Tropical Destination Wedding in Costa Rica | Jennifer Lourie

I am so stoked that these two were featured on Destination Wedding Details. If every wedding I could have was in a country filled with wild animals and alligators; I would be down every single time.

Paola & Zach dreamed of a destination wedding in Costa Rica where Paola was raised, and their dreams of eloping came incredibly true with the help of her friends and family. Renting a private house with an infinity pool overlooking the ocean, they chose to drive down to the nearby beach for an ocean view ceremony complete with thunder clouds. What made the day extra special though, was the random tropical storm that rolled in as quickly as it rolled out. Drenching everyone to the bone, it cleared up just in time for their ceremony to be had in front of their beach location.

They chose to let the beautiful country of Costa Rica do all their decor, and the sounds of monkeys and macaws could be heard through the night. Decorating with bamboo chairs, simple décor and local tropical flowers, their reception site included the reflection of the night sky in the nearby pool.

”Something that happened right before the ceremony was that it started pouring down rain! I was so bummed, even though I know it means good luck, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. But the moment I decided to walk down the aisle, the sky cleared up and it became the most beautiful sunset. It was truly magical. " - Paola

“We asked Peter to be our officiant since he can speak both English and Spanish, because all our guests speak both or only one of the languages. Therefore, it was very important for us to have everyone understand the ceremony. Having the ocean behind us made me feel very connected to my home country and to my family.

Zach and I wrote and said our own vows, which made everyone cry. The funny part is that we both said that we wouldn’t say our own vows in front of everyone, but it meant a lot. At that moment it really felt like it was just the two of us right there alone in the universe in our little bubble.”

— Paola

“We didn’t pick a theme per say. Since Costa Rica is naturally beautiful we let the background do all the work. We went with tropical flowers, and bamboo chairs for everything to look a little rustic but simple and elegant.”

— Paola

“I’d also suggest taking lessons for your first dance! Zach and I had a ton of fun learning the steps with a private instructor for our first dance. It was fun and challenging, because we CAN’T dance! So we laughed a lot. It made us feel closer leading up to the wedding because it was our activity. Also, our dance looked bomb in front of everyone…well, at least I’d like to believe that. ”

— Paola