Modern Bride and Elegant Bride magazines rank Mexico and Puerto Vallarta as among the top 5 most desirable locations to get married away from home. With its proximity to the US and Canada, as well as an abundance of picturesque and romantic places, it's no wonder Vallarta has become the preferred place to marry in Mexico.
White sand beaches, warm gentle breezes, gorgeous tropical flowers, surrounded by lush greens and bright blue skies...not to mention stunning sunsets over the Bahia de Banderas and the magic of Mexico, makes Puerto Vallarta incredibly romantic and perfect for the most important day in your life. Trust me, I know!
After dreaming and doing a lot of research for my own wedding over a couple of years, I discovered Puerto Vallarta. We combined our honeymoon and wedding by spending a week with family members and close friends. During the week, after the wedding, reception, and until this day...everyone says it was the most memorable, unique, and exciting wedding they have ever been to.

We stayed with our family and friends in a beautiful, luxurious villa (Villa Aventura) overlooking the entire bay. When everyone arrived from the airport, they could not believe their eyes! Some who had never been to Mexico were in awe to say the least. The villa staff was serving up fresh guacamole, margaritas, and a grilled seafood dinner to start off the week. It was amazing! We spent the rest of the week relaxing around the pool, siteseeing, and trying to get tan in time for the big day!
We were married in a small church downtown, El Refugio. The ceremony took place a couple of hours before sundown and we arrived to the villa just in time to take amazing

pictures of the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. We had a guitar trio playing for the guests as they arrived. The villa and catering staff were also handing out fresh pina coladas, margaritas, and wine to our arriving guests. The sun went down and dinner was served under the stars by candle light. Tiny white lights were scattered throughout the terrace filled with lush foliage and bright flowers. The music was elegant, the food (especially the chiles en nogada) was gourmet and delicious, and the company could not have been better!
After dinner, the dance music started...and the fiesta had begun! About half an hour later, Arturo and I made a toast to each other and thanked our loved ones for being there with us. Right after the toast, and to the surprise of all of our guests, huge fireworks lit up the black sky right over our heads! After about 5 minutes of fireworks and cheers, a full group of 14 mariachis paraded in from the side of the villa terrace. The violins and the trumpets roared, and again everyone turned

their heads in total surprise. I can still remember the looks and smiles of surprise on peoples faces, like a snapshot in my mind! Many people commented that they felt as if they were in a movie! It was such a thrill! We literally danced until the sun came up. It was surreal, dreamy, and real at the same time. We had a dream of what we wanted our special day to be like...but I could not believe that it all turned out better than anything I had ever imagined. The best part...was that it was not only the most memorable week and special day of our lives, but it was also very special and memorable to the people closest to us...and that was also very important to us.

Getting married in Mexico was right for us for a variety of reasons, some of which included:
· Budgetary reasons. We were able to have our dream wedding for under $10,000. The same wedding would have cost us $40,000+ in the US.
· Our dispersed families on both sides made it logistically easier
· We wanted to have unique wedding memories.
If you're inspired to have a Villa/Beach destination wedding in Puerto Vallarta, I highly recommend working with a wedding consultant in Vallarta to help you arrange everything in advance. Our recommended wedding

consultants are specialized in helping couples get married in Puerto Vallarta. They have years of experience and qualified backgrounds. We will be happy to pass along their contact information and more details to assist you with your special day!