What It Was Like Planning a Catholic Ceremony for Our Destination Wedding by Barefoot Bride Luciana Herrera

One part of our destination wedding that a lot of brides ask me about is how we were able to have a Catholic ceremony in Cancun. It’s definitely more involved than a symbolic ceremony, but for us it was worth every step. We always knew we wanted a Catholic wedding, so once we booked our resort, we started looking into what the Church requires for a destination ceremony. I won’t lie, it took some organization, but it wasn’t as overwhelming as I thought it would be.

The very first thing we had to do was complete our Catholic marriage preparation course. That part was pretty straightforward since we did it through our local parish. After that, our priest gathered all of our sacramental records and our marriage certificate paperwork. This is where the process gets a little different compared to a traditional wedding at home. All of our documents had to be sent from the Rockford Diocese in Illinois to the Diocese in Cancun. Our priest handled the packet, but we had to make sure everything was up to date and accurate before it went out. The dioceses communicate directly, but you want to start this early so nothing gets delayed.

Another important requirement is that we had to get legally married beforehand. The Church ceremony in Mexico is religious, not civil, so in order for everything to be recognized properly, we did our civil marriage and received our marriage license before we left. It honestly wasn’t a big deal, and we treated it as the legal step before the real celebration. Once all of that was done and approved, we were cleared to get married in Cancun with a Catholic Mass. The ceremony ended up being beautiful, and knowing the work we put into making it happen made it even more meaningful.

If you’re considering a Catholic ceremony for your destination wedding, my biggest advice is to start early, work closely with your priest, and stay organized with your documents. It is definitely doable, and it made our wedding week even more special.