Heather and Justin traveled from Texas to Costa Rica for their destination wedding, in part, because of their love of travel. Heather shared with us all their big day details and how it came to be! “We chose to have a destination wedding in Costa Rica because we both love to travel, and I had an amazing time on a previous visit to the country. I couldn’t wait to go back, Justin had never been, and I was very excited for him and our families to see it. We are both animal lovers, and we were excited to visit the rainforest.”
“We didn’t want just a beach wedding, we wanted a rainforest wedding. The venue we chose allowed us to have both! Also, we had guests coming from both coasts of the US, and Costa Rica, being fairy central, seemed feasible for everyone. I found Tropical Occasions online, and Aimee helped us to narrow down potential venues. She highly recommended Casa Punto de Vista in Manuel Antonio, and I am so happy I took her advice. It was the absolutely perfect location for our wedding. It is truly beautiful with the most incredible panoramic view of the forest and the ocean from the rooftop where we were married.”
“I didn’t set out in the beginning to get a blush dress. I tried on many white ones, but none seemed to stand out. The blush worked so well with my skin tone and hair color, and it felt romantic. It just seemed right when I tried it on, and the uniqueness of the color appealed to me. I just loved it.”
“The inspiration for the wedding colors came from my wedding dress. Once I decided on a blush dress, I chose the bridesmaid dress color scheme to match. I gave the girls guidelines of earthy neutrals, silver, gold, champagne, taupe, etc. I asked for short dresses, but otherwise allowed the girls to pick whatever they wanted in any material. We tried not to have too many light dresses and mixed in the tan and taupe to give the color palate some depth. The auburn dress was a later addition, but I thought it tied in the blush of my dress with the other neutrals and brightened the color scheme so that it didn’t look washed out. Also, it fit great with the autumn September wedding. The groom had his navy suit custom made and we spent hours looking for a tie that matched my dress. Finally found it on Etsy!”
“All of my “DIY” items were all bought on Etsy, which was a such an amazing resource. We found the groom’s tie, ring bearer boxes, wedding guestbook, welcome gift bags, and bridesmaid thank you gifts on Etsy.”
“I only gave myself 5 months to plan my wedding, and it was down to the wire on basically everything I did! I had this idea that if I chose a destination wedding, that it would be “less work” than a local wedding because I thought decisions would be made for me. But this wasn’t the case at all. Perhaps if you choose a destination wedding at an inclusive resort and hold the ceremony and reception inside that resort, there could be less to do (maybe). But we chose a private villa, so all details were flexible and required many decisions! In the end, though, I would not have had it any other way. The wedding came together beautifully, and all of my guests had an amazing experience. It was perfect.”
“My advice for other couples planning on a destination wedding would be to start by finding a planner with local connections and lots of experience in the region. I wasted time researching venues first for a couple of weeks before I found a planner. In the end, the planner identified the best venue for me based on my priorities (my list of items included: venue with a roof because our wedding was right in the middle of green season aka rainy season, proximity to a rainforest national park, relative accessibility from the airport for my guests, and venue seating capacity). I would never have found my venue without their help. I could not have planned my wedding at all without their help.”
“I loved working with Aimee. She clearly has a ton of experience in Costa Rica, and all of her advice was invaluable. Every recommendation she made regarding vendors, venue, and design was fantastic. All of the people she works with and recommends in Costa Rica were excellent. She helped me to find my photographer, Jen Harter, who did an amazing job. My hair and makeup artist, Fernando, was exceptional. Her local planner, Karen, who handled all of the local details was such a pleasure to work with. I could not have done it without Tropical Occasions!”
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Destination Wedding Photographer: Jennifer Harter
Wedding Vendors: Wedding Location: Casa Punto de Vista, Planners + Designers: Tropical Occasions, Rentals: Costa Mesa, Floral: Stylos & Flores, Hair + Makeup: Hair and makeup by Fernando, Dessert Bar: Mariposa Bakery, Catering: Citrus Restaurant
