Important things to consider when comparing an off-resort venue and a resort for a wedding by Barefoot bride Sophia wilder

Deciding on a destination wedding can be stressful for couples. There are so many factors that go into planning any wedding and the addition of dealing with wedding logistics abroad can seem overwhelming. However, there are a plethora of great options for destination couples seeking an all-inclusive wedding planning experience or one that allows them to be more hands on!

One of the first decisions you’ll need to make as a destination couple is where you want to get married. If you already know the city/cities you’re considering, the next step is to secure your date and venue! Hiring a wedding planner that is familiar with your destination could be a great option if you are feeling overwhelmed. But if you are a researcher, like me, you might want to dig into local venues on your own before committing to one.

Most destination venues are broken into two buckets: resorts and off-resort venues. There are pros and cons to each. It really all depends on your vibe as a couple and how personalized you want your experience to be! I’ll admit, I am a little biased, as I selected an off-resort venue. But there are certainly reasons I loved the resorts we toured as well.

My fiance and I are getting married in Mexico and toured resorts and off-resort venues in Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Notably, the resorts we toured were all ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. The wedding coordinators and other staff we met at each resort gave us a detailed tour of the wedding experience and the resorts themselves. We toured the Hilton Playa del Carmen, Wyndham Alltra, and the Grand Hyatt. And truthfully, I would have been thrilled to get married at any of them.

The main pro of a resort to us was definitely the convenience factor. Imagine having all of your guests staying with you at a beautiful resort, able to walk straight from their room to your ceremony. The stress and cost of transportation for your guests to an outside venue is non-existent with this option. Additionally, resorts come with really amazing wedding coordinators who are dedicated to giving you a premium planning experience. Most resorts have a pre-selected list of vendors that minimize any decision fatigue you might have otherwise. However, this might also be considered a con if you fall in love with any wedding vendors who are not on their list because some resorts do not allow you to select vendors outside of the ones they consistently work with. Another important consideration is whether or not a resort requires a certain amount of wedding guests to stay on-site. For couples with guests who might not be able to stay at the resort of choice for a multitude of reasons, understanding the price implications of this is important. Lastly, for us, the main con was the lack of privacy for some of the resort wedding ceremony sites. While many resorts do offer ballrooms and some private areas, we found that the majority of outside ceremony spaces were in areas that other guests would be nearby and able to watch. This doesn’t bother everyone, but for us, we preferred a more intimate ceremony away from other guests. Many resorts have different packages and in-resort venues to fit your needs so I’d definitely recommend reaching out to resorts of interest and even touring them if possible!

We researched a bunch of off-resort venues and ended up touring the Blue Venado Tulum venue and the Blue Venado Pa’amul venue. The pros of the off resort venues include privacy, vendor control, and guest consideration. Off-resort venues, from what we experienced, were much more intimate. Booking a venue in its entirety allowed us complete control of the people who would be in attendance. We’ve heard plenty of stories from friends who experienced or even were the culprits of a resort wedding crashing and that was definitely something we did not want to stress about. Additionally, we were able to select our vendors that fit our style and budget and did not need to work within the confines of a pre-selected list. We also preferred for our guests to feel empowered to stay at any hotel, resort, or Airbnb that suits their needs and having an off-resort venue allows us to do this. The biggest off-resort con for us is the need to provide transportation to our guests from downtown Playa del Carmen to the resort. But overall, we love the personalization and intimacy of our off-resort venue. Off-resort venues also have wedding coordinators/planners who are able to make your dream wedding come to life. Throughout our process so far, we have truly felt like a priority with our venue planner and he has made this experience all the more personalized and special!

Having a destination wedding is no easy task. But luckily there are so many wonderful options that allow couples to tailor their experience to suit their needs and budgets. Whether you opt for a resort wedding because of the amazing service, premium experience, and convenience or opt for an off-resort venue because of the privacy and personalization, you really can’t go wrong.