Issue #3: Palace hasn't posted a free 2027 wedding package yet, so get the terms in writing

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Welcome back. Every week we re-read the official wedding pages, terms and brochures behind resortweddingrules.com and tell you what changed. Every figure below comes from an official brand page, and anything we couldn't confirm there is labelled "Not confirmed".

Lead story: no free 2027 wedding package from Palace yet

If you're planning a 2027 wedding at a Moon Palace, Palace Resorts or Le Blanc Cancun property, here's the gap: Palace's complimentary wedding package still says "Valid through December 31, 2026", and no 2027 version is posted. Palace's page now blocks all our readers, so this week's check comes from the search engine's copy of the official page. (Palace terms)

What the current official terms include: an outdoor ceremony location, a minister for a symbolic ceremony, witnesses if needed, a wooden pergola, 30 white chairs, sparkling wine during the ceremony, basic audio, a semi-private dinner for up to 30 guests and a complimentary honeymoon package. "An additional fee applies to all civil ceremonies performed by a civil officiant, as well as for document filing." It isn't offered at Le Blanc Los Cabos, and it can't be bought together with Palace's Wedding Credits Offer.

What's still Not confirmed on Palace's own page: how many rooms you need to qualify. Third-party sources say 10 paid rooms on a signed group contract, but the official page doesn't say.

What to do: if your wedding is in 2027, don't assume today's free package will carry over. Ask Palace's wedding department to write the complimentary package, the room requirement and what's included into your group contract before you or your guests pay. If they can't confirm 2027 terms yet, ask what happens to your date if the package changes.

What changed this week

A quiet week. We re-read every official page from Oct 26 and found no package, price, rule or deadline changes. The only differences were cosmetic (accent marks in Barceló hotel names, a new gazebo blurb on Bahia Principe Jamaica, a Club Med sale banner and Hyatt site menu changes). The brand PDFs we track are byte-for-byte identical.
Iberostar's Perfect 10 booking window ends December 20, 2026. Its terms say "Booking Window: May 01 - Dec 20, 2026", "For travel through to: Oct 31, 2027". It starts at $950 ($1,399 at JOIA Aruba) for up to 10 guests including the couple, with a $500 non-refundable deposit, and the couple plus 80% of guests must stay 3 nights. It's a symbolic ceremony; legal ones cost extra in select destinations. Not confirmed on iberostar.com: these terms come from PDFs on Iberostar's wedding-booking platform, and iberostar.com/en/weddings blocked us this week. Confirm with Iberostar before you pay. (Perfect 10 terms PDF)
Sandals still quotes two prices for the Wedding Test Drive. The site-inspection stay is $300 a night in Sandals' wedding terms but $275 a night on its Jamaica weddings page (Sunday to Wednesday stays only). Ask the resort which rate applies, and get it in writing. (Sandals wedding terms, Sandals Jamaica weddings)
The year-end deadlines from last issue haven't moved. Sandals' Free Jamaica Wedding and Hyatt's Big Weddings, Big Rewards are still "book by" Dec 31, 2026. Hyatt Wedding in Paradise is still "Book By: December 20, 2027", starting at $1,349 or complimentary.
Royalton's page still advertises an expired offer. The South Asian weddings deal still says "Book by August 31,2026". (Royalton weddings)
Still Not confirmed: Palace's room requirement, Royalton's complimentary package terms, RIU's qualifying rules and fees, Couples' package page (it returns an error to our checker) and Barceló's Coconut Paradise qualifying rules. Nothing new was confirmed this week.

Scam watch: fake travel agents and room blocks that were never booked

No new FTC or police notice specific to destination weddings this week. But a new arrest is a good reminder:

A fake travel agent arrest in South Carolina (news report). The Post and Courier reports that Camden (SC) Police arrested a woman on Oct 10, 2026. Police allege she presented herself as a travel agent, agreed to book travel accommodations totalling $10,765 for a victim and never made the reservations. She's charged, not convicted, and the case isn't wedding-specific. We couldn't find the police department's own notice, so we're citing the news report. (Post and Courier, Oct 13, 2026)
The wedding version has already happened. Nassau County (NY) Police charged a travel agent who took $7,660 for a destination wedding, and the resort venues were never booked. (Nassau County Police)

How to protect your wedding and your guests:

Check the planner or agent. Ask for their agency or host agency name and check it independently. Don't rely on a social media profile or a phone number from an ad.
Confirm the room block with the resort itself. Call the resort's wedding or groups department using the number on the brand's official site, and ask them to confirm your date, block and rate in writing before guests pay.
Book through the real site. The FTC warns about websites that "only look like" they belong to a hotel brand. Type the brand's address into your browser yourself. (FTC consumer alert, June 17, 2026)
Pay by credit card. If someone asks for a wire transfer, gift card, payment app or crypto, the FTC says that's "a scam, every time". (FTC: Avoid scams when you travel)
Report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. More tips are on our Scam watch page.

Package of the week: Karisma Crazy For You

If deadlines are stressing you out, this one doesn't have any. Karisma's official page lists open booking and travel windows, and you can marry any day of the week. Every term below is confirmed on Karisma's own page.

Where: Azul Beach Negril (Jamaica), Margaritaville Riviera Maya and Margaritaville Riviera Cancun (Mexico), and Nickelodeon Punta Cana (Dominican Republic).
How to get it free: 7 or more rooms for 3 or more nights each, contracted through Karisma's Groups Department or a tour operator. Otherwise it costs $1,100.
What's included: a wedding designer, a wedding website, a non-denominational minister with a souvenir certificate, a hospitality room (12pm to 4pm) and 15% off spa for guests. The couple also gets a honeymoon dinner, breakfast in bed, an upgrade (subject to availability), late check-out and a 1-night anniversary voucher.
Guests: up to 32; extra guests are $20 per adult and $10 per child (2 to 12).
The catches:
- The ceremony is symbolic by default. A legal ceremony needs a judge at an extra fee, and Mexico legal weddings also need blood tests and translations (extra).
- Only rooms on the group contract count, so guests who book on their own may not count toward your 7.
- There's a $300 non-refundable deposit.
- It can't be combined with other offers, and Sky Weddings and Island Wedding Premium cost extra.

See the full breakdown on our Karisma Crazy For You page. (Karisma official page)

Want it to be legal?

Palace, Iberostar and Karisma's free or low-cost ceremonies are symbolic unless you pay for a civil one. For the legal side (documents, waiting periods, apostilles and government fees by country), see our sister site Wedding Abroad Rules.