The thing about destination weddings is that, while the wedding is the main event, they end up being about the overall experience. I first met Helene & Adam in Playa Grande, and loved them immediately. Cool, laid back, artistic and talented… with an idea for a wedding weekend that was all about enjoyment that was music to my ears. I knew, based on what they wanted, that Las Velas Blancas was going to be the perfect venue for them: a place where friends and family could stay together, in front of one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica (I live here, so maybe I am biased, but I think not), where they could host a weekend of activities.

Yoga, surfing, pool time, dinners… a nicely planned weekend with a distinctly relaxed vibe that was all Helene & Adam.

The main event was in fact the wedding, when almost 100 guests joined together to witness them say their I dos by the ocean, followed by a laid back communal dinner under lights and palm trees. Simple, green, minimal decor was all that was needed because the love was everything!

{photo} Jeffrey San Juan

{venue} Las Velas Blancas

{floral} Stylos & Flores

{rentals} Los Primos Designs / Eventos Artesanos

{DJ} DJ Guana

{hair} Famous Points Beauty

{makeup} Maravilla Makeup

{catering} Pots & Bowls

{bar} El Bar CR

{cake} Victoria Zoch

I will forever treasure something that we were able to do this day that we very rarely get the chance to do at other venues… At Villa Punto de Vista, many times we need to flip the ceremony space into the dinner space. We do this in 60-90 minutes, with all hands on deck (and for this I am grateful we get to partner up with such amazing vendors every single time). Usually, it is a hustle, to say the least. After all, I am a sucker for scheduling and trying to keep everything as close to our timeline as possible. More often than not, we finish lighting candles in the nick of time, as guess are starting to come up from cocktail hour to enjoy dinner.

This day was different. We worked extra fast and extra smooth, and actually had a bit of time before guests came up to do a proper venue reveal to Gis & Eddy, and have them be the first ones to enjoy the transformation. To say it was magical, is an understatement. It has been, by far, one of my favorite wedding moments in years in the business.

Seeing my clients’ face as they saw what we had created, and having them tell us that we had nailed their vision is priceless. I guess it is what everyone planner, designer, florist, decorator wants to hear. One of the challenges of being a destination wedding planner is that you are trying to bring to life a clients vision while using the resources you have available at your destination (which in our case, is generally a place that has a much more limited offering a supply in terms of floral, decor items, etc), and doing that within a clients’ budget and expectations. Many times, it is not possible for the client to physically experience the mockup in advance (in this case we were able to do live mockups, which is always super helpful and highly recommended), so the wedding day visuals are truly a surprise.

{photo} Sylvia Guardia

{venue} Villa Punto de Vista

{floral} Stylos & Flores

{rentals} Costa Mesa Event Rentals

{catering & cake} Brulee Gourmet

{bar service} El Bar CR