Another possible CR bride...

Hey guys, newly engaged and starting the whole planning process. We're leaning towards CR, though Mexico is still an option. There isn't as much info for CR as for some of the other destinations! I've enjoyed going through the existing CR threads and feel like I have a little more info now, but I look forward to chatting with all of you and sharing ideas.

--Julia

i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Costa Rica. My FI and I spent 2 weeks there a couple of years ago.

I can help answer any questions you have.

We spent a week in the country at La Paz, this amazing place called "The Peace Lodge", we toured the coffee plantations, city, Arenal, rainforests, etc.

Then we spent a week at "Punta Islita" - this is a very romantic and magical place for a small wedding or a honeymoon - AMAZIN!

i'll be going in november for a wedding and i cannot wait, great pick!

I am really excited to have my wedding there. So far all our friends have been totally excited and supportive. The main difference between Costa Rica and Mexico I think, is that Costa Rica is rather unique, and there are a ton of activities. I look forward to sharing all of our ideas in the following months also!

I'm also trying to plan a wedding in Costa Rica and would love ideas from those who have already picked a location, wedding planner, etc. Its a lot to think about, but is so fun at the same time!

We just got married in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica on Dec. 20th. I would highly recommend having our wedding in CR. If you need any help with a wedding coordinator, photographer, etc.

Let me know.

Carmen

I can understand where you're com'g from. I have reserched all over the place. I did research in Hawaii, Turks & Caicos, DR, Mexico, Cayman Islands, St. Martin, Anguilla and Costa Rica. You're correct in saying that there is limited information available. I started with a local travel agent. I explained that I wanted to have a destination wedding and needed help narrowing down a location. She also helped me narrow down a date explaining what dates were considered t/b high season in specific areas of the country. Since I work in the insurnance industry I knew I didn't want to have a wedding during hurrican season June 1st - Dec 1st. Since that knocked out most of the year, she was able to provide air prices for each location and hotel prices for 7 days at her favorite spots based on feedback from clients. On her list The 4 Seasons and Paradisus (sp) were the most expensive. I sent the same email request to every single island that I was researching. Asking each hotel to answer specific wedding questions. The Paradisus took a very long time to respond to my email and didn't answer any of my questions. They simply attached a template to my email which I already had a copy of from the DR Paradisus. I started norrowing down my options based on cust svc. Since I was having a hard time getting hotels to respond, I ended up researching photographers there and selected a wedding planner based on wedding decor that I liked in photographs from weddings in CR. I did the same thing - waited for a wedding planner to respond and provided great cust svc. I finally found one and she sent the most detailed email to me with every possible wedding location in all of Costa Rica. She also described each part of Costa Rica: if you want to get married w/ the jungle in the background, go here; if you want a waterfall, go here; black beaches, go here; Carribean style, go here. It was the longest email ever but it was very helpful. After speaking with her and telling her my vision, she was able to recommend Pacifico and provided photos of the inside and out and I was able to block rooms with them as well. My travel agent recommended staying at the new Marriott and the Hilton and both hotels are cute but I started emailing people in April, and no one from either of those hotels in CR have responded to my email. Sure Mexico has a LOT of options but CR offers a very unique back drop. Good luck to you.

As far as I'm concerned, Costa Rica is the best place ever! It really is the perfect combination of beauty, people, weather, and culture. It's a great spot for a wedding because it's very safe (good for nervous guests) and the people are generally so friendly and accommodating that it's quite easy to organize a wedding (and deal with any hiccups that occur while you're there...such as cancelled flights and lost luggage :S). I spent 7 months sailing around the South Pacific (Mexico, Costa Rica, Galapagos, French Polynesia, Hawaii) and when I got engaged I didn't even hesitate before picking CR. The big day is over now, and definitely zero regrets!

Here are some photos on my photographer's blog, or you can see a lot more of her photos here. Good luck, and feel free to ask lots of questions!

Have you thought about flying a photographer in from Mexico? There are a few foreign photographers who are based in Mexico. A flight from Mexico would be significantly less than flying someone from Canada or the US.

Happy to help.

I'm newly engaged and considering CR. My FI's co-worker has a few condos at Los Suenos, that he's willing to rent to us (very inexpensive). Other than that, I have no clue where to start. Any recommendations on wedding planners in the area? I want this to be a stress-free as possible.