Today’s Costa Rica destination wedding comes to us from Samantha at Events & Weddings Costa Rica, the wedding planner who put together this fabulous party for the lovely California couple, Jennifer and Ashraf.  Both bride and groom have lived in some pretty special places, so a destination wedding was just what their invitations called for!  Ashraf was born in Egypt, but grew up in New Orleans before moving to Los Angeles to work in the movie business.  Jennifer was born in the mountains of North Carolina, lived all over the US, and even on the island of Dominica.  The two met after both moving to Los Angeles and well, the rest is history.  But with families all across the globe, they landed on a fairly easy to get to venue for most, Costa Rica, as it was “intriguing, beautiful, and an adventure to share with those closest to us.” Jennifer tells us.

Her dress?  A custom made wedding gown that she helped to design with Los Angeles-based designer, Shin Bu Bridal.  Gorgeous!!  And the floral detail she selected for her delicate up do just finishes the look flawlessly.The couple wed at a private villa that Jennifer described to us as something quite magical.  “Samantha helped us select Punto de Vista as it was a perfect fit for the size of our group and our architectural tastes. Manuel Antonio worked out well for us because of its location to San Jose, its beautiful beach (I consider it jaw-dropping), and the amazing views from the magnificently tropical and modern home Punto de Vista.  We really wanted the beach wedding with an elegant reception.  As it turns out the weather did not cooperate!  But the Villa allowed us to feel like we were in the forest when we couldn’t be on the beach… Plus I think some of our guests really didn’t mind not dealing with sand in their dressy attire!”Since both bride and groom have design backgrounds, it’s no surprise that the paper details were pretty special.  Their save-the-date cards were designed by the duo and letterpressed on one side with a photo from their engagement shoot on the other.  And the invitations?  “These were also completely custom designed by us.  Our wedding colors were primarily white, green and yellow but Ashraf loved a sample of embossed orange paper.  I thought – why not?  I love orange!  I had to order this paper from Germany!  It was custom embossed and letter pressed.  The reply card was the same character and colors as our save-the-date and probably the only standard wedding looking piece of our invitation!  The information card was a wood card printed with a custom illustration of me, Ashraf, and his dog Zeke done by a talented friend of ours, Bronwyn Burns. The inside of the card was a map of the Manuel Antonio area done by me (Jen).  To polish it off we wrapped it in wave patterned washi paper, silk string with a tag for our website and a simple envelope with tropical floral stamps and a custom wax seal.  Ashraf’s father helped with the Arabic script used in our seal! ” The flowers for this wedding weren’t only beautiful and local, they were sentimental too.  “The flowers were meant to feel like a garden indoors.  We wanted lots of greenery but still be able to talk across the table.  I figured we couldn’t go wrong with orchids!  It’s one of my favorite flowers and also my grandmother’s favorite (who couldn’t be there).  The reception was similar in color but slightly more simple and edgy to complement the tropical modern lounge we were trying to create.”  “The villa already had great lighting so both areas were filled with candles and lanterns for a low-light romantic feel.  I ordered some quilted velvet fabric and had some table toppers made.  I also brought an array of vintage and linen cloth napkins.  For the name tags I wanted something different but still be able to pack and bring with me.  I love origami and patterned paper and found these origami birds on etsy.”“Our caterer seemed to fall into place fairly last minute.  We were excited to serve refreshing mixed drinks, a simple healthy meal with options of fresh fish, mushroom for the vegetarians or mushroom lovers, and beef for the hearty.  The meals were balanced with delicious herbs and fruits.  The fruit and vegetables in Costa Rica are so wonderful it had to be exploited!  Our cake was a big collaboration!  I designed the outside, Ashraf designed the flavors, and our future brother-in-law made a mango salad to complement.”For the entertainment?  “It was important for us to include our own cultures, US and Egyptian, as well as some local flavor.   Cardamomo was a world band that played with so many different instruments and was talented enough to incorporate various elements of music while being able to also play both easy background music and dance music.  They worked very well with our belly dancer – a very important tradition of Egyptian weddings.  To finish off the evening we had a cigar roller.  Most of our friends grabbed a cigar and went back to the roof lounge to celebrate.” There’s nothing this couple didn’t think of to keep their guests entertained, comfortable, and enjoying every moment of their destination wedding.  Congratulations Jennifer & Ashraf!

Destination Wedding Photographer: Ale Sura Photo

Wedding Vendors: Venue: Punto de Vista, Wedding Planning: Events & Weddings Costa Rica,  Music: Cardamomo, Rentals: Eventos Boadicea,  Flowers: Embrujos, Catering: Ono Cuisine,  Mini cakes: Construcciones Dulces