April and Bret traveled from Oregon to Costa Rica to marry one another on the beautiful beach of Manuel Antonio. My husband, who is Costa Rican, swears that Manuel Antonio is the most beautiful beach in the entire country. I agree with him, but we are also a little biased as this is OUR beach, in the town that we live in, None the less I don't think anyone would argue in saying that it is magical location with stunning sunsets. 

April and Bret had a very intimate ceremony, with only their closest friends and family members attending. The weather was perfect for a wedding, and April looked stunning in her elegantly patterned dress. The ceremony took place in front of Karahe, one of my favorite spots on the beach because of the even shade that the trees provide for the guests and alter. April took to the aisle as tears welled up in her beautiful doe eyes. 

After the ceremony the bride and groom invited their guests to enjoy a cocktail hour at the beach. We headed just a few steps further down the beach to take portraits.

The reception dinner was held at Casa de las Brisas, the villa where the entire group was staying for the week. Back at the house April and Bret joined in for a first dance, cut a blush colored cake and shed tears of joy during speeches. 

Photography: Madison Baltodano Photography
Venue: Casa de las Brisas
Wedding Planner: Oasis Destination Weddings
Hair and Makeup: Priscilla Solano
Officiant: Ana Castro
Florist: Floresteria Quepos
Cake: Mariposa Pastry

Michelle and Jon traveled to Costa Rica from South Carolina to marry one another. They picked an extremely intimate place to get married, La Paz Waterfall Gardens. With the sound of the flowing water in the background the two said ¨I Do¨. 

Michelle was able to keep her dress a secret from Jon, even throughout their trip to Costa Rica. She revealed it to him during the first look on their balcony. After that we hiked to the gazebo at La Paz where a beautiful alter was awaiting the couple.

After the ceremony Jon and Michelle walked down to the platform close to the waterfall base. They were my first couple who were brave enough to get close to the water, and even a little wet. We made our way back to the park area where toucans, butterflies and hummingbirds were abundant. 

Back at the room a beautiful cake was setup for the couple to cut. The custom cake topper that the couple brought along read ¨To Infinity and Beyond¨. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Photography: Yours Truly
Venue: La Paz Waterfalls
Wedding Planner: Melanie Marsell
Officiant: Marcelo Galli

Aubrie and Jeff were joined by family and friends at Bahia del Sol hotel in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. There the couple tied the knot on a the breezy walkway overlooking the ocean. Jeff, who lives in Costa Rica, is very familiar with the beautiful country and was incredibly happy to have all of his loved ones visit.

Jeff and his son were getting ready together. It was very sweet to see his son help him get dressed, as it is normally the other way around.

Aubrie was getting ready with her mom and sister. She made such a stunning bride and it clearly came through in the photos as well.

The ceremony was held overlooking the ocean on the hotels property. A beautiful drift wood arch was decorated with soft blush and cream flowers, and chairs accented with gold were set around in a semi-circle. 

After the ceremony and some congratulating with the newlyweds we headed to the beach for photos at the beach. Guests enjoyed cocktail hour and watching the sunset. The resort is situated on Portrero Bay, a beautiful long beach with boats spotting the waters. 

Larissa, from Weddings Costa Rica did a beautiful job of putting all of Aubrie's ideas into reality. Sequined pink tables clothes glittered in the evening light as beautiful accents of gold rounded off the look. 

Photography: Yours Truly
Venue: Bahia del Sol
Wedding Planner: Weddings Costa Rica
Stylist: Diego Alpo
Flowers: Stylos y Flores
Rentals: Costa Mesa
Lighting: Cabo Luna
DJ: Joshua Wilson
Tables: Oceanic Rentals
Videographer: Diitas Videography

Dana and Rusty traveled from Alabama to marry one another in front of family and friends. The wedding was held at the luxurious hotel Villa Caletas, on a private balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Dana made a beautiful bride, and was full of positive excitement the entire day. Her smile radiated and lit up the room wherever she went. 

I started the day with detail photos of the reception, which was beautiful decorated with orange tropical flowers. I arrived a little early so I had extra time to get some really beautiful photos of the setup. 

Dana was getting ready with her bridesmaids and her mother. Her dress was beautiful, an empire waist gown with a sheer ballroom style bottom. I am a sucker for big wedding dresses at the beach, they just look so romantic to me.

Dana and Rusty decided to do a first look and take all of the family photos before the ceremony. This allowed them for time to go down to the beach for sunset photos.

The ceremony was held on a terrace with beautiful views of the ocean. It was a cozy fit for all the guests which allowed the couple to have a very intimate ceremony.

After the ceremony the newlyweds and I made our way down to the beach in Rusty's 4x4 car. We made a quick stop at the stone arches at Zephyr Palace to take some photos there. Once at the beach we discovered that it was high tide, which left almost no sand to stand on. It forced me to look for other locations in the area and am I am happy that it did. There was a beautiful grassy area that I would have otherwise looked over. It had gorgeous light peaking in through the greenery. By the time we finished with photos there the water had gone out just enough for us to get some beach sunset shots.

Back at the reception guests were enjoying cocktail hour. Upon the bride and grooms arrival speeches were given and first dances were exchanged, The newlyweds also cut their beautiful cake together. After all of the traditions took place the bride and groom took the dance floor with friends and family and dance the night away to funk music.

Just before I left I took the couple down into the amphitheater at Villa Caletas for some stunning night shots.

Photography: Yours Truly
Venue: Villa Caletas
Wedding Planner: Oasis Destination Weddings
Wedding Coordinator: Carolyn Onay
Flowers: Stylos y Flores
Officiant: Rodrigo Campos
Lighting: Ambiance Event Lighting
Hair and Makeup: Priscilla Solano
DJ: DJ Kika

The morning after Anra and Ryan tied the knot they met me at the beach for a fun trash the dress session, I love the contrast of the sunset photos to morning photos. Blue skies and blue water, so beautiful!

Anra and Ryan traveled from Canada to the all inclusive resort Dreams las Mareas to have a beautiful destination wedding. Family and friends gathered on the shores of Playa Jobo as the couple said their vows to one another. Pretty pink and coral hues were found throughout the wedding theme. 

Ryan and his friends were getting ready and hanging out in their room before the wedding day. Suspenders and bow ties made this wedding as chic as could be. 

Anra and her long time friends and sister were all getting ready at the resort spa. Anra's mermaid style dress was beautiful, and her classy up-do completed the look. 

The ceremony was held on the beach known as arboleda, a tree lined area just in front of the resort. Guests were gifted sunglasses customized with the couple's name and wedding date. I love how Ryan couldn't take his eyes off of his beautiful bride as she walked down the aisle. 

After the ceremony and family photos we headed to the beach with the bridal party for a few photos. Lucky for us the tide was low and the beautiful bed of rocks at the end of the beach were exposed. The bride and groom made their way there for some romantic newlywed portraits.

The reception was held at seaside terrace, an open air rooftop event space. The beautiful sunset colors lingered long enough to get some great shots of the bride and groom at their table. Speeches were given and games were played, but Anra's nephew really got the party going with his super high energy dance moves,

Photography: Yours Truly
Venue: Dreams las Mareas

The Chen's traveled with friends and family to tie the knot on the beautiful beach of Playa Hermosa, in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. 

The bride was just as sweet and beautiful as can be. As I was going through and selecting the photos to post in this blog I just kept on selecting more and more of her, she just looked so stunning! And she had the kindness and grace to match.

The group stayed at different houses in the nearby complex know of Hermosa Heights. The houses were big and beautiful and had tons of natural light which was perfect for photo taking. The groom and his friends were getting ready together, and they kept the mood light with plenty of jokes.

The girls were getting ready in another house where the bride was having her hair and makeup done by her sister. I felt like I put a lot of the getting ready photos into black and white, I think the bride's timeless look suits black and white photography.

The couple opted to do a first look and family photos before the ceremony started. The first look took place on a mountain top near the house with beautiful views of the surrounding land and ocean.

The ceremony took place on Playa Hermosa under a beautiful arch decorated with tropical flowers. A very lively and happy group of Costa Rican men serenaded the guests as they arrived. A mutual friend officiated the ceremony and did a great job illustrating the couple's lives in a humorous way.

After enjoying the cocktail hour for a few minutes the couple went off for their portrait session. Guanacaste was very dry but the photos still came out so stunning. I love the contrast to the normally green, jungle coastlines that are in my photos.

The reception was held at Hermosa Heights outdoors by the pool.Beautiful details dressed the area up. 

Photography: Yours Truly
Venue: Hermosa Heights
Wedding Planner: Lat 10
Florist: ArtFlower
Cake: Victoria Zoch
DJ: Zach Schmidt

Mandy and Tom traveled from Virginia to tie the knot and dance the night away at the luxurious mansion known as Zephyr Palace. They brought along a large following of friends and family, all of whom knew how to party and have fun. I met Tom and Mandy the day before their wedding, as I also photographed their rehersal party, and their I learned about Tom and his group of rather rowdy friends. Him and his friends definitely liked to have fun together, and are a very close knit group, followed by Tom's Dad and uncles who also knew of to keep life full of energy and laughter. 

Mandy was as sweet as can be. She and her girlfriends also knew how to have fun, and surprisingly could keep up with the guys, but in a little more of a refined manner. Both Mandy and Tom are genuinely good people. They are the type of people that you hope your children turn out to be one day.  It was such a pleasure getting to work with them, and getting to know them.

As the ladies were busy getting ready, the gentlemen were busy hanging out, telling jokes and having a few drinks. 

I absolutely love Zephyr Palace. It is such a beautiful and unique venue to have a wedding at. The ceremony looked gorgeous. It was a blazing hot day, but at least the sun was shining!

After the ceremony we headed to the beautiful stone arches at Zephry Palace for photos. I love how the colors of the bridesmaids dresses go perfectly with the beautiful flowers Mandy picked for the day.

The reception was held in the ballroom at Zephyr Palace. Randy Gritz, from Celebrations Costa Rica, did a great job dressing up the room. I sometimes find that it is challenging since the room is so big and has such high ceilings, but she really made it look so beautiful!

Photography: Yours Truly
Venue: Zephyr Palace
Wedding Planner: Celebrations Costa Rica
Second shooter: Sarah Yunker
Hair and Makeup: Xinia Chacon
Videographer: John Williamson
Florist: MonteFlor
DJ: DJ Sky
​Cake: Mariposa Pastry

Katie and Ben brought their family and friends to the Riu Guanacaste for a fun filled wedding week! Their guests traveled from all of the world, specifically Canada and Ghana. This sweet couple loved to have fun, and especially loved to break it down on the dance floor together. 

I started the day with Ben and his groomsmen. Ben wanted to include something in the wedding day that represented his culture so he chose to wear traditional attire from Ghana instead of a suit. I think it was the perfect way to honor his heritage. All of the groomsmen wore the suits as well, and even wore traditional sandals to the ceremony, which worked perfect for the beach.

Katie and her girls were getting ready a few floors up from the guys. Katie looked stunning as ever and had a dress that was just perfect for her. Both Ben and Katie had so many wonderful friends supporting them and standing with them on their wedding day, I could tell they were really loving people to have so many people there for them.

The ceremony was held on the beach overlooking the Pacific waters. 

After the ceremony we headed onto the beach for photos. The lighting of the setting sun was just gorgeous. 

The reception was held in a covered terrace at the resort. Beautiful Calla lilies brought elegance to the room.  Ben and Katie had two friends who MC-ed the reception. They were really funny and did a great job at keeping the party going. The couple was announced with high energy, from there speeches and laughter filled the room.

At some point during their 8 year relationship Ben wrote a song for the love of his life. He decided to record the song as well, and as a joke one of the groomsmen played it for everyone to hear during his speech. The guys were all poking fun at him, but I know secretly all the women were wishing they could find a guy as romantic as Ben. Honestly, I thought the song sounded great. Ben and Katie took the dance floor and were soon joined by all of Ben's friends.

Due to unfortunate circumstances Ben's mom didn't make it to Costa Rica on time for the wedding. I know this was really hard for Ben as he expressed it during the thank you speech he made. Luckily, with the technology we have today, Ben's mom was able to witness most of the wedding day through Skype.

Photography: Yours Truly
Venue: Riu Guanacaste
Videography: Costa Rica Cinematography

Hess and Fredrik both share a passion for biking. During the speeches at their wedding the subject was touched upon multiple times, and some very impressive stories were shared about their love of biking. A subtle bike theme was also present in the decor for their wedding day. I loved that they were so passionate about something together, I think that is important to have in a relationship. You can be as different as can be from one another, but as long as you have one thing in common it all works out.

Hess is sweet, outgoing and full of energy, she perfectly balances out her more reserved and rational husband. I love how she was able to bring out the excitement in him, in his eyes, in his smile, whenever she was nearby. 

The ceremony was held on the beach just in front of El Mangroove Hotel. A beautiful arch was set for the couple, complete with tropical flowers and orchids.

After the ceremony we began the photo session on the beach. The lighting was beautiful, soft and romantic. 

Hess is Korean and really wanted to include a traditional Korean wedding ceremony as part of the days events. I am so happy she did because it was just beautiful! The vibrant colors of the traditional clothing was amazing to see, and learning about the different traditions was also such a pleasure. 

During the ceremony the bride and groom bow 3 times to the groom's parents, and then serve them tea. The parents then toss dates and nuts and the bride and groom attempt to catch them in a cloth. The dates and nuts that were caught represented the number of children the couple would have. Well it looked so fun that a few other people wanted to give it a try, needless to say Hess and Fredrik may be having a very large family. 

The reception was held in the thatch roofed restaurant of the hotel. Beautiful, natural decor complimented the space. Fredrik is Swedish, and in Sweden it is very customary to have many speeches at a wedding. In the United States and Canada we also have speeches, but we have no business competing with the speeches of Sweden. I was told the speech giving can sometimes go on for up to 4 hours at a Swedish wedding! There were many wonderful stories shared that evening about the newlyweds. 

In addition to the speeches that evening games were played, songs were sung, and even a flash dance was performed in honor of Hess and Fredrik. It was definitely an evening to remember.

Photography: Yours Truly
Venue: El Mangroove Hotel
Wedding Planner: Fournineteen Weddings
Officiant: Marcelo Galli
Flowers: ArtFlower
Rentals: Cabo Luna Rentals
Videography: Jonathan Yonkers