These are the questions couples actually ask us on consultation calls, including the ones most agencies would rather not put in writing. Where we do not know something for certain, we say so.
Most land between US$50,000 and US$150,000 for the couple's side, roughly US$1,000 to US$2,000 per guest once every event is counted. Guest count and number of events move it far more than the destination does.
The all-inclusive plan covers the resort's restaurants on a walk-in basis. A private wedding event is a separate banquet operation with its own venue, staff and bespoke Indian menu. Every resort prices that separately, and it is usually the largest single line in your budget.
Usually, and often substantially. A 350-guest Hindu wedding at a New Jersey or Brampton banquet hall regularly clears six figures before flights. The offsetting cost is real but invisible on your invoice: your guests are spending their own money and leave to attend.
Most commonly guests pay their own rooms and flights, the families cover the events, and immediate family plus relatives travelling from India are often covered. Imported vendors, including Pandit Ji flights and honorarium, sit with the couple.
Resort concessions are tied to room nights rather than headcount. Hit a threshold and the wedding package, upgrades or catering can become complimentary. Moon Palace Cancun has been widely reported at 75 room nights for complimentary Indian catering, which is the single most-cited number in this market. We confirm it in writing on every contract rather than relying on the reputation.
Far fewer than a wedding at home, and the single biggest driver is flight length. A guest who will happily fly three hours will think twice about seven with a connection. Plan your room block against realistic attendance, not your invitation list.
Often yes, and this is the most common guest-side failure on a destination wedding. Indian passport holders can frequently enter Mexico and the Dominican Republic on a valid US, Canadian, Schengen, UK or Japanese visa, but rules differ by country and change. Raise it at save-the-date stage and verify each guest individually.
Yes, and it is where a group air contract earns its keep. We have coordinated a wedding week where guests arrived from India, England, the United States and Canada. Group contracts give you a fixed price, later name deadlines and the ability to move one passenger without repricing everything.
That depends entirely on the attrition clause in your room block, which is why we read it carefully before you sign. Typically you may release 10 to 20 percent without penalty. Below that you may owe for the shortfall.
At most properties yes, but several of the best-marketed South Asian wedding packages sit at adults-only resorts, including El Dorado Royale and Hyatt Zilara. Count the children on your guest list before you fall in love with one.
The ones with established South Asian programmes are genuinely good. The rest will say yes on a sales call and then ask what a mandap is. We ask specific operational questions rather than accepting a general assurance.
It depends on the property and the municipality, and it is the most commonly refused request in the category. Some resorts permit a contained agni with a fire-safety plan and an extinguisher present. Others prohibit open flame outright, particularly on wooden decks or under structures. Get the answer in writing.
Rarely, and only at properties that have licensed for it. Karisma includes a horse and a dhol player as a standard inclusion, which is unusual. Elsewhere, expect to substitute a decorated car, a boat arrival or a procession on foot.
Most families bring their own. We have flown a Pandit Ji from New York to Punta Cana and from Canada to Cancun. Budget flights, accommodation, an honorarium and time for samagri to clear customs.
Sometimes, and it is almost always expensive. Most properties charge an outside vendor fee, and some prohibit outside catering entirely for food-safety and liability reasons. Properties with a standing Indian kitchen usually make it unnecessary.
Yes, but only if it is raised at contracting rather than at the tasting. No onion, no garlic and no root vegetables is a materially harder ask than pure vegetarian, and a resort that agrees casually on a sales call has usually not spoken to its kitchen.
In Mexico and most of the Caribbean, no. Almost every couple we work with completes the legal marriage at home and treats the destination ceremony as the real wedding. In Alberta and British Columbia a registered officiant can make the religious ceremony the legal marriage, which is one reason families choose Banff or Victoria.
Twelve to eighteen months for most weddings, and eighteen to twenty-four for a peak-season Saturday at a strong Cancun or Riviera Maya property. Those dates genuinely do go that far out.
Yes, and for a large wedding it is usually worth it. Some properties credit part of a site-visit stay against your wedding. We arrange these and tell you honestly when a visit is not necessary.
Talk to us about how we are compensated on your specific wedding. We would rather explain it on a call than publish a number that does not apply to your situation.
Yes, for you and for your guests, and we recommend it for anything booked in hurricane season. What supplier policies do when a storm lands on your date is a separate question from what your insurance covers.
The resort provides a wedding coordinator. Many families also bring a planner, and for a five-event week we usually recommend it. On-site coordination from our side is available and priced separately.
A private booking portal with the itinerary, the room block link, RSVP, flight guidance and travel advice, plus a real person answering their questions so your mother is not fielding calls about airport transfers at eleven at night.
Yes. We also check what the destination and property actually permit, because in some jurisdictions the answer differs from what the marketing implies, and you should hear that from us early rather than late.
