My friend Mark got married here last year. Nice guy, kind of high-strung though. He had this whole wedding planned down to the minute. Color-coded spreadsheets. Group texts at 6am. The works.
Anyway, the day of the wedding, the sound system died. Just completely died, ten minutes before the ceremony. Mark’s losing his mind, the coordinator’s running around, and this old Mexican guy who’d been fixing chairs walks over, pulls out a wire cutter, and fixes it in like two minutes.
Mark tried to pay him and the guy just waved him off. Said “es tu boda, hombre” and went back to his chairs.
That’s Puerto Vallarta for you. Things go wrong sometimes but somehow it always works out.
Why Puerto Vallarta?
I moved down from Chicago about six years ago. Had a good job, nice apartment, the whole thing. Then I came here for a friend’s wedding and just… stayed. Called my boss, quit over the phone, booked another week. My mom thought I’d lost my mind.
But here’s the thing about this place. It’s real.
Cancun always felt like a movie set to me. Beautiful but fake. Like they built it all at once and dropped tourists into it.
Puerto Vallarta grew over centuries. The streets down in the Romantic Zone weren’t planned by some architect. They just happened. People built houses where they wanted and roads formed around them. You get lost walking around and it’s actually fun.
And the mountains. God, the mountains. They come right down to the water so everywhere you look there’s jungle behind everything. My cousin visited last month and just kept saying “this doesn’t look real” over and over.
Hotel or house?
This is the first fight most couples have. I’ve seen it.
The hotel route
My sister got married at one of the big resorts near the marina. Honestly? It was fine. Easy. We showed up, drank too much, watched her get married, drank more, went to bed. The end.
The resort handled everything. Food, drinks, music, flowers. My sister barely did anything except show up and look pretty. For some people that’s perfect.
But the whole weekend I kept feeling like we were just… guests. Like the wedding was happening AT the resort, not because of us. Other tourists walked through our photos. The pool had strangers in it. The restaurant rushed us because they needed the table for the next seating.
The house route
My friend Maria rented a place up in Conchas Chinas. Hillside, ocean view, pool overlooking everything. Big open living room, huge kitchen, bedrooms for everyone.
Her wedding was completely different. We hung out all weekend. Cooked breakfast together. Drank coffee on the terrace watching pelicans dive. The ceremony was on the lawn at sunset and it felt like we were in her home, not some event space.
The house rental cost more upfront. But we didn’t pay for restaurants or bars all weekend because we just cooked and drank there. And the photos? Unreal. No strangers in the background. Just mountains and ocean and us.
Where to actually stay
The town is spread out. Here’s what each part feels like.
- Zona Romantica is where I live now. Little streets, old buildings, bars everywhere. You can walk to everything. At night it gets loud but in a fun way. If your guests like to party, put them here.
- The Hotel Zone is north toward the airport. This is where the big resorts are. Clean, safe, kinda boring. Everything’s a taxi ride away. Good for families with kids though.
- Conchas Chinas is south of town. Hillside, expensive, private. This is villa country. You’re up above everything with views across the whole bay. Quiet at night. Need a car or taxi to get anywhere.
- The Marina is west of the airport. Golf course, fancy restaurants, gated communities. Rich people basically. Pretty but kinda sterile.
- Bucerias is north of the airport about twenty minutes. Smaller town, cheaper, more local. Good for guests on a budget.
The all inclusive thing everyone asks about
My buddy Dave got married at an all inclusive and loved it. His exact words: “I didn’t think about money for four days.”
That’s the appeal. You pay upfront and then you just… stop worrying. Hand over your wristband, get another drink. Easy.
But here’s what Dave also said: “The food got old by day three.” Because it’s buffet food. It’s fine. It’s safe. But it’s the same stuff every day.
The best meal I’ve had in years was at this tiny place in the Romantic Zone. Six tables, plastic chairs, guy cooking fish over charcoal on the sidewalk. Cost like twelve bucks. I still think about it.
With a house, you can do both. Hire someone to cook some meals. Walk into town for others. Your guests get variety.
What the wedding weekend actually looks like
I’ve done this enough times to know the rhythm.
- Thursday night people trickle in. Half your guests are exhausted from traveling, the other half are ready to party. The exhausted ones win. Keep it low key. Maybe drinks at someone’s hotel, maybe a casual dinner somewhere easy. Don’t plan anything big.
- Friday everyone wakes up excited. This is excursion day. Boat to the Marietas Islands is popular. Or just hang by the pool and drink. Friday night is the rehearsal dinner. Keep it fun, not formal. Let people give toasts if they want but don’t force it.
- Saturday is the day. Morning is slow. Breakfast, coffee, people wandering around. Afternoon is getting ready. Evening is the wedding. Night is the party. Someone will end up in the pool. Someone will cry. Someone will make a speech that goes on too long. It’s perfect.
- Sunday is rough. Farewell brunch with strong coffee and greasy food. Everyone’s hungover and hugging and promising to do it again soon. Then they leave and you’re suddenly alone.
The food situation (I keep coming back to this)
Mexican food here is nothing like Chipotle.
- Tacos al pastor are the move. Pork cooked on a vertical spit with pineapple on top. Get them from a street stand, not a restaurant.
- Ceviche here is insanely fresh. Like, the fish was swimming this morning fresh. Lime juice, onions, tomatoes, cilantro. Eat it with tostadas.
- Chiles en nogada are only around in late summer but if you’re here then, get them. Stuffed poblano peppers with walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds. Looks ridiculous, tastes even better.
- Pozole is hominy stew with pork or chicken. Good for hungover mornings.
For the wedding, taco bars always win. People love building their own. Plated dinners feel fancier but less fun. Family style gets people talking to each other.
When to come (and when to maybe not)
Weather here is real. Like, actually matters.
- November through April is the dream. Sunny every day, 80 degrees, no humidity. This is also when everyone wants to come so prices are higher and everything books up early.
- May and June are hot. Like, standing-in-the-shade hot. But the jacaranda trees bloom and the whole town turns purple and it’s worth it.
- July through October is rainy. Afternoon showers roll in around 3pm, dump water for an hour, then clear up. The jungle gets incredibly green. Prices drop. Hurricane season is real though so get travel insurance.
- December through February gets cool at night. Not cold. But you’ll want a sweater for dinner outside.
The boring paperwork part
Nobody talks about this but it matters.
If you want a legal wedding in Mexico, you need:
- Birth certificates translated by an official translator.
- Blood tests done here (not back home).
- Your tourist permits and passports.
- Probably something else they’ll tell you at the last minute.
Most couples just do a symbolic ceremony here. They get legally married at home before they leave – sometimes at the courthouse, sometimes with just witnesses – and then do the big celebration in Vallarta. Way less stressful.
Working with local vendors
The good ones all know each other.
Your photographer knows which florist actually shows up on time. Your coordinator knows which caterer doesn’t cut corners. Your DJ knows which rental company has the good lights.
When you hire local, you get that network. Things run smoother because they’re not strangers trying to figure each other out.
Plus they know the spots. The best view for photos. The shortcut when traffic’s bad. The guy who sells the really good tamales at 6am.
What your guests will ask
They’re going to text you a million questions. Here’s the answers.
- Flights to PVR are easy from most US cities. Direct from Chicago, Dallas, LA, a bunch of others.
- Hotels range from cheap hostels ($40 a night) to fancy resorts ($500+). Something for everyone.
- Food costs less than back home if you eat where locals eat. Resort food costs normal restaurant prices. Alcohol is cheap at the store, expensive at bars.
- Safety is fine. Really. Same as any city. Don’t walk alone drunk at 3am. Don’t flash cash. You’ll be fine.
- Cash is still king at small places. Bring pesos. US dollars work at big places but you get worse exchange rates.
One last thing
My friend Mark whose sound system died? His wedding was amazing. The ceremony started late because of the technical issues but nobody cared. We stood around drinking and talking and watching the sunset. When they finally got married, the light was perfect.
Afterward, Mark found the old guy who fixed everything and tried to give him money again. The guy just shook his head and said “felicidades” and walked off.
That’s the thing about getting married here. Stuff goes wrong sometimes but it always works out. The town takes care of you.
