Devin traveled and took a liking to Costa Rica before he and Christina met, fell in love, and decided to plan a destination wedding with his beautiful fiancée on its shores.

“We knew we wanted to have a destination wedding but we both have elderly family members and did not want them traveling long hours to our wedding,” Christina says. “The fact that the flight from the US to Costa Rica is only four hours and then our venue was a one-hour drive from the airport sealed the deal for us!”

Casa Chameleon in Las Catalinas, situated on a cliff with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, appealed to the couple right off the bat. As a bonus, the venue’s restaurant has been consistently listed on the Forbes list of most romantic restaurants in the world due to the incredible sunsets!

“We HIGHLY recommend choosing your venue first and then working with the venue to find out who they LOVE working with and who their preferred vendor is for wedding planners, hair/makeup, catering, bar staff, etc.,” the couple says. 

Christina and Devin are grateful to their venue for introducing them to their fantastic wedding planner, Heidy Quesada Event & Design Co. Working with Heidy, the couple felt she grasped the aesthetic and vision they had, “and made every detail of the weekend accessible, enjoyable, and luxurious for our guests,” Christina raves.

The couple wanted all 50 of their guests to feel like they were on a huge family vacation. And because everyone put so much effort and money into attending their Costa Rica destination wedding, Devin and Christina planned pre-and post-wedding events to maximize the fun.

“We hosted the welcome party and farewell party at the villa that we stayed at with our families that actually is the town founder’s home so it was right in the center of Las Catalinas,” the bride says. “The rest of our guests stayed in surrounding villas and flats and every guest was within a 5-minute walk of us and each other.” 

One unexpected challenge came when the groom’s dad, who the couple planned to play the part of “emcee” for the weekend, had to have an emergency surgery the week of the wedding and, as a result, could not attend the wedding.

“Even from home in Florida recovering from his surgery, he joined the welcome party on Facetime and presented each of us with a Rolex watch as a present and his smile and generous spirit were with us all,” Devin says.

Everything came together in the end to create a one-of-a-kind celebration for Christina and Devin’s Costa Rica destination wedding. The couple even decided to add in some last-minute decor elements like string lights and floating lanterns to add to the overall vibe.

“That was $950 of the best dollars we spent because they totally elevated the whole event space, but it was a last-minute budget item we were lucky to be able to throw in,” the bride adds.

The key lessons Devin and Christina would like to share with others in the planning process of their destination weddings is…

1. “Your venue affects everything else – the overall vibe of the wedding, the wedding outfits, the tablescapes, the décor, etc. Make sure if you are choosing a tropical location that you understand it won’t be as formal as a wedding in a museum or a cathedral and perhaps doing a black tie dress code is not a good idea.”
2. “You will probably want to host events before and after your wedding since your guests are your favorite people and went to great lengths to attend your wedding. Factor these events into your budget!”
3. “Create a contingency budget. We set aside 10% of our total wedding budget for random items that popped up the last three weeks before the wedding.”
4. “Brides having outside ceremonies, do NOT forget your veil weights! I forgot mine and I didn’t get any dramatic veil photos that I dreamed of because I did not have veil weights and my veil was flying around so much that I took it off almost immediately after the ceremony.”

Vendors: Photographer: Wyeth Augustine Photography; Venue: Casa Chameleon; Accommodations: Las Catalinas; Planner: Heidy Quesada Event & Design Co.; Floral Designer: Stylos y Flores; Officiant: Einar Villavicencio; Caterer: Catering Costa Rica; Veil: Sincerely Ambrosia Co.; Makeup Artist: Jillian Marie Beauty; Suit: BP Skinner Clothier; Dress Designer: Eisen Stein Bridal; Dress Store: Ladies of Lineage; Equipment Rentals: Costa Mesa Events