Mexico and Thailand both give you a beach, a resort team that handles the details and a warm-weather ceremony far from home. The real differences are in how resort packages are priced, how hard the legal paperwork is and which months the weather is on your side.
Prices below are converted to Australian dollars at the Reserve Bank of Australia rate on 12 November 2026, so you can compare like with like. Wedded Concierge can turn them into real quotes for your date and guest list.
Mexico's large all-inclusive resorts publish tiered wedding packages in US dollars, and the guest count sets the tier. At Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya, the entry package starts at US$1,499 (about A$2,190) for 10 guests, or is complimentary under the resort's booking conditions. The 20-guest tier starts at US$5,049 (about A$7,380) and the 79-guest tier at US$12,049 (about A$17,610).
Its sister resort, Dreams Aventuras Riviera Maya, starts at the same US$1,499 for 10 guests and reaches US$12,649 (about A$18,490) for 79. The resorts note that prices can change without notice, so use these as a starting point for a quote.
Guests pay for their own all-inclusive stay on top of the package. For where to marry beyond the Riviera Maya, see the Mexico picks in our guide to North America wedding destinations.
Photo: Giuseppe Messina
Phuket resorts publish packages in baht and build them around the ceremony and its extras. At Amari Phuket, the Western ceremony package starts at 98,900 baht (about A$4,280). It includes a non-religious celebrant, a floral arch, the bride's hair and makeup, four hours of photography, a wedding cake and a suite upgrade for the couple.
At Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort, a beach wedding starts at 95,000 baht nett (about A$4,110) for up to 30 guests, and a couple-only package at 60,000 baht nett. Centara Villas Phuket lists its Orchid package at 73,000 baht (about A$3,160), with a cake, champagne and a candlelit dinner for two.
For two people only, Amari's Tie the Knot package starts at 55,000 baht (about A$2,380), with a celebrant, two hours of photography and a set dinner. Amari Phuket is one of the resorts on our Thailand wedding venues page, and our Phuket or Koh Samui guide compares the two islands.
Photo: Ali Kazal
For about 10 guests, the Mexican entry packages start lower, at about A$2,190, and can be complimentary under the resort's booking conditions. For up to 30 guests, Le Méridien Phuket's beach wedding at about A$4,110 sits well below the Mexican 20-guest tier at about A$7,380. For a couple on their own, Phuket's packages start at about A$2,380 to A$2,600.
These are published starting prices from five resorts, not national averages. Ask each resort for a written quote that lists taxes, service charges and the cost of each extra guest before you compare.
A civil wedding in Mexico follows the rules of the state where it takes place, and the paperwork can be demanding. In Puerto Vallarta, for example, the civil registry asks foreigners for an apostilled birth certificate translated into Spanish by an authorised local translator. It also asks for a medical certificate and blood tests dated within 15 days of the wedding, a premarital course and two witnesses.
Check the rules for your state, or marry legally at home and hold a symbolic ceremony at the resort. A marriage that is legal where it takes place, and would be valid here, is generally recognised in Australia, as Smartraveller explains.
Under Thai law, a marriage is only legally valid once it is registered with the Thai authorities, according to the Australian Consulate-General in Phuket. Australians first get a Certificate of No Impediment from the Australian Embassy in Bangkok or the Consulate-General in Phuket. The certificate is then translated into Thai, authenticated by the Thai Department of Consular Affairs and taken to a District Office to register the marriage.
The consulate also notes that couples can marry legally in Australia and celebrate in Thailand. A resort ceremony on its own is symbolic, and Amari's couple-only package says so on its certificate.
Mexico's Caribbean coast sits in the Atlantic hurricane season, from 1 June to 30 November, and the Pacific coast's season runs from 15 May to 30 November, according to the National Hurricane Center. A date between December and April falls outside both.
Thailand's coasts run on different calendars. The Andaman coast, with Phuket and Khao Lak, is at its best from November to April, while the Gulf coast, with Koh Samui, stays drier through the middle of the year, as our Thailand venues page sets out.
Photo: Atlantic Ambience
Mexico suits couples who want a guest-count price they can plan around and an all-inclusive stay for everyone. Phuket suits couples who want more included in the ceremony package, and the Gulf coast opens up a mid-year date.
Cover photo: Diego Britez
Written by
Senior SEO Specialist, Wedded Wonderland
Mark Tuason is the Senior SEO Specialist at Wedded Wonderland, where he writes and refreshes the brand's guides to destination weddings and cultural wedding traditions. He starts with the questions couples search for, checks the answers against trusted sources, and shapes each guide to help them plan, compare and book with confidence. Based in the Philippines, he specialises in content strategy and on-page SEO.
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