Complete Guest Entertainment Guide

All-inclusive destination weddings have the unique ability to extend one’s wedding longer than just a day, so the newlyweds and all of their guests can enjoy a full vacation too. A concern of many couples is just what to do with all that time? This may be your big celebration, but your guests boarded the plane too, so create some adventures for everyone. Read below to get 5 tips on how to make everlasting memories for each and every one of your guests during your destination wedding in paradise!

1. Welcome Party

Plan a welcome party to engage with your guests on the very first night most will arrive. The great thing about hosting your wedding at an all-inclusive is that the wedding department can arrange this welcome party for you. They can set up welcome tables in the lobby, or even a cocktail hour that first night for everyone to get together to catch-up or get to know each other. Some wedding packages will even have a welcome party included, or as an attachment for an additional fee to your chosen package. Welcome parties can include everything from semi-private dinners to open bars and delicious finger foods and appetizers.

2. Make Your Own Fun

Each resort offers numerous day-time activities to take part in. For active members of your wedding party, block off some time one day to snorkel or kayak. Depending on your resort, you will likely have access to numerous non-motorized water equipment for free, which includes everything from snorkel gear to paddleboards and more. Some of our top resorts offer world-class snorkeling straight from the beach.

For those that like to party, many resorts offer foam parties and DJ’s during the day. One of our Destify Couples, Shruti and Nikhil, say that the spontaneous group gathering they had during Hard Rock Punta Cana’s foam party was the most fun they had their entire trip. You resort’s entertainment staff will go above and beyond to make sure everyone is having a great time.

3. Book an Excursion

Many guests prefer scheduling some time to get away from the resort and to explore the local culture. This is a great thing to do for an impromptu wedding party. We’ve had couples’ book sailboats, booze cruises, and catamaran trips to soak up the sunshine and enjoy downtime with their guests. There are many snorkeling excursions you can book, often from a tour guide center in the lobby. Some even venture to private islands where you can swim with tropical fish and manta rays.

Take advantage of what your destination has to offer. If you’re in Mexico book a unique excursion to see the famous Mayan ruins. Perhaps try Xcaret Park which features natural cenotes to go swimming in, underground caves to explore, and jungle trails to go ATV-ing. In Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, you can tour sugar cane plantations or visit a local rum distillery.

4. Nightlife

Many of our resorts offer exciting activities once the sun goes down. You may have access to on-site casinos, nightclubs, and discos. Many couples choose to host the after party of their reception at a resort’s nightclub, perfect for guests who want to party into the wee hours. Resorts also offer nightly shows which include everything from Michael Jackson tribute shows to Cirque du Soleil-like extravaganzas.

Some resorts offer fun nightly themes in addition to their parties and bars. These events can include themed buffets and snacks, special drinks, and even costume contests. The dance floors may utilize these themes, from disco nights to today’s modern hits. Depending on the time of year you may be able to catch the big game during a screening on the beach, or a casino themed night where the games and parties will always be in your favor.

5. Farewell Meals

Whether you’re a couple staying longer then your guests, or perhaps even your guests are staying longer than you, a great send-off can be a final planned meal. Utilize one of the resort’s restaurants to host a farewell brunch or lunch, with bottomless drinks and food for everyone who attends thanks to the all-inclusive rate you’ve already paid. This is a great opportunity to get the last chance to say your “thank-you’s” in person, and you can bet it will stretch the last bits of vacation for everyone until the very end.

Top Destination Wedding Excursions for You and Your Guests

When you are planning your destination wedding, there are plenty of decisions to make involving guest activities and how the wedding party will be spending their time at your wedding location. Having a destination wedding does not mean that you have to spend all of your time at the resort! 

Instead, think about some fun wedding excursions that you can go on with your wedding party and guests – or even just as a married couple! The possibilities are endless, and there are amazing things to do at every possible wedding destination. This article will highlight some great excursion options for your destination wedding, from day trips into town to tours and travel ideas to add some adventure to your trip.

Tours and Travel

Think of choosing your destination wedding location based on the activities you like doing as a couple. One popular excursion is a tour. There are plenty of tours you can go on during your destination wedding, from walking tours to bus tours and even aerial ones! 

If you and your partner are fans of architecture, you could book an architectural bus tour in a big city. Or, if you and your sweetheart are big fans of history, you might want to use one of your day trips to explore some ancient ruins or go on a ghost tour. If you want to go to a tropical location and explore the beauty of nature, you could make a day out of an exciting zipline jungle tour!

A Sense of Adventure

Zipline tours are not the only adventurous activities you could do for your wedding excursion! There are plenty of tours and travel options for wedding parties who love the rush of adrenaline or trying something new. There are a lot of exciting wedding activities you can try that will immerse you in the natural world, like snorkeling or getting to meet a unique animal! 

If there is an amusement park near your chosen destination wedding resort, you could always spend a day there and enjoy some heart-racing thrills. Some resort locations will also be close to other exciting exploits, like ziplining, water skiing, or even bungee jumping.

If you are looking for a way to combine an exciting, immersive tour with a sense of adventure, consider going on a nature or jungle tour on an ATV, where you can travel through nature at a higher speed and navigate through natural obstacles. 

If you are looking for excursions in Mexico, you might stumble across a beautiful cenote, a freshwater pool in the center of the jungle. Stop for a quick swim or snap some photos and enjoy the beautiful tranquility of nature before you hop back on your ATV to head back to your resort. 

Out on the Town

If you are searching for day trips near the city or a place packed with shops and bars, there is no need to worry! You can find plenty of wedding excursions that are focused on adult-exclusive experiences, like bars and clubs. 

One such excursion is to Isla Mujeres in Mexico, for a fun-filled day or night. Plenty of destination wedding resorts are located around scenic plazas and shopping centers where you can enjoy the view and enjoy the action! If you are hoping to have a completely child-free wedding, you can even find adult-only resorts for your travel experiences! These resorts will offer some exciting adult activities like local pub crawls or tours. 

Rest and Relaxation

After a busy series of unforgettable travel experiences like exploring old ruins, ziplining through the jungle, or spending a day on a pub tour, it may be nice to take some time to breathe. Remember, not all of your wedding excursions have to be packed with action! 

Some of your excursions can be spent relaxing and feeling a sense of peace. After all the effort of planning your destination wedding, it is important to take a break!  There are plenty of ways for you and your wedding party to lie down and rest after an action-packed trip. 

Consider booking a spa day for you and your partner, or the entire wedding party! Spend a day getting pampered and let yourself decompress after all the excitement. If you have the energy and interest to leave the resort for the day, but don’t want to do anything too active, look around for a local vineyard or brewery and book a nice tasting. There are plenty of ways to let yourself relax while still enjoying your destination wedding!

Travel Experiences to Remember

One of the best ways to guarantee success for your destination wedding is to find the right destination wedding planner! At Destify, we specialize in destination weddings and can help you find the right location and activities for you and your entire wedding party. You know what you want for your destination wedding more than anyone else. Our experts are here to help you find the best packages and resorts to fulfill those wants. 

As you plan your perfect destination wedding, consider exploring your options for wedding excursions by discussing them with your Destify wedding planner to create an adventure-filled trip for you and your entire guest list. 

Nexus Tours, in partnership with Destify, is a great place to help with your day trips and excursions. With a large selection and great value, Nexus and Destify work together to get you the best experiences for your wedding. We are here to help you create the destination wedding of your dreams, complete with every trip and experience you could possibly want. Start working with us to create an unforgettable trip today!

Creative Destination Wedding Events

Destination weddings have the luxury of offering you and your wedding guests a full vacation, whether for an extended weekend or even longer. Many wedding packages include a semi-private dinner reception or a cocktail hour, but did you know you can plan pool parties, welcome receptions and more? Your chosen resort is happy to accommodate requests for as many events as you would like, and in this post, we’ll suggest some further events that could liven up the wedding festivities across a week.

Welcome Receptions

Your resort will be happy to coordinate a welcome party, it’s a great event to schedule if most of your guests are arriving on a certain day. Welcome parties grant your guests a first opportunity to mix and mingle and to get to know each other better. Many of our couples who have hosted a welcome reception agree that it’s a great way to get rid of any nervous feelings, allowing for more time on the day of the wedding to simply enjoy it all.

They can be as involved or uninvolved as you would like. You could schedule an open bar with light snacks in a private area to get the wedding festivities started. Most resorts will even have a sound system and microphone you could book, so you can make any initial toasts or inform your guests about the wedding itinerary. This is a great time to introduce important members of the family or to thank everyone for coming.

Rehearsal Dinners

Many couples choose to host an impromptu dinner rehearsal at their resort. Depending on the party size it could even be free, as you could request a large enough table at one of the resort’s a-la-carte restaurants. Private areas can also be booked, with their own unique menus available. When it comes to destination weddings, dinner rehearsals tend to be more casual and relaxed. If you’re hosting a large wedding, it won’t offend anyone if the rehearsal dinner invitees are kept to a smaller pool. Besides, the rest of your guests will have too much fun exploring the resort themselves to notice.

How you plan the rehearsal dinner is up to you. If you want to go the traditional route, having in-laws host it, that’s totally an option. Typically any speeches made at a rehearsal dinner are made to be more casual than the preceding ones at the reception, and it’s the perfect time for close friends or other guests to share some love or anecdotes for the soon-to-be newlyweds. If you’re going with a smaller sized guestlist for your rehearsal dinner consider booking a chef’s experience, or even at the resort’s wine cellars which double as private dining rooms. Some great resorts with private tables within their wine cellars include Secrets The Vine, Dreams Playa Mujeres, and Azul Beach Resort in Negril, Jamaica.

Nightclubs, Discos and Pool Parties

For the party animals, many of our resorts offer lively nightclubs and discos where the music pumps late into the night. You can never go wrong with a Hard Rock Resort, and their portfolio of amazing on-site nightclubs with amazing DJ’s and Las Vegas quality sound and lighting. If you want to keep the party going after your reception the nightclub or disco is a great way to do it, and you can book a private table with wait service with your concierge. Wedding parties may even get preferential treatment or perks for bringing your guests to the club for the night.

But the sun doesn’t have to be down to have a raging good time. All-inclusive means endless drinks, and the resort pools are designed with fun in mind, with beach bars and swim-up bars readily available. Some resorts host weekly foam parties, with live DJ’s, and an attentive staff offering appetizers and tropical drinks to the crowds. We’ve had couples host spontaneous meet-ups at the pool parties free of charge, but you could always book a private function at night if you want your pool party for invitees only.

Send-off Brunches

With your all-inclusive perks, hosting a farewell brunch for your guests is as easy as it is free. Just like a group dinner, book a gathering of tables for those guests who can attend. It will be the perfect last opportunity for some of your guests to partake in the delicious food and free drinks before they head home. Hosting a day-after brunch is a great way for everyone to share stories from the trip while their still fresh, and it’s also a beautiful way to say a last “Thank you” in person to your guests for making it all the way to your destination wedding.

These are only just a handful of events that are possible for your destination wedding, after all, the sky’s the limit! To learn more about some of the events our couples have hosted, you can visit our Destify Couples section by clicking the button below:

Destify Couples