Jack & Jenna: A Da Nang & Hoi An Destination Wedding at InterContinental Danang

Jack and Jenna had planned every detail of their destination wedding in Vietnam: the venue, the guest list, the trip of a lifetime for their families.

Then Covid changed everything. The journey they had dreamed of simply could not happen, so they married at home in the US and came to Vietnam a little later for what Jenna lovingly called “a family dinner”: an intimate celebration across Da Nang and Hoi An with the people closest to them.

The dream day did not unfold the way they first imagined. But the two evenings they spent here, surrounded by family and old friends, turned into something none of us will forget.

Real wedding, real moments – not a picture-perfect timeline, but the true, unrepeatable feeling of a day.

A welcome dinner in Hoi An

Day one was a welcome dinner in Hoi An, the lantern-lit old town that feels frozen in a gentler century.

Before the light faded, everyone wandered the narrow streets and drifted along the Thu Bon river by boat, soaking up the colour and the calm.

It was also a chance for the family to experience Vietnam up close: a riverside stroll, live traditional instruments, a long table of Vietnamese food, and paper lanterns set adrift on the water for good luck.

The wedding day at InterContinental Danang

Day two brought everyone to the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, set on the forested slopes of the Son Tra Peninsula and cascading down to its own private beach.

With dramatic black-and-white architecture by designer Bill Bensley and sweeping views over the sea, it is one of the most photographed wedding venues in Vietnam. For couples planning a luxury Da Nang wedding, few places feel this cinematic.

The morning was slow and happy: getting ready, quiet portraits in the resort’s hillside architecture, and a little rain that only made the light softer.

A beach reception and a lion dance

As the sky turned, the celebration moved down to the sand – string lights, candlelit tables, a reception under the stars.

Then came a burst of Vietnamese tradition: a glowing lion dance that lit up the whole beach with colour and drums, followed by the cake, the toasts, and a couple who could not stop smiling.

Dancing into the night

And then everyone danced. Barefoot on the sand, under the lights, long into the warm Da Nang night – exactly the kind of joyful, unfiltered celebration we live to photograph.

When to plan a Da Nang or Hoi An wedding

Central Vietnam has a distinct rainy season from roughly September to December, with the heaviest rain and the chance of storms in October and November, so most couples steer clear of those months for a beach or outdoor celebration.

The sweet spot is the dry season from February to August. February to May in particular brings warm, clear days and softer light before the peak summer heat, which is why it is such a popular window for a Hoi An or Da Nang wedding. Jack and Jenna married in March, one of the loveliest times of year on this coast.

A two-day celebration like theirs is our favourite way to marry here: Hoi An for a relaxed, culture-filled welcome dinner, then a destination wedding day at a venue like InterContinental Danang for the main event. The two cities sit only about forty minutes apart.

It was not the wedding Jack and Jenna first planned, but it was theirs, and it was unforgettable. Thank you both for letting us tell it, real and unposed, the way it truly happened.

Planning a Da Nang or Hoi An destination wedding of your own? We would love to help. See more of our destination weddings across Vietnam.

Venue: InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort · Planning: The Planners · Photography: TIMO Wedding