What's included in an all-inclusive wedding package?

The global destination wedding market is worth USD 16.2 billion this year. It is on track to reach USD 26.8 billion by 2036, rising at an annual rate of 5.1% (source: Future Market Insights, an independent market research firm, futuremarketinsights.com). Beach resorts alone claim 41.3% of that market (same source: Future Market Insights). Couples aren't just chasing a nice view anymore. They want someone else to handle the seventeen moving parts of a wedding while they focus on the two people getting married.

And that's why destination weddings are so attractive. One package, one contact, one solution to everything you need. You can save yourself several weeks of negotiating and haggling with different service providers by knowing what is included in such packages for your destination wedding.

What's in the Package?

While each resort has its own way of selling its packages, there are common ingredients to any great package deal. An all-inclusive wedding package must offer:

• The space: whether beach, garden, ballroom, or terrace, and setting it up for your ceremony and reception
• Catering service: A menu or various tiered menus and, perhaps, a pre-wedding food tasting
• Decoration: flowers, table linens, lighting, arch/altar decoration
• Photo and video recording services: a certain number of hours and, sometimes, a backup photographer
• A wedding coordinator: who is going to organize everything on the D-day, not only plan things over the phone
• Entertainment: a DJ, string quartet, or sound equipment for the ceremony and reception
• Legal assistance: in case you need some help with filling out the paperwork for marriage

Different packages have different add-ons. For instance, in Punta Cana, you may receive a couples spa treatment and a special welcome dinner. In a French château in the Loire Valley, a wine tasting and vintage transport of the bridal party will be part of the package. See our wedding packages for what each resort bundles.

Where Couples Book Their Destination

Beach Destinations

Destinations such as Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, and Hawaii belong to this group, and rightly so. Inclusions in this group include a beachfront ceremony, a reception party under lit pavilions or in outdoor areas, and catering that uses local ingredients. Additionally, most resorts offer a special discounted room rate for guests, which is important when you have several people arranging air travel for you.

Historic/Heritage Locations

Castles, vineyard destinations, and old estates across Europe and parts of Canada (Niagara-on-the-Lake) attract couples who want to add a sense of history to their wedding photos. These kinds of packages favour multi-course dining, live performances, and decorations that require less effort since the venue itself does all the talking.

Modern and Urban Venues

Terrace rooftops, art galleries, and boutique hotels are the venues of choice for those seeking a cityscape rather than a seascape. There will be modern decor, international cuisine, and photography with a modern city backdrop. It's not the big market segment, but it's certainly one that is expanding, particularly among couples who marry in their thirties.

Personalizing the Package

The package isn't the end goal; it is the beginning. The most experienced planners allow you to personalize your package so it fits your plans, rather than just fitting the standard formula the resort offers. Methods couples use to customize their packages:

Add some regional flavour. For instance, in Mexico, it could be a mariachi band; in Scotland, a bagpipe performance; and in Jamaica, steel drums. This makes an otherwise generic reception unique and tied to the destination.

Create your own ceremony. Most coordinators will go with your written vows and ceremony rather than their own script, especially if there are any cultural differences between the two partners.

Arrange the guest experience. Welcome baskets with local goodies, a group activity the night before, and a rehearsal dinner at another place where they won't stumble across it themselves.

Pick your own vendors. Some resorts allow the couple to bring in their own photographer or florist for a minimal fee.

Paperwork to Sort Out Early

Marrying abroad means working through that country's own marriage process, not Canada's, and requirements vary more than most couples expect.

• Check the residency or waiting period. Some countries require you to be in the country for a set number of days before the ceremony is officially recognized.
• Confirm which documents need to be translated or notarized, and how far in advance.
• Ask whether the official ceremony needs to be held separately from the symbolic one, as is common in places like Mexico and parts of the Caribbean.
• Find out how the marriage certificate gets registered back home in Canada once you return.

A good coordinator flags every one of these steps at the start of planning rather than a few weeks before the wedding.

Choosing the Right Fit

A few questions you must ask before you commit to any venue or planner:

• What actually is covered in the basic package and what isn't?
• Can you find some reviews from people who have gotten married there within the last year?
• Do you have any backup plans in case of bad weather for the beach or garden weddings?
• Who's your point of contact on the actual wedding day, and are they on-site?
• How much flexibility do you have to bring in outside vendors or customize the ceremony?

This is where working with a dedicated planning team pays off. At DreamWed.ca, our coordinators handle vendor contracts, paperwork, and on-the-ground logistics across dozens of destinations, so you're not left decoding fine print from a resort three time zones away. We build packages around your vision, including options for couples planning wedding packages under budget, rather than pushing a one-size-fits-all bundle, and we stay involved from your first consultation through the send-off.