Making the most out of a destination wedding in Playa del Carmen as a wedding guest by Barefoot Bride Sophia Wilder

My fiance and I are getting married near Playa del Carmen in 2026. And while deciding between a local versus a destination wedding was a difficult choice, determining the destination city, once that became a better option for us, was never hard. That’s because in 2022, we attended a wedding based in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and we absolutely fell in love with the city.

Our friends had family from all over the world, so it only made sense to choose a vibrant, fun city where everyone could come together to celebrate their marriage. I had only been to Mexico once before when I had a family trip to Los Cabos and my fiance had previously done some travel around Cancun. Both were great experiences for us but we weren’t prepared for how much we would connect with this new destination, Playa del Carmen.

Upon arrival, we were impressed with how family friendly, yet fun everything felt. We opted for a resort in Playacar, a gated community right near the city center filled with beautiful resorts, beaches, and rentals. We loved our experience at the resort but we found our true love for the city when we started to explore.

During the week leading up to our friends’ wedding, we went cave diving in the Dos Ojos cenote, we went to Coco Bongo for a crazy cool nightclub/entertainment experience, we tried many restaurants that were fabulous, and we spent a lot of time roaming the streets of Quinta Avenida, where we had so many amazing shop options and always felt very safe. 

On the day of the wedding, which took place around 5pm, my fiance and I even made a morning trip to Coba. There, we biked around the ancient Mayan ruins and explored the area. Even though the location was about an hour away from our resort, we still were able to enjoy the fun day of adventure, with enough time to get ready for the evening festivities!

Playa del Carmen and the surrounding area of the Riviera Maya is an absolutely incredible destination for those looking to have a mix of adventure, fun, and relaxation. We chose this destination partially because we love the city but also because we want to ensure our guests will be able to make their own vacation out of our wedding week and we can only hope they have as much fun in 2026 as we did in 2022!