This is part two of my investigative reporting from the Moon Palace resort in Cancun, Mexico!
Here we will focus on various locations where you might consider having your wedding ceremony and reception.
First, you will be visiting their Wedding Centre, found in the Nizuc section of the hotel. The Moon Palace is a complex of three hotels all side-by-side and sharing privileges and amenities of each other. Shuttle service is running every 15 minutes or so between the properties.
The Wedding Centre is quite large and is conveniently located just off the main lobby:
They have two wedding gazebos to choose from. The first one is the Bugambilia Gazebo, which is located adjacent to the beach, roughly between the Sunrise and Nizuc sections of the complex.
Then between the Nizuc and Grand sections is located the Tucan Gazebo (here workers can be seen setting up draping inside the gazebo for a wedding):
As you can see, the main public walkway is running behind the gazebo and is separating the gazebo from the beach area.
Most commonly, guests attending a wedding ceremony at the Tucan Gazebo are treated to cocktails and canapes on the Tucan Terrace, just across from the gazebo:
One of the biggest draws at this resort is the fact that there is a Catholic Chapel right onsite, so there is no need for your guests to be taken to a Catholic Church off property for your wedding ceremony if you are Catholic.
What is also very nice is that it is glass enclosed so the weather, if inclement, won’t be too much of an issue:
There is a large garden area just to the right of the Catholic Chapel, where they will often hold the cocktail hour:
Should you prefer a beach ceremony, there are several locations along the massive expanse of beach at the resort, and some of them are fairly private and can host receptions that last to 2 am! That is terribly rare in the Caribbean, as many resorts require that functions held outside be shut down at 11pm, to respect the other guests.
Here is a very basic beach setup. Palace Resorts offers several beautiful wedding decor packages and of course you can start with a blank slate and customize everything yourself if you wish! That would be the case here where you would bring your own ideas about draping, flowers, colours, etc. and go wild!
Another potential cocktail hour location is the terrace back near the hotel:
Reception areas include one of several ballrooms in the Nizuc side. Guests can also be shuttled back to the Sunrise section where there are more grand ballrooms. Semi-private receptions can be held at various restaurants. Beach locations are always popular.
Back at Sunrise is a massive terrace for very large weddings:
Moon Palace offers incredible variety for couples planning a destination wedding. They also offer a $1500 resort credit per couple/room that can be used towards many of the wedding packages (and the guests can use theirs for golf, the spa and other things all over the hotel!).
It’s a truly excellent choice!