How much does an Indian destination wedding in Mexico or the Caribbean cost?
Based on our experience, an Indian destination wedding with about 200-300 guests typically costs around $150,000 for a three-day celebration.
But we’ve put together a list of our favorite wedding packages under $15,000, and you’ll see there are ample amazing wedding venues and packages available.
Indian and South Asian weddings are famous for being festive, exciting, and often large-scale celebrations.
With events taking place over three action-packed days, Indian, or Shaadi, weddings include food, fun, and tradition.
Many couples are balancing their family and cultural traditions while dreaming of lavish destinations that soak up the gorgeous tropical scenery for an unforgettable day.
But how much does this all cost?
Well, in regions such as Mexico or the Caribbean, full-scale weddings may not cost as much as you think.
Moreover, they also offer some of the best natural surroundings, architecture, and amenities you can want for an Indian destination wedding.
Whether you want a traditional Shaadi or a contemporary wedding with traditional touches, many resorts have the facilities, packages, and expertise to make your dreams come true.
Read on to learn all about the typical costs associated with an Indian destination wedding:
Answering the question, “How much does a luxury Indian wedding cost?” is like answering, “How many waves are on a beach?” or “How many clouds are in the sky?”
The answer is that it depends on the conditions.
The who, when, where, and what affects the cost of an overseas South Asian wedding.
Based on our experience, an Indian destination wedding with about 200-300 guests typically costs around $150,000 for a three-day celebration.
A Hindu or sikh ceremony can involve larger guest lists, incorporate more events, and take place over a longer period of time.
Common non-Indian weddings cost around $30,000 at more costly destinations like Hawaii or Europe.
In our experience, destination weddings are more typically $15,000 or $20,000 in Mexico and the Caribbean.
We put together a list of our favorite wedding packages under $15,000, and you’ll see there are ample amazing wedding venues and packages available.
So why is the price so much lower in these areas? And does this translate over to Indian weddings?
Hosting your wedding overseas in these destinations can be more cost-effective when you take advantage of all-inclusive resorts and the packages they offer for weddings.
This is because of a few factors, including the US Dollar exchange rate and the lower costs of goods and services.
In fact, many of these resorts offer FREE wedding packages for couples who meet particular requirements.
Common requirements include the couple staying a minimum number of nights in the resort or needing a guest list of a particular size to book rooms.
This is excellent news for Shaadi weddings! Their length and scale tend to make meeting these requirements easy.
What’s more, you can leverage the relationships we hold with these resorts to get competitive benefits.
With over 30 years of experience planning destination weddings, we’ve established relationships with the top resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean.
We can negotiate exclusive advantages and deals for our couples and their guests.
Below are some of the major factors that can influence the cost of an Indian Wedding in Mexico or the Caribbean:
The number of guests you host is ultimately up to you and your vision.
Okay, it may also depend on how many friends and extended family your parents want to invite. 😅
Most Indian weddings we help plan typically have between 150 and 350 guests.
If you’re hoping to invite outside of your immediate family and close friends, consider the costs of hosting 100 or more people.
It’s important to remember that some invitees won’t be able to make it.
This is especially true for destination weddings.
Remember to factor in a 20%-30% invite decline rate in your planning.
Inviting more guests to your wedding can help reduce some of the costs of your celebration, where resorts incentivize larger guest lists.
For example, resorts like Azul Riviera Cancun offer a “Cash for your Bash” promotion, which rewards the couple and their wedding.
This promotion earns couples free wedding essentials, such as ceremonies, decor, events, or catering.
We’ll share more of our favorite resorts for Indian destination weddings below.
Most wedding packages include elegant decor, but this can be slightly more minimalist than you may expect in a traditional South Asian wedding.
This means that you might need to pay extra for decor, whether the resort supplies it or if you need to pay an outside vendor to decorate your events.
It’s important to note that booking an outside vendor can often incur additional fees from the resort.
Some specialist South Asian packages that a few resorts offer can include decor, such as ornate mandaps, table dressings, or backdrops.
Consider how lavishly you want your events to be decorated before you begin planning, as this can help guide your decision-making throughout this process.
The good news is that the pricing of packages around the Caribbean and Mexico is pretty consistent, no matter where you choose.
What does change, however, is the price of getting there.
For example, if you’re based in the southwestern states, flying to Cabo can be faster and cheaper than flying to Jamaica.
If you’re asking 100-300 guests to pay for their own travel, it’s important to consider how far you’re asking them to go.
The primary ceremony venue for a destination wedding is often a core inclusion of destination wedding packages.
South Asian weddings, however, usually involve three full days of events, meaning that several venues may be necessary to book at an extra cost, depending on the package inclusions.
For example, Mehndi and Sangeet gatherings may require rooms or private areas to be booked, which can add cost to the overall budget.
Another key factor for the cost of your destination wedding is the time of year you want to get married.
Planning your destination wedding for the shoulder season can help you avoid higher travel costs and unlock better wedding incentives.
Ensure that you also research the seasonal weather for your chosen destination because some tropical regions can get wet seasons or even hurricanes.
Similarly, going in the middle of summer might mean scorching temperatures that can roast your guests during an outdoor beach ceremony.
If you can, aim for the “sweet spot,” just next to the high season while the weather is still mild.
The ideal time of year to visit varies from region to region.
Our experienced team can help you choose the best time of year depending on where you dream of hosting your destination wedding.
While some resorts are fully equipped to host South Asian weddings, others may require you to book specialist external vendors if you want to include traditional elements in your wedding.
For example, if you want to book a Mehndi artist, you may need to book this independently of the resort and pay an external vendor fee.
Say you want the Dulha to ride in on an ornate white horse during the baraat- this is most likely only possible through an external vendor!
If these aspects are important to you, research whether there are local vendors where your chosen resort is.
This is also something we can help you with as our client.
Similarly, consider whether you wish to bring your own officiant from home or if this is someone you need to source in your chosen destination at additional cost.
Consider which may be cheaper, paying for the travel and accommodation of an extra person for three nights (and possibly their spouse!), or hiring a local.
Aside from elements specific to South Asian weddings, other vendors such as photographers and videographers, DJs and musicians, and makeup or hair stylists may also be on your wish list.
As with decorations, if you want traditional food, you’ll want to find a resort that understands the traditional cuisines.
In some cases, you may need to consider working with an external vendor to cater your wedding over some or all of the three days of events.
Our goal is to find a resort where you can work closely with the resort to design the catering to include the traditional cuisine you want.
In a strictly traditional Indian wedding, it’s not unheard of for the bride’s parents to cover most or all of the costs of the wedding.
However, this isn’t strictly the case for all South Asian weddings, especially modern ones.
Several factors can influence the division of costs.
For instance, if the groom’s side of the family wants to invite significantly more guests, they may contribute more to cover this cost.
One factor that’s unique to destination weddings is travel costs.
So who pays for those?
For destination weddings, it’s typical for guests to cover their own travel fare, including flights and ground transport.
This is also the case for guests’ resort stay.
The great thing about all-inclusive resorts is that by covering their accommodation costs, guests can access gourmet dining, drinks, pools, beaches, and other amenities.
When looking for your wedding venue, consider what the resort offers guests to ensure that the cost of staying there is worth it for them.
Consider whether kids will have fun, how the food will be, and whether your family and friends will have the trip they want (obviously, in addition to celebrating you!)
We commonly work with couples to have “booking codes” for various wedding party groups.
We do this often for Indian weddings when the host is paying for some or all of the guest’s stay.
We have a curated list of our favorite destination wedding venues for large weddings, but not all large wedding venues can manage an Indian destination wedding.
Here’s a list of some of our favorite and most cost-effective resorts for an Indian destination wedding, with a brief overview, description of venues, wedding highlights, and Indian wedding call-outs:
The Grand at Moon Palace is by far one of the best family-friendly all-inclusive resorts near Cancun, with delicious food, activities for all ages, and a wedding team that can design extraordinary events.
Overview: This resort sits on the luxury end of the scale and offers heightened cuisine, entertainment, design, and amenities for the whole family.
The Grand at Moon Palace is one of the best resorts for an Indian beach wedding, only 15 minutes from Cancun International Airport.
The Complimentary wedding package here allows the couple and their families to save money on the ceremony and other core wedding elements.
Check out our full review to learn more about what you can expect from a wedding at this resort.
Venues
Wedding highlights
Indian wedding call-outs
Two world-class resorts in the Lomas Hospitality group are the El Dorado Royale and Generations Riviera Maya.
Overview: Both resorts offer the “Always and Forever” wedding package, offering complimentary ceremony and other free elements.
Technically El Dorado Royale is actually two resorts in one (El Dorado Royale and El Dorado Royale Casitas).
The Casitas section sits in the middle of the propert and are villa-like properties with thatch roofs, and private swim out pools on the first floor.
El Dorado Royale is an adults-only haven and Generations Riviera Maya is a family-friendly hotspot for luxury.
Both of these resorts are located on the eastern shore of the Yucatan peninsula between Playa del Carmen and Cancun.
Venues
Wedding highlights
Indian wedding call-outs
Azul Riviera Cancun is a beach resort offering access to stunning aquamarine waters south of Cancun.
Overview: This 435-room Karisma resort offers a family-friendly luxury escape.
With six world-class restaurants and six bars, thirst, and hunger is a thing of the past, while the acclaimed spa and six pools have sun-soaked fun and relaxation covered.
With plenty of entertainment for the kids and opportunities for adults to elevate their stay, Azul Riviera Cancun is a resort that can cater to any number of guests.
Venues
Wedding highlights
Indian wedding call-outs
There are Moon Palace resorts in Cancun, Jamaica, and soon, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
For Indian Weddings, we prefer Moon Palace Cancun, given its proximity to the airport and on-site wedding team that can design and coordinate beautiful events.
Overview: The Complimentary wedding package at Moon Palace Resorts is one of the most cost-effective ways to host a destination wedding.
You can bring the whole family and all your friends along for a lavish bash, where they can enjoy the Awe Spas and gourmet cuisine that makes this banner so popular.
You can read our reviews of Moon Palace Cancun and Moon Palace Jamaica if you’re still deciding between the two destinations.
Moon Palace Cancun is located directly next to the Grand at Moon Palace.
Guests staying at the Grand have access to everything at the Moon, but guests at the Moon will need to pay for a day pass if they want to access the Grand and its additional restaurants, amenities, and water park.
Venues
Wedding highlights
Indian wedding call-outs
The Hard Rock Riviera Maya is just south of Playa del Carmen in the Yucatan Peninsula’s eastern riviera.
Overview: This family-friendly resort is the best high-energy venue for making unforgettable memories on the Riviera Maya.
With a stunning white sand beach and world-class spa, adults can unwind while kids enjoy splashing around in the water park.
The Complimentary package, or “Wedding Inspiration,” offers exceptional value when you bring large groups, although you will need to add on costs for numbers over 32.
Venues
Wedding highlights
Indian wedding call-outs
Hard Rock Punta Cana is one of the most excitement-filled resorts on the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic.
Overview: Another great Hard Rock resort offering the brand’s competitive Complimentary Wedding Inspiration is this stunner in Punta Cana.
This resort also features one of the most popular casinos on the island, while offering the little ones endless fun at the Roxity Kids Club.
Of course, the Signature Rock Spa is always ready to pamper your guests or help the special couple unwind before their big day.
Venues
Wedding highlights
Indian wedding call-outs
Hard Rock Los Cabos is in an isolated spot west of Cabo San Lucas.
Overview: Hard Rock Los Cabos also offers the attractive Complimentary Wedding Inspiration, allowing those who choose the dramatic desert-meets-sea environment to take advantage of this option.
This resort features 639 luxury rooms and all the rock-themed amenities we love from the brand, including the Rock Spa, Roxity Kids Club, and Body Rock Fitness Center.
Venues
Wedding highlights
Indian wedding call-outs
To help you visualize how all of the core elements come together to comprise a wedding budget, we’ve provided a real-life example from our previous clients.
The couple below hosted a wedding of 175 people at the Generations Riviera Maya/El Dorado Royale.
They opted for the Always and Forever package, which they got for free through the Cash for your Bash promotion, in addition to $3,520 worth of discounts on catering.
Total: $17,927
Total: $6,853
Total: $29,699
Total: $3,229
Total: $27,482
Total: $6,996
Total: $32,737
Cash for your Bash promotion: -$4,470
Total wedding cost after discounts: $124,923
Hopefully, from this post, you’ll see the costs can vary wildly for an Indian or South Asian destination wedding.
There are many factors to consider, but the important thing is finding a wedding venue, package, and team that can turn your dream wedding into reality within your planned budget.
Our experienced wedding planners at Destination Weddings by Vacationeeze are with you every step of the way.
When it comes to Indian Weddings, we have vast experience and you can see our portfolio at Rishtey Destinations.
With decades of experience planning hundreds of weddings, our team understands what couples are looking for and how to navigate working with the resorts.
Ready to start planning your big day?
Jared is a certified destination wedding travel advisor and has been recognized as a top agent by Palace Resorts, Karisma Resorts, Lomas Hospitality, and Hyatt Inclusive Collection.
He caught the travel bug early in his life as his parents (the founders of Vacationeeze!) instilled a passion for travel and adventure in him and his siblings.
Our team has 30+ years planning dream destination weddings. For a limited time we're offering up to $4,000 cash for your wedding.
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