Indian Wedding in Mexico | the Ultimate Guide (2023-2024)
Updated: Sep 3, 2022
Ajay Manaktala is an Indian-American from California who planned his entire Indian wedding in Tulum, Mexico. He’s also a DJ and Indian wedding expert that has worked over 1000 South Asian weddings over the last 20 years all over the world. From the Bahamas to Bangkok, Europe to India and of course Latin and Central America...he knows that wherever Indians are, Indian food and culture is still important.
In this post he tells you everything you would want to know about planning an Indian Wedding in Mexico! Muy bien!
This post is part of our ultimate guide series and quite long so it’s structured in the following way in case you want to scroll ahead:
Overview
Best Time to Visit
Pros of a Mexican Indian Wedding
Cons of a Mexican Inddian Wedding
Major Areas to get Married
Major Venues
Cost of an Indian Wedding in Mexico
Priorities your Guest’s Will Care About
Things that Can Go Wrong (Risks)
Vendors
Overview
Congratulations on looking at Mexico as your shaadi destination! It is an absolutely stunning choice and combined with the spice and color that makes up our desi weddings, you’re definitely looking at a good decision. It’s also very popular with Sikh, Punjabi, Gujarati, and most other South Asian communities!
That being said, before you lock in on a place like Cancun or Tulum or Quintana Roo, you should understand why you want to do a wedding in Mexico.
The major reasons for having an Indian or Pakistani wedding in Mexico are usually to do something on the beach,
enjoy sundowner terrace vibes,
and give your guest’s a nice time to enjoy themselves on top of your wedding.
The costs are lower than an Indian destination wedding in the Bahamas or Europe but not much cheaper than Miami or Orange County any coastal city in the US, given all the extra logistical expenses. But the entire destination wedding vibe really works in Mexico, the weather is usually great and the fact that Mexican food and customs are very Indian friendly definitely helps!
If you’re paying for all the guest’s rooms, then you’re basically giving your gang a free vacation and you do whatever you like. Probably the only thing you still have to nail is making sure you get good Indian catering figured out.
If you’re not paying for their rooms (this is more common), then you also need to make sure your Indian food, vendors and hotel selections are all top notch so people appreciate that you appreciate them flying in and taking the time.
Lastly, this might be obvious to some but remember most Mexican cities in the Cancun area don’t face the sunset, they face the sunrise. So for Quintana Roo (Cancun) weddings, you’re not going to get a sunset mandap shot unless you’re on some elevated terrace position, on a yacht or Cozumel.
However the ocean is gorgeous in cancun but do note, it can get VERY hot during a beach wedding all your hair/makeup/resulting photos comfort can easily go for a toss.
Best Time To Visit
December through April are peak season and best weather, but you can find good deals if the weather plays nice in October/November, though you risk rain and extreme heat!
Pros of a Mexican Indian Wedding
Mexico is one of my favorite places, I got married there and it’s just constantly bringing a smile to my face just thinking about it. The weather, the food, the smiles, the ocean...it’s just...wow! Getting straight to the positives:
Beautiful: The ocean in Cancun all along the coast is just like the postcards.
Reasonably priced: Most hotels operate on an all inclusive which can work out better in many cases where food and drink requirements are quite heavy (e.g. a special occasion like a wedding!)
Fantastic facilities: Due to the heavy tourist industry and major hotel chains, hotels are constantly modernizing and bring the best of the best. A large conference industry is also the reason for beautiful venues you can use for your desi wedding!
Family Friendly: Massive hotels are handicap accessible golf carts a plenty. Also very easy for kids to stay occupied in mega resorts!
Amazing Food Choices: While your priority for your wedding day and one or two functions around it like the sangeet or garba should be on availability of Indian food, you want to make sure your guests also feel like it’s vacation on their trip. Given the hotel packages, guests will have health options, chinese, Mexican, Pizza, Italian and pretty much any cuisine to choose from!
Holiday for All: A good chunk of your guests will either come in a day or two early or stay a few days later to enjoy being there. Destination weddings are also a great reason to take a holiday, so why not let them center the experience at your wedding!
Easy Connectivity: the majority of major US cities will have flights to major Mexican destinations, which is great for your guests and your vendors!
Cheaper than Hawaii: Given the larger area and options available, a Mexican destination wedding is definitely cheaper than a luxury Hawaii Indian wedding. From flights to accommodation, you will not only save money but also get WAY more value for money as Hawaii hotels are usually not all inclusive. Also cheaper than the Bahamas (and better food options I feel).
Visa: If your Indian relatives have a US visa, which they likely will as they’ll probably fly through America, that would be good enough for them to enter Mexico! Source.
Cons of a Mexican Indian Wedding
Sunrise, not Sunset: (as mentioned above) In most Cancun area weddings, you get a sunrise, not a sunset. This isn’t a big deal but I see it pop up over and over.
Extra baggage costs on domestic US carriers: Discount airlines will charge you for baggage, and most have smaller allowances. As we know in India weddings, it’s probably two to three suitcases per family member at minimum.
Difficult for India Guests: It might be hard enough for your family to make the trek from India to the USA, now Mexico can be either a 2-3 hour drive from Texas or Los Angeles or another 6 hour flight depending on where you have it. That can be a pinch on costs and time when someone has already flew 28 hours from Delhi or Mumbai.
It Can Get Uncomfortably Hot: Hair/makeup/photos and everything will be ruined by sweat. You’ll get a few great photos but a very miserable time if not planned properly. Just like a Thailand beach wedding that sounds nice, weather can often make people irritated and sweaty.
No Time for Excursion: Your guests may want to explore the nearby ruins or jungles, but as we all know weddings can be very busy with all the functions. So you’ll need to factor in some down time, that way your guests can lounge by the pool and also get some nap time, jet lag recovery, catching up, gossiping, or anything else.
Not exactly the BEST Indian food: Even though your contract and room rates will include all meals, you’ll still need to hire outside Indian catering as your aunties and uncles (and even some younger folks) will want to have Indian food. You can ask any Indian wedding planner, and while everybody is there obviously for you, they’ll tell you straight up that food is probably the most important factor on how guest’s will remember your wedding as it crosses all age brackets. We will all eat for sure! Many of the mega resorts may have a small few staple Indian items, but for extensive veggie friendly and wedding type of options beyond a non-spicy Chicken Tikka Masala, you’ll need to do outside catering. While they’re some decent Indian restaurants in Cancun, it will be costly and probably less masala and spices than you're used to. But again, I got married in Tulum at Shiva and while it was pricey, I loved where we went and aunties had no complaints!
Major Areas
Most couples who opt for a wedding in Mexico will probably do a wedding in Quintana Roo which comprises of Cancun and all the neighboring areas. Couples from California, Washington State and other western areas may also look at Los Cabos or the Baja coast.
Quintana Roo aka Cancun and the Atlantic
Cancun
Pros: Massive hotels, like the Las Vegas Strip. Gorgeous beaches. Amenities galore and you can get pretty much everything with the all inclusive packages.
Cons: Can be very crowded and your wedding might just feel like a small corporate event on the side. Not a lot of privacy as nobody does an entire hotel buy-out here. Gets hot and possibly rainy in low season. You will probably pass hundreds of tourists and hotel guests at every event.
Tulum
I did my wedding here at the Kore Tulum resort and to be honest I loved it!
Pros: Tulum is quieter than crazy party central Cancun, so it’s perfect for Indian weddings where people want to feel like it’s about them! They’re Indian restaurants you can take catering from or do your private mehndi at, and it’s just a gorgeous town that is SO THE BOMB for anybody above 25 not looking for a spring break vibe. Smaller resorts so you can possibly rent the whole hotel.
Cons: For younger folks there is not much to step out and do. It’s another two hour drive from Cancun airport.
Playa Del Carmen
Pros: All of Cancun but a little less crowded.
Cons: Not as bustling for party goers, but probably better for weddings.
Cozumel: To be honest I know you can do cruise ship weddings around here, but I wasn’t able to find much online and we’ve never done an Indian wedding here. If you have a smaller wedding of about 20 to 40 people, it might make sense.
West Coast aka Cabo and Puerto Vallarta
Los Cabos and Cabos San Lucas
Most Indian weddings on the western coast of Mexico will happen on the Southern tip of Baja, which provides for gorgeous backdrops against sunsets but fewer options than Q.Roo.
Regardless, a fantastic choice that’s really come up in the last few years. Highly advisable for folks from San Diego and Los Angeles who don’t want a six hour flight (and time difference that probably means you lose a day traveling).