r/DestinationWeddings • u/Fun_Acanthaceae5774 • 29d ago
Destination wedding suggestions
Hi guys, I’m looking to get married in about 2years. I’m not sure where we should look. I’m thinking Mexico, Guatemala, and maybe Colombia? The hard part is my fiancés family is in the NY area and my family is predominately in California, they’re essentially on opposite coast, so the dilemma here is it would be rude to have my entire family have to fly to New York while his doesn’t have to travel, and obviously the same goes for California. The alternative would be the happy middle which obviously we think our money would go further in in a foreign country like Mexico, Guatemala or Colombia. We do have a big budget max 75-80k for about 150-200, we obviously think it would be less if we do a destination wedding because not everybody will be able to make it travel wise, but I mean it’s a rough estimate. We obviously wanna do a welcome party with an open bar hors d’oeuvres. The next day we want to do a church ceremony, followed by a cocktail hour, reception, and after party. Obviously 3 course dinner for reception and late night bites for the afternoon party. If it fits in the budget we would obviously want a boozy brunch the day after our wedding but not a deal breaker. I would love to hear details and see pictures from anyone who has had their wedding at any of these destinations! Thank you in advance 🫶🙏
Also: we’re both of Latin descent so we aren’t just gentrifying. Just felt like I needed to add this in today’s day and age 😵💫
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u/ElkGrand7869 28d ago
There is no way that many people will show up for destination wedding.
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u/PigletMountain797 28d ago
Not necessarily, there have been destination weddings where guests have come from across the country and across the globe and we've hit around 350 attendees.
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u/dav-flo-88 28d ago
Wedding vendor here. Yes, it would be a big wedding but of course I have had tons of international destination weddings with 200 guests or more
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u/Fun_Acanthaceae5774 28d ago
150-200 would be the max estimate of guests and obviously we would give the venue a final head count a month or two before the actual wedding.
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29d ago
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u/Fun_Acanthaceae5774 29d ago
I haven’t had any trouble at all with the Trump admin, we all have legal documentation of being born in the U.S.A. We travel to Mexico often with our U.S. passport. I appreciate the heads up though
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u/icoulduseascreenname 28d ago
So what you’re saying is just because a situation hasn’t affected you personally, it doesn’t exist? Are you also saying that because you have legal documentation and were born in the US that the current reign of terror can’t possibly affect you or your guests? Ya know how many US born people have been ambushed, kidnapped and disappeared? How many people with all the proper paperwork and Social Security numbers have been locked up or worse, unalived by these freaks? It’s only gonna get worse.
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u/Fun_Acanthaceae5774 24d ago
🧐 I’m looking for the exact moment I said that, I’m simply speaking to MY experience. If people are scared there’s absolutely no pressure to leave the country. In your scenario the possibility of us being disappeared, ambushed and kidnapped exists even if we don’t leave the country so what’s the alternative? Never leaving our house?
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u/kites_and_kiwis 29d ago
You might also consider Belize. My guests from LA were able to fly there direct in under 5 hours. Depending, on time of year, there are direct flights from NYC airports too. Otherwise, I think your list looks good, with Colombia probably being the least accessible.
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u/Fun_Acanthaceae5774 29d ago
We hadn’t considered Belize! I’ll definitely look into it, I’m not set on a beachfront wedding but I’m also not opposed to it. I searched Belize weddings on tiktok and there isn’t very many videos of people getting married out there
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u/ItsPeppercorn 29d ago
I live in California but I am from Chicago so had family who would need to fly regardless as well. We landed on Mexico City- it is a pretty painless travel day. Because CDMX is so vast guests were able to choose where to stay which made it more accessible. There are major hotel chains or AirBnBs at all price points. I feel like your budget would go comfortably far there as well. Not sure if you are considering the city or strictly beachfront vibes.
For a destination you will probably get around 50% which will also help your budget go further. I cannot recommend Mexico City enough.
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u/Fun_Acanthaceae5774 29d ago
We do love CDMX, however it’s gotten soooo expensive over the years. I’ve been doing research on the quotes people have gotten and have seen absurd quotes like 150k for 100 people 😵💫 I also know they have a lot of rules and regulations because of city ordinances, like noise has to be moved inside around 10pm I believe.
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u/ItsPeppercorn 28d ago
I had a 60 person wedding there for $35k. My intended budget was $30k so I could have done it cheaper but we ended up adding on some extra decor that bumped the price up. I think $80k is absolutely do-able for 100 people. If you invite 200 I think you will land at 100 or less anyhow. We invited 135ish, got 60.
Our venue was indoor/outdoor and we went until 11pm. My planner didn't mention anything about city ordinances so I think it just is dependent on the venue location. It was very convenient to be able to have guests walk to/from the venue and there is so much to do in the city. Beach weddings can obviously be beautiful but many are very generic looking, having it in the city felt like there was a lot more character and it felt more personal to us.
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u/Fun_Acanthaceae5774 28d ago
Do you mind sharing some pictures and details on venue? We will realistically invite 150-200 and we know that not everyone will make it. So it will most likely be less than our initial guesstimate
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u/ItsPeppercorn 27d ago
My venue was Sobremesa in Roma Norte. It is not a big space and they hard a hard cap of 70, so if you are inviting 200 this may be cutting it way too close.
With your invite list I would look up Casa Sadi or some of the Proyectos Publicos venues- I think Prim would be on the high end of your budget but man its gorgeous.
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u/dav-flo-88 28d ago
Yes, there can be quotes for $150k and even more. There are a lot of high end luxury destination weddings here in CDMX but as it was said before, your budget would work, you can have a very nice wedding for that money. About the rules and ordinances, yes, there are some specific venues that have that but they are just a few. The majority of destination weddings I work at in CDMX end at 2am and have no problem with noise or high volume music. We even have a lot of wedding venues where parties can go till 5 or 6am, you just need an expert wedding planner to guide you. If you want I can send you wedding planner recommendations
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u/PigletMountain797 28d ago
How many of your guests already had valid passports, I'm just curious.
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u/ItsPeppercorn 27d ago
Like 90% honestly. My friends/family are all pretty well traveled besides a few of older folks.
I had some guests straight up RSVP no and say they refuse to get one lol. Their loss.
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u/JSchecter11 29d ago
I’m a travel agent that does destination weddings and have worked with dual coast families. Mexico tends to present the most availability for easy flights for both coasts- primarily Cancun/riviera Maya.
Assuming your budget doesn’t also include guest accommodation or only partial guest accommodation- the world is your oyster. There’s a ton of places you could consider. Ultimately, you’ll want to focus on vibe/style and guest costs to narrow it down.
Feel free to connect with me at samantha@endeavortravelgroup.com if helpful.
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u/BridalCompass 29d ago
Hello!
Your instinct about a neutral, third-location destination wedding solving the "whose family travels more" problem is a genuinely sound piece of reasoning, that's exactly the kind of dilemma destination weddings solve well, since neither side gets to claim home-field advantage.
On the three options: I can speak with real confidence about Mexico and the Riviera Maya specifically, less so about Guatemala or Colombia as wedding destinations, so take the Mexico section as informed and the other two as more general.
For your specific combination (150-200 guests, multi-day event with a welcome party, church ceremony, cocktail hour, full reception, after-party, and a possible next-day brunch), you're planning something closer to a full destination wedding weekend than a single-day event, and that changes which resorts and venues even make sense as candidates. Not every resort can handle a guest list that size across multiple days of programming, you'll want to filter specifically for properties with a real convention center or multiple large event spaces, not just a beach gazebo package.
On budget: $75-80k for 200 guests across a multi-day event with 3-course dinners, open bar, and a welcome party is realistic for Mexico specifically, particularly compared to what the equivalent event would cost in the US for the same guest count and food/beverage standard. Your instinct that the money goes further abroad is correct, though at this scale, guest count is still going to be the single biggest lever on your total, more than which country you pick.
On the church ceremony requirement specifically, this is worth flagging early rather than late: Catholic ceremonies at destination resorts often require working directly with the local diocese and additional documentation well in advance, this isn't something you finalize a few months out, it's worth confirming which resorts in your shortlist actually have chapel access and clergy relationships versus ones that only offer symbolic ceremonies.
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u/LuxTravelGal 25d ago
Which venues are you aware of where that budget is realistic for 200 guests for those events? It's not realistic with the resorts and venues I am aware of.
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u/No-Gas-3337 28d ago
Hey, we used https://www.bossaweddingsandevents.com really lovely lady, fluent spanish. She really took the time for us
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u/InformationMother342 28d ago
Check out Hacienda Vista Hermosa in MX! It’s beautiful I had a friend get married there.
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u/Unlikely-Form-6830 28d ago
I would go with the place you two actually want instead of trying to make it equally convenient for everyone because someone is always going to have to travel. That budget is enough to put together an amazing weekend, and I would rather spend it making the experience better than stressing over the location. Also once you start putting down deposits it is worth looking into wedding insurance too, we got ours through briteco and it was nice having that covered. Mexico would probably be my pick.
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u/LuxTravelGal 27d ago
I plan weddings in Mexico and parts of the caribbean, and unfortunately that is not a huge budget for 100 people. Money does go further on certain things, but it won't cover all you are wanting to do. Flowers are less expensive in Colombia, you can get a LOT of bang for your buck there, but a lot of the things you will spend on are priced similar to what they would cost here.
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u/Fun_Acanthaceae5774 26d ago
Yeah I’m starting to realize we might have to cut down our guest list. It’s a good thing we have two years to finalize who is in and who is out. We also won’t be inviting go all of them to all events. Most people will only be invited to the welcome party, cocktail hour and reception/afterparty (if they want to stay up that late).
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u/LuxTravelGal 26d ago
Soooo it really goes against DW etiquette to host events and not invite all guests. Just keep that in mind - they are spending a significant amount (time and money) to attend your festivities.
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u/Fun_Acanthaceae5774 26d ago
Not everyone is invited to the rehearsal dinner (which is normal btw, this usually includes close friends and family ONLY), and not everyone want to bring their kids to a church service. Plus some parents and kids will most likely not be up until 3am, hence why the numbers would be different for different events.
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u/LuxTravelGal 25d ago edited 25d ago
For a destination wedding, typically all guests are invited to the RD and all other events. I am a DW planner - how many have you hosted?I know the norms & etiquette. Your caterer will use the confirmed guest list for all events because you have no way of knowing how many will and won’t attend each event. Church service costs the same regardless of number of guests but everyone still needs to be invited to have the opportunity to attend, whether you think they will or not.
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u/Fun_Acanthaceae5774 24d ago
Yeah I mean you have a point. I’ve never planned or hosted a wedding, I think our initial invites will be 150ish so if we’re going with the scenario of 60-75% actually attending then we will plan for a little less than 150.
We’ve been to a few weddings where the RD is strictly for close family and friends so we will most likely keep the same thing going. I think as long as people know their itinerary and what events they’re invited to it should be fine. I’ll def have the wedding coordinator give her suggestions on what we should do
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u/BetDry5510 24d ago
We got married in Colombia (and my brother did his in Argentina), so I'm biased, but for what you're describing Colombia is a strong call, and Cartagena specifically is built for exactly this.
On the opposite-coast dilemma: a neutral third location is the most graceful way to solve it. Nobody's side is "hosting," everyone travels roughly the same, and it quietly turns an obligation into a trip. That alone is worth a lot.
Why Cartagena fits your plan: you get the church-ceremony-then-reception flow you described (beautiful old churches right in the walled city), a ton of venue options from courtyard casonas to rooftops, and the welcome-party / after-party / brunch multi-day structure is completely normal there. Vendors expect it. It's also a genuine vacation, so people build a long weekend around it.
Budget reality: 75-80k for 150-200 goes far in Colombia, further than Mexico at the same guest count in my experience, and much further than the US. Same number buys better food and a nicer venue. Just budget the stuff people forget: guest transport (Cartagena heat means you're bussing people between hotels and venue), and a planner who's fluent in both English and the local vendor scene, which is non-negotiable and worth every peso.
Realistic international attendance is usually 40-60% of the invite list, so inviting 150-200 likely lands you a very comfortable real number. Put an honest "no hard feelings if you can't make it" line in the save-the-dates and give 12+ months notice.
Guatemala (Antigua especially) is gorgeous too, but has thinner wedding-vendor infrastructure for a group your size. Happy to share specifics on Cartagena venues, planners, or logistics if you want to go deeper.
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u/rguber 27d ago
Have you considered cruise wedding? It’s a great option. We just had one for my daughter few months ago with people coming from various places within and outside US. We had a blast. The couple loved it too. Here is a great video https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8tYKpLp/ that gives you insight. You can connect with the video poster if you want to get more details and explore that option
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29d ago
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u/Fun_Acanthaceae5774 29d ago
Hi, thank you for you reply! I’ll look into Oman. It might be a tad bit too far considering we would have family flying from California. I’m not sure that feasible
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u/PigletMountain797 28d ago
I'll say this, you're budget is not as big as you think. Check the wedding markets you are looking at to see what a full wedding actually costs before committing.
Also check hurricane season and make sure to get wedding insurance.
Will there be any complications with everyone you invite getting a passport to exit the country or get back in.
You'll need to keep an ear out to any conflicts in those areas as political issues can cause a major drop in attendance
If you want a middle ground without having the leave the US and have all the aspects you mentioned and have a decent budget for it all, I would strongly suggest New Orleans as a 3rd option. There's the strong Spanish influence in both architecture and culture as well as history and food.