Any recommendations for a wedding in Mexico?

June 16, 2008 8:22 PM

Any recommendations for a wedding in Mexico?

My fiance and I are interested in getting married in Mexico. We would love to hear about everyone else's experiences.

Ideally we'd get a lot of rooms or houses close together near the beach and have people come down for up to a week if they could.

Any thoughts? We're really just starting to think about it and searching online has proven very unhelpful.

posted by kiwitobes to human relations (11 comments total)

My friends did JUST that in Saylulita (sp). They found a big house to rent and then those who didn't fit in the house stayed in little cabins on the beach. We all flew into Puerto Vallarta and it was about an hour from there.

We surfed and fished and drank every day, as guests.

As far as the actual nuptials, there was a big house at the top of a hill with a huge lawn where they held the ceremony (and I think that they stayed at that house night before and night after wedding.) They also hired a local wedding planner who coordinated the food and music. A friend with a ULC certification did the ceremony. We did an iTunes style set up for dancing.

Overall: extremely cheap, extremely fun, and the best wedding I've ever been to.

Here are (way too many) photos. But the ceremony shots in particular will give you a good idea of the house.
posted by k8t at 8:36 PM on June 16, 2008

Sayulita
posted by k8t at 8:37 PM on June 16, 2008

Barefoot Weddings might be a good place to start. They have contacts based in both Playa Del Carmen and Ontario, Canada, but I'm sure they would be willing to help no matter where you are located.
posted by nathaole at 8:38 PM on June 16, 2008

Here's more photos from above mentioned nuptials.
posted by k8t at 8:41 PM on June 16, 2008

Playa del Carmen. It is easy to get to as you fly into Cancun. The town is great and there are many good restaurants. There is a lot to do in the surrounding areas. If you are into SCUBA diving, it is world class. You jump on a ferry and are on Cozumel in about 20 minutes. There is an Italian place on the outskirts of the village that is amazing. If you go there in the day the owner will teach you how to make his bread. Really good times. I have used Ocean Summit Travel. They specialize in properties down there. They can probably assist you with wedding arrangements.
posted by Mr_Zero at 9:44 PM on June 16, 2008

I was just at a wedding like that, too.

The family rented a villa in Bucerias (near Puerto Vallarta) and it was pretty cool, with the beach a few steps away the entire time. I usually find weddings annoying, but the whole vacation feel made it fun. Some folks went out fishing the next day; I conducted hammock research all afternoon.

It's hard to go wrong at any of the major resorts on either coast... but you probably DO want it to be at or near a major resort destination in order to make the air fares kind to others.
posted by rokusan at 10:05 PM on June 16, 2008

Before we decided to elope, we did a ton of research into destination weddings in Mexico, looking for just what you describe. One of the places we seriously considered was Playa del Secreto. They've got 8 different beachfront villas you can rent and can accommodate at least 80 people. And they were very pleasant to deal with too.

It's just south of Cancun so flights are pretty cheap from most major cities, and there's plenty to do in the area if you're guests want to make a vacation out of it too. You really couldn't ask for prettier beaches than the Yucatan. They're white and sandy and stretch for miles. You won't get sunset over the beach as it faces east...not sure if that's a factor.

Feel free to mefimail me if you've got any questions. Knowing my wife, I'm sure she's got all of her notes still sitting around here somewhere.
posted by JaredSeth at 3:47 AM on June 17, 2008

ugh your guests...mental note: coffee, don't comment before it
posted by JaredSeth at 3:50 AM on June 17, 2008

Before we decided to elope, we did a ton of research into destination weddings in Mexico, looking for just what you describe. One of the places we seriously considered was Playa del Secreto. They've got 8 different beachfront villas you can rent and can accommodate at least 80 people. And they were very pleasant to deal with too.

While Playa del Secreto is really nice, there is very little to do there. If you are interested in anything other than laying on the beach you will have to travel to another area.
posted by Mr_Zero at 10:21 AM on June 17, 2008

La Casa Que Canta

I was there with a girlfriend, but this place was made for newlyweds.

From the east, you fly to Mexico City and connect to Zihua- another hour or so from Mexico City, if I remember correctly.

Really - highly recommended.
posted by Zambrano at 10:52 AM on June 17, 2008

I got married here in 2003. 1 hour's drive from of Mexico City, breathtakingly beautiful place, great weather, great service, all your guests can stay in the hotel, etc. Really great.

DO remember to get everything in writing, because there are tons of options and you don't want to be having drunken arguments with the hotel manager at 2 a.m about the noise level and the late hour, even though you agreed to it.....not that I would know anything about that.

Congratulations on your wedding, by the way.
posted by Cobalt at 6:13 PM on June 17, 2008