If you haven’t already checked them out, take a look at my two other posts, How to Plan A Wedding in Mexico – Part I & Part II which review everything from budget to choosing a venue and a DJ. In this post I’ll go over photography, flowers & decoration, transportation, and final touches. If you’re getting married in Mexico, this guide and my others are for you!
Skip To
- Wedding Photographer
- Flower & Decor
- Hair & Makeup
- Others & Extras
- How to Plan a Wedding in Mexico – Part I
- How to Plan a Wedding in Mexico – Part II
Choosing a Wedding Photographer
Timing
3-4 months in advance of the wedding.
Things to Think About
Choosing a wedding photographer is really all about the vibe you want. I recommend doing research on wedding photographers in the area where you’re getting married. Search on google and instagram, and also look at other people’s weddings on instagram and see who they’ve tagged as there photographer. For example, if you know you’re getting married at Blue Venado, look at all of the weddings on Instagram who have tagged them and see what photographer they used. Then you can contact that photographer directly. In the Playa del Carmen/Tulum area, photographers cost anywhere from $1.5K – $7K based on the quotes I received.
Questions to ask your Wedding Photographer
- Can you show me some of your work?
- How many hours will you stay? How much extra is it to add additional hours?
- Will there be one or two or multiple photographers?
- How long after the wedding will I receive the photos?
We chose Perla Rocio photography and she was amazing. The photos are so beautiful, she is so kind, and she sent us our photos one month after the wedding. She also sent us a preview of some of the photos within a few days of the wedding. I really recommend her if you’re getting married in Mexico.
Choosing a Flower & Decor Vendor
Timing
2-3 months in advance of the wedding and ongoing because it takes some time to figure out the details.
Things to Think About
What I will say about flowers and decor in Mexico is that they like to go all out. If you look at most Mexican weddings, they’re absolutely dripping in florals. Because of this, you’ll find that most vendors overquote you on flowers and decor. My experience with flowers is that less is more if you already have a beautiful venue. This aspect of the wedding is expensive, and each piece is incremental cost. Since you can pick and choose what you want to include, you can save a lot by pulling back here and by doing things on your own. Flower and decor costs are really variable, so I can’t say how much it will cost, but it was the second largest cost of our wedding even with my minimalism.
If you’re getting Married in Mexico, we used a vendor called Style Me in Playa del Carmen. They’re technically an offshoot business of Blue Venado, our venue, but I didn’t realize that when I found them. They’re absolutely excellent to work with and I love their business model because they essentially give you a catalog and you can pick and choose what you want to include.
Questions to Ask when choosing Flowers & Decor
- How much is tax? Are there setup costs?
- Calculate the total cost of flowers + tax + setup costs. I had an option where it looked like less money, but the setup costs were so high that it was actually more expensive than my other options.
- Ask if they’ll do a sample centerpiece for your menu tasting (try to negotiate this as a part of the total).
- Quote everything you could possibly want, then start to eliminate to save cost.
- Ask if you can reuse pieces. For example, we had a flower arch for our ceremony that we had moved to the bride & groom table. This saved us close to $1K.
- Finally – make your own decor! I brought my own menus, table numbers, drink menus, chargers, and more to our wedding. This saved us probably at least $500.
Choosing Hair & Makeup for your Wedding
Timing
2-3 months in advance of the wedding.
Things to Think About
First of all, I’d like to acknowledge that hair and makeup for weddings is much more expensive than normal hair and makeup, even if you’re getting married in Mexico. So just be prepared for that. The hair and makeup artists will come to your venue or hotel and stay for about five hours (or more depending on how many people).
My advice is that all you need is hair and makeup for the day. I did not do a test or a touchup in my wedding, and it was completely fine. As long as you choose someone whose style you like, it will work out. You will feel pressure to do a test or a touchup and honestly, I think it’s just a way to make more money. I recommend once again creeping on Instagrams of wedding at your venue or weddings you like in the area you’re getting married and finding a stylist that way. For my wedding, we used Doranna Hair & Makeup, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
Others & Extras for your Wedding
Depending on where you get married, they may or may not charge you for each vendor you bring in. I loved Blue Venado because they did not do this and you can really make your own custom wedding. Just remember that every extra costs more! The only real extra we had for our wedding was a churro cart. We didn’t have a cake, so I decided to spend a little money on this option. We used Los Pockets which specializes in churro carts for events and people loved it. It was a fun touch for our wedding.
