FAQ

Akumal, Mexico is located on the Mayan Riviera. It is a small town located on the Caribbean Coast about 60 miles south of Cancun. The area is quiet, not heavily populated, and extremely friendly, with lots of affordable and comfy accommodation options for your guests, family and you!

La Buena Vida Restaurant is a wonderful beachfront destination right on the oceanfront with gentle waves, serene sunsets, and great views over Half Moon Bay. The beach is sandy and rarely crowded. There is plenty of room to set up chairs comfortably for up to 80 guests. Many wedding couples choose to include a palm-covered arbor, a cabana structure with flowing streamers of fabric, or simply a rustic rock-lined aisle in their beachfront ceremonies with Akumal Weddings.

Feel free to bring your own decor to add a personal touch to your special day! Our weddings are definitely on the casual side and it is lots of fun for guests and family to join in the decorating.

Yes, you may use our wedding services without staying at Del Sol Beachfront Hotel and Condos. We do not, however, plan weddings off-site. You may hire our services for a Rehearsal Dinner or reception even if you hold your wedding ceremony elsewhere.

Remember that we offer 10% off to all wedding guests who book rooms at the neighboring accommodations at Del Sol Beachfront.

We have friendly and experienced coordinators who will assist you with the planning of your wedding.

We will assist you with reserving the date, arranging the deposits, choosing vendors, reception planning, decor ideas, and menu options.

The last minute details will be finalized and reviewed with you upon your arrival in Akumal. We will schedule an on-site walk through and brief meeting a day or two prior to your big day (just to iron out the final details and to alleviate any pre-wedding jitters!)

Costs really boil down to the size of  your wedding. The basic Wedding fee ranges from $400-$1000 for the planning. We can give you a quote and discuss your options if you have a budget in mind, but generally a destination wedding in Akumal is much more economical than holding a wedding in The States.

Some considerations are the number of guests you invite and the quantity of food and drinks served.  There are no hidden fees with Akumal Weddings and we do not charge a vendor service fee like some of the all-inclusive resorts.

There are two types of weddings: Spiritual (Non-Legal) and Civil (Legal).

Spiritual Weddings

Spiritual Weddings are not legal ceremonies and this is our specialty. They are an affirmation of a couple’s commitment to one another. Participating in this ceremony will not legally change your marital status. In a spiritual wedding, anyone can perform the ceremony: a religious official, a friend, or a celebrant provided by Akumal Weddings can act as your officiant.

We recommend you get married in a civil ceremony in your home state or country, then have the celebration of your marriage with us.

Civil Ceremonies take a lot of time!

In order to have a ceremony that will be recognized in a court of law in Mexico, you will need to closely follow the requirements. To have a civil wedding in Mexico, you will have to be married by the Justice of the Peace. Their cost is about $500. While we do not coordinate legal weddings here is a list of how to get started:

US Citizens with Passports:

• Passports
• Drivers License or other valid form of ID
• Tourist Card (This is given to you on the plane)
• Blood Tests
• Medical Certificate
• 4 witnesses (If you are providing your own witnesses then they all MUST have a valid passport and the tourist card).

As a spiritual rather than a legal ceremony, your wedding can be performed by anyone: your own minister, a friend or family member, or our local celebrant. Our celebrant has been conducting spiritual ceremonies for many years, and we highly recommend using him for a meaningful and friendly service.

Akumal Weddings services are nondenominational; Catholic weddings must be performed in a church, therefore, we do not offer Catholic wedding ceremonies.

Yes! Or Spanish or both! If you have over 20 guests we highly recommend renting our PA system so everyone can easily hear your exchange of vows. You can then also use the PA system for your reception.

Yes. Most couples write their own vows and have a pretty good idea of what they want include in their ceremony; we can provide some popular choices to help get you started.  Please provide your vows to the celebrant in advance; we want to make sure that your readings go smoothly and the celebrant is able to review your text ahead of time.

Wedding receptions take place at the restaurant. There are two location options for your reception or party: upstairs in the privately rented dining room ($500-$1000 rental service fee), or on the beach level which stays open to the public. ($350 rental service fee). Four hours and additional staffing included.

Once you reserve and pay for the space this date will be allotted to you for a 4-hour rental. So for example, if you start the wedding at 5 pm, the reception could last from 6-10 pm. The restaurant closes at 10pm nightly and it is not possible to continue the party past closing time.

We often arrange Welcome Parties, Rehearsal Dinners, or just the reception portion of wedding festivities. Akumal Weddings can provide as much assistance as you need. The service charge for holding a non-wedding event on the beach level is $350.

If you have a special request, drop us a line and we’ll be happy to help you. When possible, we use local Akumal providers. We can put you in contact with specialty suppliers and vendors. Most ask to arrange payment with them for their services directly.

Absolutely! Akumal Weddings, Del Sol Properties and La Buena Vida Restaurant are welcoming to everyone. It is our honor to celebrate love and unions of all forms.

Some wedding ceremonies have music; some do not. We think that the sound of wind, waves, and nature is perfect for a special event such as exchanging wedding vows.

Mariachi bands are popular if you would like to plan a festive wedding.
For weddings over 20 guests we recommend renting a PA system for the ceremony so that your loved ones can all hear your exchange of vows – after all – that’s what they came for, right?

It depends where you hold your reception. If you rent the private dining room upstairs you may rent the PA system (which we also recommend using for the ceremony). Then you can provide your own playlist, and have a microphone for toasts and announcements.

If you have the reception on the main beach level of the restaurant there will be bar music playing for everyone’s enjoyment.

Some people hire a DJ for the party. Please note that there is an amplified music permit  required (and payable in advance) for this type of entertainment.

Mariachi bands are very popular! They charge about $300 (paid directly to the musicians) for an hour of real Mexico entertainment. The highlight of many parties!

Akumal Weddings works with a number of very talented local wedding photographers. Many of them know the venue well and can suggest great wedding photo ideas to add to your shot list. Once you pay the reservation fee we will send you a list of vendors we work with and confidently recommend. You can also bring your own photographer.

Sorry, but open flames of any kind are extremely dangerous and against the law. Floating fire lanterns, open flame candles, fire dancing, sparklers, bonfires, and fireworks are all strictly prohibited.

Yes, but only wine and champagne may be provided by you, and we will hold it for you and serve it. The corkage fee is $12 per bottle. Other outside liquor is strictly prohibited.

Cocktails anyone? We understand that after flying to your destination wedding and paying for your accommodations you may be aware of your budget.

We can help you calculate just how much to expect the party will cost.  One rule of thumb to calculate how much your guests will drink: two drinks the first hour of your reception, one drink every hour after that. So at a four hour reception your guests would average 4-5 drinks per person.

There are other ways of keeping costs under control and still throw a memorable party for your guests! Some people choose to limit the type of drinks being offered, set a monetary limit on the bar bill, or offer a full host bar for a limited time.

Please bear in mind that there is an 18% gratuity added to the bar and food bill, and this is requested in cash. The rest of your bill can be paid by credit card, pesos, or USD.

Our intimate facilities accommodate events as small as two, and as large as 120. Larger than that gets a bit crowded and may not be the most comfortable fit for your numerous guests! We suggest taking a good look at your guest list, narrowing it down to those who will actually RSVP, then estimate the final numbers.
We request a final headcount two weeks prior to your wedding or party.