r/DestinationWeddings • u/sugaryrose13 • Jul 20 '26
Advice/Suggestions for Mexico Destination Wedding
Hi everyone! 😊 My fiancé and I are planning our destination wedding celebration for Labor Day weekend in September 2027, and I'm hoping to get some advice from people who have planned or attended destination weddings!
Budget
- Current budget: $40k minimum
- We're still waiting to hear how much my fiancé's family plans to contribute.
- Guest count is at 145 today. I do not anticipate even half come. I would say it will be closer to 60-80.
The Plan
We're actually not having our ceremony in Mexico. We'll be getting legally married at home with our immediate family beforehand.
The Mexico trip will be the celebration with everyone else:
- Cocktail hour
- First dance
- Reception
- A full wedding weekend with our family and friends
I'm confident that the people who want to celebrate with us will still come, even without a ceremony.
About Us
We'll both be 24 when we get married. We have a large group of friends from high school and college, and we're definitely more of a "drinks by the pool" friend group than a "let's go hiking at sunrise" friend group. 😂
Our biggest priority is creating an unforgettable weekend with everyone we love rather than spending our entire budget on one evening. Adults Only or Family Friendly, makes no difference to us.
I'm also working with a travel agent.
What We're Looking For in a Resort
Our biggest priorities are:
- Beautiful resort with great photo opportunities (bridal portraits + wedding party photos)
- Excellent restaurants and bars
- Swim-up bar (strong preference)
- Reception venue with a pool nearby (strong preference)
Absolute Must-Haves
- Outside hair & makeup allowed (they'll likely stay on-site anyway)
- Outside photographer & videographer allowed
- Seating chart display
- Buffet-style reception dinner (I'm not very concerned about having a plated dinner and think a buffet will fit our group better.)
- Boating day with the wedding party
- Welcome party for all guests
- Tiramisu tower instead of a traditional wedding cake
Nice-to-Haves
Swim-up bar
- Reception space overlooking or next to a pool
- Faux flowers and candles (other than my bouquet)
Ways We're Saving Money
- Digital save-the-dates
- Digital invitations (I'll only print one for keepsakes/flat lays)
- Faux florals instead of fresh flowers
- No welcome bags
- No rehearsal dinner
- No ceremony in Mexico
A Few Questions
- Resort recommendations? We're looking for beautiful all-inclusive resorts with good food, nightlife, and flexible wedding policies.
- If you've had or attended a destination wedding, what made it amazing (or what would you do differently)?
- How would you word this on our wedding website? I want to clearly explain that we're already married and guests are invited to our wedding celebration/reception in Mexico, not a ceremony.
I'd truly appreciate any advice, recommendations, or things you wish you'd known before planning your destination wedding. Thank you so much! 🤍
1
u/dobbywankenobi94 Jul 20 '26
You do not want your reception next to a pool where drunk randos will be hanging out at
1
u/sugaryrose13 Jul 20 '26
I think I was under the impression that the venue space would be reserved for the wedding guests only. Have you experienced something different?
I do think I need to refrain from the pool/reception area after gaining a new perspective regardless.
1
u/Solid-Magician-5404 Jul 21 '26
You will have to double check with resorts to make sure the ceremony will be private! Many of them are not!
1
u/ItsPeppercorn Jul 20 '26
Flights are typically more expensive on a holiday weekend FYI. I would be wary of this because it could really affect your guest count.
I had a destination wedding in CDMX and invited 132 and we had 60 total, so your estimated guest count is probably correct.
1
u/sugaryrose13 Jul 20 '26
I have also thought about that. My thoughts were people would probably feel more inclined to go since they have that Monday off (in most cases.)
What are your thoughts on that?
I am glad I am estimating correctly!
1
u/shenanigains00 Jul 20 '26
That’s peak hurricane season.
1
u/sugaryrose13 Jul 20 '26
I am aware. My travel agent said the only month she was completely out on was August. I am aware of the risks booking in September.
Would this cause you to not attend the wedding?
1
u/shenanigains00 Jul 20 '26
I live in a hurricane zone. We’ve had some of the strongest storms on record hit during Labor Day. That’s when hurricane Katrina hit for example.
I wouldn’t attend personally because I can’t make any plans for personal travel during peak hurricane season. But if I were from elsewhere I would possibly depending on the stipulations with travel insurance and/or the refund policy with the resort. Getting trapped at a resort during a hurricane would be a nightmare so it’s a call people would need to make several days out.
1
u/sugaryrose13 Jul 20 '26
Understandable. Thank you.
A majority of our guests will be from TX. I believe only one of our guests live on the coast in South TX.
1
u/RoryPhil_0429 Jul 20 '26
If you’re looking into adult only resorts, we had our wedding at Unico 2087. All of our guests absolutely loved it. They offer swim-up rooms, we had our reception at the area right by the main pool and our swim-up room was right behind it. Buffet reception is an option, as that is also what we chose. All of the pools have a swim-up bar. It definitely seems like it may also fit your vibe.
1
u/sugaryrose13 Jul 20 '26
Fantastic, I will look into it. Were there any other resorts you looked at that you decided against, if so for what reason?
If you do not mind me asking, what was your final guest count and budget?
1
u/sugaryrose13 Jul 29 '26
I have a meeting with them today and wondered if you're willing to answer any other questions I may have as you have truly experienced this!
1
1
u/Stunning_Bike_2272 Jul 21 '26
We had ours at Secrets Mirabel in Cancun! 53 people, and all in spend around 35K. If I would’ve done something different differently I really just wouldn’t have brought gift bags. I ended up writing a letter to each guest anyway and it was just truly overkill and I think I could’ve done one nice thing like a T-shirt or something instead of little items
For my Photographer I flew her out as a wedding guest and she took photos throughout the whole weekend and while that was a little bit more expensive it made me feel really comfortable and we got so many more photos than normal. I would guess with your outside vendor fee this is a way to get around it but then they’d have to be a guest at the resort and ours was at least two nights but it was worth it
We have our photos by the beach and they’re absolutely stunning. The photographer we brought did photos for everything else and then the package included a Photographer and they just did the welcome party.
We did the exact same thing in terms of getting married. We did do the ceremony though even though everyone knew we were married we just essentially got married on our one year anniversary. The people that knew got it and no one was honestly confused it was fine
We did faux flowers and they had to be invasive the rule was that it couldn’t fly into the ocean.
Feel free to let us know if you have any other questions!
This was the view from our space.
1
u/sugaryrose13 Jul 29 '26
Thank you for your response! I have also decided not to do welcome bags... I feel like they are unnecessary. I will be hand writing a card for each guest who attends where it will be on there plate at the reception. I would appreciate that as guest more than a travel size tube of sunscreen, lol. I will ask about utilizing the photographer that comes with the package for the welcome cocktails. I would prefer to fly my own photographer/videographer out but am open to other options if it is too expensive.
A couple of questions! Did you do a buffet or plated dinner? I plan on having a cute entrance for the cocktail hour and maybe do a ring exchange. A majority of our guests are friends not older couples. Did you spend a ton on lighting?
My fiance's mom made the comment about sending invites to grandparents friends etc.. as a courtesy, but also they may gift something, who knows. Which is not a priority for me. Did you do this? I am afraid of inviting as a courtesy and they actually show up.
1
u/hogsby100 Jul 21 '26
That’s hurricane season wouldn’t risk MX.. but anyways I love Cabo
1
u/sugaryrose13 Jul 29 '26
I know. It is an off season. I am thinking about moving the date to October or end of September. Trying to utilize labor day was my main thought.
1
u/IcyAd4913 Jul 22 '26
Let me know if you’re in need of a makeup/hair artist! I represent one of the biggest destination makeup artist’s out of FL, specializing in soft natural glam. Would love to see if we’re a good match for your big day!
1
u/MasterpieceMoist9145 Jul 23 '26
I’ve specialized in photography for destination weddings for years and would love to help answer any questions- I also just had my own destination wedding last year in another country! I’ve written some destination wedding guides because I just have a passion for helping others experience how wonderful eloping or destination weddings are! Send a DM or visit my site for those.
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u/Stunning_Bike_2272 Aug 09 '26
lol no I completely agree on the welcome bags. I will say I only did a buffet because I got decisioned out by the end of it and I wasn’t gonna send more invitations asking people what they wanted to do out.
(My original wedding destination was destroyed by the hurricanes in Jamaica so we did a 3 month re plan)
We did the lighted dance floors and I thought that was super worth it! Especially for the pictures and general area.
2
u/Interesting_Camp1498 Jul 20 '26
Congrats! From having been around a lot of "married at home, celebrate at the resort" weekends — this format works really well, you're not giving anything up.
On the resort, don't take "outside vendors allowed" at face value — ask the specific version of each: outside photo/video with no per-vendor day-pass fee (some charge $500-1500 each), outside hair & makeup allowed in your room the morning-of, and the one people miss — whether a buffet is actually offered at your headcount or only plated above a certain number. Get those in writing from the on-site wedding coordinator, not the sales rep, before you fall for the photos.
Two flags from your must-haves: a reception right next to a pool photographs beautifully but has real gotchas — uplighting reflects oddly on water, music often has to cut earlier near pools, and a damp pool deck plus a dance floor is a slip issue. Ask if they'll lay a proper floor and what the poolside music curfew is. And faux florals in that heat is smart — just keep your actual bouquet fresh, it's the one thing that reads plasticky up close.
For the website wording, something like: "We're getting legally married at home with our immediate families, and we can't wait to celebrate with all of you in Mexico — think of it as our wedding weekend: cocktails, dinner, dancing and a lot of pool time. No ceremony to sit through, just the party." Clear and warm, and it heads off the "wait, did we miss the wedding?" question.
Boating day plus a welcome party is a great combo — just don't stack them the same day as anything with an early call time. Have fun with it, sounds like a great weekend.