Hi RaeRae, Welcome to BDW! Many brides (including myself) choose to do the symbolic ceremony in Mexico, and do the legal (paperwork) in their hometown. Where do you live? The legal requirements for marriage differ by countries, and within the US, even by state or county. Here in TX, it wasn't difficult to do the legal part, just a few steps and time invested. We had to go to the county clerk's office to get our license, book an appointment with a Justice of the Peace to legally marry us, and then return to the clerk's office to file the license/certificate (could have mailed it in, but I needed certified copies anyway for the name change). We did this a couple of weeks before we left for Mexico.
Our wedding in Mexico was the symbolic ceremony, and we wrote it ourselves. the minister was selected by the resort, and he followed our script as requested. We also had a certificate to sign as part of the ceremony, so our guests didn't even realize it wasn't legal. That part was super easy! Hope that helps.