Antigua is one of the most photogenic wedding destinations in the Americas: ruined convents, cobbled streets, three volcanoes on the skyline. And every single guest arrives down the same hour-long road from the capital, which is the fact that shapes the whole event.
The arrival problem
There is one gateway. Guatemala City, for everyone, and then the road transfer.
That is simpler than a two-airport destination and it is also a single point of failure: sixty guests arriving across an afternoon all meet the same traffic leaving the capital.
Stagger the arrivals if you can influence them, and get the morning flights for anyone with a choice. Afternoon landings turn a one-hour transfer into considerably more.
Put the arrival instruction in writing and send it early. Which airport, what the transfer looks like, who is meeting them. One document, sent in month two, prevents most of what goes wrong.
The venues
Converted convents and colonial houses in Antigua are the signature: courtyards, fountains, ruined arches, and capacity from twenty to a couple of hundred.
They are inside a UNESCO site, which means there are rules about what can be built, amplified or lit, and those rules are real. Your venue knows them; ask early rather than late.
Hotels on the outskirts give parking, coach access and a single-site event, at the cost of the cobbled-street photographs.
And Lake Atitlán for smaller weddings, where the venue is often boat-access and that is either the charm or the problem.
Moving a group
Twenty people need a coach, and a coach needs a road. Antigua's cobbled centre is not coach-friendly, and several of the most beautiful venues are on streets a bus cannot enter.
Confirm the last hundred metres. This is the most common venue surprise in Antigua — the courtyard is perfect and the coach stops two streets away.
And anything involving boats multiplies by your guest count. A ten-minute lake crossing is charming for two and a logistics problem for fifty. The specific aircraft is assigned on confirmation, based on passenger count, baggage and the destination field.
What to settle early
The arrival instruction, as above.
Whether your venue's street takes a coach, and what happens when it rains.
Held capacity. You will want to hold more rooms than you use, because the final number arrives late, and that is a commercial conversation with a release date attached. AeroRide invoices and charges directly from the site; you receive your receipt in the name of the person or company you give us on confirmation.
And the departure, which is harder than the arrival and gets a fraction of the planning. Everyone leaves within forty-eight hours, into the same afternoon traffic, for the same airport.
The season
We fly year-round. In the rainy season the pilot in command decides; if weather stops a flight, it is rescheduled at no cost. November to April is the reliable window, and the one to build a wedding around.
Semana Santa is impossible. Antigua is full, accommodation is booked a year out, and the streets are closed for processions. Nobody should attempt a wedding that week.
And the wet months mean afternoon rain, which matters because an Antigua courtyard is open to the sky. Morning and midday ceremonies work; late afternoon is where people get caught.
Where flying helps
Not inside Guatemala, mostly. The wedding is an hour from the airport and the lake is a road.
Where it earns its place is guests arriving from elsewhere in the region — San Pedro Sula at 159,8 nautical miles, Tegucigalpa at 195,1 — and any excursion to Tikal at 145,1, which a wedding party sometimes adds as a post-wedding leg. We show a "from" price per route; the final fare depends on the date, the group and the baggage, and is confirmed in writing before booking.
Frequently asked questions
Why Antigua for a wedding?
Ruined convents, cobbled streets and three volcanoes, with venue capacity from twenty to a couple of hundred.
What is the hard part?
Every guest arrives down the same hour-long road from the capital, and afternoon landings make it considerably longer.
Are there restrictions on venues?
Yes. Antigua is a UNESCO site with real rules about building, amplification and lighting. Ask your venue early.
Can a coach reach my venue?
Confirm the last hundred metres. Several beautiful courtyards sit on streets a bus cannot enter.
Can we marry during Semana Santa?
No. The town is full, accommodation books a year out, and the streets are closed for processions.
When should the ceremony be?
November to April for the reliable window. In the wet months choose morning or midday: an Antigua courtyard is open to the sky.
Let's plan it together
The specific aircraft is assigned on confirmation, based on passenger count, baggage and the destination field.