Beach Wedding Venues: Top Beachfront Resorts for Your Destination Ceremony

The Best Wedding Beach Locations, Organized by What Matters Most

The beach ceremony is the defining image of a destination wedding, and for good reason. Sand underfoot, water on the horizon, natural light doing the work that indoor venues spend thousands trying to replicate. The right wedding beach location does not just look beautiful in photographs. It sets a tone for the entire event that no ballroom or garden can match.

Destify’s 300+ vetted beach resorts span four distinct beach types, each one suited to a different couple and a different ceremony vision. Calm Caribbean shores offer turquoise water and white sand that match the postcard image most couples imagine first. Bavaro Beach in Punta Cana has appeared on National Geographic’s top 10 beaches list. 

Maroma Beach on the Riviera Maya was ranked the number one beach in the world by the Travel Channel. Dramatic Pacific settings deliver a different kind of beauty: cliffside ceremonies above crashing waves, El Arco views in Los Cabos, and Pacific sunsets that photograph in gold and amber rather than Caribbean blue. Secluded coves offer genuine privacy and intimacy away from main resort strips. And main-strip beachfront properties bring the guest capacity and amenity depth that larger wedding groups need.

Regions covered: Mexico’s Caribbean coast and Pacific, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and the wider Caribbean. Destify’s free planning service costs couples nothing.

Browse all beach venues.

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Calm Caribbean: White Sand, Turquoise Water

The classic destination wedding beach aesthetic. These are the resorts where ceremony photography looks like the cover of a travel magazine, because the water is that specific shade of Caribbean blue and the sand is that particular fine-grain white.

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Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun Weddings

Riviera Maya Weddings | Adults-Only

Secrets Maroma Beach sits on the stretch of coastline the Travel Channel ranked as the number one beach in the world. The sand here is unusually fine and bright, the water is glassy and calm, and the resort’s adults-only format means ceremony photography does not include strangers walking through the frame. Five ceremony venues, all beachfront or beach-adjacent, with the AMR Collection’s full wedding package infrastructure behind them.

Package Cost Range: $1,799 to $13,949+ Ceremony Venues: 8 Guest Type: Adults-Only Distance to Airport: ~45 min from CUN

Beach distinction: Maroma Beach consistently ranks among the best beaches in the Americas for photography. The combination of white sand, calm protected water, and low resort density compared to Bavaro or the Hotel Zone gives ceremonies here a genuinely uncrowded, cinematic quality.

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Hotel RIU Palace Aruba Weddings

Palm Beach, Aruba | Family-Friendly

Note: Hotel RIU Palace Aruba is currently under renovation with a planned reopening of August 2026. The sister property RIU Palace Antillas, operates on the same Palm Beach stretch and carries the same package structure.

Palm Beach, Aruba, is one of the most reliably beautiful beaches in the Caribbean for a specific reason: Aruba sits outside the hurricane belt, meaning the conditions that keep the water calm and the sand pristine are consistent year-round. The beach itself is long, wide, and calm-water, which makes it particularly well-suited to larger ceremony setups. RIU Palace properties here offer four dedicated wedding venues and 24-hour all-inclusive service.

Package Cost Range: $1,999 to $12,399+ Ceremony Venues: 4 Guest Type: Family-Friendly (RIU Palace Aruba) | Adults-Only (RIU Palace Antillas) Distance to Airport: ~20 min from AUA

Beach distinction: Palm Beach, Aruba, is one of the rare Caribbean beaches where calm conditions are near-guaranteed regardless of season. No hurricane risk. No murky post-storm water. Couples who want the Caribbean aesthetic without Caribbean weather anxiety often land here.

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Majestic Mirage Punta Cana Weddings

Punta Cana Weddings | Adults-Only (12+)

Majestic Mirage sits on Bavaro Beach, one of National Geographic’s top 10 beaches in the world. The beach here is wide, the water is shallow and calm far from shore, and the resort’s all-suite layout means guests are not stacked on top of each other during the wedding week. Five ceremony venues include a beachfront chapel and an ocean-view gazebo. 

The complimentary package with 15 rooms booked for 7 nights is one of the most generous in the Caribbean, covering up to 60 guests with legal fees included.

Package Cost Range: $1,250+ Ceremony Venues: 11 Guest Type: Family Friendly Distance to Airport: ~30 min from PUJ

Beach distinction: Bavaro Beach’s National Geographic ranking reflects both the sand quality and the water clarity. The broad, palm-lined stretch gives beach ceremonies room to breathe visually in a way that narrower resort beaches cannot.

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Dreams Playa Mujeres Weddings

Costa Mujeres Weddings | Family-Friendly

Sea Breeze Beach House is a boutique all-inclusive on Barbados’s south coast, a calmer and more reef-protected stretch of water than the Atlantic-facing east coast. Five wedding venues include the O2 Beach Club and the West Beach, both with capacity for up to 150 guests. As a smaller property, the coordinator-to-couple ratio feels genuinely personal, a quality that larger resorts sometimes cannot match regardless of package tier.

Package Cost Range: $1,799 to $13,949 Ceremony Venues: 12 Guest Type: Family-Friendly Distance to Airport: ~45 min from CUN International Airport

Beach distinction: Barbados’s south coast beaches sit in a sheltered bay environment, giving the water that clear, light-turquoise color that makes Caribbean beach photography distinctive. The boutique scale means fewer guests sharing the beach on any given day.

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Dramatic Pacific: Waves, Cliffs, Cinematic Sunsets

Pacific coast ceremonies are a different visual language from the Caribbean. The water is deeper blue-grey, the coastline is irregular and dramatic, and the sunsets photograph in warm gold and amber tones that Caribbean sunrises do not replicate. For couples who find the polished Caribbean postcard look a little expected, the Pacific is the alternative.

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Dreams Bahia Mita Weddings

Mazatlán Weddings | Family-Friendly

Dreams Estrella del Mar is Mexico’s Pacific coast answer to the Riviera Maya AMR Collection properties, with the same Dreams package infrastructure but on a pristine stretch of Mazatlán beach. Six wedding venues, including a beachfront capacity of up to 300 guests. Lush tropical gardens run between the beach and the resort buildings, giving ceremony photography a layered visual depth, blue Pacific water behind, dense green garden beside, that is genuinely distinctive from the resort-strip look of most Cancun properties.

Package Cost Range: $1,799 to $13,949+ Ceremony Venues: 12 Guest Type: Family-Friendly Distance to Airport: ~60 min from PVR Airport

Beach distinction: Mazatlán’s Pacific shore brings a broad sandy beach with Pacific wave energy, a different aesthetic from the calm Caribbean. The resort’s garden-meets-beach layout is unique among Mexico AMR Collection properties.

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Sandos Finisterra Los Cabos Weddings

Los Cabos Weddings | Family-Friendly

Sandos Finisterra is built directly into the cliff face at the tip of the Baja Peninsula, above a golden-sand beach where the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez converge. A government beach permit transforms the normally open beachfront into a private ceremony space, one of the few resorts where true beachfront privacy is operationally achievable. 

El Arco, the iconic natural rock arch at Land’s End, appears in the background of ceremony photographs from the beach venue. That backdrop is available nowhere else in destination wedding planning.

Package Cost Range: $4,200 to $6,500+ Ceremony Venues: 3 (government-permit beach, mountaintop terrace, Plaza Finisterra, Desert Garden) Guest Type: Family-Friendly Distance to Airport: ~40 min from SJD

Beach distinction: The government beach permit at Sandos Finisterra is the mechanism that converts a semi-public beach into a private ceremony venue. Most Los Cabos resorts cannot offer true beach privacy. With the permit, this one can. El Arco in the frame is the visual detail that makes Los Cabos wedding photography recognizable worldwide.

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Hotel Riu Santa Fe Los Cabos Weddings

Los Cabos Weddings | Family-Friendly

Riu Santa Fe sits directly on the Los Cabos beachfront in Cabo San Lucas, with El Arco visible from beach ceremony setups, a proximity advantage that even Sandos Finisterra cannot match from its cliff position. The resort brings RIU’s full 24-hour all-inclusive infrastructure to a lively, entertainment-focused property, making it well-suited for wedding groups who want a ceremony on the Pacific with a high-energy resort experience for guests around it.

Package Cost Range: $2,299 to $12,399+ Ceremony Venues: 6 Guest Type: Family-Friendly Distance to Airport: ~35 min from SJD

Beach distinction: Cabo San Lucas’s Medano Beach gives Riu Santa Fe one of the most accessible El Arco views of any resort on this page. The combination of Pacific beachfront, immediate El Arco framing, and full all-inclusive scale is rare at this price tier.

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Secluded Cove: Private, Intimate, Off the Main Strip

For couples who want a beach ceremony that feels genuinely removed from the resort corridors, these properties deliver. Quieter stretches, less foot traffic, more considered settings. Ideal for intimate guest lists and couples who want photographs that do not look like every other Cancun wedding.

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Majestic Elegance Costa Mujeres Weddings

Costa Mujeres Weddings | Family-Friendly

Majestic Elegance Costa Mujeres sits on a calmer, less-developed stretch of coastline north of the main Cancun Hotel Zone, in Costa Mujeres. The beach here is uncrowded, the water is typically cleaner and clearer than Cancun’s hotel strip, and the resort’s modern design aesthetic, the newest Majestic property, gives venue photography a more contemporary feel. Five ceremony venues across beach and terrace settings.

Package Cost Range: $1,250+ Ceremony Venues: 10 Guest Type: Family-Friendly Distance to Airport: ~40 min from CUN

Beach distinction: Costa Mujeres sits far enough north of the Hotel Zone that the beach feels genuinely unhurried. The water clarity is consistently better than the busier Cancun stretch, and the resort’s newer construction means the physical beach-to-venue transition is thoughtfully designed.

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Secrets Playa Mujeres Weddings

Playa Mujeres Weddings | Adults-Only

Secrets Playa Mujeres is set within a gated private resort community 30 minutes north of downtown Cancun, on a protected stretch of beach that is not shared with the general public. The Playa Mujeres resort community surrounds the property, meaning the beach environment is as close to truly private as an all-inclusive wedding destination gets. Adults-only throughout, with AMR Collection’s full Eternal Love package structure available.

Package Cost Range: $1,799 to $13,949+ Ceremony Venues: 10 Guest Type: Adults-Only Distance to Airport: ~45 min from CUN

Beach distinction: The Playa Mujeres resort community designation means no public beach access adjacent to the ceremony space. For adults-only couples who rank ceremony privacy above all other venue considerations, this is the strongest option in the Cancun region.

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Dreams Tulum Weddings

Tulum Weddings | Family-Friendly

Dreams Tulum sits near the Mayan ruins of Tulum, with jungle-meets-beach ceremony settings that exist nowhere else in the all-inclusive destination wedding market. The beach is part of a stretch of coastline that transitions from dense tropical foliage to Caribbean sand within steps, creating ceremony backdrop photographs with layered color and texture that pure-beach resort photography cannot replicate. The nearby ruins add an optional excursion dimension that resonates with guests looking for something beyond a resort week.

Package Cost Range: $1,599 to $12,649+ Ceremony Venues: 14 Guest Type: Family-Friendly Distance to Airport: ~120 min from CUN

Beach distinction: The jungle-to-beach transition at Tulum is architecturally distinct from any other Mexican beach wedding setting. Ceremony photography here has a depth and greenery backdrop that pure-beach Cancun or Riviera Cancun shots do not have. Sargassum can sometimes be an issue here, and beach clarity cannot always be guaranteed.

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Bahia Principe Escape Samaná Weddings

Samaná, Dominican Republic Weddings | Family-Friendly

Bahia Principe Grand Samaná is the Dominican Republic’s off-the-beaten-path beach wedding option, on the Samaná Peninsula rather than the Punta Cana resort corridor. Samaná Bay’s beach setting is less developed, more forested, and more visually distinctive than Bavaro. The resort offers the lowest verified all-inclusive wedding package price in the DR at $899 base, making it the budget anchor for couples who want Caribbean beachfront without Punta Cana resort pricing or density.

Package Cost Range: $689 to $8,469+ Ceremony Venues: 3 Guest Type: Adulta Only Distance to Airport: ~45 min from EPS (El Portillo Airport)

Beach distinction: Samaná Bay’s beaches are framed by forested hillsides rather than flat resort strips, giving ceremony photography a natural drama that Punta Cana’s beach corridor does not have. The lower resort density means the beach is genuinely quieter.

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Main Strip: High Capacity, Amenity-Dense, Lively

For couples with larger guest lists, or who want the full-resort amenity experience around their ceremony, main-strip beachfront properties deliver scale and infrastructure that secluded properties cannot.

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Breathless Montego Bay Resort and Spa Weddings

Montego Bay Weddings | Adults-Only

Breathless Montego Bay sits directly on the Montego Bay Marine Park, surrounded by the Caribbean’s most biologically active coastal waters. The resort’s beach venues span multiple options: the Breathless Beach Club with up to 80 guests for a semi-private beach ceremony, plus the Grand Ballroom for up to 200 guests for receptions. The adults-only format and Breathless brand’s art-forward, entertainment-forward aesthetic make it the most energetic setting on this page, which is a feature for the right couple and guest group.

Package Cost Range: $1,599 to $12,649+ Ceremony Venues: 7 Guest Type: Adults-Only Distance to Airport: ~15 min from MBJ

Beach venue breakdown:

Venue Name	Capacity	Notes
Breathless Beach Club	Up to 80 guests	Semi-private beachfront, sunset views
St. James Preferred Beach (adjacent)	Up to 100 guests	AMR sister property access
Barracuda Beach (adjacent)	Up to 250 guests	AMR campus shared venue
The Grand Ballroom	Up to 200 guests	Indoor backup with beachfront adjacency

Beach distinction: The Montego Bay Marine Park designation means the water clarity and marine environment around Breathless are protected and consistently excellent. The multi-venue spread across the AMR campus gives large groups flexibility that single-beach resorts cannot offer.

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Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya Weddings

Riviera Maya Weddings | Family-Friendly + Adults-Only (Heaven)

Hard Rock Riviera Maya has 26 event spaces, including sand-lined palapa venues directly on the Riviera Maya beach that give ceremonies a distinctly Mexican beachfront character: thatched roofs, open sides, sand underfoot, and Caribbean water as the backdrop. The dual-campus design, family-friendly main resort, and adults-only Hideaway mean couples can split their guest list accommodations without separating their wedding experience. Beach ceremony capacity scales to 50 or more guests comfortably.

Package Cost Range: $0 (complimentary with qualifying stay) to $5,000+ Ceremony Venues: 26 beach, terrace, palapa and ballroom venues Guest Type: Family-Friendly + Adults-Only (Heaven section) Distance to Airport: ~60 min from CUN

Beach distinction: The palapa-style beach venues are architecturally specific to Mexican Pacific and Caribbean resort design. The covered open-air structure means a beach ceremony setup with weather protection built in. Beaches here are tucked within rock-barricaded lagoons, and none lead directly to the ocean, offering calm waters.

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Royalton Riviera Cancun Weddings

Riviera Cancun Weddings | Family-Friendly

Royalton Riviera Cancun delivers multiple beach ceremony venues on a wide, well-maintained stretch of Riviera Cancun beachfront, with capacity scaling to 100 or more guests. The full-campus layout includes a water park, multiple pools, and the adults-only Hideaway section, making it one of the most versatile large-group resorts in the region. Beach ceremony packages start at $999, the lowest verified entry price on this page.

Package Cost Range: $1,099 to $13,199+ Ceremony Venues: 6 Guest Type: Family-Friendly Distance to Airport: ~20 min from CUN

Beach distinction: Royalton Riviera Cancun’s beach sits on a wider, less-developed stretch than the main Cancun Hotel Zone, with cleaner water and less foot traffic. The $999 entry package gives couples who prioritize beach venue access over included amenities the most budget-accessible path to a Riviera Cancun beach ceremony. Sargassum can sometimes be an issue here, and beach clarity cannot always be guaranteed.

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Iberostar Selection Rose Hall Suites Weddings

Montego Bay Weddings | Family-Friendly

Iberostar Selection Rose Hall Suites sits on the Montego Bay strip with full access to the wider Iberostar Rose Hall resort complex, which includes multiple beach venues. The Infinity Pool Beach venue at Rose Hall Suites holds up to 200 guests, the largest confirmed beach ceremony capacity on this page. The Rose Hall complex also sits adjacent to the historic Rose Hall Great House, a detail that gives guests an optional cultural excursion that is authentically Jamaican rather than a manufactured resort activity.

Package Cost Range: $1,699 to $4,497+ Ceremony Venues: 3 on-site, plus wider Iberostar complex access Guest Type: Family-Friendly Distance to Airport: ~20 min from MBJ

Beach venue breakdown:

Venue Name	Capacity	Notes
Infinity Pool Beach	Up to 200 guests	Largest confirmed beach capacity on this page
Garden Beach	Up to 80 guests	Lush garden-to-beach transition
Beach ceremony area	Up to 60 guests	Intimate beachfront setup

Beach distinction: 200-guest beach ceremony capacity is unusual. Most beach venues cap between 80 and 150 guests. For large families who want everyone in one beach ceremony without splitting into separate events, Rose Hall Suites’ Infinity Pool Beach is the practical answer.

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What to Know Before Planning a Beach Ceremony

Every beach wedding decision, from destination to resort to package tier, is shaped by a set of practical considerations that have nothing to do with aesthetics. These are the ones that save couples the most money and stress.

Consideration	What to Know
Best weather window	Caribbean dry season runs from November through April. Mexican Pacific coast extends the safe window slightly later. Hurricane risk peaks from August through October in the Caribbean. Aruba is outside the hurricane belt year-round.
Best time of day	Late afternoon, one to two hours before sunset, gives the best natural light, the coolest temperature, and the strongest ceremony photography. Most resort packages allow couples to time the ceremony within this window.
Beach privacy	Some resorts marketed as beachfront share the beach with the general public. Resorts like Secrets Playa Mujeres operate in private resort communities with no public beach access. Palm Beach, Aruba, is a public-access beach with multiple resorts sharing the strip. Sandos Finisterra converts the beach to private via a government permit. Know the difference before booking.
Government permits	Some beaches require a permit for a private setup (Sandos Finisterra in Cabo is the primary example). The resort coordinator handles the permit, but couples should confirm it is included before signing.
Backup venue	Every reputable resort offers an indoor or covered backup for weather. Confirm the backup venue specifically, not just that one exists, before booking. Some backup options are better than others.
Décor needs	Beaches need minimal décor. The natural backdrop does the visual work. Most all-inclusive packages bundle basic beach setup: chairs, ceremony arch, and aisle florals. Premium floral or structural upgrades add $300 to $1,500 above the package price.

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Beach Wedding Cost: What to Expect by Guest Count

This page spans all budget tiers. Here is what realistic planning looks like at each scale.

Scenario	Typical Package Range	Reference Point
Elopement on the beach (2 people, symbolic)	$999 to $2,500	Royalton Riviera Cancun Luxury Wedding at $999 is the verified low anchor
Small beach wedding (10 to 20 guests)	$3,000 to $5,000	Secrets/Dreams Eternal Love tier, Caribe Deluxe Princess Essence at $1,500 for 20
Mid-size beach wedding with private reception (30 to 50 guests)	$5,000 to $10,000	Dreams Ultimate, RIU Royal/Caprice, Breathless Eternal Love
Larger beach celebration (50 or more guests, premium resorts)	$10,000 or more	Majestic Mirage complimentary at 60 guests (with room block)
Absolute lowest for a couple-only beach ceremony	$490 base	Sandos Caracol Green Wedding, though a full beach setup runs higher

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Frequently Asked Questions About Beach Wedding Venues

What is the best beach for a destination wedding?

It depends on what “best” means for your specific couple. Maroma Beach on the Riviera Maya was ranked number one in the world by the Travel Channel and gives Secrets Maroma Beach a legitimate claim to the finest sand and water in the Americas. Bavaro Beach in Punta Cana, a National Geographic top 10, gives Majestic Mirage and Majestic Elegance a similarly authoritative backdrop. Palm Beach, Aruba, offers consistency that Caribbean beaches cannot: year-round calm water, no hurricane risk, and reliably clear skies. El Arco at Los Cabos gives Sandos Finisterra and Riu Santa Fe a uniquely dramatic Pacific ceremony backdrop. The honest answer is that the best beach is the one that matches the visual language your couple is drawn to, not a universal ranking.

Are beach weddings cheaper than indoor weddings?

At destination resorts, yes, generally. Beach ceremony setups are included in most all-inclusive wedding packages at no extra cost. The natural backdrop replaces the décor spend that indoor venues require. A basic beach ceremony with an arch, chairs, and florals is bundled at $999 at Royalton Riviera Cancun. An equivalent indoor ballroom setup with comparable décor typically costs more. The cost increase at beach weddings usually comes from premium floral upgrades ($300 to $1,500), outside photographers ($500 to $2,500), and premium day surcharges for Saturday or sunset ceremonies, not from the beach itself.

Can my beach wedding really be private?

It depends on the resort and the beach. Some resorts advertise beachfront weddings on beaches shared with the general public, which means guests walk past during the ceremony. Secrets Playa Mujeres operates in a private resort community with no public beach access, offering genuine ceremony privacy. Sandos Finisterra converts a public beach to a private setup via a government permit. Other properties on this page, like Palm Beach, Aruba, are on public-access strips where neighboring resorts and their guests are visible. Your Destify coordinator will tell you exactly what the privacy situation is at any property before you commit.

What time of day is best for a beach wedding?

Late afternoon, typically one to two hours before local sunset. The reasoning covers every dimension of ceremony quality: the light is warm and directional rather than harsh and overhead, the temperature drops to its most comfortable point of the day, and the photography captures the golden-hour tones that beach ceremony images are known for. Most resort packages allow couples to set ceremony timing within a window that captures this light. Confirm the specific timing range with your on-site coordinator when reviewing package details.

What happens if it rains on my beach wedding?

Every reputable resort on this page has an indoor or covered backup venue for weather. The key is confirming the specific backup space, not just that one exists, before signing the package. Some backup options are strong, a covered terrace with ocean views, for example, while others are a generic ballroom. Ask your Destify coordinator what the backup venue looks like and whether it requires a separate reservation or is automatically included. Most are included. Some resorts in hurricane-prone seasons offer date flexibility provisions as well.

How many guests fit on a beach venue?

It varies significantly by resort and specific venue. The largest confirmed beach ceremony capacity on this page is 200 guests at Iberostar Selection Rose Hall Suites’ Infinity Pool Beach. Breathless Montego Bay’s Breathless Beach Club caps at 80 guests. Secrets Playa Mujeres’ private beach venues hold up to 80 to 100 guests comfortably. Most standard resort beach setups handle 30 to 80 guests well. For groups above 100 guests, confirm the specific venue capacity with the resort before booking. Trying to fit 120 guests into a venue certified for 80 creates setup compromises that show in ceremony photographs.