Costa Rica Beach Wedding with a Cute Bridesmaid First Look
Things are getting pretty cool outside, so now’s the perfect time to take a trip to sunny Costa Rica for this boho beach wedding from White Diamond Photography, Four Nineteen Weddings, and Stylos & Flores. German bride Sarah married her Costa Rican beau Javier in his home country, opting to say I Do with toes in the sand followed by a relaxed, intimate reception. We loved the sweet first look Sarah had with her besties before the celebration!
From the bride, Sarah: I knew right from the beginning that I wanted a bohemian style wedding. As a German having emigrated to Costa Rica for the sake of love, I couldn’t imagine to get married in any other place than on the beach. After visiting many beaches and venues, we finally decided on Playa Grande in Guanacaste. A romantic boho-chic wedding was the 1st thing I envisioned for our big day. My husband and I are both travelers / adventurers at heart, so the topic was perfect for the scenery as well as for the type of persons we are. Also, a destination wedding was the best occasion and opportunity ever to have my best friends from Germany invited all at the same time and show them what the country I felt in love with is like.
Bouquet recipe: Roses, lisianthus, snapdragon flowers, baby’s breath flowers and eucalyptus.
My bridesmaids and I all wore our lace dresses in white/ivory/creme tones. Over all, the girls came in summer dresses in light, pastel colors and the guys in light colored shirts, mostly linen-shorts and flip-flops. It was very important to us that everybody felt relaxed and comfortable in their outfits. Our color scheme was all about light pastel tones (white, creme, blush, melon) and highlights / accents of rose gold. These colors were manifested especially in all our flowers, the decoration, the kimonos for our getting-ready-session, the stationery, the cake and jelly-shots, a “love” balloon, the signage and jewelry (like my earrings).
My very dear friend Alina and I had a few little DIY projects. She became one of my best friends here in CR and – serendipitously 🙂 – has her own pastry business “Craft Bakery”, who provided everything for our sweet table including our maracuya-coco naked cake with flowers, cupcakes, jelly shots and alfajores. We prepared the cake topper of wire which said “dulce amor” (“sweet love“), the cones for the rice thrown after the ceremony, we signposted hand fans with our initials and wedding date (as a wedding favor for our guests) and Alina hand lettered all sings with instructions like the one which told the guests to take their place cards and replace it with a Polaroid picture shot with an Instax camera (our virtual guest book). It was fun to have had a friend by my side and, most importantly, she continuously calmed me down during the planning process insanity. Moreover, I designed the Save the Date (with a picture of my husband and me at a beautiful waterfall here in CR), I created the invitation with Paperless Post and the place cards and menu with some templates I bought on etsy. I recommend every couple to handle the invitations electronically, as it saves a lot of money and paper which, unfortunately, will sooner or later end in the garbage.
Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? 1) Generally speaking, PLEASE don’t feel pressured by what “society” or anyone expects you to do! Don’t invite people, if you don’t feel them close to your heart – just because your mum tells you, you have to invite your great-great-cousin you don’t even see on Christmas, just because it’s “formality” or “showing good manners.” It’s your, and only your, decision! If you want to have e.g. an intimate wedding, you are the ones who decide on the persons you want to have by your side on your special day. 2) If you are looking for advice, don’t ask 20 people because you will only get confused and overwhelmed by so many opinions. Ask your best friends and confidants who can provide you with an honest opinion, constructive criticism and, overall, have empathy for what you envision (not what THEY personally would like for their own wedding day). 3) If you don’t have an unlimited budget: First of all, keep in mind that everything that has the label “wedding” (wedding flowers, wedding cake, wedding shoes etc.) is at least twice the normal price! So, don’t pay frauds — research outside the typical wedding provider industry and consider some DIY projects. 4) Compare the vendors’ prices and see pictures of events they worked at to check their style. 5) If you feel that a vendor didn’t understand your vision, change them! You shouldn’t settle for anything less on your wedding day! 6) An ultimate advice to all brides: Please don’t get frustrated and disappointed with your future husband because you feel he doesn’t participate sufficiently in the creative planning and decision making process. For us girls, this one day (let’s be honest!) will always be a bit more important and special, as many of us have imagined it all our lives – or at least once in a while. 😉 It’s like a dream about to come true. Also, I feel that we envision this day with SO many details that men simply are not able to imagine nor comprehend… From the color scheme, types of flowers and details in decoration to the flavor of the cake etc. So, if your sweetheart doesn’t really have an opinion, whether the cake should have a buttercream or curd filling, don’t feel offended! Rather feel calm, as your darling gives you a free hand in the decision making process of many details which are important to you. And, in the end, he surely won’t feel disappointed about the variety of roses you chose for your bouquet. 😉
Prelude: “Lost Stars,” Keira Knightley; “Free Fallin’,” John Mayer; “Crash Into Me,” Dave Matthews Band; “Come On Get Higher,” Matt Nathanson; “Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran; “Rimas pa’ Seducir,” Cultura Profética
Processional: The entrance song was supposed to be “Yellow” by Coldplay, but the DJ got confused and played Beyonce’s “Love on Top” (which was actually the bridesmaids’ entrance song), but it turned out to be just perfect as I kind of danced down the aisle and forgot about my nervousness for a minute.
Recessional: “Is This Love,” Bob Marley
First Dance: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” Stevie Wonder
Mother/Son Dance: “A Dios Le Pido,” Juanes
Father/Daughter Dance: “Pur Hitmix,” Pur (a typically German medley which is always played during village fairs in the region where I’m from 😀)
Wedding Vendors
Photography: White Diamond Photography
Planning and Event Design: Four Nineteen Weddings
Floral Design: Stylos & Flores
Hair: Bridal Services Costa Rica
Makeup: Maravilla Makeup
Catering: Catering Costa
Dessert Table: Alina Hidalgo of Craft Bakery
Staffing & Bar: Los Hernandez
Rentals: Oceano Rentals
Officiant: Ana Castro-Calzada
Bride and groom look so happy, stunning wedding! Love everything about it.
Thank you for the feature!! It is always a pleasure and a privilege to have our work on Ruffled xoxo