New and need help please! Is this kind of wedding reasonable?

SoonToBeMrsP2014

Hi! I'm new here. My fiance and I are pretty recently engaged and we're hoping to plan a destination wedding in Riviera Maya/Playa del Carmen area for November of this year. We're just starting to contact places and haven't heard back yet, but we're wanting to do a pretty nice all inclusive with about 50 guests. Our budget is $10 - $15k and needs to include our own stay. Is this reasonable? We don't really have a starting point yet so we don't know what's considered average.

tydoucette

I would say yes that is a reasonable price, but it all honestly depends on which resort, and how over the top you want it. A lot of the cost will depend on you and your choices

[Deleted User]

I agree - that amount is totally reasonable. Like @tydoucette mentions - everything will come down to your style, what you want on your day and what you are flexible on.

SoonToBeMrsP2014

Thank you both! We want things really, really simple. Just some chairs and barefoot on the beach and then good food, good drinks, and some music. We're not over the top people at all, just want a nice resort to have an awesome extended party with the people we love most. I feel so lost in all of this! So far Playa del Carmen / Riviera Maya is our top pick for location.

[Deleted User]

Simple is definitely better - at least as far as budget is concerned!!

I know a lot of the ladies have had success using beach bum vacations - they might be able to give you some guidance on resorts/locations.

Congrats and good luck!

SoonToBeMrsP2014

Thanks, I contacted them after reading a bit about them here. Hope they can help us. Thanks again

saric83

You can totally do that!  We had our wedding in Cancun with 40 guests and our costs for absolutely everything related to our trip, passports, wedding-prep, and the actual wedding and reception was about $12K. Good luck with your planning!

SoonToBeMrsP2014

Saric83, that's great to hear! Do you mind me asking what resort you were at? There are so many!

Ausome13

There are so many resorts that look awesome in that area. I have been looking at options and there are an entire slew of them that the wedding and a week for the couple range is under 5k. El Dorado Seaside Suites, Secrets Capri, Valentin Imperial... 

saric83

We were at Beach Palace and LOVED it!  I really wanted a private spot for the ceremony instead of out on the beach in the open (but their beach is amazing there too), and they have a fantastic rooftop with glass walls where we had the ceremony.  

krstn2006h

I'm thinking about a destination wedding as well, but don't have the slightest clue where to begin. I looked at venues at my current location and with everything said and done it will be over 20k. I can't pay that at all. Doesn't seem justifiable to spend that much on one day. Does anyone have any links or people I can contact to start the process? I would like to stay under 15k for every single thing that has to do the with the wedding. A good photographer is a must since the pictures will be what I look at for the rest of my life.... Thanks! 

krstn2006h

Hello!! Who did you work with to plan your wedding? I would love to be able to marry my best friend in cancun for 12,000!! 

shelikespink

That's a good budget. Is that for a week stay in Mexico? 

A friend recently had a destination wedding for 60-70 people and paid 14k all in.

It's really tough getting dollar amounts out of resorts I notice! Everything is an additional cost. I'm expecting over 100 people so I don't qualify for any of the "packages" and I'm noticing it's tough to get any information. Although I'm planning for summer 2015 and a lot of places haven't released 2015 prices..

SoonToBeMrsP2014

Thanks, everyone! It looks like we're going to go with Paradisus Playa del Carmen assuming dates work out. It is a more expensive option for weddings so it'll probably be at the top of our budget but I think it has what we're looking for. For a 5 day stay (we'll go somewhere else for honeymoon), ceremony/reception for 50 people, DJ, photographer, and some extras will be right around $15k. Hoping to put down a deposit sooner than later!