There’s a reason resort photographers keep pointing their cameras at the pool. Still water reflects everything above it, so a poolside ceremony gives you the sky twice, and after dark the underwater lighting turns the whole area into something no florist could build. For a destination wedding on this coast, it’s one of the most striking settings available and one of the most overlooked.
Poolside also solves the problem couples run into with beach receptions. You get open air and water in frame, but the ground is level, the chairs don’t sink, and the staff can actually move. Several wedding resorts here have built proper event terraces around their pools rather than simply clearing the loungers.
Capacities across wedding venues in Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit run from 68 up to 300 poolside. Below are the resorts doing it best, and our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists can tell you which pools are held privately and which stay open to other guests.
Top Poolside Destination Wedding Venues at Top Puerto Vallarta Resorts
These range from infinity pools set against the ocean to dedicated pool terraces built for receptions. Ordered by capacity.
1. Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa
Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa holds ceremonies for up to 300 at the Main Pool, with the sparkling water of the infinity edge as your backdrop and the jungle rising behind it. It’s the largest poolside venue in the region and the most dramatic.
Five-star and family-friendly, south of the city where the mountains meet the bay. Pair the pool ceremony with one of the resort’s elevated terraces for the reception, and the day has real range.
Learn more about Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa and get a free quote today >>
2. Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta
Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta also seats 300 at its Main Pool, where the infinity edge lines up with the ocean beyond so the two appear to merge. Adults-only, five-star, and small enough that the wedding team gives a single celebration real attention.
The clean modern architecture around the water means the setting photographs well without much dressing, which keeps the decor budget honest.
Learn more about Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta and get a free quote today >>
3. Dreams Vallarta Bay Resort & Spa
Dreams Vallarta Bay Resort & Spa hosts receptions for 200 on the Dreams Pool Terrace, set among the outdoor pools under towering palms with the resort spread out around you. The Pool Deck adds a 70-guest option for something smaller.
Family-friendly and Diamond-level in the hotel zone. A well-priced way to get a poolside reception without the luxury-tier room rate.
Learn more about Dreams Vallarta Bay Resort & Spa and get a free quote today >>
4. Secrets Vallarta Bay Puerto Vallarta
Secrets Vallarta Bay Puerto Vallarta mirrors that with a 200-guest Secrets Pool Terrace and a 50-guest Pool Deck, described by the resort as the best seats in the house for watching the sunset while you dance.
Adults-only and Diamond-level. If you want a poolside reception without children in the water behind your first dance, this is the version to book.
Learn more about Secrets Vallarta Bay Puerto Vallarta and get a free quote today >>
5. Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta
Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta runs the Swimming Pool Terrace for 100, with lush landscaping and poolside views making for a relaxed, unfussy reception. The Splash Terrace next to it takes 160, with the beach and ocean in view.
Family-friendly and Diamond-level in Nuevo Vallarta. Between the two, you can run cocktails at one and dinner at the other without moving guests far.
Learn more about Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta and get a free quote today >>
6. Iberostar Selection Playa Mita
Iberostar Selection Playa Mita has a Poolside Terrace for 100, built for exactly the kind of relaxed, classy poolside reception and cocktail hour picture when they think of this setting.
Family-friendly and Diamond-level on the Punta de Mita side of the bay. Pair it with the resort’s White Stone Gazebo for the ceremony, and you have a complete day on one property.
Learn more about Iberostar Selection Playa Mita and get a free quote today >>
7. Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta
Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta offers the Palmas Terrace for 68, and it comes with its own pool surrounded by gardens and ocean views. Having a private pool attached to the venue rather than sharing the resort’s main one is unusual and genuinely nice.
Family-friendly, in a private cove at the southern edge of the city. The best option here for an intimate poolside celebration.
Learn more about Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta and get a free quote today >>
More Information for Planning Your Poolside Destination Wedding in Puerto Vallarta
Poolside destination weddings have one or two questions all of their own. Here’s what our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists raise.
Poolside Destination Wedding Venues Appeal
Reflection is the whole trick. A still pool doubles the sunset, doubles the string lights, and doubles the candles, so the setting gets visually richer the later the evening runs. Photographers love it for the same reason.
The surface underfoot is the practical win. Pool decks are flat, solid, and already lit, so a dance floor doesn’t need building, tables sit level, and nobody’s heels disappear. Compared with a beach reception, it’s simply an easier evening for everyone working and everyone attending.
And a pool area is already a designed space. It has landscaping, lighting, and architecture built in, which means less to rent and less to decorate. Couples watching the budget often find poolside the best value destination wedding setting on the property.
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.
Watch for one line item specific to this venue type. Closing a main pool to other guests for an evening sometimes carries a private-use fee, where a dedicated pool terrace usually doesn’t. Ask which pool you’re actually getting.
Puerto Vallarta 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.
Because pool areas come with lighting already installed, couples booking poolside often spend less on rentals than the package assumes and can redirect that into food and music instead.
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.
Poolside events run best in the evening, when the deck has cooled, and the lighting comes into its own. The November to April dry season gives you the most reliable evenings, though a covered pool terrace holds up well in the shoulder months too.
Puerto Vallarta Poolside Destination Wedding Venue FAQs
Which Puerto Vallarta resorts have poolside wedding venues?
Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa, Hotel Mousai Puerto Vallarta, Dreams Vallarta Bay, Secrets Vallarta Bay, Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, Iberostar Selection Playa Mita, and Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta all have dedicated poolside wedding ceremony or reception venues.
Will the pool be closed to other guests during our wedding?
It depends on which pool. Dedicated pool terraces are event spaces and are held privately as standard. A resort’s main pool is usually closed for your event but sometimes only for a set window, and occasionally for a fee. Get the arrangement confirmed in writing, because it’s the detail most likely to surprise you on the day.
Can you have the ceremony as well as the reception poolside?
At some resorts, yes. The Main Pool venues at Garza Blanca Preserve and Hotel Mousai are set up for ceremonies, while the pool terraces at Dreams Vallarta Bay, Secrets Vallarta Bay, Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, and Iberostar Selection Playa Mita are reception and cocktail hour spaces. Many couples marry on the beach or in a gazebo and move to the pool afterward.
Get Ready to Plan the Poolside Destination Wedding of Your Dreams in Puerto Vallarta
Water in every photograph, a level floor to dance on, lighting already built into the setting, and a space that only gets better as the evening goes on. Poolside is quietly one of the smartest venue choices on this coast, and it suits guest lists from 68 to 300.
Fill out our online wedding planning form, and one of our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists will help you compare poolside venues, private-use terms, and package pricing.
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!
