Real Wedding: Punto De Vista

Today I found this real wedding that took place at my location! They had the ceremony on the rooftop deck and then did pictures on the beach. We will be doing the actual wedding on the beach and having the receptions at the villa. I love love love this first picture. It has all the elements of the perfect pre-wedding picture. It reflects the beautiful location while capturing a genuine moment. L.O.V.E.









*** Source

Location confirmed!! Punto De Vista

I decided to just pull the trigger and book Punto de Vista! I am not going to lie... it was terrifying and its so hard for me not to get on google to make sure I got the best deal possible. (I don't know why that would make me feel better because I would either waste hours confirming a decision I can't change or find out I got shafted and feel horrible about a decision I can't change! Argh... grumble, grumble)

We picked Punto de Vista for three reasons:
1. We really wanted to be within driving distance (around 2 hours driving being the max) from San Jose ... so we picked Manuel Antonio
2. We didn't want a cookie cutter resort wedding. When I was considering getting married at a resort, I started having nightmares about showing up at the resort and being the third wedding party to arrive... so we decided to get married at a private villa.
3. We really love our friends and we loved the idea of turning our wedding into a big group vacation. So we decided we wanted to rent a private villa large enough to house our whole bridal ... so we picked Punto de Vista

Here are more gorgeous pictures of my wedding location: (YAY)




Yes, it IS a rooftop jacuzzi with a view of the Pacific Ocean!



















*** Maybe it was meant to be!! the architect/owner of Punto de Vista is originally from Manhattan Beach. That's where D is from!! Did I mention that I'm a huge believer in fate :)

More Locations: Costa Rica

While I still love the idea of having my wedding at a beach in front of a private villa, I am starting to wonder if that is totally insane. My main concern is that the villa won't be equipped to handle a wedding reception. I really can't afford to have plates, cups, silverware, etc shipped or bought for the event.

Just in case I can't make it work I decided to neurotically look for possible alternatives.

After hours and hours of searching I have found 5 new (non- villa) wedding locations that I LOVE!

1.Beija Flor - Mal Pais


Beija Flor Resort is a boutique hotel in Mal Pais, on the southern-most tip of the Nicoya peninsula. Just 2 kilometers from the Cabo Blanco Natural Reserve and steps away from the Pacific Ocean, it provides everything a person seeking relaxation and comfort needs: With eleven spacious rooms and one fully-equipped villa combine warm colors and local materials with a modern design. They are located in a tropical garden, which iguanas, squirrels and many birds call their home.

PROS: Private small location, high-quality food, surf, yoga, spa, and very affordable!

CONS: Hard to get to (it would require either a 30 min plane ride from San Jose, a 1.5 car ride, 1.5 boat ride and another 1.5 car ride, OR a 5.5 hour car ride from Liberia) and the rooms look like they are really dark,

2. Si Como No - Manuel Antonio


Si Como No Resort Spa & Wildlife Refuge is a central-Pacific coast resort in the jungle-covered hills just above Manuel Antonio National Park. It’s barefoot luxury with a pura vida vibe, perfect for families and couples who love the beach, tropical adventures, spa, pools, superb dinning and four-star accommodations. This award-winning eco-design nature resort & spa offers its guest its own signature version of “barefoot luxury.” Panoramic views are yours to enjoy from beautiful balconies looking down from the most idyllic hilltop in the area.

PROS: Only 3 hours from San Jose, Eco-friendly resort, and located on a beautiful beach.
CONS:Slightly more expensive than Beija Flor, and the color/decor is a little bright/tropical for my taste.

3. Los Suenos Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort - Playa Herradura


The Los Suenos Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort is a luxury Costa Rica resort hotel nestled between the warm waters of the Pacific and a 1,100 acre tropical rainforest.This luxury resort hotel in Costa Rica also features 6 restaurants and lounges, the La Iguana Championship Golf Course, Stellaris Casino, 11,900 sq ft of versatile meeting space and the new Sibö Rainforest Spa & Retreat.

PROS: Only 1.5 - 2 hours from San Jose. If you rent at least 10 rooms, the wedding location is free. Full wedding menu which means options! Lots for event services available. Golf course, which our fathers would love.
CONS: Not a beach, its actually a closed in marina (and we don't really love the look of boats). I really really REALLY don't want to have a cookie cutter chain resort wedding.

4. Harmony Surf Resort - Nosara


Nesteled into the sleepy coastal town of Playa Guiones, far from the nearest paved road, high standards of sustainable living meet the creature comforts of low key beach life at the Harmony Hotel. With 24 rooms that reside on a path that meanders through a tropical garden overflowing with native vegetation. Harmony Hotel is another CST resort.

PROS:Another small beachfront resort. Yoga. Surf.
CONS: More expensive. Also a little difficult to get to. Don't think they do weddings or events of any :(

5. Arenas Del Mar - Manuel Antonio


Arenas Del Mar is a beach and nature resort located adjacent to Manuel Antonio National Park on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Arenas Del Mar is a CST Resort. Sustainability is a key component of the concept at all levels of the operation and the Certification for Sustainable Tourism-a program designed by the Costa Rican Tourism ministry-served as a guide for the building and continues to drive the operation of the hotel. Arenas Del Mar minimizes the impact on the surrounding nature, while maximizing the positive economic impact on the local community through employment and support for schools and Costa Rican culture.

PROS: Gorgeous. Eco-Friendly Boutique Hotel.
CONS: Most Expensive location.

*6. Costa Verde - Manuel Antonio


This location is not really an option for the wedding, but they have an airplane/treehouse!
Awesomeness...

not for a wedding but thought it was blog-worthy. If we have the wedding in the Manuel Antonio area, maybe I'll convince some of my friends to stay there!

Inspirational Outdoor Wedding

So I first fell in love with this wedding because of the gorgeous location. Then as I read the story behind the wedding, I was truly inspired. This bride had the foresight to keep her guest list short so that she could splurge on her guest.

It needs to be said that I have been having nightmares about my guest list and overall attendance at my wedding. Basically, I dream that I make my grand entrance at my wedding in my gorgeous wedding gown and NO ONE is there (not even my parents!). It's horrifying! This wedding really reminds me that I should focus on the people who are most important to me because those are the people who will really try to be there for me on my big day :)

I adore this white wedding.

For more images from this wedding click here.

The best of both worlds

{Source: Style Me Pretty}
How genius is this location!?! This beautiful Maui location features the best of both worlds. Its an outdoor location with a built-in rain guard.

Plus I adore the chandelier... as usual.

Location: COSTA RICA!

Overall I had a pretty miserable day today... only because I rushed home for a hair appointment that didn't exist. (You better believe that someone got a strongly worded email!!)

On a brighter note, I got a chance to speak to my future wedding planner today (YAY), among other things, we discussed possible locations! These were the five places she suggested:

{ Iguana Azul }
This was her first suggestion based on a previous post about a location I love. (Another great thing about Larissa...she reads my blog!!). This a great little surf location off the beaten path! I think it looks amazing, but I don't know if its too isolated for my guests.


{Pacifico}
This location is GORGEOUSNESS. Located in Playa de Coco, this location is a little closer to the airport than the first location and closer to a town. So there will be more for my guests to do but it will also be pricier.


{ Hacienda Pinilla } This location would make an amazing site because it has a range of options.


{ La Reserva Manuel Antonio }
This location is gorgeous. Manuel Antonio is one of the most amazing beaches in Costa Rica (in my very uninformed opinion). One of the best things about La Reserva is that you don't have to stay there to get married there. All things to keep in mind.


{ Casa Capitan }
Located in Santa Teresa (One communter flight and an hour drive from San Jose), this house is INCREDIBLE! OMG!

I haven't had a chance to check out all the websites but you better believe I will be creating a spreadsheet to decide which location is best.

Larissa also sent over our contract today... is it bad that I am super excited about reading it?? It's not my fault, I am a lawyer!!

Best news of all, Larissa is coming to New York in August for a workshop so hopefully we'll get a chance to meet :D

Location: Costa Rica?

We are still having the hardest time pinning down a location. However, my FF loves Costa Rica and we were just there last January so this morning discussed the possibility of getting married in Costa Rica. It seems like an obvious choice as far as destination weddings go.

Once it was out there I obviously had to start making plans so I spent the morning emailing Costa Rican Wedding Planners.I made it clear that I don't have a date, a guest count or a theme. All I know is that I want to rent a villa with:
1. a beach front
2. With a green space to get married
3. Outdoor dinning
4. Room for the bridal party
5. A Pool
6. A full kitchen

Yup, that's all! Despite my laundry list of requirements one of the planners sent me a number of amazing suggestions. This one is our very, very favorite:






How amazing would this location be! It looks amazingly photogenic, and has everything we want!

The hard part is figuring out the date but I LOOOVE this location. Pura Vida!

Another Marivmon Wedding!

Recently I posted about Marivmon, a location I'm considering in Downtown LA. Today I stumbled upon this wedding on GWS.

If you don't already know this about me, I loooooooooove brunch!!!! I really really really want to have a morning wedding so that I can have the most amazing brunch with all my friends and family in full wedding attire (more on that later). The point is, I love this wedding because it shows a great way to brighten up Marivmon for a daytime wedding.


A few weeks ago I was watching an old episode of Cake Boss which featured wedding cakes covered in white anemones. I didn't really love them when I was watching the show but in this wedding they are SOOOO perfect with the bride's dress.


{Lovingly borrowed from Green Wedding Shoes}

Locations: California.love

I've decided I need to get serious about my location hunt. If I want to have a carefree semester in Amsterdam then I need to have most of my wedding plans set in stone by January.

(that gives me 8-9 months)

So here's my first real consideration....

Last night I showed my FF images from this A-MAZING location in California that I kind of fell in love with. I think it has so much personality and
I love all the gorgeous little details but I can't decide if its our "style."






{More great images from Marivmon}

Here our some pictures I found from a real wedding at Marivmon.



{Lovingly borrowed from the wedding chicks. More images}