What better way to celebrate Earth Day, then a beach wedding in beautiful Costa Rica! This gorgeous setting incorporates some of Earth’s best natural elements- the ocean, natural rain forest, coral reefs, miles of sands, and fresh air. What a site to see as you step out to join your fiance on the beach with crashing waves as the perfect background during your ceremony and an awesome cool breeze. Enjoy your family and friends as the sunsets and glistens off the natural waters.
Captured here was a gorgeous wedding in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. Loved how it provides such a fun, casual and unforgettable atmosphere for the marrying couple. Anywhere on this beach can be a “picture perfect moment” or possibly use the rain forest as a breathtaking backdrop!
You can view more pictures from this beautiful wedding at the White Box Blog. As you know we postponed our own wedding planning for a little while and our plans are to marry in Southern California. I would say we still have time to rethink those plans though- anyone want to travel to my wedding in Costa Rica?!
Did you or someone you know get married in Costa Rica? Would love to hear about your experience planning your wedding!
So along with everything else going on, we recently attended the oceanside wedding of my step-sister in Sea Grove Beach, Florida. They lucked out and had great weather and everyone had a great time. Here’s a quick recap on the venue:
My family rented out the 6 bedroom Above It All beach house which sleeps 20 people. The house is 4 stories and includes a roof top terrace overlooking the ocean. She hosted a “Welcome Luau” on the roof top the eve of the wedding.
The wedding ceremony was actually held on the beach. Baskets were placed near the chairs for guests to place their shoes in during the ceremony.
The reception was held on “The Lawn” which is on part of the rental property. Due to the threat of rain, the reserved tent was put up just in case. Although it didn’t rain, it actually worked out great creating shade for guests since it was so hot and humid.
Recap #2 with favors and decor details coming up next….
Sooo our #1 pick for now is Avia Hotel in Long Beach. Mr. Oceanside felt like the decor, layout, and price was right. He really likes V2o (our #2) but says he can picture his grandma being more comfortable here. We’ll I love his grandmother and I think he’s right…for all of our grandparents sake, this venue probably feels more “wedding” like than some of the others we toured. This venue will still give me my “modern” feel and since it promotes itself as a “boutique-chic” hotel. I still think I can funk out the rooms so their less “traditional” by using long tables and do family-style seating rather than the traditional rounds. The outdoor terrace and banquet room (known as the Gallery) will also have lounge seating which will reflect the modern look also. The pool deck view is amazing (you can see all of the Long Beach harbor) and so are the guest rooms. I’m still on the edge on this place only because there are still LOTS of unknowns since it actually doesn’t open until August 1st. We were actually the very first “wedding tour” they’ve done…feeling kind of special! They are still creating their catering menu and wedding packages and we should hear from them next week. But I will admit I think I love it even more now just because Mr. Oceanside put in his 2 cents! I’m not cutting off any of my other options until I get their proposal which I should have by the end of next week! Cant’ wait! Here are some pics we took while they were still setting things up…
So isn’t it funny the places you think will be your least favorite end up being the one you love and the one that was your favorite didn’t quite meet the mark!? Well unfortunately that was the case for Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach. Now do not get me wrong- this place is AWESOME! If I only had about 50 guests and my ceremony location was a little closer to Manhattan Beach then this would be my venue for sure. They offer several different “spaces” of the hotel you could use. The middle courtyard area can be used for ceremonies as well as a reception, the lounge/bar area can also be used for a small cocktail style gathering, and the sky deck (poolside) can be used for a reception. I was only interested in touring the Sky Deck because it had an ocean view and it was poolside- the makeup of my perfect venue! The area unfortunately does not have much seating space and its slightly smaller than expected. The upside is the modern, “chic” decor is great and would not take much decorating. Poolside lighting is already in place and space heaters would also be available since it does get chilly at night because of the ocean breeze. There are plenty of plants around the deck so again this would cut down on flower decorations and centerpieces if a bride was trying to save money. It’s within walking distance to the Manhattan Beach Pier so if your guests stayed in the area there would be plenty to do, lots to see. They do offer guests a 10% discount on their rooms (which are gorgeous by the way!) With the food and drink package options you really could really stay under $8000 for about 80-100 people. That’s a GREAT deal for the area. I can also give their food two thumbs up! We got to the hotel a little early before our appointment so had lunch out on the patio at their restaurant. Between my mom, friend, and I we all had something different and we agreed the food was great! So anyway, again don’t give them a bad rating at all. Unfortunately just for the number of people we’re expecting and the location it won’t be a match for us this time. I’ve attached some of my own pics I took of the hotel on my trip out there!
The view of the Long Beach Pike and Shoreline Village from the Queen Mary were awesome! Unfortunately we were unable to view my room preference, the Verandah Grill ballroom, due to a business meeting running a little long. We did see a few of the other ballrooms. The Queen Mary offers great rates and low food and beverage minimum. The negative for us was the lack of upkeep of some of the walls, floors, and restrooms we did see. Now keep in mind the ship is over 70 years old, so naturally thats what we’d expect to get I guess. If you want to give your guests a little taste of history, this facility just might work well for you. It is a beauty!
So Mark & I are in serious need of a vacation. We were just reminiscing last night about our first trip together about 2 years ago. We went to Ocho Rios, Jamaica for about 5 days and had a great time! We went jet skiing, took a tour of Bob Marley’s hometown, and went shopping in one of their districts without our tour guide! We like to be a little adventurist! These are some pics we took while staying at the Club Hotel RIU. Although we had only been dating a few months then, we talked about one day having a destination wedding! It’s super affordable since it’s an all-inclusive resort. Some all-inclusive hotels charge you little to nothing to host your wedding there. It was so beautiful and we’d love to visit again in the future. Any others out there feel like it will be forever before we can go somewhere fun and relaxing again?!? Since we’re doing some serious saving right now for the wedding, we know we can’t splurge on much else. Oh well…until the honeymoon, I guess we’ll keep on reminiscing!
Category: Beach Weddings, Ceremony Site, Destination Wedding, Honeymoon, Oceanside View, On a Budget, Travel, Venues, Weddingmoons
Tags: All-Inclusive Resort, Beach Wedding, Destination Wedding, Jamaica, Ocho Rios, RIU Hotel Leave a Comment
Wayfarers with an Ocean View
Although I can’t seem to make a decision about the darn date we’re getting married (you’d think I was making a lifetime decision like it’s going to be one special date we have to remember or celebrate for the rest our lives right???)….I have made a decision about our ceremony site! This was the first thing we booked and an easy pick! We chose the Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. We didn’t want anything that screamed “tradition” too much but this gives it a touch since its a glass chapel surrounded by trees. It overlooks the Pacific Ocean, which will make for great wedding pics!
Wow- so all this time (well for the past 6 months I’ve been engaged), I’ve somehow missed the fact there is a fantastic magazine out there JUST FOR US! Destinations Weddings & Honeymoons shares tons of ideas about well…destination weddings and honeymoons! As soon as I saw this on Classic Bride’s blog (she was featured!), I immediately bought a subscription. I’ve already read the first issue (I ordered the digital copy since I’m inpatient!). It features plenty of locations ideas, resort options, and of course since it has plenty of pics, I think I’ll be able to get some great ideas for outside decorating. Super excited about this find!
