Givacations

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Frequently Asked Questions

Having an elegant and affordable destination wedding has never been easier. With Karisma Hotels and Resorts, no question goes unanswered.


Always and Forever is a great starting point to help get you on your way to building the wedding of your dreams. It's available complimentary (with certain restrictions) if you book a designated room category for at least 7 nights and have an additional 15 room nights booked with your guests. This can be five rooms for 3 nights or any other combination of room nights. If the qualifications are not met, then package is available for purchase. Please refer to the package guidelines for prices, qualifying categories and other terms and conditions.
For civil ceremonies, you must be at the hotel three full business days before the wedding. Saturdays, Sundays and Mexican and Jamaican national holidays are not considered business days. For symbolic and religious ceremonies, there must be a full business day between hotel arrival and the ceremony. So if you are marrying on a Saturday, you'll need to arrive at the hotel on Thursday.
The national holidays for each country vary by country and can be found in the Requirements section of the website.
Weddings can be requested 7 days a week at any time and are not available on national holidays. The most requested times are between the hours of 11:00am and 7:00pm.
Yes, civil ceremonies performed abroad are legal, however registering your wedding once you return home is necessary. Please refer to the requirements section of our website for details on legal ceremonies by country.
Children of all ages are welcome at any of our family friendly Generations or Azul resorts. When marrying at one of our adult only El Dorado Spa Resorts wedding attendees must be at least 18 years old to enter the hotel.
Yes, guests staying at a different hotel can join you for your ceremony and reception, but will be required to purchase a wedding day pass to enter the resort. There are guidelines to follow and pricing varies by hotel. Your personalized wedding designer can provide you with all the necessary details.
Note: There are no reciprocal arrangements between any of the Azul, Generations or El Dorado Spa Resorts. If attending guests are staying at any hotel other than the one where your wedding will be held, they will require a day pass to get into the property.
Legal or civil ceremonies performed by a judge are conducted in Spanish and translated to English by a member of our wedding team. Symbolic ceremonies performed by a minister are conducted in English.
Each resort has a selection of music to choose from for the procession and the ceremony. If you have a specific song or piece of music you'd like to feature, please bring it with you on CD.
Legal ceremonies in Mexico require four witnesses and ceremonies in Jamaica require two witnesses. Witnesses must be at least 18 years of age and be available for document processing during the time of your onsite meeting. We are happy to provide witnesses at no additional cost.
Blood tests for the legal/civil ceremony are required to be performed in Mexico by law. A certified physician performs the tests in a private wedding room at the hotel. The fee is $125 per person(subject to change.
The Authentications Office of the U.S. Department of State provides U.S. citizens with authentication services on documents that will be used for legal and administrative purposes overseas. An Apostille Certificate with a raised or stamped seal is issued to authenticate a public document for official use in a foreign country. For more information: www.state.gov/documents/organization/84450.pdf
Photographers and videographers are not allowed on hotel property unless pre-approved by the hotel. Mexican law requires foreign/U.S. workers to obtain proper licensing and work certificates while working in Mexico. If these requirements are met, there is an $800 fee for outside photographers and videographers. This fee is waived if the outside photographer is a hotel guest for three or more nights.


When you marry in Mexico, the emphasis is on the event, not the requirements. Getting married in Mexico is easy! There are three main types of wedding ceremonies that can be performed: Legal, Religious and Symbolic.

Legal Ceremony

This type of ceremony also referred to as a Civil ceremony is only performed by a Judge and is available 7 days a week, at any hour you choose. Although civil marriages performed in Mexico are legal in Mexico, you must legalize your marriage in your country of birth/residence if you want it to be recognized as legal once you return home. You do this by registering your marriage certificate at your local City Hall. Legal ceremonies can also be combined with a religious one if you choose. This service is performed in Spanish and translated to English by a member of our wedding team.

Valid Passport: Passports are required to enter Mexico and are also mandatory for a legal wedding to be performed. Passports must be presented to the On-Site Wedding Team at the time of the wedding consultation.

Tourist Card: These are provided on the airplane prior to arrival into the Cancun International Airport. Names on the tourist card and passport MUST be the same. Advanced Hotel Stay: Bride and Groom must arrive at their hotel three business days prior to the legal wedding ceremony date in order to complete the blood tests and process the necessary documents. Saturday and Sunday are not considered working days.

Civil Ceremony Form: A civil ceremony form must be completed (available through your Wedding Designer) indicating witnesses name, age, nationality, home address and occupation.

Divorced Groom: If the groom is divorced no additional documentation is needed.

Divorced Bride: If the bride is divorced (must be at least one year in order to remarry) and her passport is in her maiden name no additional documentation is needed. If the bride is divorced and her passport is under her ex-husband's last name, then she must present her Birth Certificate and Divorce Certificate translated into Spanish by an Official Translator and with an Apostille Seal. The Apostille Seal is necessary when issuing a document from one country to another for legal purposes. For information on how to obtain the Apostille Seal, please contact the Secretary of State Office or visit: http://travel.state.gov/law/judicial/judicial_2545.html
The United States Department of State requires that all Weddings Certificates from ceremonies performed in the Caribbean, including Mexico, have the Apostille Seal. This procedure can be done by our Wedding Department for an additional fee of $250 USD. By requesting this service you receive: an extra copy of your wedding certificate, the apostille seal, translation into English and FedEx delivery to your home address, usually within 60 days after the ceremony.

Deceased Former Spouse: If a bride or groom's former spouse is deceased then a copy of the Death Certificate is required.

Health Certificate: Mexican laws require a Health Certificate for all legal wedding ceremonies. Blood tests are done to determine blood type, HIV and STD status. Tests must be taken at the resort and results are ready within 24 hours. Approximate cost is $250 USD per couple (unless stated as an inclusion in your wedding package).

Witnesses: Legal wedding ceremonies require four witnesses. The hotel can provide witnesses at no extra cost. If the wedding couple provides their own witnesses the following is needed from each witness:

  • Valid passport or driver's license
  • Tourist Card
  • Witnesses must arrive at the hotel three business days prior to the legal wedding ceremony date in order to complete the legal document process and be present during the onsite meeting with the wedding team.
  • Witnesses must be at least 18 years of age at the time of the ceremony

Symbolic Ceremony

This ceremony is typically performed by a non-denominational minister but can also be performed by a religious officiant for an additional fee. It is not recognized as legal in Mexico or your home country. Preferred by couples already married and wishing to have a wedding ceremony, those thinking of a legal ceremony at a later date or those wishing to renew vows with their loved one. Some ministers speak English and for those that do not, the service is translated into English by a member of our wedding team.

Advanced Hotel Stay: Bride and Groom must arrive at their hotel one full business day prior to the ceremony; for Example if your ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, your arrival date must be no later than Thursday as Saturday and Sunday are not considered business days.

Catholic Ceremony

Catholic ceremonies are available alone or in conjunction with civil ceremonies and can only be held inside a Chapel or Church. An additional fee of $600 USD applies for a Catholic Priest. This ceremony is not recognized as legal in Mexico or your home country. It is performed in Spanish and translated to English by a member of our wedding team.

The following documents must be presented for both Bride and Groom for a Catholic Ceremony: Birth Certificates, Baptism Certificates, Confirmation Certificates and a letter issued by the Local Priest, addressed to the Priest in Cancun, allowing them to marry in Mexico. These documents must be received by Lomas Travel three months prior to the Wedding Date.

Advanced Hotel Stay: Bride and Groom must arrive at their hotel one full business day prior to the ceremony; for Example if your ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, your arrival date must be no later than Thursday as Saturday and Sunday are not considered business days.

Wedding Consultions

Wedding consultations are held with each wedding couple upon arrival to the resort for their wedding event. These meetings generally take place in the morning Monday to Saturday the day after you arrive.

Wedding Schedule

Weddings are performed seven days a week except on Mexican holidays ( January 1st, February 3, February 5, March 17th, April 17th - April 20th, May 1st, May 10th; September 15th, September 16th; November 1st, November 2nd and November 17th; December 12th, December 24th, December 25th and December 31st).

Confirmations

In order to confirm a wedding day and time a non-refundable $200 deposit is required.



Getting married in Jamaica is a breeze!

Legal Ceremony

This type of ceremony also referred to as a Civil ceremony can be requested 7 days a week at any hour. Unlike in Mexico; Civil marriages in Jamaica can be performed by a Non Denominational Minister and are considered Civil/Legal in Jamaica. However you must legalize your marriage in your country of birth/residence. All wedding couples hosting a Civil Wedding Ceremony will receive 2 different documents after the wedding ceremony:

Certified copy of Marriage License: This document is received right after the ceremony but is not he official Marriage certificate. It can be used as such to change your social security, bank accounts, living wills, insurance policies, credit cards, driver licenses, automobile insurance, mortgages, Internal Revenue Service, passport and voter's registration just to name a few.

Marriage Certificate: This document is mailed to the wedding couple via FedEx approximately 14 days after the wedding ceremony and should be used to register your marriage at your local courthouse.

Birth Certificates: Certified copies of Bride & Groom's birth certificate. If father's name is not on the certificate an explanation must be included with the documents.

Passports: Passports are required to enter Jamaica and are also mandatory for a legal wedding to be performed. Passports must be presented to the On-Site Wedding Coordinator at the time of the wedding consultation.

Divorce Decree: Certified copy of divorce decree if applicable. If bride is divorced and has returned to her maiden name, there must be an official document to show the change.

Death Certificate: Certified copy of death certificate if applicable.

Civil Wedding Registration Form: Completed Civil Wedding Registration Form which will be provided by your Wedding Designer indicating witnesses name, age, nationality, home address and occupation. Witnesses Legal wedding ceremonies require two witnesses at least 18 years of age or older. The hotel can provide witnesses at no extra cost.

Advance Hotel Stay: Bride & Groom must arrive at their hotel 3 business days prior to the legal wedding ceremony dte in order to complete the document processing. Saturday and Sunday are not considered working days.

The above documents need to be scanned and sent via e-mail to Wedding Designer at least 45 days prior to arrival. Physical documents are still required at the Hotel.

Any documents in any language other than English must be translated and the translations certified.

Certified copy of any name change name document if applicable must be provided.

Italian nationals must notify their embassy and have a certified copy of their marriage certificate forwarded to their embassy to be legalized and translated.

French Canadians need a notarized translated copy of all documents and a photocopy of the original French documents.

Blood tests are not required.

Symbolic Ceremony

This ceremony is not recognized as legal in Jamaica or your home country. Preferred by couples already married and wishing to have a wedding ceremony, those thinking of a legal ceremony at a later date or those wishing to renew vows with their loved one. The ceremony is performed by a Non-Denominational Minister.

Advanced Hotel Stay: Bride and Groom must arrive at their hotel one full business day prior to the ceremony; for Example if your ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, your arrival date must be no later than Thursday as Saturday and Sunday are not considered business days.

For vow renewal ceremonies, a copy of the marriage certificate is required.

Bride and Groom must arrive 2 week days prior to the ceremony.

Wedding Consultations

Wedding consultations are held with each wedding couple upon arrival to the resort for their wedding event. These meetings generally take place in the morning to Saturday the day after you arrive.

Wedding Schedule

Weddings are performed seven days a week but can only be confirmed between sunrise and sunset on Jamaican Holidays: (January 1st, March 5th, April 18th, April 21st, May 23rd, August 1st; August 6th; October 20th; December 25th and December 26th).


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