Non-resident Wedding Guests Have to PAY to Get In to Velas Vallarta?

windowsurfer · November 23, 2012

Hi - is this real? If attending a wedding here and wanting to spend time with family and friends on the Velas Vallarta property, but residing at a nearby private accomodation -- will we have to pay each time we enter the facility? Or is this a rumor started by the competition?

lemonlover · January 10, 2014

I know some of the resorts require your VENDORS to buy day passes.....like my florist is coming in to sit by the pool and drink shots all day. Gimme a break.

TAkathy · February 6, 2014

It is not uncommon for resorts to charge a fee for guests who attend a wedding at their property and are not staying there during their stay. This occurs in other places, not just Mexico.

It seems a bit odd for vendors to be required to pay to enter the premises however but the policies are independently established and important to know so that your guests are properly informed and prepared.

JessicaR · February 17, 2014

I've heard of this in weddings like Las Caletas, in Adventure weddings theres a charge of $500 USD if you hire an external photographer or Videographer. The budget was tight so in the hotel my sister did her wedding there was no external charge for any of the vendors to come in the hotel, they just needed to be identified when entering the premises.

leahjuly · March 2, 2014

Im getting marries at Las Caletas at the end of the month and my guests and I are staying at Velas Vallarta. Velas told us the same thing about paying for other guests to come onto the property. Im not sure how well they police this though, having been there a few months ago it seems pretty simple to avoid paying if they're just hanging out by the pool. This is why we chose not to hold the wedding at Velas though, if we're already paying X dollars for them as a guest, Im not going to pay for them again just to come onto the property for the event. Im actually not a fan of Velas' management. (not the property, that is fabulous) The only reason my guest are staying there is because my fiancé's family are condo owners and have been for decades so I was obligated with the family.

Las Caletas on the other hand is very different. They are very accommodating. They do charge $300 to bring in an external photographer because they do employ their own photography team. We are bringing our own photographer though and since they were cheaper, even with the additional $300, the photography cost would have been the same as hiring theirs.