephew Bryano, unity candle holders- Maurice’s nephews Franky, Adrian and Andres. And coin bearers- Maurice's youngest nephew Cristian and my nephew Markus.

About the Ceremony

Annabel and Maurice took their wedding vows poolside, under a gazebo at sunset.

About the Reception

They and their guests enjoyed cocktails and appetizers at the Terrace with music by a Mariachi band. “We offered Spanish tapas cuisine with a variety of choices to please all palates,” says Annabel. And their cake was a two-tier tres leches cake with fruit on the top.

Additional Wedding Details

Their centerpieces were silver-plated monograms of the letter G for Guzman, and they had offered welcome tote-beach bags filled with beach toys, peppermint lip balm, creamy body lotion and a toothbrush all inside a toiletry bag. Wedding party favors were silver plated luggage tags, personalized for each guest, purchased at BlissWeddingsMarket.com. The couple danced their first dance to a romantic ballad in Spanish played by the Mariachi band.

Our favorite parts of the Wedding

“For ONE, the location of the wedding, poolside, under a gazebo at sunset. Two, asking ALL of our guests to take off their shoes for group pictures on the beach. Live music for the wedding ceremony, a harpist and for the cocktail reception, a Mariachi band. And three, celebrating our nuptials with close friends and family- it was very intimate and romantic.” The most unique thing about their wedding? “The wedding celebration lasted for SIX days, the length of the stay at the resort!”

Now that’s an amazing destination wedding for all of their lucky guests…and a beautiful way for Annabel and Maurice to start their life together!

Our Favorite Photo

“We truly adore this photograph because it was taken right after we were announced as husband and wife. The moment was breath taking and it was captured on film, perfect!!”

Our Honeymoon

Annabel and Maurice spent their honeymoon in Europe, visiting Paris, Venice, London, Switzerland and Madrid.

Annabel and Maurice’s Advice to You

“For those of you who would prefer a wedding that involves a little planning (until the week of the wedding to make final desicions), can let go of fine-minute details, can trust the expertise of a wedding planner in a different destination, and a STRESSLESS year of wedding planning, a destination wedding is perfect for you. I am not saying there is absolutely no planning involved… you may need to put together welcome bags/gifts, party favors, and the wedding program before you leave for you wedding. Don't be hesitant to upgrade the wedding package offered, if available, with live music, additional flowers, extra champagne for the toast, photographs... all of this is possible but will cost extra money, of course, to make your wedding day unique to your style and memorable for all.I also recommend sending emails periodically to the wedding coordinators of any questions or concerns about the details of your wedding.  For example, live music for the ceremony, flowers, and decorations. Even though the wedding planners may tell you that most of the arrangements of the wedding will be made at the time of your arrival at the resort, it is always a good idea to give them a basic idea of what you have in mind as far as the fine details of the wedding, so they can make special arrangements for you if needed ahead of time.”

“Planning can be stressful and time consuming, but it should also be a fun experience for the TWO of you. Include the groom in the big and fine details of the wedding. Even though it may seem that he would rather not be a part of all of the decisions, include him anyway. I am pretty sure he would like to know and be involved as much as possible. And always remember that the wedding you are planning is about the two of you, and what the two of you represent. As much as family and brides maids want to get involved or tell you how YOUR wedding should be, you and your fiancé have the last word. Make sure that what you want is what you get!!”