Planning a destination wedding at a gorgeous all-inclusive resort in Mexico can sound like a total dream. And it is! But there are some things that most couples don’t realize until they’re ankle deep in emails and spreadsheets, so before you put your signature on a wedding contract, here are nine surprising realities of having a destination wedding in Mexico.
There Are So Many Resort Options
Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations have literally hundreds of all-inclusive resorts, and every one of them seems to claim to be “the best”. Spoiler alert! Very few resorts are actually even logical for a destination wedding group, let alone being the best resort. But “the best” resort for you, your guests, and your wedding really depends on your wants, wedding goals, and spending plan. The sheer number of choices can be extremely overwhelming if you don’t have any type of process or understanding of how to narrow down the options.
Yellow Umbrella Events Tip: This is where expert guidance is going to be your life saver (and sanity preserver)! Work with a travel agent that specializes in destination weddings, like our team here at Yellow Umbrella Events, and we’ll use our proven InsiderMatch program to zero in on the actual best resort for your dream destination wedding in Mexico.
Wedding Package “Perks” Are Usually Tied to Your Total Room Count
If you’ve done any research on hosting a destination wedding at a Mexico all-inclusive resort, you’ve no doubt learned that you can earn some nice perks for hosting your wedding at the various properties. The catch? These perks are nearly always tied to the number of rooms your guests book. This means you will need to sign a contract for a certain minimum number of rooms (and usually for three to four nights each) just to take advantage of these offers. So, a 15-person, six individual room wedding will likely get you zero or next to no perks, but a 75-person, 37-room wedding can get you a free ceremony, free cocktail hour, and even up to four private reception hours at one popular resort! But it may earn you as little as a one-hour welcome cocktail party at another resort. The perks vary wildly.
Yellow Umbrella Events Tip: Don’t assume you’ll earn big perks just because you’re hosting a destination wedding. And don’t assume that free event hours = a wedding for less money. Some resorts use the lure of great perks to get you to book, but the other wedding vendors and add-ons end up costing more. If you do choose a resort that offers great event perks in exchange for booking lots of guest rooms, it’s essential to set realistic expectations with guests early on to make sure your guests are reserving rooms ONLY through your room block, as only those rooms will count towards perks and concessions.
Not Everything at an All-Inclusive Resort Is All Inclusive When It Comes to Weddings and Events
Sure, your rooms, drinks, and meals are included at all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, but wedding events are a totally different story. Events like welcome parties, cocktail events, rehearsal dinners, wedding ceremonies, and receptions are all considered “private events” and they are NOT included in your resort stay. Why? Because these events require separate spaces, private staffing, and additional setup. Anything that is not available to the rest of the resort guests is typically considered a private event and will have a separate cost.
Yellow Umbrella Events Tip: Think of your stay and your wedding events as two separate things. Anything related to your wedding day activities or any activity that is exclusive to only your guests will have an additional charge. Then prioritize the private events that are truly a “must have” for you. Do you “need” to have a private breakfast meet-up with your whole group? Or could you set some come-and-go hours at the breakfast buffet and visit with guests as they flow in and out? A private brunch will cost you, but a casual come-and-go event at the buffet that all the other resort guests have access to is included. Nothing more is needed here than a bigger table or to try to have your guests seated around you in the same area.
Wedding Costs Add Up Fast
The wedding package you saw for $5,000 that looks like a steal? Well, it doesn’t include a photographer, a videographer, a DJ, a dance floor, centerpieces, or lighting. By the time you add everything you actually want for your wedding, you’re looking at way different numbers! Mexico destination weddings are still usually less expensive than a U.S. wedding, but you need to be realistic about true wedding costs up front.
Yellow Umbrella Events Tip: Look at those wedding packages as a starting point, not the final cost. Ask questions from a professional about what to expect to spend on those “extras” you really want, and then you’ll be more prepared when reviewing wedding packages.
There Are Minimum On-Site Guest Requirements
Every resort has rules about who can attend your wedding. Most resorts require 80% – 90% of your total guest count to stay at the resort for a three to four-night minimum, and some resorts require 100% of all guests to stay at the resort. When guests stay elsewhere, when allowed, they will need to purchase what’s known as a “wedding day pass” to be allowed on the resort. This pass usually only allows resort access 30 minutes prior to the ceremony, and guests typically must leave at the end of the reception.
Yellow Umbrella Events Tip: The easiest way to avoid awkward surprises is to set expectations with family and friends early on in the planning process. Make sure your guests understand precisely where you want them to book their room and how to do so. And one more thing – if you don’t have the guest on your “outside guest list” that you turn into your resort during the planning process, they will not let them onto the property for your wedding, so make sure that anyone who is planning to attend but did not book a room at your resort lets you know well in advance.
Planning Timelines Are Very Short
Unlike traditional U.S. weddings, where we plan down to the minute a year or more in advance, resorts in Mexico don’t start detailed planning until a few months before the wedding. This can feel very stressful when The Knot is coming at you daily with “Did you book this vendor yet?” emails, especially if you’re a bit Type A.
Yellow Umbrella Events Tip: Know that this is the norm in the area where you chose to have your wedding. And if this is going to make you absolutely wrecked with stress, you have some options – plan a traditional U.S. wedding in the U.S., or embrace the fact that this is how it’s done in Mexico. They’ve done it for everyone else’s wedding; they can do it for yours, or better yet, hire a local wedding planner to help you navigate the process. With a local wedding planner, not connected to the resort, you’ll have a more traditional planning timeline, closer to what you’re used to from those The Knot emails.
You’ll Be Shocked by the Lack of Communication from Your Vendors and Resort Planning Team
We love a good, fast email response as much as the next person, and in the U.S., our culture values those speedy email responses. But Mexico is not the U.S., and these resort teams are managing literally HUNDREDS of weddings a year, and in some bigger resorts, they have literally THOUSANDS of weddings each year! To say that these poor wedding planning teams are stretched thin is an understatement. That means that it’s not unusual for emails to go unanswered for days or even weeks at times. It’s not that they don’t care – it’s just the system. If you send an email with a question about song choices and your wedding is six months from now, it’s not high on the “must answer immediately” scale. Yes, it’s very important to you, but the resort planning teams are going to prioritize the couple that is right in front of them having their wedding at the resort today or next week before they get to your email.
Yellow Umbrella Events Tip: To save yourself frustration, expect slower response times from resort wedding teams until you’re a couple of months out from your wedding. In the meantime, you can feel free to connect with vendors from the resort’s preferred vendor lists, do some planning on your own, and start making a list of questions that you would like answered as you get closer to your date.
Also, here are two email tips: 1. Don’t be afraid to send a follow-up email if you don’t get a response after a few days. It’s reasonable to want consistent responses, but it’s not reasonable to expect them within 24 hours if your wedding date is still more than two to three months away. 2.) Keep all emails in one single thread. Yes, we know you probably like to group emails by subject, but trust us when we tell you that you will get more consistent responses if you start one email with the resort team and keep all communication on that one thread.
Guest Travel and Room Block Logistics and Management Can Feel Like a Full-Time Job
Coordinating travel, managing deposits, answering questions about shuttles, and chasing down your Aunt Linda’s room payment can feel like an entire job on top of your real job and real life. Without help, this is an area where couples can burn out quickly. And this is precisely why companies like Yellow Umbrella Events exist – to handle the guest logistics so you can focus on enjoying your engagement and focus on planning your wedding.
Yellow Umbrella Events Tip: Don’t take on the stress of managing your guest room block yourself – it’s overwhelming and thankless from a couple’s standpoint. Remove a component that is labor and logistic-intensive – we’re here to manage it for you at no charge!
The Bonding Is Real!
Despite the stress that planning a wedding can be, the payoff of a destination wedding in Mexico is incredible! Your friends and family will actually get to spend quality time together over a few days, not rushed in and out of a venue in a four-hour window one night, like a wedding at home. You’ll eat, drink, lounge by the pool, and maybe even have some adventures together. After a destination wedding, we hear from so many couples who tell us they feel closer to their guests than they did before the wedding.
Yellow Umbrella Events Tip: Lean into the group experience! Some of the best parts of a destination wedding is the time you and your loved ones spend together outside of the wedding day. This is what makes the whole weekend truly unforgettable.
The Yellow Umbrella Take
Planning a destination wedding at a Mexico all-inclusive resort comes with its fair share of surprises and a bit of a learning curve. But with the proper guidance, you can manage the details with confidence and focus on what really matters: celebrating with the people you love the most.
Ready to make your planning less stressful? Let our team here at Yellow Umbrella Events guide you through the process from start to finish. Schedule a call with us today, and let’s start planning your unforgettable destination wedding in Mexico!
