Costa Rican Wedding Under the Palms – Kelsey and Mike 01/16/20

When Kelsey and Mike got engaged it was no question where they wanted to tie the knot - Costa Rica had been in their hearts since their first few visits. With its relaxed Pura Vida lifestyle and beautiful, lush landscapes they said YES to the location right away.

A few words from the bride:
Mike and I are infatuated with Costa Rica and knew it was where we wanted to get married before we even got engaged. Once we started talking logistics and planning we immediately got overwhelmed. While we love Costa Rica it is a lot to ask of people to take a week off of work to come to a place they’ve never been. Everyone flew from Boston and we just wanted to make sure that they had the time of their lives and were able to see just why we fell in love with Costa Rica in the first place!

The couple settled on the sleepy Pacific surf town of Santa Teresa and chose one of the top venues in town; the beachfront Balinese inspired estate of Casas Capitan. Kelsey worked closely with Bliss Weddings Costa Rica to create an event that encompassed both a relaxed and luxurious feel. She wanted the color pallet to reflect the vibrant surroundings, using pink torch ginger, mokara orchids, roses (white, orange, pink), eucalyptus and bougainvillea in her bouquet. The bride dress was Emmy Mae (style Bec) and she was an absolute stunner!

Every detail was very well thought out - the table settings had a romantic and intimate feel with the underlying current of the entire event harping on the fun, easy going Costa Rican spirit. There was a live band and a DJ at the reception, as well as a reggae band for the rehearsal dinner. Upon arrival to their Costa Rican hotels the guests were greeted with personalized welcome bags including a Spanish “cheat sheet” (I can email this to you-it's great!) that included all of the Costa Rican slang words they needed to know for their adventure. It was quite a source of entertainment with many nicknames and jokes spawned from it throughout the week. For the sunny beach wedding the guests had their choice of “sombreros” (hats) or wooden fans to add to the festive mood. And further aiding in the festive spirit were 6 specialty cocktails from Drift Bar (recipes below). By the time the toasts rolled around that evening you could tell that the bride and groom had succeeded in throwing their dream wedding. Both of the families - whom hadn’t spent much time together prior to this wedding trip - had grown a very tight bond and the celebration of love beautifully unfolded throughout the night!

Sandia Slice: Vodka, freshly juiced Watermelon, Lime, Basil, hint of Jalapeno
Mango Passion Mojito: Rum, Mint, Cold Pressed Mango & Passion Fruit, Lime
Gin Zing: Thai lemon Basil infused Gin, juiced Green Grapes and Cucumber, Lime, Soda
Smoked Pineapple Margarita: Tequila, Homemade Smoked Pineapple Chipotle Liqueur, Lime, fresh Pineapple
Strawberry Blush: Vodka, Strawberries, fresh vanilla bean, lime, soda
Pina Coco: Rum, Coconut Water, homemade Coconut Cream, juiced Pineapple

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