How resort wedding pricing works

204 of the 308 resorts here publish a free (“complimentary”) wedding. It is never unconditional: the resort gives it to couples who book a stay, and most also set a minimum number of nights or rooms. Where the rule is a stay length, it runs from 3 to 7 nights. Where it is a room count, from 3 to 15 rooms. Where it is total room nights, from 15 to 105.

The free package usually covers a short symbolic ceremony, a small bouquet, a cake and a toast for a handful of guests. A dinner reception is almost always a paid package or an add-on. 28 resorts also restrict the free wedding to certain days, most often Monday to Thursday.

Most resorts sell several named tiers, and the price climbs with the guest count and the reception that comes with it. Across the 259 resorts with a current price list in dollars, the cheapest paid package runs from $450 (Couples Resorts Negril) to $12,000 (Baoase Curacao), and the median is $1,099.

Chains split two ways. Some, such as Sandals, Riu and Hard Rock, sell one list at the same price at every resort; others price each resort on its own. The chain pages say which.

Most packages state how many guests they include. Past that, the resort charges each extra adult, and only 126 resorts here publish what that costs. For the rest, the per-guest price is the first number to ask for, because on a 60-guest wedding it can exceed the package price itself.

Resorts want you to use their photographer, florist and DJ, and charge for any vendor you bring instead. 34 resorts here publish a current fee in dollars, from $30 (Santo Domingo Bay Convention Resort & Casino) to $1,500 (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana). The unit differs by resort: per vendor, per member of the vendor’s crew, or per vendor per day, so a photographer and a videographer over a welcome dinner and the wedding can be four fees.

4 resorts do not allow outside vendors at all, whatever you are willing to pay.

A guest who is not staying at the resort pays for a day or event pass to attend. 25 resorts here publish a current price in dollars, from $50 to $280 per person. 103 also require a share of guests, commonly 80%, to stay at the resort.

A legal wedding abroad needs the destination country’s license, documents (often translated or apostilled), sometimes a blood test, and witnesses. Resorts charge for arranging it on top of the package. Many couples sign the papers at home and hold a symbolic ceremony at the resort instead. Each destination page collects what the resorts there publish about it.