DREAMING OF A DESTINATION WEDDING? HERE’S EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW!
We hosted a beautiful destination wedding at Dreams Las Mareas Resort in Guanacaste, Costa Rica welcoming 100 guests from all over the U.S., many of them visiting Costa Rica for the very first time.
We chose Costa Rica for our destination wedding after we got engaged there a year earlier. We both fell in love with the country, and agreed we had to bring all our loved ones out to celebrate in the place we love.
Planning began just a few weeks after our engagement. Before I became a travel advisor, we hired an agency to help us find the perfect wedding package and coordinate a room block for our guests. That’s how we found Dreams Las Mareas.
We didn’t hire a wedding planner – I knew I was up for the task (I mean, planning is what I do for a living!). And honestly, everything turned out even better than I had hoped. It was the most perfect, magical, wonderful weekend of our lives!
Let’s dive into our 3-day Wedding Weekend Itinerary!
*Dreams Las Mareas is now JW Marriott Costa Elena*
Day 1 - Welcome Party
The beautiful thing about having a destination wedding is not having to worry about anything once you get there. You’ve sent all the details, plans, and schedules to the hotel’s planner, and now it’s time to sit back and enjoy everything you spent months planning! Our guests were able to spend the first day doing whatever they wanted – as long as they were at the Welcome Cocktail Hour by 4:30pm! We saw them by the pool, on the beach playing volleyball, and some ATVing around the coast. Evan & I relaxed by one of the many pools, preparing for the weekend of a lifetime!
Welcome Cocktail Hour
We hosted our welcome party on the beach at sunset. It was so heartwarming watching our family and friends meet and interact for the first time.
Dress Code
The dress code was Beach Casual, so sundresses, linen pants or shorts, and a polo.
Details
We set up an open bar by the beach, with string lights hanging above and around the palm trees.
Another bonus of having a destination wedding at a resort is that all your guests are in the same place. We saw everyone getting dinner together and meeting up at the piano bar for cocktails later that night. Turns out Dreams Las Mareas has a club, so all our wedding guests were dancing and living it up in the club, until it closed and a group of us went night swimming in the ocean! When in Costa Rica, right?
Day 2 - Rehearsal Dinner
Thanks to the club and late-night swim, Evan & I woke up feeling not so great. But when we went to the breakfast buffet and saw 100 of our closet friends and family in there, spirits instantly lifted. Today was another free day for our guests, so it was the same situation as the day before. We again spent our time relaxing, and maybe recovering, at the pool.
Rehearsal Dinner
We hosted our rehearsal dinner at the Lobby Garden, surrounded by a lush, green garden. We set up 8 rectangular tables in a U-shaped, with guests sitting on either side.
Dress Code
The theme for our Rehearsal Dinner was 'Something Blue', as in our guests were our "Something Blue." Girls wore dresses while the men wore pants and a button up (& even in that Costa Rica heat!)
Details
The tables were draped in white linen with a soft blue runner down the center. Blue napkins tied into the color theme, while white flowers and candles served as elegant centerpieces. Overhead, bistro lights cast a warm, inviting glow throughout the night.
Day 3 - Wedding & Reception
Getting Ready
I woke up after a restless night, my nerves really taking over. Soon, my bridesmaids started filing in, the mimosa and breakfast arrived, and it was time to get ready. We were all scattered around my room curling hair and putting on makeup – we had the option to use the bridal suite, but my room was much more accommodating. I hired a makeup and hair artist from Costa Rica which can be risky without a trial, but she turned out amazing. We were all ready by around 2pm by the time the photographers arrived. It was way too hot to change into our dresses for photos and risk sweating our makeup off, so we took pictures in our getting ready outfits. For the bridesmaids dresses, I let each girl pick out their own dress, while staying on theme (neutrals).
Ceremony
Ceremony
Our ceremony took place on the Royal Palm Tree Terrace, surrounded by towering palms and a lush, tropical landscape.
Dress Code
We asked our guests to wear Semi-Formal Beach Neutrals - think an elevated beach look in a coastal-inspired, neutral color palette. I even created a Pinterest board for outfit inspiration. Since it was so hot, men were not required to wear jackets.
Details
I wanted the lush greenery of our landscape to be the star of our color scheme, so we chose all-white elements - flowers, chairs, aisle runner, and arch - to beautifully highlight and complement the natural surroundings.
After the ceremony, guests headed to cocktail hour while Evan and I slipped away to the beach for our sunset couple portraits.
Reception
Our reception was quite literally the party of the century. We had an acrylic dance floor set over part of the pool. Not only did it look sick, but it also doubled as the perfect launchpad for jumping in the pool at the end of the night. To kick things off and guide guests to their tables, we welcomed everyone with tequila shots assigned just for them.
Reception
We held our reception at the Mirror Pool, with round tables boarding the pool, a sweetheart table in the center, and an acrylic dance floor covering the pool.
Dress Code
I was personally the only one who had an outfit change, but by the time we were jumping in the pool, the guys shirts were off.
Details
I wanted our reception to resemble the Costa Rica sunset, so we incorporated blushes and oranges into the flower arrangements, and several candles lit at every table to give off an ambient glow. We had string lights covering every corning, lighting up the venue.
Dinner was served and the night took off. We kicked off the dances with our first dance to Jack Johnson’s “Better Together.” Since we couldn’t bring our dog, Lula, to Costa Rica, we had a miniature statue of her made and placed on the cake. She was there in spirit!
Once guests hit the dance floor, the party truly came alive. Soon enough, people were jumping into the pool, and the energy was electric. Evan and I waited until the end for our moment and jumped in together. I even crowd-surfed across the pool – definitely one of the best memories of the night. We felt like royalty the entire evening, and felt so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people.
⭐️ Venue: Dreams Las Mareas (*Dreams Las Mareas is closed for renovations starting July 1, 2025, & reopening March 30, 2026 as JW Marriott Costa Elena.)
⭐️ Photography & Videography: Adri & Lucas
⭐️ Make-up & Hair Artist: Nadia Cambronero
