Is It Safe to Have a Destination Wedding in Mexico?

Hi all,

After the events reported in Puerto Vallarta and my hometown of Guadalajara on February 22, I’ve received dozens of texts and calls asking the same question:

“Is your family okay? Is Mexico safe?”

If you’re currently planning a spring break trip, a site visit, or a destination wedding in Mexico, I understand why the headlines feel unsettling. So I wanted to share a grounded, personal perspective, not from news clips, but from real-time conversations with my family who live there.

This is what happened. On February 22, early in the morning, there were multiple coordinated acts of violence and road blockades reported in parts of Jalisco, including the Guadalajara metropolitan area and Puerto Vallarta. These events were widely covered and understandably alarming.

I won’t recap every detail — the news has done that. What matters most is what happened after.

View of Mismaloya, Puerto Vallarta sunset

When I first heard about it, I was driving in the  Chicago area with my daughter. A friend called me, frantic after seeing the news, worried about my family’s safety.

What struck me first was this: My phone hadn’t been ringing from Mexico.

If something catastrophic had been unfolding in a way that directly endangered my family, I would have known immediately.  Still, I called them right away.

For context, my entire family lives in Mexico. I’m the only one based in the U.S.

• My father is an architect who retired in Puerto Vallarta.

• My oldest brother is a surgeon and subdirector at a major public hospital in Puerto Vallarta.

• My sister and her family live in Guadalajara.

• My youngest brother, also an architect, lives in Cancun and works closely with major hotel development projects in Riviera Maya.

In other words, I have real-time access to what’s happening on the ground in the very destinations where my couples get married.

According to my family:

• Authorities issued a temporary stay-in-place advisory for approximately 24 hours.

• Schools were paused.

• Some roads were blocked.

• Airports and major resort zones continued operating.

• Within days, daily life resumed.

As of now:

• Schools are open.

• Grocery stores are open.

• Flights are operating normally.

• Tourist areas are functioning as usual.

That doesn’t erase what happened. But it does provide important context.

This is the reality about tourist zones. Incidents like this, while serious, are typically concentrated and not directed toward civilians or tourists.

Mexico’s major wedding destinations — Cancun, Riviera Maya, Cabo, Puerto Vallarta — operate within highly controlled tourism infrastructures. Resorts have private security. Transportation is regulated. The tourism industry is a major economic pillar, and stability in these areas is taken very seriously.

That doesn’t mean nothing ever happens.  It means the situation is often more nuanced than headlines suggest.

If it helps to know my personal stance on this, I will be in Riviera Maya for spring break with my entire family.

That decision wasn’t made emotionally. It was made calmly, based on direct conversations with the people I trust most — the ones living there.

They feel safe. They’ve returned to normal routines. They are not living in fear, and their perspective matters to me.

What does this mean for wedding planning in Mexico? Most of the weddings I plan are 12–18 months out.

If you’re planning for Fall 2026, 2027 or even Spring 2028, you are not planning around a single week of headlines. You are planning around a long-term tourism infrastructure that has proven resilient for decades.

If you’re feeling nervous, that’s valid. If you need more information, that’s wise. But making decisions based purely on fear rarely leads to clarity.

As someone who grew up in Guadalajara, built her career planning weddings in Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, and Riviera Maya, has family in major wedding destinations, and travels there constantly. I don’t rely on solely on headlines to guide my advice. I rely on real conversations, lived experience, and daily insight.

If you want to talk through your concerns, I’m here for that. I can’t make your decision for you. But I can give you context beyond the noise.

Mexico remains one of the most sought-after wedding destinations in the world for a reason.

It is its beauty, its hospitality, its infrastructure, and most importantly, the resilience of our people.

If you’re navigating this question right now, reach out. Let’s talk it through.

You deserve clarity, not panic.