When you think wedding planner, you may conjure up images of J.Lo and Matthew McConaughey in a Hollywood rom-com, but when it comes to your real-life nuptials, a wedding planner can spare you a lot of drama. And when it comes to a Costa Rica destination wedding, a professional wedding planner can save you stress, time, and money.
There are many great Costa Rica wedding planners who have inside knowledge and the experience to make sure getting hitched goes off without a hitch. They know the local vendors and suppliers and they know who is dependable (and who isn’t). They know who overcharges, and the mom and pop shop who deliver great service for a fraction of the cost.
A Costa Rica wedding planner can get the most out of your budget – big or small – and you will actually save money in the end.
So today we are laying out the important reasons why you should hire a Costa Rica wedding planner, and we’ve done some of the work for you to help get you started: we’ve picked some highly recommended Costa Rica wedding planners that you can contact to start planning your big day!
Why you should avoid DIY wedding
Many people think that planning a wedding in Costa Rica is like a birthday party or an open house, but the truth is far from that. A few snacks and good music won’t be enough because there are ceremonial issues to be dealt with, such as who is going to be the flower girl and when is her turn to walk? Is there going to be a child with the rings? What is the position of the bridesmaids? When is it the right time to call for a toast? A Costa Rica wedding planner already has the answers to these questions and many more.
You probably have limited experience with weddings (let alone destination weddings), and even if you have attended many, there are a multitude of tasks, decisions, and services that take place behind the scenes that wedding guests are never aware of. Planning a wedding in Costa Rican can be a challenge if you don’t know the country, the culture, or the language (Spanish). A Costa Rica wedding planner knows the vendors, the best offers and the best locations.
Benefits of hiring a Costa Rica wedding planner
They know the area. Costa Rica has many different locations where you can hold your wedding ceremony:: mountains, beaches, a resort, or a boutique hotel. A responsible wedding planner will walk you through the pros and cons of each location, the necessary staff and resources, and the costs.
They know the vendors and suppliers, and they know how to get the best deals when planning a wedding in Costa Rica. Weddings can cost a fraction of what you would have spent in another country, but only under the right guidance. A local Costa Rica wedding planner will find the best sales for your wedding, florists, photographers, catering services and more.
They speak Spanish. How can you plan a wedding in a Spanish-speaking country without knowing the language? ¿Entiende usted? Misunderstandings are common when organizing events. The best strategy is to have someone who commands both languages and can perfectly explain to the vendors and suppliers what you want. Languages can be barriers and you need an expert who speaks to you in English and coordinates with the vendors in Spanish.
They will coordinate everything so that there are no unwelcome surprises. You still have to make many decisions and provide direction, however, you can relax knowing that everything will be taken care of in time, prepared and ready for the day. You just have to choose colors, flavors and styles.
The following is a list of some of the best Costa Rica wedding planners:
Diverse Weddings
Gay marriage became legal in Costa Rica May 26, 2020. However the coronavirus global pandemic and country-wide lockdown put a damper on the celebrations. However, Diverse Weddings took that time to work with vendors and suppliers to give their clients access to some significant discounts. The company has obtained LGBTQ+ Certification from Equally Wed Pro, so that they can provide the safest, most respectful environment for the LGBTQ+ community, with a deeper understanding of their challenges and concerns.
Four Nineteen Weddings
Four Nineteen is based in Costa Rica although it also provides wedding planning services in Mexico, Central America, and Europe. They have a team of designers, planners, and managers that will make your life easier when planning your Costa Rica wedding. They will show you what Pura Vida really means with modern and stylish boutique weddings that you will never forget. They will find the photographer, florist, caterer and bartenders, Djayand even a fire show if you want to heat thing up.
Their contact form on their web page allows you to tell them some details of the wedding you want to have so that work begins from the very first contact.
Four Winds Weddings
Four winds has multiple services at hand and are ready to help you with: organization, design, floral services, rentals, photography and more. Their more than seven years of experience in planning Costa Rica weddings has given them enough knowledge to guide you through the planning. Organic, natural and romantic in-house floral designs, artisan carpenters and adventurous photographers are some of the premium services that are waiting for you.
They are located in Playa Tamarindo, Guanacaste region, but they serve all of Costa Rica. You can contact them by email, a Costa Rica phone number or a USA phone number.
Gay Costa Rica
Gay marriage became legal in Costa Rica on May 26, 2020 – the first country in Central America to legally recognize same-sex marriages. Gay Costa Rica has been catering to the LGBTQ+ travel community for years, and is a leader in the fight to establish gay rights in Costa Rica. Gay Costa Rica offers a full range of wedding planning services, including transportation and hotel reservations. Their suppliers have all been trained in non-discrimination based on sexual orientation, which ensures the very best service to meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ community.
Our Costa Rica Wedding
One of the things this team offers when planning a wedding in Costa Rica is affordable prices, you can even contact them for free from the United States and Canada with their toll-free number. They offer adventure wedding getaways in Costa Rica that can suit some more active couples that want to have a memorable wedding in a non-traditional location.
Their packages offer getaways that can last five or eight days and will include guided walks, whitewater rafting, beach days, snorkeling and, of course, the wedding day. Rates are per person, based on occupancy; they include breakfasts, travel assistance, domestic transportation, welcome cocktail, and taxes. If you want a wedding for more than just a few family and friends, there is their sister website Mil Besos Costa Rica, listed below.
Perennial Weddings
Based in Tamarindo, Kristina Ullrich discovered how much she enjoyed her job as a wedding planner in Costa Rica and decided to continue working on her own, giving birth to Perennial Weddings. Kristina is full of ideas, inspiration, and energy. She will help you with the wedding, and also with the bachelor and bachelorette party, welcome night, and rehearsal dinner.
The team of planners at Perennial Weddings will provide a custom design according to your wants and needs. They will also help you with your wedding website, accommodation, selecting the venue, rates, and menus. They have connections with vendors, musicians, and officiants, so you don’t have to search for them.
Tropical Occasions
Tropical Occasions had their beginning in Costa Rica in 1999 as the first professional Costa Rica wedding planner and are now a renowned international event planner for special occasions that could go from simple elopements to elaborate weddings with plenty of guests and services included.
Aimee Monihan and her team of international and local planners will give you a neat and perfectly organized wedding. Their multilingual team knows what vendors do best and at various budgets. They are the only ones with offices in Costa Rica and the U.S., so they are available at home and abroad – from proposal to honeymoon.
Mil Besos Costa Rica
Mil Besos is Spanish for “1,000 Kisses”. With over ten years of experience, owner Meghan Cox and her talented team believe in crafting an event experience that combines each couple’s unique life and love story with the Pura Vida magic that Costa Rica has to offer. Their long term relationships with trusted vendors in the industry will give peace of mind through every decision, from venues, to caterers, rentals and more. They can also take care of your welcome party, rehearsal dinner, afterparty or day-after brunch. Planning starts online with apps and to-do lists that will help everyone get organized.
Weddings Costa Rica
Weddings Costa Rica was founded by Larissa Banting in 2003 and quickly become one of the top wedding planning companies in the world – putting Costa Rica on the map as a popular wedding destination. The company was named one of the top 30 wedding planners in the world by Destination Weddings and Honeymoon magazine. They have more than 600 weddings to their credit, and plan everything from intimate elopements to extravaganzas of 200+ guests. They also have experience with ethnic weddings, including Jewish, South Asian, Chinese, Persian and Afghan and know where to find ghee, mendhi, Kosher caterers, South Asian caterers and rabbis.
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After reviewing several wedding planners in Costa Rica you should be able to have a clearer view of what you want to do and what you expect the team to do for you. The most important decision is hiring the right team. Don’t try to do everything yourself because your time and energy should be focused on enjoying the experience and being present at your own wedding. It is better to have somebody else taking care of all the details while you enjoy the magic moment.
Planning a wedding in Costa Rica can be one of the most exciting events in your life, so make sure you are guided by the best Costa Rica wedding planner so that every detail is covered and perfect. Your wedding maybe just one day, but the memories will last a lifetime.