There’s a particular kind of wedding that a big resort can’t give you. Everyone staying under the same roof, running into each other at breakfast, the staff learning your names by the second day, and the whole property quietly revolving around your celebration rather than absorbing it. For that, you need a small resort, and there are ideal venues across Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit.
Six out of 53 makes this the rarest category in the region, and that scarcity is worth knowing early because these properties book out further ahead than the big all-inclusives. It also means a full or partial buyout is genuinely on the table, which is the thing that turns a destination wedding into a private weekend.
With our Puerto Vallarta couples averaging 23 guests, a boutique property is a better fit for far more weddings than actually end up booking one. Our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists can find out what a buyout would cost on your dates.
Top Small Destination Wedding Venues at Top Puerto Vallarta Resorts
All six small properties in the region, ordered by partnership level and star rating.
1. Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta
Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta is the standout: five-star, adults-only, small by room count, and yet with the venue range of a much larger property. The Sierra Luna Terrace holds 250, the Red Ballroom 250, and the Plazoleta courtyard and Orange Tree garden take 100 each.
Guests also get access to the wider resort complex on the same hillside, so the amenity list is bigger than the room count suggests. The best of both worlds, and our highest-rated small partner.
Learn more about Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta and get a free quote today >>
2. Family Selection at Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa
Family Selection at Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa is a small, upgraded enclave within a much larger resort, which is a genuinely clever answer to the size question. Your immediate party gets boutique-scale accommodation and service, while the wider property supplies the venues.
Those venues include the region’s only on-site Catholic chapel at 80 guests, a beach pergola for 150, an ocean view deck for 150, and indoor salons. Family-friendly and Sapphire-level in Riviera Nayarit.
Learn more about Family Selection at Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa and get a free quote today >>
3. Casa Velas
Casa Velas is an adults-only hacienda-style property set on the Marina Vallarta golf course rather than the beachfront, with courtyard and garden settings that have a real old-Mexico character.
It handles Catholic, Jewish, South Asian, civil and symbolic ceremonies, which is a remarkable range for a property this size. Guests get beach club access, so being off the sand isn’t the limitation it sounds like.
Learn more about Casa Velas and get a free quote today >>
4. Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel & Romantic Getaway
Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel & Romantic Getaway is adults-only and sits right at the edge of Old Town, closer to the walkable city than any other property on this list.
That location is the argument. Guests can walk to the Malecon, the galleries, and the restaurants of the Zona Romantica, which makes a small wedding feel like a shared city break rather than a resort stay.
Learn more about Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel & Romantic Getaway and get a free quote today >>
5. Casa De Mita
Casa De Mita is the smallest five-star property in the region, a beachfront hideaway on the Punta de Mita side of the bay. For a wedding of 20 or 30, this is the most complete buyout candidate on the coast.
Family-friendly on paper, though the scale suits an adult guest list. About an hour from the airport, which is the trade-off for how quiet it is.
Learn more about Casa De Mita and get a free quote today >>
6. Plaza Pelicanos Grand Beach Resort
Plaza Pelicanos Grand Beach Resort is the accessible option in this category, a family-friendly beachfront property in the Puerto Vallarta hotel zone.
It’s the only small resort here at an entry price point, which makes it the answer for couples who want an intimate wedding without a boutique-luxury rate. Civil and symbolic ceremonies.
Learn more about Plaza Pelicanos Grand Beach Resort and get a free quote today >>
More Information for Planning Your Small Destination Wedding in Puerto Vallarta
Booking a small property works differently. Here’s what our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists tell couples.
Small Destination Wedding Venues Appeal
The buyout is the real prize. At a small property, 20 or 30 rooms can be most of the inventory, which means the resort becomes effectively private for your wedding week. No strangers in your photos, no sharing the pool, and a staff focused entirely on your group. That’s simply not purchasable at a 500-room resort.
Service scales differently too. A small resort’s wedding coordinator is handling one celebration, not four, and it shows in how quickly emails get answered and how much flexibility you get on the day.
And a small wedding looks right in a small space. Twenty-five guests in a courtyard feels intimate and intentional. The same twenty-five in a ballroom built for 400 feels like a party where most people didn’t turn up.
Puerto Vallarta Destination Wedding Cost
The average cost of a destination wedding in Puerto Vallarta is $10,215 all-in for the couple, covering the wedding package, accommodations, airfare, and add-ons. Hotel costs average about $299 per person per night over a typical five-night stay, and airfare runs $200 to $800 per couple. Our Puerto Vallarta couples average 23 guests.
These averages reflect real spend data from couples who booked their destination wedding with our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists.
Small weddings usually cost less overall simply because there are fewer guests, though the per-person rate at a boutique property runs higher. If a buyout is under discussion, that’s priced separately and depends heavily on the season.
Puerto Vallarta Destination Wedding Packages
Complimentary and deposit-only wedding packages are widely available across the region with a qualifying room block, running roughly $1,350 to $5,000 at entry tier and $5,500 to $7,000 mid-tier.
Small resorts are less likely to offer a complimentary package because the room block that triggers one at a large all-inclusive represents a much bigger share of their inventory. What you often get instead is a more customized proposal, which is frequently the better deal for an intimate wedding.
Puerto Vallarta Destination Wedding Travel Information
Licenciado Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport has direct flights from most major US and Canadian cities. Transfers run 10 to 15 minutes to the hotel zone and Marina Vallarta, 25 to 40 minutes to Nuevo Vallarta, and around an hour to Punta de Mita.
Book earlier than you think you need to. Six small properties serving the whole region means the November to April dates go quickly, and a buyout needs locking in a year or more ahead. If your dates are fixed and small is essential, start the conversation now.
Puerto Vallarta Small Resort Destination Wedding Venue FAQs
Which small resorts in Puerto Vallarta host weddings?
Six: Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta, Family Selection at Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa, Casa Velas, Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel & Romantic Getaway, Casa De Mita, and Plaza Pelicanos Grand Beach Resort. Four of the six are adults-only or better suited to adult guest lists.
Can you buy out a small resort for a wedding?
At several of them, yes, and Casa De Mita is the most realistic candidate given its size. A buyout is priced case by case and depends on the season and your dates, so it’s worth asking early rather than assuming it’s out of reach. For a guest list of 20 to 30, the numbers sometimes surprise people.
Do small resorts have proper wedding venues?
Better than you’d expect. Hotel Mousai has a 250-guest terrace and a 250-guest ballroom, and Family Selection at Grand Palladium gives you access to the region’s only on-site Catholic chapel plus beach and terrace venues. The smaller properties work on a more intimate scale, which is usually the reason you’re looking at them.
Get Ready to Plan Your Small Destination Wedding in Puerto Vallarta
Everyone under one roof, staff who know your names by Tuesday, and a property that feels like it belongs to your celebration for the week. With most destination weddings on this coast running around 23 guests, a boutique resort suits far more couples than end up choosing one.
Fill out our online wedding planning form, and one of our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists will help you compare these six properties and price a buyout if that’s the direction you’re leaning.
About the Author
Maggie Sabin
Maggie started as the SEO Manager at DestinationWeddings.com in 2024, where she works to drive organic traffic and conversions while creating meaningful, SEO-optimized content for the website. Previously, Maggie's career spanned from Human Resources & Recruitment to teaching at international schools for almost 10 years. Maggie spends her free time traveling, learning new languages, reading non-fiction books, working out, going to the beach and spending time cuddling her dog, Lola!
