FAQs

Question

Why Get Married in Mexico? Why Not Seattle or Houston?

Answer

Alexis loves everything Texas, Southwest and Mexico!!! She also loves warm weather, white beaches and rather have fun in the sun then anything else. Her favorite area of Mexico is the Yucatan on the Caribbean. It was easy to decide to throw a magnificent wedding here, to bring family and friends together for a celebration of 3-4 days of fun or longer. Why not Seattle? Alexis is not from Seattle and most of her friends live in Houston. Why not Houston? After waiting so many years for the right man and to throw a beautiful wedding, we wanted something were we could make it more then just flying in for a quick weekend. So many weddings can be the same and we wanted something unique and that called to who Alexis and Phil are, so a destination wedding made perfect sense.

Question

Why Get Married on July 6, 2019?

Answer

Alexis and Phil met on July 24, this is their official anniversary of meeting. To determine the date they wanted a holiday weekend for everyone to be able to stay longer and that would not work for throwing it on the 24th, so they added 2 and 4 together and got the 6th. So it has meaning to us. They also wanted a time of year that was warm and summer. Summer is Alexis's favorite time of the year!

Question

Why Do You Consider This a "Fairy-tale Royal Wedding"?

Answer

Well it is a fairy-tale wedding because Alexis waited so long for the perfect man. The moment Alexis met Phil the first time she felt like she knew him forever and felt he was, "the one". Alexis and Phil's relationship was a fairy-tale, meeting the night before he was to go home for good never to return back to Houston for business. Phil flew Alexis every so many weeks to see him and also came into Houston in order to properly court her. He wined, dined and took her allover for 6 years. Three and a half years ago Phil moved Alexis to Seattle, Wa. to establish a home and for Alexis to restart her business locally. It has all been very fairy-tale like! At the wedding Phil and Alexis will be celebrating just short of a few days, 10 years together. What about the royal wedding deal? Well we are not royal but we can sure pretend and try to throw as much of a royal wedding as we can. I promise you, you will feel like royalty at this resort. You get your own butler!!!

Question

Since Your Wedding is Outdoors, What Happens if it Rains? ​

Answer

If it rains, no problem. Our ceremony will be moved to a covered area, and the cocktail party and reception will be moved to a covered area too or a ballroom.

Question

July is Hurricane Season. What Happens if There's a Hurricane?

Answer

It is very rare that a hurricane develop in July, the waters are usually not warm enough yet. Luckily, Riviera Maya, Mexico is rarely in the path of a storm, but if one does approach, we'll be in close touch with all of our guests and make adjustments accordingly. Airlines typically allow guests to reschedule flights without a fee, and the resort will work with us the best they can. Alexis, also has grown up around hurricanes being from South East Texas and also living in South Florida so from her experience it should not be an issue in July. Also, we chose to have a "low-season summer" wedding so it could be afforded by all of our guests. If we had married over the non off season, the resorts charges many thousands per week!

Question

What is the Average Temperature in July?

Answer

Temperatures range from 75 to 90 degrees during the day, 75 to 80 at night. The beach (an ocean view Pier and Sky Deck overlooking the beach), will be the coolest area of the resort due to the constant, gentle breeze of the Mexican Caribbean.

Question

What is The Official DRESS CODE for the Wedding?

Answer

The Bride and Groom will be in black-tie formal wear (gown and tuxedo), so guests are encouraged to wear BEACHY BLACK TIE. In other words, sequin dresses, long pants and dress shirts look as good on the sand as they do indoors. (Just be sure to bring shoes suitable for a possible seaside events on other days.) The ceremony should be taking place on the covered wood Pier. The cocktail party and reception will be held on a Sky Deck overlooking the ocean. NO BEACH CLOTHES FOR THE WEDDING, NO SHORTS, NO FLIP FLOPS, NO BIRKENSTOCKS, NO BASEBALL CAPS. DRESS TO IMPRESS!!!

Question

A FORMAL Beach Wedding? Give Me Examples of What I Should Wear.

Answer

LADIES: Long gowns, maxi dresses, short cocktail dresses, sequin tops, dressy pantsuits, etc. ​ MEN: Any type of suit, Light-colored suits, linen suits, trust-fund-baby sports jackets, long-sleeve dress shirts with bow ties or ties, etc. ​ Basically, it's a very fancy party taking place in a warm climate, so use your judgement. JUST COME DRESSED TO IMPRESS! ;-)

Question

I Hate SAND. What Kind of SHOES Should I Wear?

Answer

The wedding CEREMONY will take place on the wood covered pier. No sand to worry about! ​ The COCKTAIL PARTY and wedding RECEPTION will be held on a concrete SKY DECK overlooking the ocean. No sand there either! For the wedding party we will be doing botox on the sand after their ceremony. You can take your shoes off for some of the pictures but if you are concern about your shoes, the best shoes for women are fancy flat sandals, wedges or anything without a heel that will not sink into the sand. For the ceremony, cocktail party and reception you can wear any type of shoe you like, including high heels. NO FLIP FLOP, NO Birkenstock’s! Naturally, men may wear whatever shoes they find appropriate for a FORMAL BEACH WEDDING, including dressy sandals. NO FLIP FLOPS THOUGH and NO Birkenstocks!!!

Question

What is the Official Fairy-tale Royal Wedding Day SCHEDULE?

Answer

9:00 AM -3:45 BRIDAL PARTY MEETS AT ALEXIS'S SUITE, breakfast, lunch and champagne will be served. 12-4 PM GROOMS PARTY MEETS AT SPECIAL GROOMS SUITE 3:45-4:45 PM 1ST LOOK PHOTOS 4:20 PM USHERS HEAD TO PIER TO SEAT GUEST 4:30 PM GUESTS NEED TO BE SEATED IN THEIR SEATS BY USHERS 4:45 PM BRIDAL PARTY AND GROOMS PARTY HEAD TO CEREMONY FOR PROCESSION. 4:55 PM ALEXIS IS BROUGHT TO PIER WITH MAID OF HONOR 5:00 PM - CEREMONY @ THE PIER GENERATIONS RIVIERA MAYA 5:30 PM - WEDDING PARTY AND FAMILY PHOTOS @ BEACH LOCATION TO BE DETERMINED BY PHOTOGRAPHER 5:30 PM -7:00 - COCKTAIL PARTY - OPEN BAR @ SKY DECK - GENERATIONS RIVIERA MAYA ​7:00 PM - WELCOME MR AND MRS PHILIPP AND ALEXIS SCHWARZ - 1ST DANCE AND 1ST DANCES 7:00-11:00 4 HOUR SIT-DOWN DINNER, DJ & DANCING @ SKY DECK GENERATIONS RIVIERA MAYA ​11:00 PM - AFTER PARTY @ AN ON SITE NIGHTCLUB OR POOL PARTY OR OUR SUITE ​

Question

What Is the MENU for the "Sit-Down" DINNER?

Answer

Fish, Beef or Vegi

Question

Will There be Dancing at the Wedding?

Answer

YES, OF COURSE! We will have a DJ spinning dance tunes. You'll have a large, ocean view DECK to dance on, so no need to worry about partying on the sand. As mentioned before, on the off-chance that it's raining outdoors, the whole party will be moved into an indoor ballroom.

Question

Are You Allowing Guests to Take Cell Phone Pictures During Your Wedding?

Answer

We are hiring a top notch photographer to cover the wedding, therefore, we are asking guests to REFRAIN FROM TAKING PHOTOS OR VIDEO DURING THE CEREMONY as it looks super tacky in professional photos to have everyone with their cell phones out. Please keep in mind that you are more than welcome to pull out your cameras BEFORE and AFTER the ceremony itself, and AT THE RECEPTION. Outside of the wedding ceremony (and after the Bride & Groom have posted their wedding photos on Social Media first) you can post extremely flattering pictures of them using the hashtag: #AlexisandPhilipp

Question

What About Gifts? Are You Registered Anywhere?

Answer

What's most important to us, is that you can attend our wedding if possible. We are lucky to have most everything we need for our home. We have registered on Amazon for people who want to give a gift and not cash. The registry link to Amazon is on the registry page on this website. Please keep in mind that any bulky wedding gifts for the couple you should not bring to Mexico, especially because Alexis and Phil will have to transport it back through customs back to the USA. Lingerie, Gift cards, checks and cash is not a problem. If you want to give a check or cash gift we have a link on the registry page that you can do that there.

Question

I Want to Send You Something Anyways. What is Your Mailing Address?

Answer

If you wish to send us something in the mail, please address it to: Mr and Mrs Philipp & Alexis Schwarz 878 Jericho PL NE Renton, Wa. 98059

Question

What Is The Final RSVP Deadline To Attend Your Wedding (not for booking a room)

Answer

April 15th 2019 Destination weddings are done very different then regular wedding. So in order to plan everything we need to know much early then a regular wedding.

Question

I Want to Attend Your Wedding. How do I RSVP?

Answer

Please RSVP for now here until we send out our formal wedding invitations with final RSVP deadlines. YOU WILL ALSO NEED TO CALL THE GROUP TRAVEL AGENT HANDLING THE RESERVED BLOCK OF ROOMS: Raman Mullick (my good friend) Travel Lifestyles 5000 Westheimer Rd., Suite 154 Houston, Texas 77056 281-630-7430 (mob) or 713-621-5555(office) Email: rm@tlife.com BOOKING WEBSITE - Group Rates and other info: For the starting suites sizes (all rates on the PDF attached for more then 5 days, for larger suites and for the El Dorado Casita Royale), perks and other other info: http://www.tlife.com/alexisandphil/kstravel AIRPORT: Cancun Airport TIMELINE For Deposits RESERVATIONS AND DEPOSIT: $200 per person SECOND DEPOSIT - 50% OF BALANCE DUE BY Mar 15, 2019 GROUP BLOCK OF ROOMS HELD TILL - MARCH 15TH (We don't want get a penalty, we will drop the not secured rooms. Rooms after date are subject to if the hotel has any left). FINAL PAYMENT DUE: May 1, 2019

Question

What If I Already RSVP'd and Now Have To Cancel?

Answer

It depends if you have paid your final payment or not and if we have submitted our final head count. If you need to cancel your RSVP, please let us know ASAP so we can adjust table seating accordingly. You will also need to contact Raman. See penalties for cancellations on the booking website. If you are worried at all, Raman has trip insurance and i recommend you purchase it.

Question

How Soon Should I Book My Travel to Your Wedding?

Answer

We suggest booking your travel as soon as your budget allows. Sadly, we have heard horror stories from brides who had weddings sold out months in advance, leaving out key family and friends who waited until the last minute. TIMELINE For Deposits: RESERVATIONS AND DEPOSIT: $200 per person SECOND DEPOSIT - 50% OF BALANCE DUE BY Mar 15, 2019 GROUP BLOCK OF ROOMS HELD TILL - MARCH 15TH (We don't want get a penalty, we will drop the not secured rooms. Rooms after date are subject to if the hotel has any left). FINAL PAYMENT DUE: May 1, 2019

Question

Exactly How Do I Book My Travel?

Answer

You will need to call our Group Travel Agent: Raman Mullick (my good friend) Travel Lifestyles 5000 Westheimer Rd., Suite 154 Houston, Texas 77056 281-630-7430 (mob) or 713-621-5555(office) Email: rm@tlife.com

Question

Do I Need a Passport or Visa? ​

Answer

Travel to Mexico requires a passport, but not a visa from the USA. From Canada and Europe please check as you may need a visa. ​ On the plane, you will be asked to fill out a tourist card about your visit to Mexico.

Question

Do I Need To Stay at Karisma Resorts to Attend Your Wedding?

Answer

Fortunately, YES! Karisma Resorts, Generations Riviera Maya, El Dorado Royale and El Dorado Casita Royale are a gated community with zero access to people who are not staying at the resorts. Although you could theoretically stay at a neighboring resort or with friends but you would then need to purchase a day pass for $95-$105 per day per person to attend our wedding, which is silly. With each reservation, remember you are getting $250 worth of credits to use at the resort towards items.

Question

I Am Confused. Should I Book a Room at Generations, El Dorado Royale or El Dorado Casita Royale?

Answer

The wedding will be officially coordinated with our wedding planner through Generations Riviera Maya so children who are invited may attend, events will only be taking place at this resort. You can stay at EITHER of the 3 resorts Again, Generations is for both adults and families, whereas El Dorado Royale and El Dorado Casita Royale is exclusively for adults (no children under the age of 18 are even allowed on the property). All 3 resorts are phenomenal and have exchange privileges.

Question

What Category of Room Should I Book?

Answer

Every single room at Generations or El Dorado is around 600 square foot or larger, so you can't go wrong with any room. However, if you are a SINGLE traveler, the least expensive is the "Luxury Jacuzzi Junior Suite" at the El Dorado Royal or the "Oceanfront Luxury Jacuzzi Suite" at Generations. Rooms are obviously cheaper with two people, and will be your best bet. If you need a roommate to share if you are coming alone please post on our private Facebook group to see who would like to share. If you are bringing someone or a date, please make sure you are invited with one. They can still come to the resort but make sure you are actually invited with a date to attend the events.

Question

Should I Buy Trip Insurance?

Answer

Yes, you should buy trip Insurance for your trip which allows cancellation for any reason prior to departure for a full refund (less the cost of the insurance) and also covers you during travel for baggage, accidents, health etc. is available as below: Hotel stay only for 3-4 nights: $60.99 per adult and $30.50 per child Hotel stay only for 5 nights or more: $90.99 per adult and $45.50 per child Hotel and flight for 3-4 nights: $80.99 per adult and $40.50 per child Hotel and flight for 5 nights or more: $130.99 per adult and $65.50 per child

Question

It's Mexico. Can I Drink the Water?

Answer

Karisma Resorts are a AAA Four Diamond Resorts. So, yes, all water is filtered. Even the ocean goes through a Brita water machine. LOL

Question

Can I Use American Dollars?

Answer

Yes. Both resorts take U.S. Dollars, but given their all-inclusive status, you will only need a stack of one dollar and five dollar bills for tips. Even though tips are included, extra tips go a long way for your Butler, bartenders, wait staff and more.

Question

Do I Have To TIP In Addition, Since It Is All Inclusive.

Answer

No you do NOT have to to tip anything in addition, but tips are highly appreciated from the staff. The butler, wait staff, cleaning lady and bartenders all work very hard to show you a 5 star experience but sadly in Mexico they are all paid a very low minimum wage. The average day pay I hear for them is only $17 a day with an average of max $800 a month income for some higher paid. So a few dollar here and there goes a long way to feed their families and are highly appreciated.

Question

What is the Time Zone There?

Answer

Central Time Zone

Question

Does My Cell Phone Work There?

Answer

Yes. Certain carriers, such as T-Mobile, do not charge for cell phone or data use in Mexico. Free Wi-fi is available everywhere on the property. Check with your specific mobile phone provider.

Question

Where Is The Bride and Groom Going For Their Honeymoon?

Answer

The wedding couple will be changing resorts to a Honeymoon Suite somewhere in the Yucatan once everybody heads back home. LOL! We officially check out and leave Monday morning July 8th for our honeymoon resort.

Question

Just Curious... Was Your Wedding Free Since It's an All-Inclusive Resort?

Answer

Boy do we wish it was! All regular activities that are included in the resort, food and drink are included in your resort fee you paid. The Pre and Post Wedding Events, the Welcome Party, Dress Rehearsal, Night Before Dinner, Brunch and the wedding itself is mostly a PRIVATE AFFAIR and costs very similar to throwing a wedding in the U.S.A. Flowers, food, drink, decor, DJ, musicians, photographer, dance floor, tables, chairs, lighting, centerpieces, decor, etc etc and a crew of resort staff working privately for us, is an additional cost, and our absolute pleasure to do so. P.S. We tried to get Mexico to pay for it, but they said NO

Question

Is it Safe to Travel to Mexico? I'm Worried.

Answer

Are you worried about eating at Waffle House? Or traveling to Orlando, Vegas, Houston, NY, NJ, LA, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, Seattle and more? Karisma Resorts in Riviera Maya just South of Cancun is a gated community, in a safe, gorgeous area of the Yucatan of Mexico, an amazing country of 128 million people. And given the fact that some of the aforementioned locations suffered from mass shootings over the past 2 years, I would venture to say that Riviera Maya is just as safe as a country that allows pimple-faced teenagers to buy AR-15's at Chuck E. Cheese.

Question

What If Trump Builds a Wall and We Can't Get Into Mexico?

Answer

Don't worry, The Wall is still a good one to eighty years away from being built.

Question

I Still Have Questions. What Should I Do?

Answer

CALL OR TEXT US AT 206-946-2040

Question

Are You Planning A Reception in Houston Or Seattle After this?

Answer

NO, We are very sorry! We will not be throwing any other wedding ceremony and receptions or parties anywhere else. This is it!!! We will be in Riviera Maya for 1 week prior to our wedding and 1 week after for our honeymoon. Alexis is going home for a shower -bachelorrete party in Houston if anyone wants to fly in for that. Girls only and is being held on April 6th 4pm till everyone passes out! There will be a by invitation only a small private welcome back Mr & Mrs Schwarz brunch in Seattle for family members only July 28th at 11am. If you are invited you will receive an invitation and they will go out May 1st. If you would like to be included in this please e-mail Alexis and Phil. This is being thrown by Phil's Mother, Linda.