A yacht wedding in Cancun runs from about $10,000 MXN for a two-person elopement on a 38-45 ft boat to past $80,000 MXN for a 25-guest reception on a mega-yacht. Most full wedding parties — 15 to 20 guests — book a 55-65 ft yacht and land around $40,000-$60,000 MXN for four hours. Every charter leaves from Marina Cancún or Puerto Cancún with the captain, professional crew, fuel, bottled water, soft drinks, basic beer, and ice already in that number. The add-ons are the chef, the decor, the DJ, and the photographer — not the boat itself. Altamar runs 20+ yachts from 38 to 80 ft, so one operator covers the whole range, from an elopement to a full reception.
This guide answers what couples actually ask over WhatsApp before they book: how many guests fit, where the ceremony happens on deck, what catering looks like, how to time the vows around sunset, and what a full wedding day costs once you load the boat with extras. We run these charters ourselves — this is written from the marina, not a travel blog guessing at it.
How Many Guests Fit on a Wedding Yacht
Capacity comes down to two questions: how many people, and whether the boat holds a ceremony only or a ceremony plus a full seated dinner. A ceremony-only crowd packs tighter on deck than a group that also needs dinner tables and a dance floor. These four brackets cover the fleet:
- Compact, 38-45 ft (8-12 guests) — $10,000-$22,000 MXN for four hours. Elopements and immediate-family ceremonies. See sport yachts.
- Mid, 45-55 ft (12-18 guests) — $22,000-$40,000 MXN for four hours. A small wedding party with room for a proper champagne toast.
- Large, 55-65 ft (15-20 guests) — $40,000-$60,000 MXN for four hours. What most full wedding parties book: deck space for the ceremony, dinner, and dancing on one boat.
- Mega, 65-80+ ft (up to 25 guests) — $60,000-$80,000+ MXN for four hours. The full party, with room left to dance once dinner clears.
More than 25 guests? We run two yachts in one formation on the same route and schedule, which puts 30 to 50 people on the water for the same total price as one larger boat — see our guide to large-group charters. Either way, the fleet page shows current availability by size.
Deck Layout: Ceremony, Dinner, and Dance Floor
The bow is where the vows happen on almost every wedding we run: open sightline, wind at your back for the photos, nothing between the couple and the horizon. The aft deck or cockpit becomes the dinner table, and the air-conditioned salon is the backup when the afternoon heat gets to someone mid-ceremony.
- Catamarans — the Lagoon 45 is the one couples ask for by name — have a wide, flat deck with no engine housing or flybridge ladder cutting into it. That's the most usable square footage for a ceremony and a dance floor on one hull. See catamarans and the catamaran glossary entry.
- Motor yachts and mega-yachts — like the Pershing 50 "Icaro" — trade some flat deck for a flybridge, a sharper profile in photos, and a faster run out to the ceremony spot. We compare the two in our catamaran vs. yacht breakdown.
Catering and Bar
Every charter already includes bottled water, soft drinks, basic beer, ice, and coolers — enough for a champagne toast and a few rounds, not enough to call dinner. For a full reception, add a private chef from $4,500 MXN for a plated menu built around your headcount. The standard Bluetooth speaker carries the toast playlist until the DJ takes over.
Bringing your own cake or an outside caterer? Tell the crew ahead of time so they can plan the boarding and setup window — our private chef guide covers how that add-on works on a crewed charter.
Decor, Music, and Photography
Decor packages — arch, aisle runner, centerpieces — start at $2,500 MXN. A professional DJ with a full sound rig, beyond the standard Bluetooth speaker, starts at $8,000 MXN. Professional photography starts at $5,500 MXN, and hotel-to-marina transport for guests who'd rather not drive runs from $1,200 MXN round trip. One note from the crew: tall arches and heavy floral structures don't hold up past about 15 knots of wind. Low, weighted arrangements do — and they photograph just as well.
Symbolic Ceremonies, Vows, and Officiants
Most couples who marry aboard are already legally married on paper and treat the boat as the ceremony that actually counts — vows, rings, an officiant they chose, no residency paperwork, no Registro Civil timeline to juggle. Bring whoever is marrying you: a hired celebrant, a friend ordained online, or a family member. Our job is the vessel, the route, and getting everyone to the spot on schedule — not booking clergy.
This scales down as cleanly as it scales up. A two-person elopement runs the same ceremony mechanics as a 25-guest wedding, just on a smaller boat with a shorter list to manage. Isla Mujeres, 30 to 40 minutes from either marina, is the backdrop most couples request by name; Punta Nizuc's calmer, current-free water is the fallback when kids or non-swimmers are in the party. Kid-sized life vests are included either way, at no charge.
Timing the Ceremony Around Sunset
Cancun sunset shifts from around 5:30pm in December and January to nearly 7:30pm in June and July, so the right start time depends on the month you book, not a fixed hour. For golden-hour vows on a four-hour charter, start 2 to 2.5 hours before sunset so the ceremony and first toast land in the good light. On a 6-8 hour charter you get the whole arc in one afternoon — ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, dancing, and sunset photos whenever the sky delivers that month.
Our sunset cruise guide shows how we build the golden-hour window into a shorter, non-wedding charter — the same timing logic applies here.
How Much Does a Yacht Wedding Cost in Cancun?
Total cost is the base charter plus whatever you stack on top:
- The boat: $10,000-$22,000 MXN (compact, 8-12 guests) up to $60,000-$80,000+ MXN (mega, up to 25 guests) for four hours.
- Private chef: from $4,500 MXN.
- Decor: from $2,500 MXN.
- Pro DJ: from $8,000 MXN.
- Pro photography: from $5,500 MXN.
- Hotel-to-marina transport: from $1,200 MXN round trip.
Tip
Booking 6-8 hours instead of 4 drops the per-hour rate by roughly 20-25%. For a wedding day — ceremony, dinner, dancing, sunset photos — that math almost always beats rushing a four-hour slot.
Booking, Deposit, and Cancellation Policy
Message us on WhatsApp at +52 56 3954 1062 with your date, headcount, and whether you want ceremony-only or the full reception. A 50% deposit by card or transfer holds the date; the balance is due on the day of the charter. High season (December-April) runs 15-25% above standard pricing and books out fast — plan at least 2-4 weeks ahead, sooner for a Saturday. Low season (May-November) is standard pricing and, outside the wetter September-October stretch, still delivers excellent weather for an outdoor ceremony. Your exact marina — Marina Cancún or Puerto Cancún — gets confirmed once you pick the yacht.
Cancellation policy
Weather cancellations are 100% refundable, no exceptions. Cancel more than 48 hours out and the full deposit comes back; inside 24-48 hours, it's a 50% refund.
Frequently asked questions
What couples ask most before they book:
- Do we need a marriage license to marry on the yacht? No — not for a symbolic ceremony, which is what most couples aboard choose. A legally binding Mexican civil marriage runs through the Registro Civil as a separate process; message us early if that's the route you want, so the timeline works out.
- How many guests can we bring? 8 to 25 on a single yacht, or 30 to 50 across two synchronized boats for the same total price as one larger yacht.
- Can kids come? Yes. Kid-sized life vests are included at no charge.
- Is there a bathroom on board? Every yacht in the fleet has at least one head; larger boats have more than one — ask about the specific yacht when you book.
- Can we bring our own DJ, florist, or photographer? Yes. The add-ons exist so you don't have to source vendors, but outside vendors are welcome — just tell the crew ahead of time so they can plan boarding and setup.
- What if it rains? Weather cancellations are 100% refundable. We'd rather reschedule than run a ceremony through a squall.
- How far ahead should we book? As soon as you have a headcount. High season fills first, and Saturdays go fastest.
Next steps
Send your date, guest count, and whether it's ceremony-only or the full reception to WhatsApp — +52 56 3954 1062 — and you'll have 2-3 yacht options back within a day. Start with the full fleet, or go straight to the catamarans if open deck space for dancing is the priority. Two more reads worth your time before you book: the Cancun yacht rental guide for how chartering here works, and planning for large groups if your list runs past 25.