While their welcome party was more tropical and bright, with bold orange and fuchsia flowers and matching signage, the couple created a more pared back aesthetic for their wedding day by sticking with white florals and greenery. “The beach club location was so beautiful already that I just wanted to complement the space,” Bri says. To mark off the space for their nondenominational ceremony, which was officiated by the groom’s father, she researched atypical altar pieces. “How do I create a focal point for the eyes to go to?” she wondered. Their florist Art Flower ultimately constructed a swirling floral installation all in white dahlias, which seemed to swirl around the couple as they said their vows.
Another key decision was renting tableware and furniture from Costa Mesa, instead of using the hotel’s standard event materials, maintaining the color scheme and elegance through specialty deep green glassware and gold chiavari chairs, to align with the landscape. “Practically speaking, that glassware was heavier, and we didn’t want anyone, or the wind, knocking over and breaking glass.” It was their planner’s idea to have twinkly lights raining down vertically over guests’ heads, and swaying in the sea breeze, rather than stringing them in the more traditional horizontal manner.
Learn how to pause (for a leisurely response time)
A key aspect of Costa Rican culture is the motto of pura vida, or pure life, which is a way of capturing the positive, grateful mindset of locals, with an emphasis on the simple things in life. While it’s an essential aspect of the country’s pathos, and a key part of what makes Costa Rica so special for visitors and locals alike, in wedding planning it could translate to a relaxed response time from vendors that sometimes made the couple sweat. “If we did not have our planner spearheading and making people move, I think there would’ve been a lot of heartburn for us, because people just do move slower,” says Bri, “which is what we love about the culture!”
While Bri and Don tried to go with the flow whenever possible, they couldn’t help but be themselves with regard to organization, particularly when it came to tracking their guests’ travel and accommodations. “We had a room block for our guests at the Andaz, and I created a spreadsheet to mark as each made their booking,” says Don. “As we got closer to the wedding, I’d follow up with people who hadn’t reserved their rooms yet.” All but two families stayed on site of the large property, with the others opting to stay in Airbnbs/rental homes nearby.
