Damian and Holly hosted an intimate wedding with only 23 guests in a very special spot in Costa Rica. The two had been dating for 11 years before taking the plunge that day. So when the time finally came, a picturesque place under an active volcano was where they landed. Holly told us about this unique and oh-so special location. “We knew we wanted a tropical (read:warm) location for our destination wedding to get our guests in a vacation frame of mind, and pay tribute to our love of travel. However, we wanted something atypical of the beach themed weddings we had attended many times before. With this in mind we started searching for getaway locations around the globe. We scouted venues everywhere from France to Argentina, but we also wanted to keep it affordable and accessible to as many of our invited guests as we could, thus Central America became our focus. Being that we have always had a bucket list item to see an active volcano we started there and found Arenal Volcano and the Arenal area in Costa Rica to have a wide range of activities for us and our guests. Then Damian (a big fan of Trip Advisor) found that Nayara Hotel & Resort was in this area and was touted as one of the most romantic resorts in the world – sold. We blocked off rooms, sent out the invites and the planning ensued.”
The tropical palette was certainly fitting for this Costa Rica wedding location.
And the brightly colored paper goods by Coral Pheasant welcomed guests with great celebration!
The bride made her own burlap ring pillow for this little guy.
The volcano view was spectacular for the wedding ceremony! Apparently at times you can even see red lava coming from it. A brave place to get married!
Bamboo and birds of paradise set the tropical tone for the ceremony and reception which was designed by the lovely team at Weddings Costa Rica.
The pinks and coral wedding palette looked so pretty on the bridesmaids and little ladies!
Then greens were added to the design to blend with the beautiful scenery.
After saying “I do,” the group laughed and danced the night away.
“The speeches by the best man and maid of honor were perfect! The best man really went all out with a long thoughtful speech full of storytelling and jokes, and the maid of honor’s honest and heartfelt toast was the perfect tear-jerking conclusion to the speeches.”
Wrapped candles, bright pops of orange in the table linens, and lush florals dressed the reception tables for dinner.
Cupcakes were the dessert of choice – almond joy and key lime flavors (favorites of the groom).
But the decor wasn’t even the best part! This darling duo shared a few very special moments with us. “The two most romantic moments of the day are easy. Number one was our first dance. While we were dancing to our song (“This Year’s Love” by David Gray) our guests all spontaneously gathered around us and held hands and danced with us. It was the first time I really gushed tears – we are so lucky to not only have one another, but also to have all of these amazing people in our lives that love and support us so unconditionally. It was a magical moment for us. The second moment would be while the reception was in full swing Damian and I took probably one of our only breaks from the dance floor and snuck out to the balcony in the dark where we could watch unseen all of our guests enjoying the celebration together. We stood there watching all these people we loved celebrating together and held hands and felt the appreciation and awe that we were able to pull of this wonderful and unforgettable day together. We took our moment – kissed – and got back to the dance floor!”
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Destination Wedding Photographer: A Brit and A Blonde
Wedding Vendors: Pre Ceremony Location: Nayara Hotel & Gardens, Restaurant: Koita at Mountain Paradise Hotel, Event Designer: Weddings Costa Rica, Floral Designer: Angel Azul, Invitation Designer: Coral Pheasant, Dress Store: Madeleine’s Daughter Bridal, Dress Designer: Envogue, Shoes: Giuseppe Zanotti, Tuxedo and Men’s Attire: Hugo Boss & Banana Republic
This wedding was submitted via TwoBrightLights.com
Thanks for the feature! Fun wedding with a fabulous couple!
Thanks so much for such a wonderful feature of our photos from Holly & Damian’s wedding! Such a treat to be featured on Jet Fete.