Choosing where to get married is the one decision that makes every other decision easier. Venue, budget, guest list, time of year, what people wear: all of it follows from the place, and almost none of it can be settled until the place is.
It’s also the decision couples agonize over longest, usually because they start by looking at pretty photographs. Photographs are the worst possible starting point. Every resort in the Caribbean and Mexico photographs beautifully, which means the pictures tell you nothing about which one actually suits the wedding you’re trying to have.
A better approach works through five filters: what you’re picturing, what it costs, what the law requires, what the trip asks of your guests, and what the weather does when you want to be there. Work through those in order and the shortlist builds itself.
Start by Ruling Places Out
The fastest way through a list of fifty destinations is to eliminate rather than choose.
Cross off anywhere that’s genuinely hard for your guests to reach, anywhere with a climate neither of you actually enjoys, and anywhere one of you has a bad association with. Then cross off anywhere that doesn’t fit the budget you’ve got, which usually removes more of the list than everything else combined.
What’s left is a much smaller set, and it’s a set you can genuinely compare. Most couples find they’re choosing between three or four places rather than the whole map, and that’s a decision a person can actually make.
One thing worth doing early: think about whether a place means something to the two of you. The trip you took that went better than it should have, the city one of you grew up visiting, the island you’ve both talked about for years. A destination with a story attached makes everything that follows feel less arbitrary.
Match the Destination to the Wedding You’re Picturing
Most couples already have an image in their heads before they’ve looked at a single resort. Start there and work outward, because the setting you’re picturing narrows the map faster than any other filter.
| If You’re Picturing | Look At |
|---|---|
| Classic turquoise water and the shortest flight from most of the US | Cancun and the Riviera Maya |
| The same beaches with far fewer people on them | Costa Mujeres |
| A big group, plenty of venue choice and something to do at night | Punta Cana |
| Green hills, waterfalls and live music | Jamaica |
| Desert and mountains meeting the ocean | Los Cabos |
| Cobblestone streets and a town with a real center | Puerto Vallarta |
| Rainforest, wildlife and two coastlines in one trip | Costa Rica |
| A small island that still feels remote | The wider Caribbean |
The other half of this is formality. A barefoot ceremony on sand and a black-tie reception in a ballroom are both destination weddings, but they point at different properties, so it’s worth settling which one you’re actually after before you start comparing resorts.
Compare the Costs Before You Fall in Love With a Place
Destinations cost different amounts, and the gap is wide enough to change your shortlist. Here’s what our couples actually spend, by region.
| Destination | What Couples Spend | Average Guest Count |
|---|---|---|
| Dominican Republic | $7,000 to $11,000 | 38 |
| Central America | $9,500 to $10,500 | 44 |
| Jamaica | $9,500 to $11,500 | 29 |
| Mexico | $9,900 to $11,500 | 41 |
| Caribbean | $10,000 to $12,000 | 18 |
Figures reflect what DestinationWeddings.com couples spent and cover the couple’s own costs, meaning their resort stay, their wedding package and airfare for two. They don’t include what guests pay for their own travel and rooms.
Two things to notice. The Dominican Republic sits lowest while carrying one of the largest average guest counts, which is why it’s so often the answer for couples with a long list and a real budget. And the differences between regions are smaller than most people expect, usually a couple of thousand dollars, so cost alone rarely decides it. What moves the number far more is the resort you pick within a destination and how many nights everyone stays. Our guide to planning a destination wedding budget breaks down how to build the figure from scratch.
Check What It Takes to Marry There Legally
This is the filter couples skip, and occasionally the one that forces a change of plan late.
Every country sets its own requirements and they vary a lot. Some ask you to be in the country for a set number of days before the ceremony. Some want birth certificates translated and apostilled, which can take weeks. Anyone previously married will need a divorce decree or death certificate, sometimes translated too. Jamaica is at the easy end and asks for only 24 hours on the island, while other destinations want considerably more notice.
The alternative solves it entirely: marry legally at home in a short civil appointment, then hold a symbolic ceremony at your destination. You write your own words, anyone can officiate, there’s no paperwork to chase, and no guest can tell the difference. A good number of couples do exactly this once they see what the documents involve.
Decide which route you’re taking before you book, not after, because it changes your timeline and occasionally your choice of country.
Think About the Trip Your Guests Are Taking
Your guest list and your destination decide each other, so it’s worth being honest about this early.
Look at direct flights first. A destination your people can reach without connecting will get you noticeably more acceptances than one that needs two flights and an overnight, and that difference is larger than almost any other factor you control. Then look at the transfer time from the airport, because two hours in a van after a long flight changes how a trip feels.
Think about who’s actually coming. Older relatives, anyone with mobility needs, families with small children: each of those pushes you toward shorter flights, shorter transfers and resorts with real family or accessibility provision. If children are coming, family-friendly properties with kids clubs do a lot of the work for you.
And remember that your guests are paying for a vacation as well as attending a wedding. Somewhere with things to do beyond the resort gives them a trip worth the money, which makes the whole ask easier.
Weather and When to Go
The Caribbean and Mexico run on a fairly predictable calendar, and knowing it saves both money and stress.
December through April is the dry, reliable, expensive stretch. Hurricane season officially runs June through November, with the genuine risk concentrated in August through October. May and early December are the shoulder months most couples miss: good weather, noticeably lower rates, and far more availability at the properties everyone wants.
Whenever you go, have an indoor or covered backup venue confirmed in writing, and tell your guests that travel insurance is worth buying. Rain at an outdoor wedding is an inconvenience when there’s a plan and a crisis when there isn’t.
It’s also worth checking what else is happening locally on your date. Peak holiday weeks, spring break and major local festivals all affect crowds, flight prices and whether the resort feels like it’s yours.
Five Resorts Worth Looking At First
These five span four different settings and cover most of what couples ask us for, from the largest groups to the quietest adults-only celebrations.
Majestic Mirage Costa Mujeres
Costa Mujeres sits just north of Cancun, which means you keep the short flight and the same stretch of Caribbean while losing most of the crowds. Majestic Mirage Costa Mujeres is all-suite, so every guest gets considerably more room than a standard resort gives them, and the beach is wide and quiet enough that a ceremony on it feels private rather than public. It’s family-friendly, it handles both symbolic and legal ceremonies, and it’s a strong pick for couples who want Cancun’s convenience without Cancun’s volume.
Learn more about Majestic Mirage Costa Mujeres and get a free quote today >>
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana
If your guest list is long and your group likes a late night, this is the one. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana is enormous, with a casino, a long list of restaurants and enough separate wedding venues that two celebrations can run the same weekend without ever meeting. Beach settings, garden plazas and full ballrooms are all on site, which matters if you want the ceremony outdoors and the reception somewhere air-conditioned. It also accommodates Jewish and South Asian ceremonies alongside symbolic and civil ones.
Learn more about Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana and get a free quote today >>
Moon Palace Jamaica
Ocho Rios gives you the version of the Caribbean with hills behind it, and Dunn’s River Falls close enough to build a guest excursion around. Moon Palace Jamaica is a large property with terraces, gardens, gazebos and a wide beach, so there’s a setting here for almost any size of wedding. Jamaica’s 24-hour residency requirement is the lightest legal lift in the region, which makes this a practical choice for couples who want to marry legally at the destination rather than at home first.
Learn more about Moon Palace Jamaica and get a free quote today >>
Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana
Macao Beach is a quieter stretch of the Dominican coast, and Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana is a mid-sized property rather than one of the sprawling ones, which suits couples who want their group to feel like most of the resort. There are terrace and garden settings alongside the beach, and it’s genuinely family-friendly, so the guests traveling with children get kids clubs and pools while everyone else gets a quiet beach. It’s the middle ground between an intimate wedding and a large one.
Learn more about Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana and get a free quote today >>
Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana
The adults-only option on this list, and the one to look at if what you’re picturing is a long dinner and a late night without a single bedtime in the room. Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana sits on Bavaro Beach with the fountain and garden settings that make the ceremony photographs look like somebody planned them, and the whole property runs at a quieter register than the family resorts nearby. Worth knowing before you commit: adults-only means adults-only, so the families on your list will need somewhere else.
Learn more about Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana and get a free quote today >>
Choosing a Wedding Destination FAQs
How do you choose a destination wedding location?
Work through five filters in order: the setting you’re picturing, what the destination costs, what it requires legally, how easily your guests can get there, and what the weather does at that time of year. Ruling places out is faster than choosing between them, and most couples end up comparing three or four rather than the whole map.
What is the cheapest destination to get married?
Across our couples, the Dominican Republic comes in lowest at roughly $7,000 to $11,000 for the couple’s own costs, and it carries one of the higher average guest counts at the same time. The gaps between regions are smaller than most people expect, so the resort you choose within a destination usually affects the total more than the country does.
When is the best time of year for a destination wedding?
December through April is the dry, reliable season and prices reflect that. May and early December are the shoulder months worth looking at, with good weather, better rates and more availability. Hurricane season runs June through November, with the real risk concentrated in August through October.
Do you have to be a resident to get married abroad?
Not a resident, but many countries ask you to be in the country for a set period before the ceremony, which ranges from about a day to several. Jamaica is among the easiest at 24 hours. Marrying legally at home and holding a symbolic ceremony at your destination removes the requirement entirely.
How many guests come to a destination wedding?
It varies by destination, and across our couples the averages run from around 18 in the wider Caribbean to the mid forties in Central America. Direct flight access is the single biggest influence on how many people say yes, so an easy-to-reach destination will usually give you a larger turnout than a remote one.
Should you visit a destination before booking the wedding?
It’s lovely if you can, but most couples don’t and it works out fine. A Specialist who knows the properties can tell you what the photographs leave out, which is the part a site visit is really for. If you do go, go while you can still change your mind rather than after the deposit.
Ready to Choose Your Wedding Destination?
The place is the only decision that changes everything downstream, which is exactly why it’s worth running through the filters properly instead of scrolling photographs until one of them feels right.
Fill out our online wedding planning form, and one of our Certified Destination Wedding Specialists will narrow the map down to the handful of places that genuinely fit your budget, your guest list and the wedding you’re picturing!
About the Author
Maggie Sabin
Maggie has always loved traveling and discovering new places and cultures. Before joining DestinationWeddings.com as SEO Manager in 2024, she spent nearly a decade teaching at international schools across Europe and Asia, from the UK and Spain to Taiwan. Today, she creates and manages all of the blog's content, making sure couples can easily find the answers and inspiration they need to plan their destination wedding with confidence. When she's not working, you'll find Maggie learning a new language, curled up with a good book, working out, or soaking up the sun at the beach. She's happiest at home snuggling with her dogs, Lola and Minnie.
