Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya Destination Wedding: Kate & Jackson

Photo Credit: Adventure Photos

Planning a wedding can be overwhelming—but for Kate and Jackson, creating a celebration that felt fun, intentional, and stress-free was the priority. Based in Seattle, this laid-back couple knew early on that a traditional wedding didn’t quite match their vibe. Instead, they dreamed of a tropical destination where their friends and family could celebrate, unwind, and make lasting memories together.

Like many couples considering a destination wedding, their biggest initial concerns centered around logistics. They worried about coordinating travel for guests, especially for family members who weren’t as tech-savvy or comfortable with international travel. Since they hadn’t visited the resort or met the wedding vendors in person, they also felt unsure about how everything would come together.

Despite those concerns, their planning process unfolded smoothly—thanks in part to choosing a trusted travel advisor and letting go of the pressure to micromanage every detail.

Photo Credit: Adventure Photos

What really surprised Kate and Jackson was how seamlessly everything fell into place. With only a few phone calls and plenty of back-and-forth via email, their on-site wedding coordinator and vendor team brought their vision to life effortlessly. Everything from the ceremony setup to the timing of events ran without a hitch, allowing them to be fully present throughout the weekend.

One of the most unforgettable parts of their celebration wasn’t just the wedding itself—it was the joy of being surrounded by loved ones for multiple days. From chance encounters with friends around the resort to a quiet moment soaking in the view from their sweetheart table, Kate and Jackson cherished the once-in-a-lifetime feeling of having their favorite people all in one place.

Helping Kate and Jackson bring their destination wedding dreams to life was such a joy! Their story is proof that when you focus on what really matters—celebrating love and togetherness—everything else falls into place. I’m so happy they trusted Alpaca Your Bags Travel to guide the way, and even happier to see how much fun they (and their guests!) had.

Real Wedding Q&A with Kate & Jackson

What were your biggest fears when planning a destination wedding?

Probably the logistics of getting everyone there and bought into the idea of a destination wedding. We have some older family members and not-so-tech-savvy family members, so we knew this part might be tough. Another fear was not totally knowing how it’d all turn out because not only had we never traveled to our venue, but we never met the vendors, etc.

Is there anything about the actual destination wedding experience that surprised you?

How smoothly it all went honestly! We were blown away by how the vendors and wedding coordinator executed on our vision with only email and a couple phone calls. We put a lot of trust in them and they definitely delivered.

Photo Credit: Adventure Photos

What is your favorite memory of your destination wedding?

The morning after our wedding, trying to walk to breakfast on the other side of the hotel and running into like 20 of our friends and family along the way. It was so fun and special to have everyone in the same place for a few days. Another great memory was looking out at the sweetheart table and just taking in everything happening around us on this gorgeous beach. At one point I (Kate) was like “I can’t believe this is actually our wedding”

Did you splurge on anything travel or wedding related? If so, what was it and was it worth it?

We booked the room with the private pool and butler. TOTALLY worth it! We got the most special treatment and it was nice to have our own retreat away from the party. 

Photo Credit: Adventure Photos

Did you attempt to *save* on anything travel or wedding related? If so, what was it and was it worth it?

Kind of yes, we decided to go with all the vendors the hotel had to offer without any research, knowing that would probably be our most affordable options. For the most part that worked out really well! 

If you could change anything with your wedding (planning, the day itself, the location, resort, ANYTHING) – what would you change?

We wished we had the Mexican buffet instead of International. When we were planning, we thought people would be sick of Mexican food by then. Turns out, these all inclusives have way more non-Mexican food options than we thought! 

Kate also would have done a hair and makeup trial before the wedding day. We ran into some issues with the makeup an hour before first look that probably could have been avoided with a test run

And we wish we had another day or two to ourselves, or booked a honeymoon after. 

Resort and location was perfect for what we were looking for

Photo Credit: Adventure Photos

What kind of feedback did you get from your guests?

All around great feedback! Some people were pleasantly surprised by how well the weekend flowed and how much fun they had. So many people afterwards said they missed Mexico, a few said it was the best wedding they’ve ever been to

Now that you’ve been through it, what is your #1 best piece of advice for wedding couples entering the planning process?

If you’re going to do a destination wedding, take the time to really think about what you want and communicate thoroughly (Pinterest boards are great), and then let go and trust the process and the people working behind the scenes. 

Having a spreadsheet with all our to-dos and lists and things was a great way to stay on track throughout the planning process, so many little things pop up in the last few weeks. 

Also try to focus on celebrating the people that are able to make the trip to the wedding and don’t overthink or dwell on people who end up not coming.

Remember that the venue and vendors you’ll be working with do multiple weddings a week all year round. Trust and listen to their recommendations but also go with your gut and speak up if there’s something specific you want!

Pack a couple polaroids and a camcorder (only $50 on Amazon!) and pass them around throughout the weekend/at the guest book table. Some of our most cherished photos/videos came from that!

Photo Credit: Adventure Photos

In what ways did Alpaca Your Bags Travel make this less stressful for you?

OMG so many things! 

-Helping guide the process to pick a resort when we knew literally nothing about what we wanted and where we wanted to go

-Sharing her personal experience at these resorts to help us get a more realistic picture of the process

-Introduction and coordination with the wedding coordinator on site, we felt like we always had a support system through that planning process

-Travel coordination with guests

-Coordinating shuttles, this was a life saver (we have friends doing this themselves for their wedding in Italy and it sounds rough)

-Handling guest questions and room booking issues

-Supporting friends and family with cancelling their reservations if they were no longer able to come

Photographer: Adventure Photos

Travel Advisor: Alpaca Your Bags Travel 

Resort: Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya