EX CONVENTO DE SAN HIPOLITO
What it's actually like to plan a wedding at Ex Convento de San Hipolito in Mexico City.
You wouldn't know it's there. Street vendors line Avenida Hidalgo in the Historic Center, buses idle at the corner, and then there's this unassuming doorway that leads down a hallway and into a 16th-century colonial convent with stone archways that stop you cold. The scale is something. It's expansive in a way General Prim isn't, hidden in a way that feels like a secret, and once you're inside, the noise of the street disappears completely.
Mexico City has no shortage of historic venues. Ex Convento de San Hipólito is the one that can actually fit your guest list without making anyone miserable, and the one that makes sense when you need the kind of grandeur that only centuries-old architecture can deliver.
This is a reception venue, full stop. There's no natural light, no outdoor ceremony option, no flipping the space. Your ceremony happens somewhere else.
This is the kind of place where you can:
- Fit 300 guests comfortably with room to move (or cram 1,150 if you're cozy with your friends)
- Host a grand reception in a 16th-century colonial monument steps from Reforma
- Walk from Hilton Reforma in 10 minutes (if crossing the street doesn't kill you)
- Skip half the decor because the architecture does the work
You'll need to bring in your full team: catering, florals, lighting, sound, rentals, staffing. But the bones here are incredible, and that's my always recommended best starting point.
Why I Love Working Here
Most couples who need capacity end up sacrificing something to get it. Intimacy. Flow. The ability to move through a space without feeling like you're navigating a crowded restaurant. Ex Convento is one of the only venues in Mexico City where 300 people doesn't mean compromise.
When guests walked into the sangeet we designed here, the reaction was part of the charm. It was stopping cold in the doorway because the drama, elegance, shock and awe was palpable on guests' faces. Moody lighting, candles filling every archway, color saturating stone that had been gray an hour before. The architecture creates the foundation, and what you layer on top of it is where the magic happens.
I'm Liz, founder of The Nouveau Romantics. We've spent 15+ years planning destination weddings that are personal, layered, and unexpected, especially at venues like Ex Convento de San Hipólito.
from a wedding planner's perspective:
Best Time to Get Married at General Prim
October through March: Peak season. Cooler temperatures, lower humidity, and the best city logistics for guests traveling in. This is when most weddings at General Prim happen, and when the venue books fastest.
April through June: Warm and can get stifling in a city without standard AC. Gives more flexibility on date availability if you're working around a specific window.
July through September: Rainy season. The venue is indoors so precipitation isn't the problem, but city logistics, guest comfort, and humidity are real variables worth thinking through.
Avoid: Major Mexico City holidays, Semana Santa (Easter week) and Formula One in October. Hotel prices spike significantly and the city gets harder to move around in.
Planning Tip: Prime Saturdays in October through March go fast, often within days of the calendar opening (which typically happens no more than a year out). If you have a date in mind, move on it.
Ceremony Locations:
Cocktail Hour
& Reception Locations
- Cocktail hour on the upper floor balcony + Candiles salon. No elevator, so not ideal if you have guests with mobility issues.
- Cocktail hour on the main floor: Guests grab drinks near the bars, mingle around the fountain.
- Buffet stations in the colonnaded hallways: Set up stations on both sides of the courtyard so service moves quickly.
- Dance floor positioned behind the fountain and directly in line with the entrance hallways for guests sitelines.
What’s Included When You Book?
- Ground floor courtyard (1,000 sq.m.) with fabric ceiling cover
- Fully functional central fountain with surrounding platform
- Upper floor balcony + Candiles salon (gathering room for 20-80 people)
- Private bridal suite or vendor room
- Restrooms on the ground floor (no elevator to upper floor)
- On-site event coordinator, restroom attendants, and technical staff
- Illuminated street façade, ceremonial entrance carpet (red or blue)
- Medium-voltage CFE electricity, on-site warehouse storage
What's the Guest Count Capacity?
The venue's official capacity is 1,150 guests (900 on the ground floor, 250 on the upper floor). That's max-capacity-per-table squeeze with no buffet and no breathing room. If you want comfortable seating, space for a buffet, and room for guests to actually move, plan for 300 people on the ground floor.
What Hotels / Where to Stay
- St. Regis Mexico City
- Four Seasons Mexico City
- Volga (Boutique, excellent design)
Roma Norte and Condesa are about 20 to 25 minutes away and work well for guests who want neighborhood character over hotel polish. Uber and taxis are reliable throughout central CDMX.
Planning Tip: 25-passenger mini-bus are the best size for these streets. Full sized buses are tricky, so include transportation logistics from the start.
Vendors You’ll Likely Need
You’ll likely need:
- Full-service planner (must-have for private estates)
- Catering with mobile kitchen options
- Licensed bartending (alcohol is purchased through the venue, English-speaking staff are harder to find)
- Lighting design and production
- DJs or musicians
- Tables, chairs, linens, lounge + tabletop rentals
- Florals (the space benefits from softness; ceiling installations require rigging experience)
- Photographer + videographer
- Ceremony officiant
- Guest transportation
- Setup + breakdown staff
San Hipolito Wedding Cost (2026/27)
Venue Fees:
Saturdays: 2026: $385,000 MXN. 2027: $395,000 MXN
Friday: 2026: $300,000 MXN. 2027: $310,000 MXN
Sunday: 2026: $200,000 MXN. 2027: $250,000 MXN
Mon-Thurs: 2026: $175,000 MXN. 2027: $185,000 MXN
*These prices reflect Jan-November. December holiday prices differ, and inquire to get pricing.
Key add-ons:
- Setup/Dismantling extra full day (24 hours):
2026: $70,000 MXN 2027: $75,000 MXN - Setup/Dismantling Half-day (8am-6pm):
2026: $42,000 MXN. 2027: $45,000 MXN - Security Deposit: $25,000 MXN (refundable 48 hours after the event)
- Barra Libre alcohol packages: $275-$420 MXN per person (you purchase through the venue)
- Power generator (10 hours): $14,000-$14,500 MXN
- Backup generator: $8,500-$9,000 MXN
- Heaters (per unit): $1,650-$1,700 MXN
- Main courtyard lighting: $21,000-$22,000 MXN
- Dance floor: $11,500-$12,000 MXN
THE nouveau romantics EXPERIENCE
The Work Behind the Work
We spend an average of 500+ hours on every full-service wedding we take on.
That time isn’t about busywork, it’s about stewardship. Of your vision, your budget, your time, and the experience your guests will actually have.
We’re not just planners. We’re designers, strategists, and project managers. When you hire us, you’re hiring a team that is actively managing logistics, aligning vendors, navigating personalities, and anticipating challenges long before they ever reach you. Behind the scenes, we’re monitoring timelines, revising plans, problem-solving in real time, and sending hundreds of emails you’ll never have to read.
We care deeply about our clients—and our vendor partners. The best weddings are built by teams who trust one another and enjoy the process as much as the outcome.
This work is layered, demanding, and deeply intentional, and we take it seriously. Because of this, we take on a very limited number of full-service weddings each year and typically begin booking 12–14 months in advance.
let's break it down
Sample Timeline
6:00 PM – Ceremony begins elsewhere
7:00 PM – Guests arrive, cocktail hour begins
8:00 PM – Guests seated for dinner
8:15 PM – First course served
9:00 PM – Toasts and speeches
9:30 PM – Main course
10:15 PM – Cake cutting
10:30 PM – Dance floor opens
12:30 AM – Last call
1:00 AM – Event ends, guests depart
4:00 AM – Venue must be restored to original condition
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. Can we have our ceremony here?
Technically yes (they have a ceremony hall for civil ceremonies), but the space doesn't flip. My recommendation would be to have your ceremony somewhere else.
Q. Do I need a wedding planner?
Yes, and not a day-of coordinator. San Hipolito is a production-intensive venue where load-in alone requires experienced sequencing: one vendor at a time, strict noise windows, and a team that knows how to with those constraints. This is a venue that works when there's a solid team behind it.
Q. How late does the party go?
Standard event time runs until 3:00am the following day. Extensions available at $16,000-$18,000 MXN per hour (depending on year), subject to availability, with a 5:00am hard stop. The late cut-off is one of the advantages of having your wedding outside of the USA.
Q. What are the load-in logistics like?
More involved than most CDMX venues. Strict parking restrictions, noise ordinances (no construction-level sound between 10am-7pm), and unpredictable street closures. For ceiling installations or significant lighting builds, a setup day is essentially required. Budget for it from the start.
Q. Any photography tips specific to this venue?
There is no natural light in this space. The courtyard has a fabric ceiling cover, stone walls block ambient light, and once the sun sets, you're working entirely with artificial lighting. Your photographer needs to be genuinely skilled at interior and flash photography. If you want natural light portraits, they need to happen before guests arrive and before the sun sets.
"Liz has the best eye, best energy, and her taste level, vendor suggestions, and general aesthetic are flawless."
— robyn & travis
Ready to talk through San Hippolito for your wedding? Or still figuring out if Mexico City is the right destination?
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