Destination weddings come with a different rhythm than a local wedding. More moving pieces before the trip even begins, but also a few days instead of a few hours to actually be with the people who came. This wedding was held at The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences in Playa del Carmen, and it’s a good example of what to think through if a destination wedding, and this resort specifically, is on your radar.
Finding the Right Resort for a Destination Wedding
Not every all-inclusive resort is set up the same way for weddings, so it’s worth looking past the marketing photos and into the details that actually affect your day. A few things worth checking before you book:
- Ceremony and reception capacity. Resort venues often have different limits for a seated ceremony versus a cocktail-style reception in the same space, so match the numbers to your actual guest list rather than the largest figure listed.
- Indoor backup options. Riviera Maya weather is generally reliable, but rain contingency still matters, especially during the region’s wetter months. Know what the backup plan is before you sign anything.
- Outside vendor policy. Some resorts require you to use their in-house photographer and coordinator; others, like The Fives, allow you to bring in your own vendors alongside their all-inclusive packages, more likely with an additional fee. If having your own photographer travel with you matters to you, confirm this early.
- Distance from the airport. Guest travel is already a big ask. A resort closer to the airport tends to mean an easier arrival day for everyone.
Weddings at The Fives Beach Hotel & Residences
The Fives Beach Hotel sits directly on the Riviera Maya coastline, about 35 to 45 minutes from Cancun International Airport, and less than a mile from downtown Playa del Carmen. It’s an AAA Four-Diamond, all-inclusive property, and it offers a genuinely wide range of ceremony and reception spaces:
- The Beachfront venue, directly on the sand, holds up to 150 for a ceremony or reception, and up to 199 for a cocktail-style gathering.
- The Beachfront Gazebo is a smaller, more intimate option, suited to ceremonies of up to 120 guests.
- The Grand Garden is set within the resort’s tropical landscaping and works well for a reception of up to 120.
- The Sky Deck is an elevated, private terrace with open ocean views, also holding up to 120 for a reception.
- For an indoor option, The Fives Salon accommodates up to 140 guests and is a good fallback for weather or an evening reception that runs later.
Because the resort offers this range, it works for both smaller, intimate ceremonies and larger multi-day wedding weekends with welcome events and rehearsal dinners built in.
The Realistic Part of a Destination Wedding
The logistics of a destination wedding are different from a local one, and it’s worth planning for them directly rather than assuming everything happens the way it would at home.
Guest travel is the biggest one. Between flights, passports, and hotel costs, resort commutes, not everyone on your list will be able to make the trip, and it’s worth deciding early how you feel about that. Booking a room block through the resort, and giving guests as much notice as possible, makes a real difference in your final headcount.
Timeline-wise, destination weddings often stretch across several days rather than one, so it’s worth thinking about what’s actually happening each day. For example: welcome dinner, wedding day, farewell brunch. And where photography fits into each of those, not just the wedding day itself.
If you’re bringing in outside vendors, like a photographer traveling from the states, confirm that with the resort’s wedding coordinator well in advance, and make sure your vendor has a clear line of communication with the on-site team so nothing falls through the cracks between the two.
How This Location Photographs
Beachfront ceremonies photograph beautifully, but the light changes fast near the water, especially in late afternoon. A ceremony timed for early evening, closer to sunset, tends to give the richest, warmest light for both the ceremony and portraits after. The contrast between the open beach, the resort’s tropical gardens, and elevated spaces like the Sky Deck also gives a gallery a lot of visual range across a single day.
If you are planning a Riviera Maya wedding and resonate with these photos, I would love to walk you through how I document destination weddings. Use this link to reach out!
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