Best Poolside Destination Wedding Venues in Riviera Nayarit

A pool after dark is one of the few things at a resort that looks better at ten at night than at ten in the morning. Lit from below, it throws moving light across everything around it, which is why poolside receptions photograph the way they do and why couples who see one in the evening tend to stop considering the alternatives.

On Riviera Nayarit, two resorts have poolside wedding venues, and both hold 100 guests. That’s a workable number on this coast, where couples average 45, and the format suits a particular part of the day: the reception and the cocktail hour rather than the ceremony.

Below is what each one offers and how it fits into the rest of the resort’s venues. Our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists can confirm whether the pool area is closed to other guests during your destination wedding.

Best Poolside Destination Wedding Venues at Top Riviera Nayarit Resorts

Two wedding resorts on this coast have poolside wedding venues. Both are 4.5-star, medium-sized, family-friendly, and both spaces hold 100.

1. Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta

Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta has the Swimming Pool Terrace, an outdoor venue for 100 set among lush landscaping with poolside views, and the resort describes the atmosphere as delightful and relaxed rather than formal.

That informality is the useful part. A poolside reception is where guests actually loosen up, and on a property that also runs two 650-guest beaches, a 1,500-guest ballroom, and three terraces, the pool is the venue you choose for the evening that’s meant to feel easy. A welcome party here and a ceremony on Sunset Beach the next day is a common pairing. Also, it’s in Nuevo Vallarta, 25 to 40 minutes from the airport.

Learn more about Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta and get a free quote today >>

2. Iberostar Selection Playa Mita

Iberostar Selection Playa Mita runs its Poolside Terrace for 100, built for a reception and cocktails; the resort itself calls it chill and classy, which is an unusually accurate description of how these evenings go.

It’s one of only three venues at the property, alongside the White Stone Gazebo for 100 and the Sunset Terrace for 120, and all three sit close together on the Punta de Mita peninsula. A gazebo ceremony, cocktails on the Sunset Terrace, and dinner by the pool is a complete day across a few dozen steps, which is about as straightforward as a destination wedding gets to run.

Learn more about Iberostar Selection Playa Mita and get a free quote today >>

 

 

More Information for Planning Your Poolside Destination Wedding in Riviera Nayarit

Poolside wedding venues have one obvious question attached to them. Here’s that and the rest of what our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists raise.

Poolside Destination Wedding Venues Appeal

Light is the reason to do it. An underlit pool is a feature you don’t have to pay to install, and after dark it does more for a reception than most lighting packages would. It also gives the photographer a reflective surface to work with, which is why poolside photographs look different from terrace ones.

The ground is hard and level, so tables stay steady and a dance floor behaves. And the mood is naturally informal, which suits a welcome party or a rehearsal dinner particularly well, where the point is that people relax and start talking to each other before the main day.

Now the obvious question: yes, people do occasionally end up in the pool, usually late and usually deliberately. Wedding resorts have seen it before, and most will tell you their policy if you ask. The more practical questions are whether the pool area is closed to other guests during your event, since both of these are main resort pools, and what time amplified music has to stop, because sound carries across open water toward guest rooms.

Riviera Nayarit Destination Wedding Cost

The average cost of a destination wedding in Riviera Nayarit is $10,215 all-in for the couple, covering the wedding package, accommodations, airfare, and add-ons. Hotel costs average roughly $299 per person per night over a typical five-night stay, with airfare from $200 to $800 per couple. Couples marrying here average 45 guests.

These averages reflect real spend data from couples who booked their destination wedding with our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists.

Poolside events usually sit at or below the average, largely because the lighting is already there. Where a cost can appear is exclusivity, since closing a main resort pool to other guests for an evening is sometimes charged separately. Ask what that involves before you assume the space is yours.

Riviera Nayarit Destination Wedding Packages

Complimentary and deposit-only wedding packages are widely available with a qualifying room block, running roughly $1,350 to $5,000 at entry tier, $5,500 to $7,000 mid-tier, and $7,500 to $14,000 and beyond for full productions.

Poolside venues are more often included as the reception or welcome-party space than as the ceremony location, so expect to pair one with a beach or gazebo ceremony. If you want the pool area private, check which tier that starts at, because it’s usually the deciding factor rather than the venue itself.

Riviera Nayarit Destination Wedding Travel Information

Licenciado Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport serves the coast with direct flights from most major US and Canadian cities. The Nuevo Vallarta transfer runs 25 to 40 minutes, and Punta de Mita takes about an hour, which is the main practical difference between these two resorts.

Evenings are the right slot for a poolside event in any season. Even in the November to April dry season, the pool deck holds heat through the afternoon, and in the wetter months, an evening start also moves you past the window when the storms arrive.

 

Riviera Nayarit Poolside Destination Wedding Venue FAQs

Which Riviera Nayarit resorts have poolside wedding venues?

Two. Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta has the Swimming Pool Terrace in Nuevo Vallarta, and Iberostar Selection Playa Mita has the Poolside Terrace out on the Punta de Mita peninsula. Both hold 100 guests.

Can you hold the ceremony poolside?

These two venues are set up for receptions and cocktail hours rather than ceremonies, so most couples pair a poolside reception with a ceremony elsewhere on the property. Both resorts have a gazebo or beach venue a short walk away.

Will the pool be closed to other guests?

Not automatically, since both of these are main resort pools. Ask whether exclusivity is included in your package or charged separately, and get the answer in writing, because it changes the evening more than any other detail.

Get Ready to Plan a Poolside Destination Wedding in Riviera Nayarit

Underlit water, level ground, and an atmosphere that tells everyone to relax. It’s the most natural setting on a resort for the part of the weekend that isn’t meant to be formal, and two properties on this coast have it.

Fill out our online wedding planning form, and one of our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists will check exclusivity, timings, and what each package covers.