Congratulations Theresa & Vincent!

A big 'felicidades' to the lovely Theresa and her husband Vincent on their wedding November 15! Despite the bride battling a horrific virus and a sudden shower (good thing we always have a back up tent!), it was a beautiful celebration of love. Over 40 friends and family flew down to the Paradisus Playa Conchal for the festivities, which saw a lovely ceremony on the beach and then a delicious dinner with dancing at the incredible Mar y Sol Restaurant in Flamingo Beach (one of the best eateries in the country).

Theresa had tons of carefully thought-out details. I just LOVE these cymbidium orchids in glass vases which were hung from bamboo poles as aisle markers. Gorgeous!

The ceremony space was marked by a lovely bamboo canopy. ,

Wedding colors were pink and blue with a touch of brown as an accent. Lots of orchids everywhere!


And how much fun are these gals having?! Love how the pink 'pops' against the blue of their dresses.

A huge thanks to El Velo Photography for their great shots!

And the happy couple had a wonderful honeymoon at the Arenal volcano and took time to send a wonderful note thanking planner Randy Gritz, her assistants and all the vendors (to quote Theresa "AMAZING - you really brought the term 'Pura Vida' to life for us" ).

Welcome to Club Wed, Theresa and Vincent, and our very best wishes to you both! Thanks soooooo much for letting Weddings Costa Rica be part of your amazing day :)

Meet The Bride - Emmaline

Happy Monday!

Today we are launching a new aspect of the blog where we showcase the brides marrying in beautiful Costa Rica!

Name
Emmaline Viray

Wedding Location
Cala Luna, Tamarindo

What do you do?
Registered Nurse

Why did you choose Costa Rica for your wedding?
Erwin and I wanted a destination wedding. We reviewed different places on line and wanted a location that neither of us have visited.

My perfect day is...
Not too sunny, just enough clouds that there is a gentle wind on a sun touched sky. Cool enough to wear a light wrap, but warm enough to wear a sun dress.

Thing you are most looking forward to at the wedding
I look forwad to looking into Erwin's eyes as we start our life together.

Thing you are most looking forward to at the honeymoon
Well :) I can't say that in public. I am looking forward to starting my life with my soul mate.

Tip for fellow destination brides
If you have a mother and mother-in -law like mine, expect to have plenty of celebrations prior to the wedding. Any excuse they have, such as engagment party bridal shower, wedding shower, post wedding party, they will take advantage since about 3/4 of your guests will not be able to make it to the destination wedding. Be prepared to be exhausted!!! But it is worth every exhausting moment.


All the best to Lyn and Erwin on their wedding December 6!

Top 5 Dates To Avoid

All dates are not created equal for your wedding and there are some that are definitely to be avoided. Here is my list of the Top 5 Dates to Avoid for your destination wedding in Costa Rica:

1. Christmas - Everyone is on vacation, including the vendors. The hotels are running at full capacity, they have minimum stay policies and room prices are at a peak. Add in all the Costa Ricans heading to the beach for the week and you have busy busy beaches.

2. New Year's Eve - see above. Plus, the hotels are all running their own New Year's parties (which you have to pay for as part of your room stay) so the last thing they can deal with is a wedding reception. And the beaches are full with partiers (do you really want a boombox and drunk soccer players a few feet from your ceremony?). Thinking of renting a villa? All the caterers are booked with parties. Ditto musicians and DJs. Would you want to work New Year's Eve? Didn't think so and neither do the vendors so they will charge a premium.

3. Easter Week - this holiday is bigger than Christmas in Latin America and the entire country seemingly shuts down the entire week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday and heads to the beach. Hotels are running at full capacity (and higher prices), beaches are packed and everything is shut tight Thursday and Good Friday (not even the busses are running). Plus alcohol sales are suspended for those two days. Avoid this week at all costs.

4. Valentine's Day - just as it is in North America, this is a huge day for florists. The weeks leading up to February 14 see flower prices at a premium as growers time the blooms for the big day. The day itself is a marathon for flower shops. Throw a wedding into the mix and you've got the florist in a tailspin. Flower prices are three times higher and selection is limited.

5. Mother's Day (August 15) - bigger than Valentine's Day. Latinos have a major reverence for mom and this is a major holiday. And the flower shops are crazy (see above).

Mini Ox Carts

Coffee put Costa Rica on the map, long before eco-tourism or canopy tours. Getting the beans from the plantations high in the mountains to the coastal ports was a hairy journey, through jungles, along steep hills and muddy dirt paths. And the mode of transport? Wooden carts pulled by two trained oxen. Even to this day, farmers throughout the country use ox-carts daily and there are various festivals throughout the year honoring these beasts of burden and their drivers.

The carts are handpainted in Sarchi, an artisan town in the Central Valley just outside of San Jose, using designs that have become as integral to Tico culture as gallo pinto and salsa Lizano. Everything from bridges to benches have been painted to mimic the oxcarts and if you have a chance to pass through Sarchi, it's definitely worth the visit to watch the painters at their craft.

What better memento from a wedding in Costa Rica than a miniature version of these brightly painted carts? Each one is handmade and painted with the same attention to detail as their full-grown counterparts. Fill them with a small bag of coffee and you have a very unique and very Tico guest gift! Prices start at $13 each.

Cake Consideration

Having your wedding in a tropical open-aired venue places unique demands on the wedding cake (who knew they could be so demanding). Very few locations in Costa Rica have an air-conditioned reception space so your cake must be able to stand up to hours of being in the heat and humidity. The other thing to keep in mind is that there is only a handful of cake makers in the country who can create the ethereal works of art one sees in the bridal magazines. Which means the cakes have to be able to travel from San Jose to your wedding location (which can be anywhere from a 40 minute flight to a 4.5 hour drive) and arrive intact.

All this travel, heat and humidity means your cake needs to be durable and melt-proof. That means no buttercream icing ,unless you are somewhere like Villa Caletas and you want the simple cake with some live flowers (like the photo).

No, you'll be looking at having your cake wrapped in fondant and Australian paste icing, giving that smooth, elegant look.

The other thing to keep in mind is the travel - a cake with three or more layers needs to be assembled on the spot so the cake maker will have to travel to your reception location to set it up, which means you will be charged for her transportation and set up time.

A cake symbolizes the sweet life you'll share as husband and wife and is often a showstopping element to your reception decor. With the talented artists available in Costa Rica, your can have your cake and eat it too (deliciously!).


Photos courtesy of Lifetime Digital

Documents for Legal Weddings

Recent changes were announced regarding paperwork required to register a legal marriage in Costa Rica. Now, a clean scan or color photocopy of the bride and groom's passports must be included with the paperwork submitted to the civil registry by the attending Costa Rican attorney. So that means no more faxed copies!

Best idea is to do a computer scan and email it to the lawyer.