We get a lot of amazing beachfront destination weddings, but this one is truly special in its elegance, intimacy, and perfect simplicity. With fresh peach and ivory florals from ArtFlower, a gorgeous Bride and Groom, and the expert planners of Events & Weddings Costa Rica at the helm, this event is truly beautiful. Check out the gallery from El Velo Photography, and say buenos dias to this stunning beachfront affair!
From the beautiful Bride… In July of 2013, Steven surprised me with a trip to Costa Rica for our four year anniversary. We were stand up paddle boarding at Sunrise in Tamarindo, when he got down on one knee on his board and proposed. We fell in love with the Costa Rican landscape, and decided to come back with our closest family and friends for a destination wedding.
We knew this would require a lot of effort from our guests, especially since our wedding would occur the day after Thanksgiving, so the wedding needed to be a great experience. We researched many of the venues in the Guanacaste area, and as soon as we saw the Four Season’s Beach Club, we knew in an instant that it was where we wanted to be married. We loved its privacy and beautiful simplicity.
It was important to us that we found a wedding planner who was able to translate our vision and work closely with us on details, and we found just that in Samantha Cohn. Samantha helped us to get started quickly, always giving us multiple options, and made our visions come to life. ‘Barefoot luxury’ was our theme, incorporating a relaxed, simple elegance to the day. We wanted everything to be intimate, timeless, simple, and to emphasize the beautiful setting that we had chosen.
I chose peach and soft neutrals as the color palette. Steven and I both are one of four and are incredibly close to our families, so we decided to have an unconventional wedding party, having our siblings stand at our sides. My sister was my Maid of Honor and the only girl in the wedding party. I also had my two brothers stand as my Bridesmen. The only decorations we wanted for the ceremony was a beautiful arch, complete with peach and off-white florals, with matching flower arrangements along the aisle seats. Bamboo fans were also provided for our guests to keep them cool.
We had a beautiful, cloudless day and made the choice day-of to not have a tent covering us during the ceremony to accentuate the beautiful surroundings. We found a simple two-man band of a guitar and drum to play Jack Johnson’s ‘Angel’ as I walked up the aisle. I wore an altered Monique Lhuillier ‘Emma’ gown, with a beaded sash made by BHLDN. Steven and the rest of the wedding party wore lightweight, gray J. Crew suits with peach custom-made ties. Marcelo Galli beautifully officiated the ceremony, and to make it more personal we wrote our own vows. Pictures were taken afterwards on the beach and in the mangroves at sunset while guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails at the outside Marina bar.
The dinner setting was just as magical as the ceremony. We opted for one, long imperial table for our 42 guests to add to the intimacy, and so that we could easily watch our guests enjoy the evening. We chose a clear tent to cover our dinner table, and it was decorated with lights so that it had a ‘starry night’ effect. We wanted the whole area to sparkle. The center of the table was decorated with a neutral table runner, peach flower settings, and lots of candles in mercury vases.
Surrounding trees were lit with Chinese lanterns and the patio area had luminaries and tiki torches to make it glow. As Steven and I are both surfers, we had custom-made wooden surfboards embroidered with each guests name to serve as place cards, which they were able to take as a keepsake at the end of the night.
Our wedding was beautiful, intimate, and fun. Our guests raved about the whole experience, and we have beautiful pictures captured by El Velo Photography that captured the essence of the day that we will enjoy for years to come.
Photography: El Velo Photography | Videography: El Velo Photography | Event Planning: Events & Weddings Costa Rica | Floral Design: Artflower | Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier | Cake: Victoria Zoch | Lighting: Hale Koa phineas Estate | DJ: DJ Zach | Groomsmen's Attire: J.Crew | Officiant: Marcelo Galli | Tent: Eventos Boadicea | Ceremony And Reception Venue: Playa Prieta Beach Club At Peninsula Papagayo | Hair & Make-up: Maravilla Weddings | Music Duo: Avenida 10 | Rentals: Oceano Rentals
