The Ultimate 4 day destination wedding Itinerary in Cartagena, Colombia
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If you are considering a Cartagena destination wedding, let me be the first to let you in on what I learned shortly after starting my planning journey. I was completely unaware of the unlimited possibilities that having a Cartagena wedding could bring. I mean you can literally customize every single last detail about your dream wedding; yes… I said Every. Last. Detail. Once you let that sink in, you can see why Cartagena weddings look so different from the ones you might have attended back home. To some this might sound overwhelming, I get it, but with the right team on your side, it is literally everything you’d want to make your day fully reflect who you and your partner are and create the magic you want your guests to experience. This city is a place with so much history and culture that getting to add some of its traditions on my big day was one of the many highlights me and Hubby had that week. Ok, now that I really have you considering a Cartagena Wedding, I want to share some suggestions on how to make it truly a Cartagena Wedding.
How many days is a Cartagena destination wedding
I might be biased but I really do think that a 4 day Wedding itinerary brings just the right amount of fun and adventure. It allows you enough time to host beautiful events but it also gives your guests the opportunity to explore Cartagena on their own terms. So what do these 4 days look like? Most couples would host a welcome cocktail or dinner, the wedding, and a day out on the ocean. When we mapped out our itinerary we chose to welcome guests with a dinner on the first night, followed by a day for our guests to explore, then the Wedding, and finally the last day out on the beach.
Welcome Dinner
Wedding Day -“Calle de Honor”
Beach Day
Welcome Cocktails
After a long day of travel, hosting a welcome cocktail event is a great way to introduce everyone to each other and welcome them to Colombia. Now whether you choose to do cocktails or a dinner is totally up to you, but what I will say is that our guests were starving by the time they got to the hotel. No exaggeration. Even though we left them welcome bags with snacks in their rooms, everyone was so ready to sit for an actual meal. So whichever of the two you decide, I am sure your guests will thank me for telling you to have some sort of food at your welcome event. They will be so impressed by your attention to detail haha.
Bride Tip* Give your guest enough time to get settled in before your first scheduled event or suggest having them arrive the day prior. Most direct flights will land anywhere between 1pm-3pm and getting through customs can take an average of 2 hours to get through. Longest it has taken us was 3 hours. So don’t forget to factor that into your timeline.
La Chiva after Welcome Dinner aka “Party Bus” | Photo Credit: @lasfotosdevale
Photo Credit: @lasfotosdevale
Explore Day
Day 2 was left open to our guests as a day for themselves. Some chose to explore the walled city, others hung out by the pool, while the rest planned a full spa day. Finding the perfect balance between planned and unplanned events is the key to everyone having a great time. You might also want to use this day to explore Cartagena’s islands, but I will warn you, don’t tire yourself out too much before your wedding. You’ll want to save as much energy as you can and we all know how exhausting a day out on the ocean can be.
Bride Tip* Create a custom Wedding website with a Recommendation section of all your favorite restaurants and activities for your guests to explore on this day. If they are anything like our friends they will definitely appreciate you doing the research for them.
Wedding Day
This is obviously the most exciting part and the main reason why we are all here. Cartagena weddings are truly A one-of-a-kind experience. A Cartagena wedding isn’t complete without including some of its traditions on your special day like a “Calle de Honor” or a “Hora Loca”. Take it from me, it turned out to be some of my most favorite memories of the entire week. Did I mention that the party doesn’t typically end till 3am? The best way I’d put it is that the “Calle de Honor” was a great way to start the party and a “Hora Loca” accompanied by a late night snack is exactly what we all needed to keep the party going.
Photo Credit: @lasfotosdevale
Photo Credit: @lasfotosdevale
Photo Credit: @lasfotosdevale
Photo Credit: @lasfotosdevale
Beach Day
A Cartagena wedding itinerary is not complete without a day out on the water. Cartagena is surrounded by so many beautiful islands that offer a vibe suited for everyone. The Beach day is usually planned for the days before or after the wedding. Depending on what day of the week you choose to schedule the Beach day, you might want to consider choosing a beach club that best matches the vibe and energy you’d like your guests to experience. My husband and I chose to plan the Beach Day after the wedding for a much needed relaxing day. After a long night of nonstop dancing and drinking, it was exactly what we all needed. I’ll be honest, I was nervous our guests would not wake up in time but every single one of them made it bright and early for our scheduled transportation.
Bride Tip* well, two tips actually. If you are planning your beach day or “Pasadia” as they call it in Cartagena before the wedding and are anything like me, try your best to avoid sunburn. Your Makeup artist will thank you.
Second Tip* You will want to coordinate transportation for your guests to and from the dock for your beach day excursion. Finding public transportation can be difficult in these areas and can become a logistical nightmare for both you and your guests. Your excursion will typically include speed boat transportation from the dock to the beach club but will not include from your hotel to the dock meeting point.
Photo Credit: @lasfotosdevale
Photo Credit: @lasfotosdevale
Photo Credit: @lasfotosdevale
Your Departure, or maybe not…
You’ve just spent the most amazing few days with some of the most important people in your lives and the time to say See ya soon has come. Now you can either pack your bags and head home with them. Or… Choose to stay a few extra days and explore some of the further out islands perfect for a mini moon.
Bride Tip* If you are planning a mini moon after the wedding, ask your hotel if they would be willing to hold you bags after checkout while you head to the islands for a few days. The last thing you want is to have to lug around all your suitcases onto a speedboat to the islands. Remember your wedding dress is most likely in one of those suitcases.
Cartagena has become our second Home
Choosing Cartagena as our wedding destination was by far one of the best decisions we had made for several reasons. It has become more than just our wedding destination, it is the place we now consider our second home. Our guests loved it just as much that several of them made their way back for another visit months after our wedding. There is literally no wrong way you can plan a wedding in this magnificent city because you will find that there is something magical for everyone.
Love,
A Bride that lived it, loved it, and would do it all over again.