Most Mexican wedding vendors take a retainer to hold the date and the balance before the wedding. You can pay by international transfer to a CLABE account, through a transfer service that shows the exchange rate up front, or by card where it is offered. Bank wires often hide a 2–4% currency markup, and every bank detail should be confirmed by voice, never by email alone.
How Mexican vendors quote: USD, pesos and IVA
Vendors working with international couples usually quote in US dollars, while local suppliers quote in Mexican pesos. Two questions settle most confusion: which currency the contract is denominated in, and whether the price includes IVA, Mexico's 16% value-added tax. A quote with a factura (a formal tax invoice) normally carries IVA; a simple receipt may not.
- Ask which currency governs the contract — the rest is a conversion.
- Ask whether IVA is included before comparing two quotes.
- Ask if you need a factura. Most couples do not, but a company paying for the event might.
- Ask who absorbs transfer fees so the vendor receives the full amount.
The payment methods, compared
Mexican bank accounts use an 18-digit CLABE instead of a routing and account number, and that CLABE is what an international transfer needs. Beyond the wire, the practical choice is between a traditional bank, a money-transfer specialist and a card, and the difference shows up in the exchange rate rather than the advertised fee.
| Method | Typical speed | What it really costs |
|---|---|---|
| Bank wire to CLABE | 1–5 business days | Flat wire fee plus an exchange-rate markup often quoted at 2–4%. |
| Transfer specialist (Wise, Remitly, Xoom) | Minutes to 1 day | Visible fee, rate closer to mid-market; caps may apply per transfer. |
| Credit card | Immediate | Foreign-transaction fee, plus any surcharge the vendor passes on. |
| Cash on arrival | Immediate | No fees, but no paper trail unless you get a signed receipt. |
On a $5,000 payment, a 3% rate markup is about $150 — more than most advertised wire fees. Compare the total pesos or dollars the vendor will actually receive, not the headline charge.
Before the first transfer: send a small test amount, confirm with the vendor that it landed, and only then send the retainer. Ten minutes of friction beats a misrouted five-figure payment.
A normal payment schedule
The standard structure in Mexico is a retainer that holds the date, followed by a balance due before the wedding. Retainers are commonly 30% to 50% and are usually non-refundable, because the vendor stops selling that date from the moment it is reserved. Anything different — installments, a payment on the day, a final balance after delivery — should appear in the contract rather than in a chat thread.
- At booking: retainer, in exchange for a signed contract naming the date.
- Mid-planning: an optional installment, if the contract sets one.
- Before the wedding: balance, usually 2 to 4 weeks out.
- On the day: cash tips, which are separate from contracted fees.
Tipping is its own conversation, and it is worth budgeting for in advance: see tipping wedding vendors in Mexico.
Avoiding the one scam that targets weddings
The common fraud is not a fake vendor — it is a real thread that gets intercepted. Someone gains access to an email account, waits for a payment to be discussed, then sends updated bank details that look exactly like the previous messages. The money is gone before anyone notices, and international transfers are rarely recoverable.
- Confirm every bank detail by phone or video with someone whose voice you know.
- Treat any change of account as a red flag, even with a plausible explanation.
- Never send details of your own accounts in response to an inbound request.
- Keep payment discussions on one channel so a new sender stands out.
What to keep on file
Keep four things in one folder: the signed contract, the transfer confirmations, any factura or receipt, and the written answers about currency, IVA and delivery dates. If a question comes up months later — and the most common one is about delivery — that folder is what resolves it in a single message. What to expect on timing is covered in when you get your wedding photos back.