Costa rica Wedding!!

[SherrieandAj]

Hello all! My fiancé and I are planning our wedding in Costa Rica for either aug or nov of 2013. We are going to get married somewhere in Manuel Antonio but have not decided where exactly yet. If anyone has any recommendations or comments please let us know!!! Thanks and congrats to all newly engaged newly weds and everyone in between! Cheers!

[JayKay]

Welcome!!

[dezflygirl]

Hi! My name is Desiree and I am so excited to hear about your upcoming marriage! I am originally from Costa Rica but came to the U.S. when I was 6 yrs old. I got married near Jaco beach (about 1.5-2 hrs north of Manuel Antonio) and had our actual honeymoon in Manuel Antonio. It was there that my husband proposed to me during one of our visits to my family. I know the area well. Are you guys set on that area? 

 

Desiree

[SherrieandAj]

Oh that is very awesome! We are set on Manuel Antonio. We have been to CR once before in April 2011 and we just love the area. We are going back in a few weeks to pick out a venue and start our planning! Where did you stay in Manuel Antonio for your honeymoon? Also did you get a wedding planner for your wedding?

[Brad Moodie]

If you like Manuel Antonio then I can recommend Costa Verde. It's a very nice place with a large open-air dining room with a stage area for bands and beautiful views over the Pacific. It's located on the main road between Quepos and Manuel Antonio. I'm a wedding musician and I've played there several times.

[Moments That Matter]

Congrats! Sherri & AJ and welcome to the forum. You're sure to find lots of great info here and excellent suggestions....all the best........

[where2wed2012]

Congrats! We got married in MA this past August (2012) and I'm finally adding updates because it was really hard to find info while we were planning.  Noticed Brad commented - he and his band Los Mojitos played at our reception.  They were perfect for our group and had everyone out on the dance floor!  We used Sylvia from Costa Rica Paradise Weddings to plan - she was reasonably priced (some other planners quoted $4000 - insane and almost a 1/4 of our entire budget - she was less than $1500)  and incredibly helpful! She's also super sweet and patient. The flowers arrangements she ordered based on our conversations couldn't have been more amazingly beautiful or perfect!  Her day-of planning may be another option and I'd say it was worth having her help, as we had not visited MA ahead of time.  We didn't want the Jaco area- too built up and touristy, but also thought the Caribbean side might be too rustic for some of our guests.

 

Here's what we did:
Stayed in Casa Paraiso with our wedding party - amazing villa which was also used to host welcome BBQ and farewell brunch.  Concierge helped arrange chefs and every aspect of the villa was stunning.  Nothing's too far away in MA either and we rented a car so getting around was easy.

 

Had ceremony at Hotel Karahe on beach in shady trees.  Guitar and drums as music with cocktails/beer and snacks from hotel.  Stunning backdrop w/ crashing waves and sunset! (Wouldn't recommend staying there).  Shuttled our guests from all hotels and villas (Sylvia helped arrange) and between ceremony and reception.  Benches as seating.

 

Reception was going to be at El Avion but was switched to the Event Center (both affiliated with Costa Verde).  So glad we ended up at event center - perfect Costa Rica setting! Rustic but still really beautiful.  Was hesitant about food, but it was yummy!  Paid for drinks per consumption so avoided the insane open bar costs (this is where having Sylvia really helped!). Rented chairs and glad we did - the big chairs that are already there are really bulky and a little too rustic!

 

El Velo did the photography and included the video montage as bonus - so so glad we have the video and paid a little extra for the raw footage - also really worth it.

 

As I already said, Los Mojitos was great.  Appealed to all and really friendly too.

 

We are happy with every single decision and hope this helps   Good luck!!!

[jbaraybar]

My wife and I just got married in Costa Rica (Tamarindo) and had Los Mojitos as our band and El Velo as our photographers/videographers. Los Mojitos were truly unbelievable and I can assure you they will surpass your expectation. From Brad's (Moodie) professionalism to their amazing talent, they made our wedding a truly unforgettable experience. We wrote a review on their site if you're interested in more details. Thanks Brad and Los Mojitos! And there are no words to describe El Velo, they were amazing, truly, truly amazing. Juan Carlos was our photographer and what a guy! His professionalism and quality of photos is like no other. At one point, my father called him an artist, and having seen some of his work, I have to agree. He takes photography to a whole new level. Every photo we've seen so far has life and by looking at them we really transport ourselves back to Tamarindo...Thank you Juan Carlos!

[Moments That Matter]

Congrats on your Costa Rica wedding, jbaraybar!!! sounds like it was magical and amazing can't wait to see the photos you're talking about.....I agree that there's nothing like being transported back to those amazing "moments that matter" an artist photographer can record!!!

 

Wishing you a lifetime of happiness ahead, cherishing your wedding day photo story to revisit whenever you wish to relive that Big Day!!!

 

 

 

 

team MTM asst, Lynda