Having your big day in a Caribbean paradise is both a romantic and memorable experience for both the guests of honor and the attendees. For you it’s the dream wedding in an ideal tropical setting and for your guests it’s sharing a celebration and vacation with friends all-in-one. With a little advance planning, you can be sure to create an occasion to remember for all.
Most people that are getting married and planning a wedding simply want their guests in attendance to have fun and for the event go pretty much as planned. If you get married in a tropical destination, you can virtually be assured that your invitees will have a wonderful and memorable experience, after all they have arrived in paradise surrounded by family and good friends. As far as planning your white sands, Caribbean Sea destination wedding, that can also be fairly straight forward if you do some basic homework.
Location, location, location!
The first thing you will need to decide is where to have your wedding, but don’t be hasty here. What is your vision for you wedding in paradise? Do you envision a small wedding on the beach in a remote location or a more luxurious option at an all inclusive resort? There are plenty of options on either end of that spectrum and lots in between. The important thing, more than the actual place is the vision you have; once you have that in mind, it’s a good idea at this point to get a local expert on your team or at least an expert in the local area. This is critical because it is virtually impossible to find the local vendors needed to plan your wedding in Mexico on your own.
In some cases, if you pick a specific location first your “expert” is going to be dedicated to the hotel they work with and some of the extras in your “vision” may not be possible. Going with an independent wedding planning service will give you the initial flexibility to help you realize your vision without being tied to one place. This can also be an important factor for your budget and work more from an ala-carte approach versus a total package.
Packages are, however, a good place to start and they usually allow for some flexibility. Most planners offer some basics that are almost always included in a wedding package like a cake, a variety of ceremonies, flowers, music, and dinner etc. There are lots of other options that can be added or modified of course, but again they at least give you a basis and a start to your budgeting.
In addition to having your wedding in paradise, there are lots of fun activities you and your guests can do, especially on the Maya Riviera Mexico. There are plenty of beach days, snorkeling, scuba, fishing, jungle tours, adventure parks and mysterious Cenotes (underground river systems) throughout the area. There is no way you or your guests can see all of it on a 1-2 week trip, so get ready for fun!
Advance notice is always a good idea for a destination wedding as it allows your guests the time needed to plan for themselves and budget for the travel expense. In general, people are excited to be invited to a wedding vacation with friends as long as they have some notice.
We found a company based out of Colorado called the Turquoise Reef Group (www.mexicoholiday.com) that has been doing weddings on the Yucatan and Maya Riviera since the early 1980’s. They work with a number of smaller beach resorts and hotels directly and offer additional discounts on lodging for groups. Not only do they refer you to knowledgeable local planners, they track all your invited guests and send out reminders for them to book their rooms and keep the brides updated along the way; it makes the whole process a lot smoother.
