Playa del Carmen · Venue guide
Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya
Adults-only all-inclusive on the secluded Playa del Secreto, with hacienda-style architecture and a long private beach.
Valentin Imperial sits on Playa del Secreto, one of the most secluded stretches of the Riviera Maya coast — the same quiet beach where private villas like Villa La Joya are found. Adults-only, hacienda-style architecture and a long private beachfront, with far fewer neighbouring properties in frame than the busier resort corridors.
The seclusion is the photographic advantage: wide, clean beach backgrounds without other resorts crowding the horizon, and warm colonial architecture that gives the gallery texture beyond the sand.
Where to say “I do” — and how each spot photographs
Beach
The current ceremony maximum is 150. It gives the cleanest Caribbean horizon and strongest destination-wedding look, but the beach faces the sunrise side of the coast; schedule portraits for softened late-afternoon light rather than promising the sun setting into the water.
Gazebo
Current ceremony maximum 80. A more structured frame than open sand and useful when the couple wants architecture around the ceremony without moving indoors. The same named Gazebo also appears in current cocktail/reception options, so confirm which setup is contracted.
Bridge
Current ceremony maximum 12. Best treated as a micro-wedding/elopement scale location rather than a general ceremony fallback. Its narrow geometry can create strong symmetrical frames but leaves little working room around guests and production.
San Valentin Catholic Chapel
Current maximum 80 and available only for Catholic weddings. The resort notes that regular benches seat 40 and additional chairs are added beyond that. It is the strongest indoor/religious architectural option and needs a different low-light exposure plan than beach or garden ceremonies.
Fuentes Arch / Las Fuentes
Fuentes Arch is currently published for ceremonies up to 50, while Las Fuentes is used at larger scale for cocktails and receptions. Water, formal landscaping and resort architecture make this one of the strongest late-day portrait zones after direct beach light becomes softer.
Sunrise & Sunset Beach Bars
Current cocktail spaces, both described as semi-private and available in the 5:00–8:00 p.m. window. Sunrise Beach Bar is published for 30–60 guests and Sunset Beach Bar for 10–30. Treat the names as venue names, not literal guarantees of sunrise/sunset direction.
La Hacienda Terrace
Current cocktail ceiling 100 and reception ceiling 50. Useful for smaller events that want a terrace/architectural setting instead of open sand, with more controllable after-dark lighting than the beach.
Las Fuentes
Current page publishes up to 300 for cocktail and up to 200 for reception. It is the strongest large-format non-beach event area in the public material and should be planned as a separate production zone from the oceanfront spaces.
A photo timeline that works here
Based on a winter ceremony (sunset ≈ 6 pm). I adjust it to your date and your venue coordinator's schedule.
- 1:30 pm
- Getting ready — we start earlier here: moving around this resort is done by golf cart, and we build that time in
- 3:00 pm
- First look and couple portraits
- 4:00 pm
- Ceremony
- 4:40 pm
- Family and group photos before anyone scatters
- 5:05 pm
- Golf cart to the best photo spots — couple session in the golden hour
- 6:15 pm
- Reception entrance and first dance
- 8:00 pm
- Open dance floor
First look — yes or no?
Recommended. This is a large property with golf-cart transfers, so securing portraits early keeps the golden hour free for the beach — where the seclusion pays off most.
Logistics worth knowing
Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya is an adults-only all-inclusive resort on Federal Highway 307, km 311.5. Current wedding rules require advance authorization for external suppliers and an external-vendor fee, but the amount is not publicly posted. At least 80% of wedding guests must stay at the resort; non-staying wedding guests use separate day/wedding-pass rules that should not be treated as vendor access. The resort currently says it may perform one wedding per day depending on size and maintains a rain backup for outdoor events.
Vendor rules at Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya
- Outside photographers: Accepted
- Valentin's current official wedding FAQ says outside suppliers are allowed with advance notice to the wedding coordinator. An external vendor fee applies, the supplier's full information is required in advance for access authorization, and the access fee does not include meals or other services. The current public page does not publish the numeric vendor fee, so confirm the wedding-date amount in writing. Do not substitute a guest day pass or wedding pass for vendor authorization.
- These rules belong to the resort, not to me. The resort sets the fee, charges it and changes it, often from one season to the next and sometimes from one wedding to the next, so I do not publish an amount here: any number you find online is already out of date for your date. Ask your wedding coordinator at the resort to confirm it in writing, and ask early: it is a real line in the budget. It is also worth asking whether there is any flexibility. Some venues waive or reduce the fee, often when the vendor team books rooms for a few nights or when the wedding is booked through certain agencies, and plenty of couples never find out because they never ask.
- Tell me about your wedding →
The light here
The Caribbean beach is on the sunrise side, so do not promise a literal sunset over the ocean. For an evening wedding, protect the final 45 to 60 minutes before sunset for portraits using the beach edge, gardens, Las Fuentes and resort architecture as direct light softens. Recalculate sunset for the exact date and keep transfer time between ceremony, cocktail and portrait zones in the timeline.
Photo sessions at Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya
Questions couples ask about Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya
Have you photographed at Valentin Imperial?
Not a wedding here. A session for guests staying at Valentin had to move off property because at the time the resort would not let an outside photographer in. That policy has since changed, but it is exactly why written approval matters.
Can we bring our own photographer now?
The current official Valentin wedding FAQ says outside suppliers are possible. You must notify the wedding coordinator in advance, provide the supplier information for authorization and pay the applicable external-vendor fee. The current public page does not list the amount, so get the fee in writing for your date.
Can we just buy the photographer a day pass?
Do not assume that. Valentin publishes day/wedding passes for non-hotel wedding guests and separately publishes an external-supplier authorization/fee rule. Treat those as different access categories unless the wedding coordinator confirms otherwise in writing.
What is the biggest current ceremony space?
The Beach is currently published for ceremonies up to 150. Las Fuentes is larger for cocktail/reception use, with current published ceilings up to 300 for cocktail and 200 for reception.
Can children attend the wedding?
No under the current public policy. Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya is adults-only and says guests under 18 are not allowed on property.
Can we use a drone?
The current wedding material reviewed does not publish a guest/vendor drone rule. The resort markets its own aerial/drone imagery, but that is not permission for an outside wedding team to fly. Confirm separately in writing.
How much does a wedding photographer cost at Valentin Imperial?
Experienced destination wedding photographers in this area generally run from about $3,000 to $8,000 USD for the wedding day, and more for multi-day celebrations with film. Most couples marrying at Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya book 6-8 hours, so the coverage reaches from getting ready to the party. Travel to this venue is included or minimal, we are local. To see where I would begin for your date, the collections live at /pricing/.
How much time do photos need at Valentin Imperial?
More than at a compact venue. This is a golf-cart resort, so moving between the suites, the ceremony spot and the best photo locations takes real time. Our timelines build in roughly 25-minute transfers so nothing feels rushed; with 6–8 hours of coverage the day flows comfortably.
Getting married at Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya?
I know this venue's light and its rules. Tell me your date and I'll tell you how I'd shoot it.