Royal Resorts runs several beachfront resorts in the Hotel Zone, including The Royal Sands, The Royal Islander and The Royal Cancún, popular with families returning year after year. Start about an hour and a half before sunset; the light table below gives the exact times for your month.
Every resort in Cancún has a beach; what changes the photographs is which way that beach faces and how the day is planned around it. Royal Resorts Cancún is on the central stretch of the Hotel Zone, on the open Caribbean. Here is how we would plan the photography of a wedding there.
The Resort at a Glance
- ResortsThe Royal Sands, The Royal Islander, The Royal Cancún
- Beach facesEast, onto the open Caribbean
Venue names and capacities come from the resort's wedding listings and change with renovations and packages, so your coordinator's current sheet is the final word.
Where the Ceremony Happens
Royal Resorts' properties sit at different points of the Hotel Zone, so the light and the beach depend on which one you choose. Ask the resort which property hosts weddings for your date and which spaces are available. For photos, a ceremony facing the sea, away from the pools, works best.
Sunset and Light by Month
Times for this beach on the 15th of each month in 2027.
| Month | Sunrise | Golden | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:27 am | 5:54 pm | 6:26 pm |
| March | 6:56 am | 6:27 pm | 6:56 pm |
| May | 6:09 am | 6:47 pm | 7:18 pm |
| June | 6:05 am | 6:58 pm | 7:30 pm |
| July | 6:14 am | 7:00 pm | 7:32 pm |
| September | 6:34 am | 6:21 pm | 6:50 pm |
| November | 6:57 am | 5:34 pm | 6:06 pm |
| December | 7:16 am | 5:35 pm | 6:08 pm |
This stretch of the Hotel Zone faces east onto the open Caribbean, so the sun sets behind the hotel and the beach falls into soft, even light at the end of the day. The sea is livelier here than in the bay, with real waves on windy days. Across the boulevard, the Nichupté lagoon catches the actual sunset over water. Plan the ceremony for roughly 90 minutes before sunset; the portraits then land in the softest light of the day.
Bringing Your Own Photographer
Bringing your own photographer to Royal Resorts Cancún is allowed, with an access charge for outside wedding vendors that the resort sets by season and package. Because the number moves, the only figure that counts is the one in your own contract or in an email from your coordinator. Ask two questions: is it per vendor or per person, and does a higher wedding package include it? We register with the resort and send our documents ourselves.
Weddings in the Cancún Hotel Zone, Through Our Lens
Real IVAE Studios weddings and portraits on the beaches of the Cancún Hotel Zone, so you can see how this light and water look on camera. They show our work in the area, not necessarily at Royal Resorts Cancún.
Coverage and Prices
IVAE Studios wedding coverage starts at 1,800 to 2,800 USD for up to four hours. A full day of eight to ten hours with a second photographer is 3,500 to 5,500 USD, and photography with a wedding film is 5,500 to 8,000 USD. All prices are published on our site, and the full edited gallery is delivered within one to three business days.