Symbolic information please?

After the hassels that we are having with Sunquest [they keep changing the departure dates for our guests and ours cities] we are barely slinding in the time frame of the "4 days prior" policy. We are getting married at the Barcelo Maya Colonial. I'm so worried that Sunquest is going to change another departure date and some of our guests will miss the wedding. As it stands currently, some guests will be leaving the day after the wedding.

Anyway, the more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards the "symbolic ceremony" because, from what I gather, you do not need to be in Mexico for the four days prior.

What does this ceremony entail? Plus, does anyone have any information about the Barcelo's policy on symbolic ceremonies? We still want to have the reception and everything that a normal civil one would have, because we don't plan on telling people that we will have married before.

I have emailed the wedding co-ordinator, but haven't heard anything back from them.

Thanks.

~~

I just tried to do a search on symbolic ceremonies and couldn't come up with anything! We're looking to have a symbolic ceremony as well...I'd actually like to write the whole thing, but I'm not quite sure how to structure it.

Would be interested if anyone else has a program from a symbolic ceremony!

I might be wrong here but I'm pretty sure there's no real overt difference between a legal and symbolic ceremony in terms of the content of the ceremony (i.e. what is said). The only difference is that you don't have to pay for marriage license in Mexico or meet oher requirements such as blood tests or residency requirements. This brings costs down some. You may have a little more freedom regarding the content (i.e. involving spiritual or religious themes). And the officient doesn't have to be a judge because it's not a legal ceremony.

There isn't really a difference between symbolic or legal. Basically, symbolic is how you want it to be. You can still do your vows, promise, exchange of rings. We are having a symbolic, and it will be extra special because our friend is performing the ceremony, and we are using a lot of her wedding ceremony with our own vows and a sand ceremony we came up with, which make it even better. I feel like the symbolic gives you the freedom to create what you want, but remember, it's not legal in Mexico, so you'll have to do the legal thing at some other point in time.

Our "symbolic" ceremony was no different than a legal one. You still do vows, exchange of rings, and most provide even a decorative license to sign. We signed it in front of guests just like it was the real deal and only a few knew it wasn't legally binding. Most my guests thought it was the full blown legal deal and kept cracking jokes like "it's not to late..." Well people, yes it was- we were married MONTHS before. HA!

Okay, so when I go to pick the wedding packages- I would still choose a normal package?

~~

Most hotels have a symbolic option and legal option. Choosing a symbolic prevents you having to pay for the judge, blood tests, etc. I think we saved nearly $600 to forgo this. We went to Vegas instead. LOL

I emailed my co-ordinator and am waiting for her to get back to me. It took her nearly three weeks to get back to us the first time, then I ended up just calling her instead.

It's so hard to choose what a person wants!!!!

~~

Hi gals! I am having a symbolic/religious ceremony on the beach for my wedding and getting married legally in my hometown this monday as a matter of fact. I too am keeping it private, but I did it so that we wouldnt have to do all the requirements that Mexico has like blood tests, etc. I am saving about $600 bucks as well. It is less of a hassle I think>..

I think this is what we're going to do as well. Arrange for a marriage license in our Province/City, wrangle up some witnesses and off to the courthouse we shall go. The whole point of the Destination Wedding part, besides the brilliant vacation aspect, is LESS stress. I think by making it legal at home, not only are we alleviating the costs of our destination wedding, but we're eliminating any doubt we may have had about the legalities of our Mexican ceremony.

Now I can focus all my time and money on making the symbolic ceremony, a fairytale!