We've Moved!

Since I'm a bit of a Luddite, I've decided to move blog formats to a more 'user-friendly' one (re easier for the technology challenged like yours truly).

Please redirect over to Weddings Costa Rica Blog

See you there!

Meet the Bride - Kari!

Kari

Wedding date - March 22, 2009

Place - Bahia del Sol, Playa Potrero

Home - Edmonton, Alberta

What do you do? I'm an Entertainment Host/Producer on 96.3 Capital FM. I'm also a freelance voice actor.

Why did you choose Costa Rica? My fiance, Ryan, has travelled all over the world but neither of us had been to Costa Rica. We wanted to explore a new country together. We also wanted a destination where guests could have adventure and relaxation. Not to mention, the incredible culture and stunning beauty! Costa Rica was the perfect fit.

Favourite clothing item - I really have to pick just one? Oh, no! Ha ha! Well, would it be typical to say my wedding dress? I really love it! As far as what I wear on a regular basis, I'm loving my tall, grey boots and my Soi and Kyo dress coat Ryan picked out for me at Smyth and Kang in Calgary. 

My perfect day is...summer, +25 Celcius with a light breeze. Coffee on the deck. Beach, boating, bbq (with chicken, potatoes and wine) then bonfire with friends and/or family (with Ry).

Thing you are most looking forward to at the wedding - I'm looking forward to every second of the day, to be honest. Form the moment I wake up and go for a massage to having special moments with my bridesmaids and my Mom, to hanging onto my Dad's arm walking towards Ryan down the aisle. Hearing Ryan's vows, the food, the drinks, the atmosphere, the music, the sound of the ocean, etc.

Thing you are most looking forward to at the honeymoon - Getting closer to my new husband and exploring the country!

Tip for fellow destination brides - Hire a wedding planner! Planning a wedding is supposed to be fun, not stressful. Especially when you are marrying in a tropical paradise. Having someone like Larissa by your side will allow your vision to come alive at the hands of true professionals. You will also be able to just relax on the wedding day, instead of decorating and worrying about catering and vendors. Also, you don't have to go with a typical 'destination' wedding dress. There are plenty of wedding dresses out there that are made with very light, airy materials. 

One more thing - try Kama Sutra Honey Dust to prevent sweating. Just dust it on before you dress and it will keep the sweat to a minimum. Yes, you must buy it at an 'adult-only' shop but the five minutes of potential awkwardness will be totally worth it!

All the best to Kari and Ryan this Sunday!!

Location - Playa Herradura

A picture is worth a thousand words so here's a shot from Playa Herradura (the beach in front of the Los Suenos Marriott) to give you an idea of how it looks. It's a long stretch of beach, brownish sand and at just under two hours from San Jose, it's the closest beach to the capital city.



It's a great spot for a wedding, with the added bonus of being so close to the major airport.

Photos courtesy of Dan Power Photography

Meet the Bride - Sandra!

Sandra

Wedding date - March 28, 2009

 

Place - Zephyr Palace, Playa Herradura

Home - Austin, Texas

What do you do? Veterinarian

Why did you choose Costa Rica for your wedding? Costa Rica is a beautiful country and I have always wanted to go there. Since a majority of our family and friends will have to travel for our wedding, we figured why not travel somewhere beautiful and fun and make it an enjoyable vacation experience for them.

Favourite clothing item - Now it would have to be my wedding dress (I love it). Before my wedding dress, I would say jeans.

My perfect day is...relaxed. Maybe sleeping in. Going out on a hike with the dogs, cooking, enjoying a glass of wine and good food with friends.

Thing you are most looking forward to at the wedding - Location and just the fun we are going to have with our friends and family.

Thing you are most looking forward to at the honeymoon - We are going to Italy...food, wine and history!

Tip for fellow destination brides - Get a good wedding planner who knows the area well.

Favourite three blog reads - Don't really read a particular blog...I just read some of my friends' blogs occasionally for a peek into how they are doing and feeling. I read a few wedding blogs but nothing specific.

All the best to Sandra and Rob on their upcoming wedding!

Shameless Plug - Little Black Book

We are thrilled to announce that Weddings Costa Rica has been chosen for Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book! I'm sure you web-savvy brides are more than familiar with Style Me Pretty, one of the top wedding planning resources on the web, and their Little Black Book section which features the 'creme de la creme' of THE top wedding vendors. It's a tough list to make it onto as it's by invitation only (and then, you have to go through a rigorous interview process).

It's an absolute honour to be included in such wondrous company and to have our work considered to be amongst the best in the wedding world. 

Continental Adds More Direct Flights

Great news - Continental Airlines has just announced more flights to Costa Rica on Saturdays!

Departing Newark (EWR) at 11:55 AM and arriving in San Jose (SJO) at 3:15 PM. Return flights are at 4:05 PM , arriving in Newark at 11:15 PM.

From Houston (IAH) at 11:29 AM, you can fly into Liberia (LIR) AT 1:50 PM, with the return flight departing at 2:40 PM and arriving in Houston at 7:13 PM.

Real Wedding - Jenny and Steven

A big Felicidades to Jenny and Steven who were married in the gardens at the Los Suenos Marriott in Playa Herradura on December 6! Lots of gorgeous details to this wedding, which had a mix of Jewish and Catholic traditions in the outdoor ceremony.

The ballroom was mesmerizing with tons of orchids, stunning lighting and lots of carefully thought-out touches throughout. Jenny is an event planner and her attention to detail ensured the day was perfectly gorgeous!




Photos courtesy of Morgan Lynn Photography

Costa Rica Name a BioGem!

Woo hoo! Costa Rica was named a BioGem of the World last week by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), in recognition of the country's efforts to protect the vast flora and fauna found in its tiny territory. This is outstanding as it is the first time an entire country has been given this designation (prior recipients have been national parks or reserves). BioGems is a worldwide initiative that has garnered support from over 400,000 activists. Each BioGem is an area that has an exceptional amount of biodiversity and endangered species within it.

How exciting for the land of Pura Vida!

Real Wedding - Carrie & John

Felicidades to Carrie and John, who married on Sunday, February 8 at the Tamarindo Diria. It was a fun, intimate wedding and the bride - stunning!! Nothing like a couture dress on a beautiful bride.

The day was perfect, with a gorgeous blue sky and just enough puffy white clouds to create a breathtaking sunset. Carrie spent a lot of time perfecting the details with me and the result was fabulous.

Big thanks to the wonderful Sean Davis at Lifetime Digital for his great shots.

Take a look...

Real Wedding Blogged - Lindsay & AJ

Thrilled to see Linday & AJs stylish wedding at Zephyr Palace, Villa Caletas, blogged today at Weddings Unveiled. 

It was a truly wonderful event and Lindsay was such a joy to work with as she had a strong idea of what she wanted but allowed me room for creative freedom. The result? I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves ;)

Photos courtesy Pennington Photography

Steph & Matt - details

Here is another great detail shot from Steph and Matt's wedding at the Los Suenos Beach Club and Zephyr Palace in the Jaco area.

The couple used a logo on their programs, matchbooks, all signage - love it! These little details really pull everything together. Best of all, you can have a personalized logo for under $50! Check out the hundreds of options at Marry Monograms.

Photo courtesy of Dan Power Photography

Congratulations Steph & Matt!

A big felicidades to Steph and Matt who were married on January 10 at the Los Suenos Beach Club in Jaco. It was a truly unique wedding, complete with Matt riding in on a white horse and a Peruvian shaman ceremony. The 80 guests then danced the night away at the stunning Zephyr Palace. Greek dancing, cigar rollers, great food - what a night!

Stay tuned for more photos of this wonderful wedding!

Photos courtesy of Dan Power Photography

Earth Quake Relief in Costa Rica

As you may have heard, Costa Rica suffered a very devastating earthquake last Thursday at 1:21 PM around the Poas volcano, just outside of San Jose. Registering 6.2, it's left 18 dead, dozens missing and thousands homeless. Four villages, including the beautiful La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Peace Lodge Hotel, have been literally wiped off the face of the Earth. Sadly, this agricultural area is home to some of the most humble and poorest families in the land. They have lost everything and most do not have the benefit of insurance to help them rebuild their lives. 

Weddings Costa Rica, in addition to donating clothing, food and money through our employees and company, is also collecting donations of money which will be deposited to the Red Cross to help with the relief efforts. If you'd like to help, in whatever way you can big or small, please click on the PayPal button below, which will direct you to the account we've set up. Please be sure to include your address so we can send you a thank you card.

Many thanks for your support.

Meet The Bride - Daniela

Daniela Ladeira

Wedding date - January 17, 2009

Place - private residence, Tambor, Costa Rica

Home - Washington, DC (originally Brazil)

What do you do? - Student

Why did you choose Costa Rica for your wedding? - As my family is from Brazil and my fiance's family is from the USA, we were looking for a place in between. We decided to have our wedding in Tambor because it's a unique, very charming little village and it gives you the feeling of exclusivity. The beaches are almost private.

Favorite clothing item - At the moment, my UGG boots

My perfect day is - A day at the beach drinking a nice, cold beer!

Thing you're most looking forward to at the wedding - We all enjoy our day

Thing you are most looking forward to at the honeymoon - To see as many animals as possible as we're going to South Africa

Tip for fellow destination brides - Choose someone local who can help you plan and be prepared for a number of guests to not come. If you're looking for a special, private and small wedding, this is the best option!

Favorite blog reads

project weddings

instyle weddings

style me pretty

Hair Dos and Don'ts

Having a wedding in the tropics requires a bit of forethought on how you're going to wear your hair for the big day. Keep in mind that you are going to be dealing with hot and humid conditions, which will cause your hair to do some things it may not normally do in your home climate. 

If you have fairly straight hair, don't try to force it into curls. Due to the humidity here, straight hair tends to fall pretty quickly. 

If you have wavy or curly hair, pack a good conditioner and frizz tamer as you're going to need it! As a curly-head myself, I can attest to the frizz power of the beach. Be warned...

I find the best options are either a soft updo or a 'half up/half down' option.  Either of these works beautifully for a beach wedding, keeping you cool and not worrying about how your hair is reacting to the climate.

Another recommendation is to have a trial run a day or two beforehand with the hairdresser you'll be using for the wedding day.  Ask your wedding planner to set up an appointment and this way, you can take your time to work out exactly how you want your hair and you'll have no worries when it comes to the big day. 

And as a photo says a thousand words, it's helpful if you bring along a picture or two of what you have in mind as most of the hairdressers here speak little English.

Photos courtesy of Dan Power Photography

Costa Rica - Affordable and Warm!

Came across this article in Forbes, about affordable places to escape the cold. And Central America (including Costa Rica) is right up there. Here's an excerpt:

Central America and the Caribbean deliver a major cost-saving advantage, according to Tim Leffel, author of The World's Cheapest Destinations: 21 Countries Where Your Money Is Worth a Fortune.

"If you're coming from the U.S., you don't have to pay very much to get there, and there's less jet lag, so you can really hit the ground running," he says.

Here are five more reasons why Costa Rica is at the top of the list for a destination wedding in Central America:

1. Goods and services for weddings are a fraction of the cost in North America. For example, a three-course plated wedding dinner at a 4-star boutique hotel runs only $42, including the tax and tip! Compare that to hotels in the USA and Canada charging $150 a plate! 

2. The only country in the Western Hemisphere without an army, it is safe and stable. 

3. Healthcare is universal, there are world-class hospitals (which are amazingly affordable) and the water is potable, so no worries of Montezuma's Revenge.

4.  Ticos (as Costa Ricans are called) are a happy lot who genuinely love visitors. They are proud of their country and eager to share it with the rest of the world. A warm, authentic welcome is guaranteed.

5. Thanks to a law prohibiting any structure from being built within 50 metres of the high-tide mark, the beaches are not a concrete jungle as found in Mazatlan or Hawaii. Standing on the beach in Manuel Antonio, for example, all you see are palm trees and sand. Beautiful and the perfect setting for a beach ceremony.

Photos courtesy of Lifetime Digital

Real Wedding - Lyn & Erwin!

A big 'felicidades' to Lyn and Erwin on their marriage December 6 in beautiful Tamarindo!

It was a perfect day, with blue skies and a gorgeous sunset. Over 40 folks made the trek down from New York to celebrate with the happy couple. The ceremony featured a full Catholic mass on Langosta Beach and then dinner and dancing by the pool at Villas Cala Luna.



What a great love story - their moms were best friends since the 1970s so the kids literally grew up together. Lyn was Erwin's first official crush as a kid but it wasn't until a couple of years ago that they realized they were really perfect for each other. During their slide show, there were tons of photos of them together over the years on family outings. How amazing will it be for their kids to see those old family photos!

And who doesn't love a cute ring bearer? What a sweetie!

Purple is Lyn's favorite color so we featured it in the flowers, linens, ink on the menus, in varying shades with silver to add a bit of bling to the overall effect. Orchids were the flower of choice, given their colors as well as hardiness and that Costa Rica is a major exporter of them.

Finishing off the party was the wild drumming and hip-shaking dancing of 'carnival' or 'comparse'. Think of it as a touch of Rio in Costa Rica. No one was immune to the infectious rhythm (even the priest was shakin' things up with the befeathered dancers). Good times :)

Many years of happiness to you both, Lyn and Erwin, and thank you so much for allowing us the honor to be a part of your wonderful day!

Photos courtesy of Richard May Photography

New Flights to Costa Rica on JetBlue!

Discount airline, JetBlue Airways, announced that it is now offering daily flights from Orlando, Florida to San Jose, Costa Rica beginning March 26. Buy your tickets before December 23 and you could pay only $99 per way - regular fares begin at $139 per way. Flights depart Orlando at 10:40 AM, arriving in San Jose at 11:53 AM.

Starfish Thank You Gifts

Here is a cute idea to tie in a starfish theme to your thank you gifts.

At Adjoa's wedding, she gave a beautiful starfish bottle topper from Weddingstar. This story was printed and included with each one...

Once a man was walking along a beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a person going back and forth between the surf's edge and and the beach. Back and forth this person went. As the man approached he could see that there were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural action of the tide. The man was stuck by the the apparent futility of the task. There were far too many starfish. Many of them were sure to perish. As he approached the person continued the task of picking up starfish one by one and throwing them into the surf.

As he came up to the person he said, "You must be crazy. There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can't possibly make a difference." The person looked at the man. He then stooped down and pick up one more starfish and threw it back into the ocean. He turned back to the man and said, "It sure made a difference to that one!"

Birds of Paradise Seating Cards

More from the wedding of Adjoa and Jorge, where Birds of Paradise took decor centre stage. For the seating cards, we placed each card in the 'beak' of the flower. The flowers were then placed in vases, guests found their names and then took the flower to the table with them. Definitely a big hit, as people had fun looking for their names amongst the flowers.

Beautiful, different and functional. Who said seating cards had to be boring?

Photos courtesy of Lifetime Digital