For us, the choice to have a Costa Rica seaside wedding ceremony was a simple one. It was Max’s second house, and the mix of seaside and luxurious jungle made it an ideal setting for our rustic laid again affair.
We liked sharing our love for journey and our love for Costa Rica with family and friends who travelled 1000’s of miles to see us tie the knot in December 2015 at our Costa Rica vacation spot wedding ceremony.
Our wedding ceremony ceremony on the seaside in Costa Rica
Costa Rica Marriage ceremony Attraction
We aren’t the one ones enthusiastic about Costa Rica’s appeal. Lately, increasingly more {couples} are selecting to forego norms and traditions. They embrace the vacation spot wedding ceremony pattern by saying their “I Do’s” in one of many happiest locations on earth (that’s Costa Rica in case you didn’t know).
Our Costa Rica Vacation spot Marriage ceremony
We took 12 months to plan our wedding ceremony in Costa Rica. Every thing needed to be fastidiously researched and arranged, from the marriage officiant, Costa Rica wedding ceremony venues, flowers to decor, catering, music and every little thing in between!
We placed on fairly the affair and entertained over 40 relations and visitors that travelled to Costa Rica from abroad. Moreover, there are additionally 30-40 native visitors that joined within the celebrations of our wedding ceremony expertise.
Each one in every of our visitors pitched in and helped us with the ending touches. Though every little thing didn’t go completely (I’m undecided that wedding ceremony planning or weddings ever do), it actually was an attractive day and one which we wouldn’t have traded it for something!
There isn’t a denying it. Costa Rica is a tremendous location for vacation spot weddings! Costa Rica not solely gives lovely seashores and a jungle setting, nevertheless it additionally makes for a tremendous journey for you and your visitors.
In case you are contemplating a Costa Rica vacation spot wedding ceremony on your upcoming nuptials, we hope that our recommendation and suggestions may also help make the planning course of and so much much less daunting! Right here is every little thing it is advisable to find out about getting married in Costa Rica.
Completely satisfied couple (that’s us) at our wedding ceremony reception
Your Marriage Will Be Authorized In Your Residence Nation
In contrast to plenty of different common wedding ceremony places, Costa Rica really means that you can have a civil wedding ceremony ceremony or Costa Rica elopement that might be authorized in your house nation. In actual fact, the legalities are fairly easy and simple. There are only some wedding ceremony necessities:
- Weddings in Costa Rica have to be officiated by a lawyer.
- You should present copies of your passports, start certificates, details about earlier marriages (if relevant), and the names of your mother and father.
- You will have 2 witnesses who usually are not your loved ones. Your witnesses might be required to offer their passports/IDs to your officiant beforehand.
No blood exams, no police checks, no extra paperwork or problem, which may also help maintain your wedding ceremony price budget-friendly.
Max signing marriage paperwork at our wedding ceremony ceremony on the seaside.
After the ceremony, the lawyer will register your marriage with Costa Rica’s Nationwide Registry, which can challenge an official marriage certificates. Anticipate this course of to take round 4-6 weeks (ours took 5).
To be legally acknowledged in your house nation, your Costa Rican marriage certificates should then be:
- Translated into English by an official translator
- Authenticated by the Costa Rican Ministry of International Affairs
- Authenticated by your Embassy in Costa Rica
Your lawyer ought to have the ability to arrange all of the paperwork for you. This could take one other week or so. Anticipate your lawyer charges, marriage registration and all different charges. Making your wedding ceremony authorized ought to price you wherever between USD $1,500-2,000.
The lawyer that officiated our wedding ceremony was a good friend of the household. However, throughout our analysis, we got here throughout Costa Rica Marriage Officiants. It’s a terrific web site that may show you how to discover your personal wedding ceremony officiant in Costa Rica.
There Are Tons Of Lovely Costa Rica Marriage ceremony Venues
Now that you’ve the boldness that weddings in Costa Rica are attainable, allow us to encourage you with some lovely settings and Costa Rica wedding ceremony locations that may function backdrops.
You possibly can plan an extravagant luxurious affair with chandeliers and white linens. Or, you’ll be able to select to mix in with nature and go along with a country theme that comes with the environment into your wedding ceremony theme.
Our seaside ceremony arrange for our wedding ceremony.
There are such a lot of choices to select from in terms of Costa Rica wedding ceremony places and venues. You possibly can have a seaside wedding ceremony within the rainforest, mountains, or perhaps a Costa Rica waterfall wedding ceremony.
Simply take into account that the placement could rely on the season. Take a look at our information to the greatest time to go to Costa Rica that can assist you discover one of the best time of the 12 months on your wedding ceremony! Or in the event you want extra convincing, try the perks of a Costa Rica wedding ceremony right here.
Costa Rica All-Inclusive Marriage ceremony
The next is a number of motels and resorts which might be common amongst brides and grooms trying to tie the knot with all-inclusive Costa Rica wedding ceremony packages. The vast majority of Costa Rica’s large motels and resorts are positioned in Guanacaste. However, there are just a few extra venues scattered round different components of the nation. You possibly can enterprise out of Guanacaste and nonetheless discover a number of the greatest all-inclusive wedding ceremony resorts. In some ways, they far outshine even a number of the greatest wedding ceremony venues in America.
Villa Blanca
If you happen to’re trying to discover choices a bit extra distinctive than a seaside wedding ceremony, then Villa Blanca may very well be one of many high vacation spot wedding ceremony places. Costa Rica seaside weddings are unbelievable, however they aren’t the one possibility. This sustainable lodge and nature reserve gives seclusion and privateness with their number of venues, with out taking you too removed from town.
Villa Blanca’s Mariana Chapel is positioned on a grassy knoll overlooking a cloud forest. It gives a really beautiful view higher than practically something you’ll be able to think about. The chapel is a duplicate of a Roman chapel from the seventeenth century, with intricate ornamental tiling on the ceiling. The Avatar Tree overlooks a dairy farm and is the right place for smaller weddings. The Hacienda is correct on the sting of a cloud forest, and contains the unbelievable meals of El Sendero Restaurant.
The Springs Resort & Spa
A marriage in Costa Rica can all the time be counted on to be lovely, it doesn’t matter what the placement. Whether or not you’re reserving an engagement, a marriage, or a honeymoon, the Springs Resort is among the greatest vacation spot wedding ceremony resorts.
The Springs Resort is a beautiful sizzling spring resort that gives magnificence, luxurious, and comfort. They’ve specialists to assist pin down even the smallest particulars to make the day good. The all-inclusive resort gives a number of luxurious wedding ceremony packages, whether or not you’re hoping for a comfy elopement with just a few pals or one thing extra extravagant.
Whenever you’ve picked the Costa Rica wedding ceremony bundle of your desires, there are a variety of beautiful settings on the Springs Resort to carry your wedding ceremony. This contains the breathtaking views of Arenal Volcano or Arenal River. You would possibly even get a number of the native wildlife in your photographs. Relying on the room or villa you ebook, there’s even an infinity pool on your total group of visitors to get pleasure from.
Marriage ceremony ceremony arrange at Goals Las Mareas, Costa Rica
Undoubtedly, getting married at an all-inclusive resort could improve your wedding ceremony price way over a luxurious boutique lodge. However, remember every little thing that’s included with wedding ceremony packages. All-inclusive means a marriage planner, Costa Rica officiant, decor, and generally catering might be included. You’ll have an completely fuss-free expertise once you select to go along with all-inclusive wedding ceremony venues in Costa Rica.
If you wish to get married at one of many above-mentioned resorts, plan to spend not less than $15-20K on the affair. It’s the common price. Marriage ceremony resorts which might be all-inclusive will typically cost North American costs for meals, decor, cake and plenty of different parts of the marriage. In order that’s one other factor to remember.
Costa Rica Boutique Resort Marriage ceremony
In case your finances doesn’t stretch that far, loads of smaller boutique motels are glad to behave as your Costa Rica wedding ceremony venues or provide Costa Rica elopement packages. In lots of circumstances, they’ll have the ability to present or organize catering, lodging and a few decor. This offers you the chance to place a bit extra of “you” into the setup and the day itself.
There are many boutique motels that provide wedding ceremony companies in Costa Rica. Whereas we’re certain that many do a incredible job, there are a pair that we’d suggest from first-hand expertise.
Manuel Antonio Nationwide Park, view from Costa Verde Resort
Costa Verde Resort, Manuel Antonio
Having not too long ago attended an attractive Manuel Antonio wedding ceremony at Costa Verde Resort, we’ve now seen firsthand what a small lodge wedding ceremony can appear like at Costa Verde Resort close to Manuel Antonio Nationwide Park. The decision? It’s BEAUTIFUL!
The long-lasting lodge appears to completely mix in with the environment. It offers a sense such as you actually are staying within the jungle. Elements of the lodge, just like the helipad in entrance of the Costa Verde II and the reception corridor overlooking the Pacific Ocean, have been constructed particularly to offer a singular atmosphere for wedding ceremony receptions.
Views from Costa Verde Resort
We liked their deal with recycling all through the premises. Rainwater is used for laundry companies, and photo voltaic power is used to warmth up the water. All furnishings at Costa Verde is made of their wooden store (which you’ll be able to go to throughout your keep there). They use the naturally downed bushes from the area and all all through the grounds. Furthermore, 1000’s of recycled bottles are used as lighting.
It’s undoubtedly one of the crucial distinctive and exquisite lodging we’ve stayed at in our travels. In our opinion, Costa Verde is a perfect vacation spot for a marriage in Costa Rica! It might be nice as a Costa Rica honeymoon vacation spot too.
Costa Verde Resort, a stunning place to get married in Costa Rica
Costa Rica Villa or Non-public Residence Marriage ceremony
For the final word budget-friendly Costa Rica weddings, many {couples} select to lease a big villa or a personal home and use it because the setting for the ceremony. This selection offers you the chance to personalize your day and so as to add Costa Rican wedding ceremony traditions to your ceremony as a substitute of going with a cookie-cutter resort wedding ceremony. Nevertheless, it additionally comes with a LOT of labor and stress versus a venue that gives bundle costs.
You’ll have to rent all of the distributors, together with a marriage planner, that can assist you pull the day collectively. If you wish to look into this feature, it is a nice record of tried and examined non-public house/villa leases as really useful by {couples} who had a Costa Rica wedding ceremony.
We went with the most cost effective venue different – a personal house (sans the marriage planner), and belief us after we say coordinating all of the distributors, making all of the preparations and setting every little thing up for our wedding ceremony day was extremely arduous and tense. It’s not the marriage expertise that we’d suggest to others!
Casa Fantastica, Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Photograph through
Vacation spot Marriage ceremony Particulars
Costa Rica Marriage ceremony Photographers Are Very Proficient
Upon getting determined in your wedding ceremony venue, selecting a marriage photographer must be subsequent in your record. Fortunately, having a Costa Rica vacation spot wedding ceremony doesn’t imply it’s important to pay an arm and a leg to fly your chosen wedding ceremony photographer to Costa Rica.
The nation boasts a tremendous number of photographers focusing on that sector. However, take into account that the nation’s wedding ceremony business continues to be fairly small. So, whereas the choices are nice, they’re considerably restricted. Reserving your chosen Costa Rica wedding ceremony photographer as far upfront as attainable is a should!
We narrowed down the record of Costa Rica Marriage ceremony Photographers to our high decisions. Most photographers don’t thoughts touring exterior of their native space to your wedding ceremony venue to cowl weddings and occasions. They’re ranked beneath so as of our choice:
- Madison Baltodano (our wonderful photographer)
- Jonathan Cooley
We had been completely over the moon with the photographs that Madison took on our large day. She captured the feelings, the setting, and the day with absolute perfection and her companies had been very well priced! Costs for an 8-hour bundle will vary from $1,200 to $4,700.
Costa Rica Marriage ceremony Videography
In case you are trying to have your wedding ceremony captured on video, your choices are considerably restricted. A couple of of the photographers listed above additionally provide Costa Rica wedding ceremony videography companies, however charges are excessive and their availability is restricted.
In case you are planning a vacation spot wedding ceremony in Costa Rica and are on the lookout for an inexpensive wedding ceremony videographer, drop us an e mail and we’ll attempt to assist. Over the previous few years, we’ve provided wedding ceremony videography companies in Costa Rica to some {couples} and have heard nothing however nice suggestions.
Take a look at a pattern of our work beneath:
Hiring a Marriage ceremony Planner is In all probability a Good Thought
Except you might be planning an all-inclusive wedding ceremony that gives wedding ceremony planning companies, we undoubtedly recommend that you just rent a marriage planner, Costa Rica coordinator or wedding ceremony bundle service that can assist you deliver your dream wedding ceremony to life.
Take it from somebody who selected to DIY and confronted one million and one issues. Belief us; you don’t need to do the marriage planning all your self!
Our DIY Marriage ceremony was a LOT of labor!
Listed here are some nice vacation spot weddings coordinators and planners that I thought of however sadly didn’t find yourself hiring. (In hindsight, hiring one in every of these planners would’ve most likely made our day a LOT much less tense.) As with photographers, wedding ceremony planners service wedding ceremony venues throughout Costa Rica and aren’t restricted to their native space.
- Fourteen Weddings, accessible November by April and may also help plan from begin to end
- 4 Winds Weddings, gives coordination, design, floral companies, and occasion leases
- Our Costa Rica Marriage ceremony, gives packages for weddings of any measurement – from simply the couple up by a big vacation spot wedding ceremony
- Perennial Weddings, helps design, implement, and safe distributors for weddings
- Tropical Events, have produced over 1000 occasions in Costa Rica and have a full record of vetted distributors
Marriage ceremony Planning/Coordination companies begin at $1,000 and go up from there relying on the extent of the planner’s involvement pre and through the occasion.
Reception/Ceremony Set Up Can Be Expensive
In case your chosen venues don’t embody tables, chairs, desk settings, and different decors, getting every little thing organized at your Costa Rica wedding ceremony locations in your large day might be dear. It must be thought of in your wedding ceremony planning that there are solely 5 large furnishings and occasion rental companies in Costa Rica:
…they usually be sure to cost vacation spot wedding ceremony costs. If you will have to arrange your personal wedding ceremony venue, you’re looking at $1,500-$2,000 in rental charges. And don’t overlook, relying on the placement of your wedding ceremony venue, the supply charges might be upwards of $500-1,000. We had been quoted $1,000 for supply on New 12 months’s Eve. It’s one of many foremost explanation why we ended up constructing and shopping for our personal tables, chairs, and many others.
The primary 3 suppliers on the record are additionally the highest decisions for many wedding ceremony planners and wedding ceremony venues in Costa Rica, so their stock goes quick and must be booked effectively upfront.
Different Distributors Are Few And Far Between
Costa Rica wedding ceremony flowers, catering, hair, make-up, and cake are all issues that you’ll doubtless want so as to add to your wedding ceremony finances in case you are considering of going with a DIY, non-public house, or villa sorts of wedding ceremony venues.
These distributors had been actually arduous to search out and their costs had been something however aggressive. We didn’t find yourself utilizing any of those for our seaside wedding ceremony and as a substitute employed pals to deal with our catering, cake and hair wants.
Caterers & Muffins
- Soma Cooks, serves Santa Teresa Space, gives catering and personal chef companies
- Ono Delicacies, serves all of Costa Rica, gives non-public chef companies and catering
- Costa Rica Catering, serves Guanacaste, gives cake companies and catering
- Victoria Zoch Muffins, serves Guanacaste, makes muffins and different dessert objects
- German Bakery, serves Guanacaste, makes big day muffins
You gained’t discover a cake for lower than $200 and a caterer prepared to place collectively a menu for a marriage bundle will cost a minimum of $80-$100/particular person. Flower preparations had been quoted ranging from $60 for every bridal bouquet.
Our regionally made wedding ceremony cake
Marriage ceremony Gown
You aren’t going to discover a wedding ceremony costume in one of many form of smaller seaside city the place most weddings are held. If you happen to wait to buy a marriage costume until you get right here you’ll have to head to the capital metropolis of San Jose the place most Costa Rica wedding ceremony costume outlets are. Take into account that alterations take time and this will not be the simplest endeavor in the event you don’t communicate Spanish. So we’d recommend you purchase your wedding ceremony costume in your house nation.
Discovering a provider that handled frangipanis was not possible, so I ended up making the bridal bouquets myself
You Can Have a good time Your Marriage ceremony Effectively Previous Your Marriage ceremony Day
One in all our favorite issues about wedding ceremony ceremonies in Costa Rica was the truth that for many of our family and friends this wasn’t only a 1-day occasion, it was a week-long trip. One of many largest complaints that we heard from different married {couples} was that they didn’t get an opportunity to hang around with their family and friends at their weddings.
This couldn’t have been farther away from the reality throughout our wedding ceremony. We liked hanging out with after our Costa Rica wedding ceremony. Tamarindo is shut by so we organized group outings to the native fiestas there, watched the sundown with pals by the Pacific Ocean, held a Thank You brunch the place we obtained an opportunity to as soon as once more thank our visitors for sharing our big day with us, and we even traveled round Costa Rica and Nicaragua with a few of our pals just a few days after the marriage. It was a marriage celebration and a tremendous trip multi functional!
Watching the sundown on the seaside with our pals the day after our wedding ceremony
Enjoyable and video games on Playa del Coco with our superior pals just a few days after the marriage
With no scarcity of actions to do in Costa Rica, you can also prolong your good wedding ceremony celebration far past your Marriage ceremony Day. Hang around on the seaside, go horseback using, zip-lining, go on a day cruise or try a rainforest or a nationwide park.
Experiencing the fantastic thing about Costa Rica together with your family and friends is assured to make your wedding ceremony that rather more memorable and particular. You possibly can’t get these things again house!
Your Honeymoon Can Begin The place Your Marriage ceremony Day Ended
Have you learnt what’s extra magical than a marriage in Costa Rica? Honeymooning in Costa Rica! Dozens of lovely honeymoon worthy locations are going to be inside a fast drive away out of your wedding ceremony venues. No extra flights, no have to repack, or plan one other journey. Your honeymoon can start out of your wedding ceremony vacation spot, as quickly as you need!
Whole Costa Rica Marriage ceremony Value
Your wedding ceremony at Costa Rica price can vary dramatically.
For starters, it’s essential to find out your finances. Roughly how many individuals might be attending your wedding ceremony? How about your Costa Rican wedding ceremony type? As we talked about, all-inclusive wedding ceremony venues will usually be extra fuss-free than DIY wedding ceremony venues like our personal however the price normally displays that.
Nevertheless, identical to the price of residing in Costa Rica, on common a Costa Rican wedding ceremony is rather more inexpensive than one held in North America. In Costa Rica, a marriage usually hovers round $200-$400USD per particular person whereas within the States fundamental weddings common a complete of $33,000 USD.
Our DIY Costa Rican wedding ceremony price us solely $11,000. However, as talked about earlier than, it got here with plenty of arduous work and plenty of stress. We expect that a finances of $15,000-20,000 for a 40-50 particular person wedding ceremony is the candy spot for somebody on the lookout for an pleasurable and down-to-earth wedding ceremony celebration in Costa Rica, whereas nonetheless being fairly cheap for an unforgettable expertise.
* Except in any other case acknowledged, all photographs on this submit had been taken by our gifted photographer, Madison Baltodano.
Would you select to have your wedding ceremony in Costa Rica? What would your dream wedding ceremony appear like?