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Beach – the most popular choice from those planning a wedding to escape the cold, especially if you live in Canada. The Guanacaste region has many beautiful beach locations just a short drive from Libera airport. When considering a beach wedding in Costa Rica you will also have to decide if you want an all inclusive resort wedding or a more location wedding with the opportunity to explore the country and live more locally while you are down there.
Here at Fly Free Photography, we love a good destination wedding! I, Krystal (aka lady boss), am a bit of a specialist when it comes to Costa Rica. If you’ve been following me or business for long, you’ll know that Costa Rica is my second home! Using my expertise, I’ve created a little guide to help you better plan your destination wedding! Let’s get into it…
Beach Wedding Pros
1. Beach Activities
You are right at the beach, so any fun water activity such as snorkeling, sunset tours, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, etc. are very accessible for you and your guests. Most beaches on the pacific side offer tours directly from the beach or have a neighboring beach you can go to.
2. Ocean sunsets
By far one of my favorite things about being on the water is watching the sun set every night and trust me, they are pretty magical. If you are considering a beach wedding, sunset is a beautiful time for a ceremony and photos, it also offers a bit cooler weather from the midday heat.
3. Typically you get less rain
Depending on the month you are planning your wedding in Costa Rica, you are less likely to get rained out by having a beach wedding. Super beach wedding pro! Of course there is always the chance, but in my 18 years of visiting this beautiful country, any time we have gotten rain (outside of the rainy season) it hasn’t lasted very long. 10 minutes to maybe an hour at best and just cools everything right down. I do love a good tropical rainstorm.
4. Less travel
If you are flying into LIR (Libera) airport, there are lots of beaches that are less than an hour drive. Unlike some of the Jungle locations, or the Caribbean side of the country, which can take up to 9 hours driving, depending on traffic.
Beach Wedding Cons
1. It can be HOT!
Depending on the month you are planning to travel to Costa Rica they do get some hot dry months, where things are not very green and lush. Definitely a beach wedding con, as the scenery really adds to the whole experience.
2. It can be a bit more pricey.
Due to the ease of location and what is accessible in a short distance plus the month you decide to go it, can make things a bit more pricier, not to mention everything is in US dollars for all my Canadians. However, there are ways to make things a bit more affordable and still experience a beautiful country. You can check out my “what months” coming soon, which will help in determining what is the best month for your wedding in Costa Rica.
Jungle Wedding Pros
1. The landscape is unreal!
If you want super lush, rainforest backgrounds for your wedding, then up in the mountains or near a volcano is the place for you in Costa Rica.
2. Different adventures and wildlife.
While hanging out at the beach has it pros in terms of tours, so does the jungle. If you want to be closer to some epic waterfalls, zipline tours, hiking, natural hot springs etc. then the jungle was made for you! It also offers different wildlife than what the beach areas do.
3. Cost
Typically the cost of things up in the jungle region can be a bit cheaper than the beach, yes there can be a bit more travel time but this will help you save when it comes to the overall cost of things. This also is hugely dependent on the season (month) as well.
4. Less People
If you are looking for somewhere more intimate and quiet for your wedding day then a jungle or volcano wedding is a great option as not many people travel up that way so it is easier to find quiet spots without tons of tourists. Bonus if you have a local guide ( Hiiiii! ) who can help show you epic locations.
5. Cooler weather
Not many people I know are game for +35 weather all the time, however the joys of the rainforest is that things tend to stay cooler, even in the “hot months” it can drop to +15 in the evenings, unlike the beach that typically stays around +25 even overnight.
Jungle Wedding Cons
1. There is much more rain
The window of “Perfect” weather is less open than the beach for sure, but not impossible depending on where you are in the country.
2. A bit more travel time.
Another jungle wedding con is the travel time. If you are traveling with a large group of people, lots of little kids or doing things more locally (not staying on a resort) this can add on some travel time, depending on where you are going.
Costa Rica Destination Wedding Photographer
A destination wedding should be one of the most dreamy and memorable times of your life. Whether you choose a beach wedding or a jungle wedding, the key is planning, preparation and most important, have fun!
If you are looking for more details on a destination beach wedding or jungle wedding take a look at my 5 Reasons to Elope to Costa Rica blog! And of course, if you are looking for a wedding photographer, I’d love to chat more. You can get in touch here.
Xo
Krystal