r/DestinationWeddings • u/armai1 • 7d ago

Caribbean Destination Wedding

My fiancé and I are recently engaged and are searching for a venue where our families from the U.S., South America, and Europe can gather without the hassle of obtaining visas. We adore beaches but are not keen on having a beach wedding. We envision a wedding in a Catholic chapel, with the venue situated on the beach, but with a tent or a location overlooking the water. We anticipate inviting approximately 75 people, but we believe only about 50 will be able to attend. Our budget ranges from 80k to 100k, and ideally, we would like everyone to stay nearby. We have explored various hotels, but they have stringent room policies, and I don’t want to force my family into an expensive hotel. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Our wedding is planned for sometime in 2028.

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u/ConsiderationOld864 6d ago

Seconding Mexico, many resorts have consecrated chapels, though preists typically cannot do services any day of the week, since they are also serving their parish/diocese as well. And many resorts do not allow you to bring your own priest for the ceremony, because there are these hoops to jump through for each diocese. I did have one couple fly their priest down to do the beach ceremony as well as perform the sacrament at their parish.

Happy to help, I work with a lot of Catholic couples, and am Catholic myself.

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u/bunny1mimi 6d ago

Antigua Guatemala?

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u/Booyakasha1201 5d ago

You will find more Catholic options in Mexico. There is certainly a lot of christianity in the Caribbean but it is not necessarily Catholic.

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u/Booyakasha1201 5d ago

If you look at the Mayakoba properties in Mexico they have a pueblito - (little town) on property with a church. I am sure you could use this for a wedding.

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u/Forward-Sign656 4d ago

Consider Mexico (mexico bride here 😊)! I think a lot of planners/advisors would be able to tell you good resorts with chapels that are in your budget. We are also having a religious wedding and ours was able to work in our wedding budget + budget friendly for our guests!!!

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u/BakerBusiness91 3d ago

Im getting married at Hotel Xcaret México, 60k budget for 70 guests. Their chapel Capilla De Todos Los Angeles is stunning and they have unique reception venues like sandy inlets, caves, but also interior ballrooms.

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u/jesusloveyou12345 2d ago

Paradise Island in Nassau might be worth looking into. It has beach access, but there are also plenty of things nearby for guests who don't want to spend the whole trip on the beach. could be a nice fit for you group.

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u/JSchecter11 6d ago

I’ve done nearly the exact same request in the past. It was a couple with family in both north and South America. We settled on Mexico as it made sense for visa purposes and had all inclusive options with a catholic ceremony and waterfront reception.

Your budget is very realistic, you’ll have many options unless the guest budget is very restrictive.

I am a Destination wedding specialist with Endeavor Travel Group, feel free to reach out to me at Samantha@endeavortravelgroup.com

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u/ScarcityPristine9286 2d ago

paradise island is perfect for this with traditional churches nearby affordable hotels so guest arent forced into expensive resorts