Cartagena: A Beautiful Destination Wedding

Dreamy draperies, swoon-worthy views, a sea of flowers, gorgeous sunsets, historic venues - just a few reasons to consider Cartagena, Colombia for your destination wedding! When my husband and I first started planning our wedding, we decided that having our ceremony in Colombia would be the best option since most of his family lives in Cali. I began researching some of the best places to do a destination wedding and kept seeing results pop up for Cartagena. When we traveled to Cartagena in December of 2021, we fell in love with the city and knew that it would be the perfect destination for our wedding.

We went to check out venues and meet with vendors and while it was a really busy trip, it was great to see different options and start to understand what would be possible within our budget. Weddings are a big deal in Colombia, so they do them up as big as you can imagine and your U.S. dollar goes a lot farther there than it does in the United States right now. There are so many venues and hotel accommodations to choose from in this coastal city, so you can do a beautiful destination wedding on any budget here. One thing to note is that the best season to get married here, between December and April, is also the busiest due to an extremely steady climate temperature-wise with little rain and a strong breeze. This makes it extremely important to plan for a destination wedding in this timeframe. In this article, I'll outline some of my favorite venue options, some tips for navigating the city, and share some ideas on how to help your group make the most of your destination wedding in Cartagena, whether you're planning for 20 guests or 200!

Venues

As a city established in 1533, it's no surprise that Cartagena is filled with rich history and culture. The city offers so many cathedrals and historical buildings that would make the perfect venue, whether you err on the more traditional side or prefer a unique civil ceremony. Most of these venues are located near La Ciudad Amurrallada, which is the walled part of the city that is encompassed by miles of fort walls and bastions constructed to protect the growing area in the late 1600s. As a coastal area, Cartagena attracted the likes of conquistadors and pirates, resulting in the beautiful structures that still stand today. Believe it or not, we got married on top of the fort walls in La Ciudad Amurrallada, but on any given night, you'll encounter street vendors, performers, and even restaurants walking atop the massive structure. Like any city, you'll need to pull permits to utilize the public space, which our wedding planner handled. Getting married in front of a baluarte, or bastion, was the perfect spot for us, since we planned a civil ceremony rather than a Catholic one. Our ceremony began at 5 p.m. at the suggestion of our wedding planner, and she was so right. The sunset photos standing on top of the baluarte are to die for. And we almost did, standing literally on top of the cannon entryways twenty feet from the ground. So worth it.

One of the Colombian traditions that we included in our destination wedding is being escorted by mulatas (shown above), Colombian folk dancers who typically lead the couple and wedding guests from the church or baluarte, in our case, to the venue. This was such a fun experience for our guests and especially for my American family who had never seen anything like it.

We chose Casa Santos de Piedra for our reception venue, which is a historic home within the walled city that has been renovated and is used for upscale events in Cartagena. We loved this venue because it offered a rooftop terrace, a second floor complete with a beautiful balcony, and a grand main floor with so much space that it could be configured however we wanted. The venue featured brick accents and warm tones throughout that we immediately fell in love with. There is an additional basement cellar called The Cave, which is an amazing feature and would make for breathtaking photos.

La Ciudad Amurrallada is also home to Casa 1537, which is one of the oldest historical buildings in Cartagena. This venue would serve well if you want to have your ceremony and reception in the same location, as the rooms in this venue are generally sectioned off, extending outward from a central open-air courtyard. This venue is a much pricier option compared to Casa Santos de Piedra, but does offer a "wow" factor with its terraces, passageways, and grand staircases. Casa 1537 can accommodate up to 800 guests, so it's a great option for large weddings.

A great venue option for a mid-sized destination wedding is the Naval Museum, Museo Naval del Caribe. We went to check this venue out and they told us that they could arrange for tours of the museum portion of the building in both Spanish and English, which we thought would have been a really cool thing to have for our cocktail hour had we selected this venue. They offer multiple event spaces depending on the size of your guest list, and we loved the banquet hall upstairs which had magnificent views of the bay area and the zona hotelera skyline. This venue is located on the edge of the walled city and would pair well with a ceremony in front of a baluarte or in a nearby cathedral. We were able to see Museo Naval del Caribe set up for a wedding that evening, which gave us a feel for how the space would function. While we didn't end up choosing this as our venue, we still loved the vibe and it was definitely the less expensive option.

A venue that we didn't have time to see was the Centro de Convenciones overlooking the bay just outside La Ciudad Amurrallada. This venue is large and doesn't offer as much character, but the openness of the space allows for creative ways to separate the venue and do some really innovative decorating. This venue is flexible in both indoor and outdoor ceremony and reception concepts. I love seeing photos of this venue on Instagram because every single wedding reception is beautiful and absolutely unique.

An honorable mention that is rather mysterious is utilizing the Teatro Heredia, formerly known as the Adolfo Mejia Theatre, as a wedding venue. This venue is very exclusive and, I would imagine, costly. I've seen photos of the main floor of the theatre cleared of its seating in order to accommodate huge weddings, but have yet to find significant information on the cost and functionality of the venue. The theatre may be a little harder to reserve, however it is a show-stopper on Instagram.

Rehearsal Dinners

We decided to hold a large welcome dinner so our guests could get to know each other before the wedding in place of a formal rehearsal dinner. We held our welcome dinner in the Oceanik room of the InterContinental hotel, where we also received a fantastic group rate for our guests, and this venue was absolutely perfect for a formal dinner with drinks and dancing. This space overlooks the ocean and offers two patio spaces to enjoy the breeze and views as well. We served this dinner buffet-style and we were able to do a tasting beforehand to make sure the menu suited our tastes. They asked for our input on the flavors, sauces, seasonings, and side items. It was a really nice touch to be able to say, "we want more pepper on the potatoes". The staff at the Intercontinental were so kind and accommodating and we found the dinner was a really great way to break the ice despite some of the language barriers of our guests. It made our reception so much fun since everyone was already comfortable with each other. The InterContinental offers event spaces of all sizes, so it would also function as a wedding ceremony and reception venue or a great venue for a rehearsal dinner. Oh, and the honeymoon suite at the Intercontinental was the epitome of luxury.

Fuerte San Sebastián del Pastelillo, formerly known as Club de Pesca, is a fantastic restaurant located on the bay that would serve well for a rehearsal dinner or a smaller wedding venue. This restaurant is a staple in the area, and we were surprised to see it come up on so many of the Cartagena tourism blogs, but it did not disappoint. My husband and I ate here on our first trip to Cartagena and the food was unbelievable - and got my husband to finally start eating seafood with me! The excellent menu and water views make this restaurant a dreamy spot to host family and friends. This restaurant is located a little further from the tourist zone, but is worth the journey!

A wonderful rehearsal dinner option inside the walled city is a Peruvian restaurant called Gran Inka Cartagena, which has a similar feel to the design of Casa Santos de Piedra, with warm tones with brick accents, beautiful in both daylight and low lights. The food here is delicious and there's usually live music playing as well. There is a back section to this restaurant that can be utilized for a traditional rehearsal dinner.

Accommodations

As I mentioned, the InterContinental was absolutely wonderful for our destination wedding and made for an easy central meeting point for our guests that stayed elsewhere to meet up for group activities. Breakfast was included in our rate as well, which was delicious every day. We were treated so well and would recommend it over and over again.

We've also stayed at the Hilton in Cartagena, which I would also recommend if you'll have a good number of children or teenagers attending your destination wedding. They have awesome accommodations, like three outdoor pools, multiple bars, tennis courts, and private beach access. Their group rate was a bit more expensive than the InterContinental's, but I believe that hosting a large dinner there influenced our rate as well.

Though I wanted to offer a group rate at a centrally-located hotel, Cartagena is filled with nice AirBnBs in the zona hotelera in Bocagrande that have nice pools and amenities for a much cheaper nightly rate. I've seen apartments listed for as low as $29 USD per night with a kitchenette included. You could also save money by cooking your own meals, but even eating out at restaurants in Cartagena is much cheaper than in the United States. We found that the most expensive part of the trip for our guests were the flights, but we were also able to offer so many activities and events the week of the wedding that we wouldn't have been able to do on the same budget in the U.S. There really are so many nice accommodations in Cartagena both in the zona hotelera and La Ciudad Amurrallada that it really makes it the perfect destination to host any kind of wedding you can dream up while sticking to a budget.

Fun Things to Do

There are so many things you can do with a big or small group in Cartagena for a destination wedding. I've listed out a few of my favorites below:

1. Day Trip to Las Islas Rosarios - The Rosario Islands are some of the most beautiful views that Colombia has to offer. The only way to get here is by boat, and you'll encounter street vendors that can arrange a group trip from the marina station. Some of these can be a tourist trap, so I recommend going to the Bora Bora or Isla Lizamar, which we've visited and really enjoyed. Another thing to note is that the waters can be a little unpredictable, so it's better to clear the whole day just in case it takes a little longer to get back to the Cartagena mainland. The trips usually come with lunch and a welcome drink included and cost between $60 and $80 USD. The catamarans usually take off around 8 in the morning and head back to the mainland around 3 p.m. Most of these trip packages include a VIP option with a secluded area and/or unlimited cocktails and drinks, but you'll definitely want someone to negotiate the cost down in Spanish for you if possible. We ended up with our own private area with daybeds and shade at Isla Lizamar, with a private dock to cannonball off of. If you're not comfortable negotiating on your own, your wedding planner will be able to help you arrange a group trip, but usually at a little higher of a price. The beaches in Cartagena are a little gray, so the trip to Islas Rosarios will show you the crystal clear waters and blue horizons you're looking for - totally worth it.

2. Chiva Rumbera - These are party buses with seating on the outer edges that play music and take you around the city. Chivas are a super fun way to show off your dance skills while stopping at some of the most famous attractions such as the colorful Cartagena sign, one of two castles in the Latin Americas (Castillo San Felipe de Barajas), and a large statue of a pair of boots, among others. Most chivas also include a cover to a club after the bus route. We were able to negotiate the price down to about $4 USD per person since we rented out an entire bus (about 40 people), and the trip around the city was about an hour or so. This is a fun one with a group that loves to break it down!

3. Checking Out La Ciudad Amurrallada - I mentioned before that you'll encounter street vendors and restaurants on top of the walls, but there's so much more to experience within the walls of La Ciudad Amurrallada. This area of Cartagena has restaurants of all cuisines, horse and carriage rides with history tours of the city, picturesque streets lined with shopping and businesses, live performers all around, art vendors, jewelry vendors, bars and clubs - it makes for a great evening with a group, whether everyone goes off in their own directions or sticks together. One of my favorite experiences traveling was when we popped into Cafe Havana one night, which is a salsa music club with live performers. The place was jumping. This club did have a cover, but it was so worth it. The performance was insanely entertaining, the music was perfect, the atmosphere was fun, and of course, if you love to dance this is the perfect spot.

Our Vendors

Finally, I wanted to feature the vendors that really made everything run smoothly for our wedding. I can't think of a single thing that went wrong that day and it truly was the wedding of our dreams.

Wedding Planner - XO Event Planner

XO Event Planner

Xochilt was an incredible wedding coordinator who captured everything about us and thought of so many little details that made a big impact. She and her staff were so professional and you can tell how passionate they are about creating lifelong memories through their events. Xochilt was calm, cool, and collected from start to finish, and handled our last-minute changes with ease. Not only did she plan our wedding, but she also helped us plan our welcome dinner and group events. I know that we benefitted from her connections and expertise, and I would recommend XO Event Planner a thousand times over.

Production (Photography, Videography, Special Effects, DJ, Sound Production) - Rhitmo Producciones

Rhitmo Producciones

Rhitmo's entire team was professional and this company is amazing at what they do. We had so many special effects and special requests and they made them all happen. Our photos and wedding video were everything we hoped for, and they were even able to set up a livestream via YouTube so our family and friends that couldn't make it were able to watch the ceremony in real-time. They set up the entire sound production at the baluarte which is just amazing in itself, on top of a 400-year-old fort with no power outlets anywhere. This company blew us away and made sure our wedding and reception were unforgettable.

Decoration - JAC Design and Events

JAC Designs and Events

From arranging what had to be a million flowers and placing every single light, Jonathan's decoration was unlike anything I could have ever imagined. His vision for the ceremony and reception was elegant, timeless, and absolutely beautiful, taking our color palette and complimenting it flawlessly. Every detail was thought of and the end result was breathtaking.

Band - Ruben Y La Cartagena Stars

Ruben Y La Cartagena Stars

Ruben and his musicians brought down the house at our reception. They were a fun group and you can tell they love bringing music to life together. We sent them a sample of some of the songs we like and they absolutely nailed the setlist. I wanted to sing a song at our reception and they let me come rehearse with them beforehand and made me feel so comfortable and welcome. Their performance was spot on and our guests had such a good time. If you're doing live music, they are the band.

Hair & Makeup - Karla Brigitte Makeup

Karla Brigitte Makeup

I truly felt like a princess on my wedding day thanks to Karla and her team. She glammed up my entire wedding party and captured everyone's best features while still looking totally natural. She also covered up a wicked sunburn I acquired the day before without missing a beat. We didn't make it easy on her, but she was so good-humored and you can tell she and her team are really passionate about making you feel your best on your big day.

Catering - Adriana Santos Catering

Adriana Santos Eventos

The food in Cartagena is generally just better than most places, but Adriana Santos' company takes it a step further. From the appetizers to the desserts, we loved every single thing that was served for our wedding. We went with plated dinners and the presentation was top-tier. I literally could not get enough of the mushroom risotto and there was not a single dessert left over!

If you're on the fence about a destination wedding in Colombia, I hope I've convinced you that Cartagena is the perfect place! From the beautiful scenery to the amazing culture and everything in between, Cartagena is the best bang for your buck, and I guarantee your vision for your wedding will come to life here! Questions about our experience? Leave them in the comments below!