I was recently married in Tamarindo, Guanacaste, and had the good fortune to hire Tropical Occasions as my wedding planner. I am the kind of girl who definitely did not want to have to spend part of my wedding budget on a planner…I would have preferred to do it all myself. However, in order to plan a wedding in Costa Rica from Canada, I knew it was a necessity. And what an absolute boon this decision turned out to be. Aimee and her staff, Jaime and Anahi, were INCREDIBLE. The organization process was virtually seamless; so much so that it seemed like nothing had to be done! It just all managed to get taken care of, and I wasn’t required to do much at all beyond the big decisions. And I truly think their fees were extremely reasonable given the amount of work they put in on the actual day. Wow. They didn’t stop until the last guest left. Aimee, Jaime, Anahi… you turned my wedding vision into a reality, and I can’t thank you enough! I had planned on having a simple wedding, but what I ended up with just blew me away. I couldn't have chosen better. Thanks again, ladies – you outdid yourselves and we noticed! On a final note, I would just like to say that when Googling reviews on Tropical Occasions, the first website to come was this article. I personally freaked out a little when I read it, as I happened to find it after I made the decision to hire them. Eek! As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about (phew!). I’d actually like to address of few of the points mentioned: 1) I was married at the very end of the high season, and Tropical Occasions still had plenty of time for me. Keep in mind that they likely have a lot of clients. We had our scheduled calls (3 in all, I think) and that got the bulk of the planning done. When I had a question, I would shoot them an email. They certainly didn’t call me right back in an hour (usually not the same day), but they always emailed a response. Be patient; trust that things are getting done. 2) They certainly did not push the most expensive vendors. In fact, I had a really small budget, and not only did they recommend a reasonably priced photographer (who was FANTASTIC, FYI – Mike Blum based in San José ïŠ), but they went out of their way to come with ways to stretch my budget (e.g. take the flowers from my bouquets and use those in my table arrangements once I’m done with the ceremony!). I will say this; if you are trying to do a cheap destination wedding, Costa Rica is not the location for you...and this has nothing to do with Tropical Occasions. It’s pretty much like having your wedding in Canada – there are no deals, and rates are inflated because they know you’ll pay. If you want cheap, do an all-inclusive resort in Mexico (where you’ll get a free room, and a wedding for $1500 all in!). But if you want to have a wedding your way on a beach somewhere, then Costa Rica is a great choice. 3) I thought Tropical Occasion’s fees were pretty reasonable. At first I had my doubts, because everything is done by phone, and you know that they already have these contacts so it doesn’t feel like they have much to do. That being said, when it comes to the actual day, both Anahi and Jaime were on-site first thing in the morning (right on time) and they didn’t stop until 12AM that night. They certainly earned their fees for my wedding. 4) They provided me with a schedule before I even got to Costa Rica and they followed it to the letter. We didn’t have to think about a thing – they thought of all of it for us, and then just pointed us in the right direction when the time came. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy! Hopefully, this review will help you make your decision to go ahead and hire Tropical Occasions and have a wedding you’ll never forget in beautiful Costa Rica. Pura vida!
I was recently married in Tamarindo, Guanacaste, and had the good fortune to hire Tropical Occasions as my wedding planner. I am the kind of girl who definitely did not want to have to spend part of my wedding budget on a planner…I would have preferred to do it all myself. However, in order to plan a wedding in Costa Rica from Canada, I knew it was a necessity. And what an absolute boon this decision turned out to be. Aimee and her staff, Jaime and Anahi, were INCREDIBLE. The organization process was virtually seamless; so much so that it seemed like nothing had to be done! It just all managed to get taken care of, and I wasn’t required to do much at all beyond the big decisions. And I truly think their fees were extremely reasonable given the amount of work they put in on the actual day. Wow. They didn’t stop until the last guest left. Aimee, Jaime, Anahi… you turned my wedding vision into a reality, and I can’t thank you enough! I had planned on having a simple wedding, but what I ended up with just blew me away. I couldn't have chosen better. Thanks again, ladies – you outdid yourselves and we noticed! On a final note, I would just like to say that when Googling reviews on Tropical Occasions, the first website to come was this article. I personally freaked out a little when I read it, as I happened to find it after I made the decision to hire them. Eek! As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about (phew!). I’d actually like to address of few of the points mentioned: 1) I was married at the very end of the high season, and Tropical Occasions still had plenty of time for me. Keep in mind that they likely have a lot of clients. We had our scheduled calls (3 in all, I think) and that got the bulk of the planning done. When I had a question, I would shoot them an email. They certainly didn’t call me right back in an hour (usually not the same day), but they always emailed a response. Be patient; trust that things are getting done. 2) They certainly did not push the most expensive vendors. In fact, I had a really small budget, and not only did they recommend a reasonably priced photographer (who was FANTASTIC, FYI – Mike Blum based in San José ïŠ), but they went out of their way to come with ways to stretch my budget (e.g. take the flowers from my bouquets and use those in my table arrangements once I’m done with the ceremony!). I will say this; if you are trying to do a cheap destination wedding, Costa Rica is not the location for you...and this has nothing to do with Tropical Occasions. It’s pretty much like having your wedding in Canada – there are no deals, and rates are inflated because they know you’ll pay. If you want cheap, do an all-inclusive resort in Mexico (where you’ll get a free room, and a wedding for $1500 all in!). But if you want to have a wedding your way on a beach somewhere, then Costa Rica is a great choice. 3) I thought Tropical Occasion’s fees were pretty reasonable. At first I had my doubts, because everything is done by phone, and you know that they already have these contacts so it doesn’t feel like they have much to do. That being said, when it comes to the actual day, both Anahi and Jaime were on-site first thing in the morning (right on time) and they didn’t stop until 12AM that night. They certainly earned their fees for my wedding. 4) They provided me with a schedule before I even got to Costa Rica and they followed it to the letter. We didn’t have to think about a thing – they thought of all of it for us, and then just pointed us in the right direction when the time came. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy! Hopefully, this review will help you make your decision to go ahead and hire Tropical Occasions and have a wedding you’ll never forget in beautiful Costa Rica. Pura vida!