Lots of Questions!

Hi Ladies,

 

Me and my fiance are hoping to get married in Costa Rica in January 2010.

 

Does anyone know anything about hosting weddings at the following resorts?

 

Hotel Punta Islita

Cala Luna Boutique Hotel & Villas

Hotel Paradisus Playa Conchal

 

I also have a question regarding hosting a reception in an all inclusive resort...is it extra for the meals? Is it different food served for the wedding reception than on a normal evening?

 

Is it necessary to have a wedding planner when you are planning a DW?

Do planners charge a % of total cost of a set fee??

 

I am SO overwhelmed right now by all of this!

 

Jocy

Sorry I cannot answer your questions Do you have a WC to help you out? That's an EXCELLENT place to start!!!

Hey Jocy!! Welcome to the forum!

FI and I went on a 2 week trip to C.R. a couple of years ago and spent 1 of those weeks at Punta Islita - seriously - it is one of the BEST places i have ever been - we loved it so much we looked at buying property there. ask me any question you have - i think it is an amazing place for an intimate wedding!!!!!

Alyssa

Hi Jocy, I am a photographer but have picked up a few things about destination weddings... Let's see what I can answer

 

Congratulations! 2010 is a good way off so you should be able to really plan what you want.

I recently shot a wedding at Cala Luna. They are not right on the beach rather, as required by Costa Rican law, just off it by about 100 yards. There is a little enclave that makes for a really pretty setting in the trees... or you can have the ceremony on the beach itself.

 

You can see some of my pictures here: Cala Luna at Playa Langosta

 

That will depend on the resort, however most places will allow you to chose the menu but may charge for the service.

 

It is not necessary to have a wedding planner but sure makes things a whole lot easier. Additionally if you want unique or special decoration the planner will already have a team of vendors that are of a reliable quality and dependable. My favorite weddings have been with wedding planners because the events are well organized, timely and the decoration is always special.

 

Hope it helps,

We didn't have a wedding coordinator. It is helpful though to have someone help you out. The day can be very hectic, otherwise we did everything on our own.

Hello Jocy,

 

I am considering Costa Rica myself, and saw that you were thinking about the Cala Luna boutique hotel.

I stayed there last summer and the it was amazing!

Nice rooms, staff, location-out of everywhere we stayed it was our favorite!There is a lot to do in Tamarindo also.

I don't know about the other places, but I loved Costa Rica and I think it would be a perfect place for a wedding!

 

Good luck-

Eliza

I can help you out with one of your question. I rec'd quotes from all of the Paradisus resorts b/c they have some in a few different places. This was before I decided on CR. If you haven't done so already, I would recommend sending them an email so they can send you the package with all the details. If you're not getting a response in a timely fashion, try sending info to one of the other locations and they'll probably reply faster. I found that the CR location had the slowest response time. The packages are cookie cutter. If all of your guests stay at the hotel, the food package is cheap b/c you'll just be paying for someone to serve the meals. You'll have to pay for the guests to come on the property and the meals and drinks if they're not staying at the hotel since it's all inclusive. They do have a few menu options. The wedding packages are cheap but the rooms are pricey. I would also recommend asking for lots of photos or events other than the ones from the brochure. They tend to include the nicest photos in the brochure. I just started looking at different Costa Rica photog blogs to find cute spots before I finally settled on my location. It was difficult at first b/c I couldn't find a lot of photos of the resorts that I was intersted in. It's not going to help you to look at wedding photos at the beach all day. You want to see getting ready photos or photos from the reception if the reception was inside. I also found a wedding coordinator in Costa Rica that had lots of suggestions.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Good luck!

Thanks Amcarter - i appreciate your input!! We've actually switched destinations to Dominican Republic and are going to Costa Rica for our honeymoon instead. We figured there was so much to do and see in Costa Rica we wouldn't want to waste our time with guests!!! (hee hee)

Hi Amcarter- where did you decide to have your wedding? At Pacifico Beach Club? We have narrowed down our list to a couple places and that is #1 for me right now. Have you decided where you are staying? I'm looking at the Octoal or Villas Sol. I loved the Flamingo Beach Resort, but heard it's quite far from Playa de Coco. I'd love to know where you and your guests are staying!

I actually ended up getting group rates to rent the condos at Pacifico. It's listed as 4 stars on Expedia and the GM for the condos is giving my guests a discount since we're staying there. The wedding will be on the beach in front of the lawn, cocktail hour on the lawn near the lounge chairs and the reception will be in the beach club house. My coordinator put me in touch w/ a bride that just got married there in May. She lives in NYC and she was nice enough to tell me what she did and didn't like about her wedding. She said it was very hot b/c she got married first thing in the morning and she also didn't like her cake but that's b/c they used buttercream at her request which is not recommended for tropical climates.

Anyway, guests are renting condos at Pacifico. The Hilton (which is adorable) is just 15 minutes away but I will only let the guests that inquire about alternate lodging know about the Hilton. There's also a very cheap hotel across the street from Pacifico but I don't know the name. I don't have group rates for them but I love the way that Hilton looks. I tried to inquire about a wedding there back in April and they have not responded to me yet so I am not entertaining them and I've already placed my deposit. If you want to see photos of a wedding at pacifico check out this link Costa Rica Wedding Photographer :: Comfort Studio Weddings - Search click on Jessica + Mike. I actually found my location by looking at photographers websites in Costa Rica. Eventhough we're flying in our photographer, the one that did this wedding is pretty good. I hope this helps you in making a decision.

LMK if you have any other questions.