Destination Wedding 101: Working with Your Onsite Wedding Team (Part II) Carolina Villalobos, Wedding Manager at Secrets Moxché & Secrets Impression Moxché Playa Del Carmen
After visiting the recently opened Secrets Moxche Playa De Carmen, we caught up with the onsite Wedding Manager, Carolina Villalobosto find out what it’s like organizing a wedding at Secrets Moxche & Secrets Impression Moxché Playa Del Carmen.
Carolina is originally from Costa Rica and lived there for 22 years before jetting off to Australia for a year. After traveling for a while, her curiosity for new cultures and traditions took her to Mexico where she fell in love with the Riviera Maya. Her adventurous personality, and high skills in planning and communications took her on a fun rollercoaster ride inside the Tourism Industry until she found her perfect match: weddings! She has expertise in personalized customer service, food & beverage and an exceptional eye for detail & aesthetics after becoming a wedding planner 10 years ago.
Carolina enjoys every little moment of what she does. From planning and designing a wedding from scratch to developing one of the most important days of her client’s life. She loves the adrenaline, the planning, the meetings, getting to know the families, the food tastings, and all the love around it.
Interview with Carolina Villalobos - Wedding Manager at Secrets Moxche & Secrets Impression Moxché Playa Del Carmen
What is your role in helping couples plan their dream wedding away from home? What exactly do you do?
I would like to start by saying there are no hard and fast rules about planning a Destination Weddings. We will work according to each couple’s needs and budget by providing customized, premium experiences that honor their unique style and vision.
From a small and intimate affair to a full classic wedding. Our team will design, coordinate, and do everything the couple could possibly need so that they don’t have to worry about anything. The wedding couple needs to let us know what their dream wedding is and we will make it come true. We creatively design each event to fit the couple's personality and to meet the needs of the group and guests as well.
Our dedicated wedding specialists will ease the wedding couple through the planning process, taking care of everything from coordinating the important decisions such as décor, menus, venues, and entertainment, down to the more minute details…. there is a wedding to fit every taste.
We want each wedding to result in an amazingly unique and memorable experience for everyone involved. The couple only need to gather their friends and family and celebrate this momentous occasion where excitement meets modern luxury at Secrets Moxché Playa Del Carmen.
What are some misconceptions couples think of when working with your onsite team?
That they need to hire an external wedding planner, please don’t. At Secrets Moxche Playa Del Carmen, we work with all the suppliers in the area, from North of Cancun to South of Tulum, we have it all covered; the couple doesn’t need to talk to each vendor, florist, décor designer, DJ, cake designers, that’s what we are here for! We will convey the message, coordinate, and make sure they all get it in place for the wedding day. This way, also, the couple doesn’t need to worry about multiple payments, everything is thru the Resort.
Is it necessary to have a wedding planner when working with a Resort Wedding Coordinator?
Not really, I would only recommend having a Travel Agent/advisor that helps them coordinate the travel part and the onsite wedding coordinator will take care of everything else. The onsite wedding coordinators know the Resort, the team, the rules and how everything works. They have done many weddings in all the possible locations at the Resort and know very well all the strengths of the team; they know what works for each location and what doesn’t.
Do you prefer working with the bride and groom directly or with a travel advisor, wedding planner, and/or a third party?
Personally, we prefer to work directly with the couple. It allows us to create a special bond and relationship and avoids triangulating information that later leads to misunderstandings or lack of communication.
What is the hardest part about what you and your team do for couples on a daily?
The “weather call.” This is the hardest part; when there is bad weather forecasted we suffer each time. We need to be calm and a guide for the couple at that moment but inside we are as sad as they are. It doesn’t get easier with the years.
If you could tell your couples anything that would help you and your team, what would it be?
Trust your onsite wedding coordinators, we are there to help you get the best of the Resort, the team, and the suppliers. We are responsible to make sure the wedding couple's expectations can be covered and exceeded, no matter how difficult it is; that is our goal. The faster you start trusting your onsite wedding coordinator, the faster the wedding planning process becomes enjoyable and fun.
How many couples on average are you helping during the week/weekend/over the course of a month?
We have an average of 15 weddings a month and are working with them for about 4 months. So around 60 couples per month, plus new leads and couples from upcoming years that have many questions. It’s fun!
Why do you reach out to the couple only 3 months prior to the wedding, unlike a traditional wedding coordinator who plans a year out?
This is super interesting. The reason behind the 3 months planning period prior to the wedding is that not all guests will book on time. It’s hard for couples and it’s part of having a destination wedding. We need accurate numbers of attendees to plan accordingly and avoid extra stress on the budget. It’s not until the booking period with the travel agent expires that we can count, for sure, who will be attending the wedding. There is a big difference between quoting and planning a wedding for 100 guests than one for 40-50 guests.
What don't you and/or your team do for couples planning their wedding abroad?
Stationery: we don’t do the invites or save the dates. Actually we highly recommend bringing with them everything related to stationery as its more affordable to do it at home.
What is one thing you want all of your couples to know when working with their resort coordinator?
We prefer a conference call than many emails back and forth. Please write down all your questions and then schedule a zoom or phone call with your coordinator; things will be much easier for both. Please take into consideration that most of the time your onsite wedding coordinator is out on the property grounds working with on site weddings couples and making sure that a wedding event flows impeccably.
Would you recommend a site visit?
100% yes! After doing a planning visit the bond between the couple and the coordinator is amazing. The couple has a better understanding on the property and the planning process is just much easier.
Ready to book your destination wedding without a hitch? Then get in touch with one of our team members and schedule your consultation.
Courtnie is the founder & CEO of TravelBash. After years as an ambitious fundraiser, she took her passion for travel full-time. She has lived all over the U.S. and abroad and after planning her own destination wedding, she decided to help other couples plan their big day abroad too. She has written “Passport to Paradise: The Complete Destination Wedding Guide,” a top seller on Amazon. She has also been featured in Travel + Leisure, Destination I Do and The Washington Post. As a certified travel advisor, expert event planner and natural connector, she uses her powers to create VIP travel experiences.
