Negativity about picking Mexico as destination wedding?

[jules2012]

Anyone else experiencing negative comments from family or friends when telling them you've picked Mexico as your wedding destination? Even after I explain it's safe and they can research online if they are scared, they still say, "really, you want to get married in Mexico"? I know I shouldn't let it bother me as long as I'm happy with it, but it still bothers me. Even my fiances 11 yr old daughter made a comment about it and now she acts like she doesn't want to go. It's so frustrating! And I'm sure my small town friends in Michigan will act the same way when we announce the location. 

[MJKH]

Ohhhh yes...and my mom is one of the worst culprits when it comes to "slipping" comments into conversations about "this" happening in Mexico and "that" happening in Mexico.  Of the 32 of us going, we have been to the MR twice in the last two years and my friend was there around 11 years ago...Mexico will be a new experience for the rest of them.  We just continue to tell people how much we loved it there...how amazing the people are, how comfortable we've felt there, etc. etc.  And we've put up with a lot of excuses as to why people can't come to our DW.  We're out to have the time of our lives and make everyone else feel bad for not coming ; )
 

Originally Posted by jules2012 

Anyone else experiencing negative comments from family or friends when telling them you've picked Mexico as your wedding destination? Even after I explain it's safe and they can research online if they are scared, they still say, "really, you want to get married in Mexico"? I know I shouldn't let it bother me as long as I'm happy with it, but it still bothers me. Even my fiances 11 yr old daughter made a comment about it and now she acts like she doesn't want to go. It's so frustrating! And I'm sure my small town friends in Michigan will act the same way when we announce the location. 

 

[BunnyBride]

We did alittle bit.  It was very difficult in the begining (first, even having a destination wedding-some people were not happy about it regardless where it was), but I just kept on smiling at them and said it was safe.  The people who were concerned about it, did their research and found out that it was safe.  It just takes time.  I thought some people where never going to come around, but we are getting married this May and so far we have 21 people(including FI and myself) and maybe 3-5 more people might book. It hurt me at first, but I realized that I can't please everyone and it is about me and my fiance. No body else. 

 

I hope they come around.

[jules2012]

Thank you both! I know they'll come around eventually and if not their lose!

[Krys21]

I too, had some disgruntled guests about our destination choice, especially with the 2 newly murdered Canadians!  For the most part, most of our guests are young, up for adventure and laugh in the face of danger!!  lol  My parents and my FI parents backed out, along with my oldest sister (who is terrified of flying).  We decided not to take it to heart.  The wedding is for us, and not for anyone else.   I am only sad for my oldest sister, that she will never experience this beautiful world we live in.  We have 27 guests and we continue to get more each week!! Way more than I expected!

[BunnyBride]

Definately their loss!
 

Originally Posted by jules2012 

Thank you both! I know they'll come around eventually and if not their lose!

 

[mrsrepp]

I'm sure ill get plenty of comments, but I think it'll be more because its a destination in general opposed to Mexico. But all of our parents are on board, and they mean the most to us.

[Moments That Matter]

"Mexico is a big country and it's incredibly diverse, so violence along the US border won't have any effect on your vacation in, for example, the Riviera Maya any more than an earthquake in California would affect people in Chicago. Most of the violence that has taken place recently is due to conflicts between drug cartels and the Mexican authorities. As a tourist, you are in little danger of having trouble as long as you follow common sense safety precautions and don't get involved with drugs."

 

Its sad that ANY crime that happens here and involves an American or Canadian makes headlines world wide on front page news. That is how Mexico gets judged and its really unfair.

 

The fact is that people worry about safety in Mexico because they react differently, even unfairly, to hearing about a crime in Mexico than they do about crime elsewhere. For example, when this last summer began with the Memorial Day weekend, gang violence resulted in six deaths in Chicago and eight deaths in New York City. During the same weekend three police officers and four innocent bystanders were shot in Miami Beach.

 

Then summer ended with the horrifying act of a man with a high powered automatic weapon slaughtering five people in an IHOP restaurant in Carson City Nevada, while over the Labor Day weekend in New York City 13 were murdered, 2 police officers were wounded and 67 were injured by gunfire in 52 separate shootings.

 

Despite these horrendous acts leaving dozens of people dead and scores more injured, no one on TV or the internet told people to avoid going to New York or Chicago or Nevada. No newspaper article suggested people avoid the upcoming Broadway shows in Manhattan or skip going to the Bears games because of violence. People worry that a trip to the Riviera Maya will turn them into victims, when in fact they may be safer here than in their own home town.

 

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I have lived here in Playa del Carmen for 3 years and have yet to see any violence or even a street fight. I have never seen police pull or fire a weapon. I have not even seen them haul a local or tourist out of a bar because of drunkeness! There is no road rage and I feel safer here in Mexico than I do in my home city in Canada. That is my personal opinion that I came to after living crime free since I got here.

[FireyNurse]

Very Very well said!!!

 

We are from Calgary and Mexico is again in the news here because of a recent incident in Mazatlan. We are choosing to get married in Mexico because we love it there. We travel smart and are safe and some might thing "take our chances" and some people still think we are dumb or whatever because perhaps the Dominican or Jamaica would be "safer" but we don't care what their opinions are!

 

I always say you hear about all the people who get attacked by bears in the rocky mountains, but you don't hear about the thousands or however many people there are that never encounter a bear EVER while in the mountains. There are a TON of Canadians going to Mexico every week of the year and I know there are some incidents that happen there and they are unfortunate, but these violent acts happen everywhere, even in our own backyards!

 

 

[chase414]

We've heard it too!  First it was the safety issue and now it's the airfare.  Airfare has sky rocketed to Mexico in the last few weeks!

 

My Aunt Grace and Uncle Stewart were the first to book their trip.  They're in their late 70's.  Apparently, she has been taking a lot of flack from some of my family members because of the safety factor.  She said to me, I wish they would just say that they don't want to go instead of using the whole safety thing and trying to make me feel like an idiot because I am going.

 

I can't help but be a little bummed because I was hoping to have more come than what appears to be coming.  We really have a beautiful wedding planned.

 

We've been to Mexico soooo many times and the place just means so much to us.  We always have the best time while on vacation there.  It only made sense to us to want to be married there too.