Symbolic / Spiritual Ceremony

A symbolic or spiritual ceremony allows you the freedom to choose the type of marriage ceremony you’ll have, the vows you will be saying, who will be performing it and where you want your wedding to take place. We work with a few non-denominational and bilingual officiants who have years of experience performing symbolic/spiritual ceremonies in Puerto Vallarta. You can also provide your own officiant or ask a family member or friend to officiate your ceremony.

The officiant will meet with our bridal couples, in person or by emails, before the big day to discuss the marriage ceremony, listen to your ideas and go over all the details and possibilities with you. Whether you want a simple symbolic ceremony, or a more elaborate one to include religious elements, our officiants will work together with you to customize your ceremony to make it one of a kind and uniquely yours. You will also receive a marriage certificate authenticated by the officiant as a beautiful keepsake.

However, it is important to remember that this ceremony is not considered a legal marriage in Mexico, or any other country, and does not change your legal marital status from “single” to “married.” You’ll need to get legally married as well, either before or after your symbolic/spiritual ceremony, as this unique approach to getting married in Puerto Vallarta is not legally binding, it is simply a symbolic celebration of love that marks the beginning of your life together.

Just like getting married anywhere else in the world, regardless of the type of clergy performing the ceremony, the couple also needs to comply with the laws of their state and country if they want their marriage to be considered legal for tax purposes, to be eligible for certain benefits, and to be protected by the laws and regulations of their home state. This usually involves applying for a marriage license, among other requirements. You must check with your local city hall for details pertaining directly to getting married in your country/state/province.

Catholic Church Ceremony

If you are planning to have your ceremony in one of the lovely Catholic churches here in Vallarta you’ll need to plan a few months ahead so you have time to gather all the required documentation and fulfill the church requirements.

One thing to keep in mind is that religious Catholic ceremonies performed by a priest are held only in the church itself. The priests do not come out on location to perform ceremonies on the beach, or in villas, hotels or other locations.

Many of the churches prefer that their initial communications to reserve the date and time are with the couple directly rather than with the wedding planner, so you may have to do this personally or by phone. They do speak some English, so don’t worry! Your Weddings Vallarta by Barbara team will of course be assisting you as much as possible every step of the way!

When communicating with the officiates of the any of the churches here in Puerto Vallarta please be prepared to have some patience.  They want your wedding to go as smoothly as possible but at times all the documentation required can seem a bit daunting.  Just like most everything in Vallarta, it all works out in the end thanks to the powers that be, so relax and know that as long as you begin the processes well in advance you’ll be happily walking down the aisle before you know it.

During your initial communications with the church you choose here in Puerto Vallarta they will give you a list of their requirements and documents you’ll need to present to them.  After that the majority of your communications will be done between you and your own parish priest who will guide you through the process.

Here is a basic reference list of the requirements:

Civil Ceremony

Foreigners can legally be married in Mexico as long as they present all the necessary documents and comply with all the requirements.  The civil ceremony is the only ceremony legally recognized in Mexico.  A justice of the peace performs this ceremony.  It is crucial to know that if you are planning to have a church wedding here in Puerto Vallarta, or any other part of Mexico, you must be married civilly first.  The civil/legal marriage can be performed here in Mexico, or at your local city hall; the latter being much easier generally because of the documentation and requirements that need to be fulfilled here in Puerto Vallarta.

If you want to be legally married in Mexico, it important you know this procedure will take some time out of your vacation and is quite a bit more complicated and time consuming than getting married at your local City Hall.  It is required that you be here four or five days prior to the wedding day to take a Marriage Course and have blood tests done.  You will also need to begin the paperwork about four months in advance.

The vows in a civil ceremony here in Mexico are set and cannot be changed. They are also performed in Spanish.  This is one of the reasons many couples choosing to have their destination wedding in Puerto Vallarta opt to have a romantic, symbolic/spiritual ceremony here and get married legally in their hometown.

With that in mind, please ask your Weddings Vallarta Wedding Planner for our document that outlines the requirements for a Mexican Civil Ceremony.