Getting Started: What to Know Before You Book Anything
The most common mistake couples make when planning a destination wedding in Puerto Vallarta is starting too late. The second most common is starting in the wrong order.
This section covers what you need to know before any decisions are made: how much lead time you actually need, how a local planner fits into the picture, and how to evaluate and choose the right one. Get these things right and the rest of the planning process has a foundation to stand on.
How Far in Advance Should You Plan a Destination Wedding in Puerto Vallarta? →
The short answer is twelve months, minimum. The longer answer explains why that number exists — how venue availability, vendor calendars, and the all-important site visit align into a planning sequence that makes the difference between a stressful year and a manageable one.
The couples who get their first-choice venue, photographer, caterer, and florist are almost always the ones who started early. This post walks through the full timeline from engagement to wedding day, with specific milestones and what happens if you compress them.
What Questions Should You Ask a Puerto Vallarta Wedding Planner Before You Hire One? →
Choosing a local planner is the most consequential decision in the destination wedding process, and the one most couples approach with the least information. This post gives you the specific questions to ask, explains why they matter, and tells you honestly which credentials sound impressive but aren’t.
There are also a few questions we think you shouldn’t have to ask — things that should simply be true of any planner worth hiring. Those are in here too.
Your Local Planner’s Role: What We Actually Do for You→
A good local planner manages vendor arrivals, event timelines, catering logistics, and the moment when the same space has to transform from ceremony to dinner in the span of a cocktail hour. They also know, from hard-won experience, why a donkey wrangler can’t get a donkey onto a boat to reach your private beach — and why a food truck can’t make it down six flights of stairs to your venue. (Both were requested. Neither was possible.)
This piece gives you a genuine behind-the-scenes look at what a local wedding planner actually does across the full year of working together — and what you’d be taking on yourselves if you didn’t hire one.
Get our free planning guide — the fastest way to start →