By Erin Frank

I like a little wedding with my honeymoon. When you pair a destination wedding with your happily-ever-after there are a huge number of benefits. For one thing, you can leave it to the professionals. You know you’re getting a dedicated staff that specializes in handling events like yours and is familiar with what the venue can offer you. On-location lodging for you and your guests means you won’t have to worry about transportation to and from ceremony and reception venues. Throw in perks like swim-up bars and lounging on the beach, and your guests are guaranteed to have a good time with minimal planning on your part. Plus, you won’t have anyone asking if they can crash on your couch right before your big day.

During a recent stay at Azul Sensatori Hotel by Karisma in Cancun, Mexico, I found myself wondering what it would have been like if I had scrapped my DIY-intensive San Francisco wedding last year (and I do mean intense! It’s a lot of work when you handle everything from decorations to food to flowers), and gone instead for a relaxing beachside ceremony with my favorite family and friends. Here’s what I would have enjoyed:

An on-site wedding coordinator, a wedding guest concierge to get my guests settled in without my help, a personal attendant to the bride—what a dream!—and a groom’s room stocked with food and beverages before the wedding, to keep the guys out of my hair.  I think I would have opted for the Gold Wedding Package, which includes everything a couple could ask for. We’re talking a bouquet and boutonniere, a manicure and hairstyle for the bride, a haircut for the groom, a sunset dinner cruise, a professional wedding photographer (complete with negatives and a wedding album), a Mexican wedding certificate translated to English, and a whole lot more, all for $3,500. Thinking about what it costs to hire a photographer alone, I’m kicking myself for not discovering this sooner.

A beachside venue really takes your wedding to a new level. Have your ceremony on the beach or on a rooftop overlooking the water. Drink champagne while you check-in, schedule candlelight oceanfront dinners and seaside massages, and let your guests do the same! Encourage them to come to the resort early and clear out after the wedding so your honeymoon can be blissfully family-free. During their stay, your guests will enjoy the beach, pools, bars, a spa, and 6 gourmet-inclusive restaurants including Le Chique, a swanky adults-only restaurant with a creative eight-course “Author’s Dinner” where every taste and texture will take you by surprise. After the wedding, soothe away any stressors your personal assistant couldn’t take care of with soaks in the your Jacuzzi bathtub or piña coladas by the pool. Forget getting up early to head to the airport. Instead enjoy breakfast in bed to kick off your honeymoon. Relax—you’re already there!

So, you tell me, is your 1-year anniversary too soon for a destination vow renewal ceremony?

Azul Sensatori Hotel by Karisma

Cancun, Mexico

www.karismahotels.com