I can wholeheartedly recommend the Ritz Carlton and its wedding planner Sara Pena for anyone who wants to have a wedding in Cancun. It was not just fabulous - it was also excellent value for money. We practically just showed up and every detail was taken care of. Everyone was incredibly accomodating but will tell you if there were any risk that what you want may not be executed perfectly.

-- What they did best:
Anything done directly by the hotel was perfect. The food way exceeded expectations. It was restaurant quality despite the size of the party. The bartender brillantly handled the obviously drunk guests. The venue was gorgeous, even the backup site in case it rained (which luckily didn't happen until the ceremony). They set our room up with rose petals, champagne, and chocolates during the reception so we had a nice surprise when we went back to the room. The only imperfection I can think of was that during the beach ceremony I was standing directly on the sand, which obliterated the effect of my high heels. A minor issue.

-- Outside vendors
All of the outside vendors (e.g., musicians, officiant, DJ, florist) were at least 9/10, although some are better than others. If you feel strongly about anything, make sure you talk directly to the outside vendors ahead of time. The rest of the section is stuff to be aware of if you plan on taking a hands-off approach.

*Officiant was great. In retrospect it was good that we talked to him before the ceremony. He had the perfect speech for a not religious couple.

*The Mariachi band was awesome. I know it sounds cheesy but get it. I wish I had them do the ceremony too instead of just cocktail hour. 10 of these guys cost the same as the classical music trio at the ceremony.

*The classical music trio was fine. Keep in mind that Cancun doesn't attract the same caliber of musicians as say, NYC. They were able to play the songs I requested a few days prior to the ceremony so that was good enough for me.

*DJ was good but not as detail oriented as the hotel staff. Might be worthwhile to have a chat with him before the reception. He put on the wrong (but a similar) song for the mother/son dance. My m-i-l was totally cool about it but I can see how it could be a problem for others. Otherwise, he worked well off a relatively short list of songs I sent him a week before.

-- Hotel restaurants. I had many meals on site and every one was good and consistent. The sushi bar is not to be missed.

-- Concierge level or not? My parents in law were on the concierge level and it was very nice. However, I enjoyed eating by the pool/beach. Also, I think the breakfast at the cafe was much better but it may be a function of us being there off-season.

-- Don't get a room on the concierge level if you have friends staying at other hotels. You need special key access.

-- Get a suite if you have friends staying at other hotels.

-- Give yourself time to settle the bill. People were apologetic about the snafus at check-out and did their very best to sort the bill out ASAP.

-- Cancun vs. Playa del Carmen. Cancun is a closer to the airport and will make it easier for people to fly in just for the weekend. Also, you will have friends who will not end up in the hotel you picked to do the wedding, because they booked late or because they are more value-oriented than you. That will be a real hassle in Playa del Carmen. Finally, Cancun has a lot more restaurants that can accomodate large parties, in case your guests come in early and you want to go out with them.

Overall, I had a pretty stress free but fabulous wedding and everyone had a fantastic time!

Well first of all the Ritz is the Ritz. The inside is very European and smells great. Everyone goes out of their way to make you feel welcome, saying your name and smiling. Towards the end of the trip it got a little too much but I know it's the way they do their customer service. And it is impeccable. I had a Ocean Front Suite and it had three balconies and two bathroom and two flat screen tv's... Very nice. Now I only ate the food in the hotel and ate no where else... And every single night I got sick. You are probably asking why I kept eating the food but I tried a different dish each time and each time I got sick. I was supposed to spend a full week at the Ritz but caught a plane home with three days left of my vacation. It became unbearable to eat there anymore and the last night I was there the bathroom turned into my bedroom... I didn't leave the bathroom all night. Plus when you are feeling really sick I just wanted to go home and be in my own bed and hang out with my dog... I wasn't charged a penalty and they were very accommodating that I was leaving early... So that was nice that I wasn't hassled. I was there alone on business and basically stayed in the room the entire time doing work on my laptop so I can't comment on the beach or pool etc... I wish I could but it was business. The beach from the balcony was very small but I saw many people swimming and jet skiing. If you do go to the Ritz I highly suggest the Chocolate covered strawberries. They dress them up in tuxes and they are to die for... I never got sick eating those... But then who knows. Again the hotel and customer service was great. Highly recommend... But the food which is one of my fav things about a hotel is the room service... was disasterous. I am still having stomach problems and have a doctor's appt. tomorrow so hopefully I can get on some antibotics or something. But again Hotel is great but eat somewhere else. Thanks

Went to the Ritz-Carlton for our 10th wedding anniversary from June 18-23. We wish we were still there.

June 18th -
Arrived at 2PM. Customs was a breeze because we got a green light. Step outside customs at the Ritz-Carlton person was holding a sign with our name on it. We pre-arranged travel with RC for $120 RT. This was worth every penney. Arrived at RC after about a 20 minute ride. We were not allowed to carry our luggage, nor open a door. Everyone greeted us by name. They welcomed us and congradulated us on our 10 year anniversary. The bellman took us to our room. We did the reconnect ocean view package that included breakfast and $100 daily resort credit for $338. When we arrived at our room, we had been upgraded to an ocean front room #5003. Gorgeous view! There were also chocolate covered tuxedo strawberries in our room with the hotel compliments. We felt very special. Once we unpacked we went across the street to the small convenience store and purchased water and soft drinks. 5 liter bottle of water for $3.50 American.
That evening we did the Chef's table dinner for $150 pp. This was an amazing night!!! We met 3 other couples and the executive chef for RC personally cooked all the food. We started off with champagne and small toast slices with Oaxacan cheese and chorizo sausage. Next course was an enchilada with a spicy chile sauce paired with a wine. 3rd course was albacore tuna cevece paired with a wine. 4th course was a mexican crab soup with a wine. 5th course was filet of beef with cactus, Oaxacan cheese and a corn mushroom with a corn sauce paired with a wine. 6th course was chocolate souffle with cream sauce and a port dessert wine. Note: these are Mexican boutique wine you will not find in the US. You never had an emptly glass!!!
June 19th -
Wife and I went to the Keyanta Spa. She had the aromevdic message and I had the Bali Lunar Bath. Go 30 minutes early so you can use the stem room, multi jet showers, whirlpool, and cold plunge pool. We both had a great time and were definately relaxed. After the spa, we spent the rest of the day at the pool. No problems finding chairs and umbrella.
June 20th (Anniversary Day)
We did a whale shark excursion with YachtsE. We had signed up to do the group rather than the private, but when we arrived, their gift to us was a private yacht (40ft Sea Ray). We were both stunned. Highly recommended!!! Note: Whale sharks are fast!!!
That evening we did the private Casita dinner on the beach. They had Spanish guitar music playing on a CD (as requested), and a happy anniversary sign for us. I pre-arranged the whole dinner before we left. They had made lovely menus for us as a keep sake. The food was amazing!!! The whole thing cost about $380 US. This included the $150 casita set up fee, mexican bread, cesar salad, filet mignon, cream spinach, mexican corn, baked potato, and chocolate cake.
June 21st -
We did the Jungle Tour at Blue Ray Marina, and went to the pool when we got back.
June 22nd -
We rented a private casita for the day for $150 US. This included choice of 12 drinks (we did 4 waters, 4 diet cokes, and 4 beers), fruit, 2 chaise lounge chairs, and 1 double chaise lounge chair that is padded like a bed, and chips with fresh salsa and guacamole.
Other notes:
Food-
The breakfast buffet is huge!!! Fruits, traditional american breakfast, mexican food, asian food, fresh bakery items, juices, made to order waffles and omelets.
Their pizza is wonderful, baked in a stone oven.
Some others complained about the $20 hamburger. There are 2 hamburgers on the menu, a regular hamburger with bacon and cheese is $14, and a Kobe beef hamburger that is $20.
Drinks -
Mexican beer is $5.50 US, margaritas range from $10 - $21. Coke is $4.00 US (go across the street much chepaer) bottled water is $4.00 US (go across the street for that also.
If you like Thai food, go to the Isla Mall and eat at Thai lounge. Call for reservations. You will not be disappointed.

Last thoughts -
Be prepared to be pampered and spoiled. Every response by staff is "It's my pleasure". They will greet you by name at all times. Very friendly. Can't wait to go back!!!

We checked in here for two nights as a treat to ourselves . We were attending a friends wedding in the Westin so it was an absolute pleasure arriving at the Ritz Carlton. The hotel staff were a pleasure to deal with and very professional and welcoming! It was our anniversary and on arrival we had a bottle of Champagne delivered to our room compliments of the hotel. We were so impressed. The room was a great size and we had a balcony over looking the pool and beach. The shower gel etc was Bvlgari and was just divine! (The ladies will be more impressed by this than the guys) On arrival to the pool, staff cannot do enough for you, the let you choose your sun lounger and they lay your towels out for you - they ask how many towels you would like and I was very impressed with this - most hotels limit you to one or at most two! The food was lovely and they also do TV snacks to your room if you just want something to pick at during the day and need a break from the sun. There cocktails are lovely - I recommend a Margarita on the rocks!
I would totally recommend this hotel and I couldn't find fault with it except for one thing - the spa treatments are very pricey!
Also there are double sun loungers on the beach with a private canapy - these need to be reserved at the pool side in advance - I'm not sure how much extra they cost though