My Tropical Wedding In Jaco Beach, Costa Rica

Distant, it seemed, would be the day that I would settle down and get married. The whole idea was ludicrous to me. Why tie myself down that way, to someone, forever – why? These questions guided me through my mid-twenties, and just like that, out of nowhere, I met a girl. After spending three blissful years together, it was time – do-or-die. Finally, I popped the question on a warm summer evening at a seaside restaurant in town.  After the official “yes”, the wedding planning started immediately, and my life was constantly bombarded by wedding-related questions, answers and issues. The biggest issue of all, of course, was location – where the Hell would we get married? After a long period of research and discussion, we finally landed on a place. The decision was made, the planning began – we would have our wedding in Jaco Beach, Costa Rica, a magical, far-off land in the tropics.

Time went right off the leash, off the handle, and it seemed to speed up every day – the days turned to weeks, the weeks turned to months, and just like that our wedding was around the corner. February was the chosen month, and no, we didn’t want a winter wedding – in Costa Rica, the month of February happens to be the middle of dry season, which means it’s warm and sunny – no rain! Everything planned, and in order, the day of travel came upon us. On a cold, snowy February morning, we made our way to the airport, boarded the plane, and were immediately consumed with excitement. My bride-to-be and I, along with a small group of close friends, were the first ones to head on over; our families would be flying in the following day. Months ago, I had booked the services of an agency, Jaco VIP, in Jaco Beach – an agency with the reputation of getting things done quickly and efficiently, and they really did a good job with the preliminary planning. As the plane took off, excited and overjoyed, we all toasted to the weekend and to wedding – this would be something to remember!

We landed in Costa Rica, nicely buzzed, 11AM local time, and were received by our Personal Concierge, provided for us by the agency, along with an Air-Conditioned Mercedes Benz Sprinter van that transported us from the airport to Jaco Beach. The heat slapped our tequila-soaked heads like a ton of bricks as we got out of the van, and in complete awe and amazement we stared up at the beautiful Beach House we had rented for the weekend; 15 bedrooms and bathrooms, a huge game room with a pool table, a ping pong table and a foosball table, a giant kitchen fully-equipped, and my favorite part – a spacious pool deck facing the beach and the ocean, with an outdoor pool surrounded by palm trees and hammocks. It was truly a Tropical Paradise we would be staying in. I immediately checked in with the event planner, made sure all was in order for Sunday, and I was free – free to party it up today, as our parents and family would be coming in tomorrow morning. I gathered the boys together, and we made our way back into the van that took us over to Los Suenos Marina. I had arranged for us to spend the day fishing, sort of like a last-minute Bachelor Party. It took twenty minutes from Jaco Beach to the Fishing Charter in Los Suenos Marina, and we took off into the blue Pacific waters in the midday sun. At first, we took the edge off a little, cold beers in hand, the sea breeze in our hair – this was the life! Within the next couple of hours, the fish started biting. We ended up catching several fish of varying types and sizes, and my trophy of the day was a five-foot tuna. I was determined to show off my spoils of war to my future-wife, as well as have the Chefs cook it up for dinner later. We headed back to the house and arrived by sunset, which was spectacular, by the way. A quick dip in the pool, a cocktail or two, and as dusk broke in, the smell of grilled fish filled the air. The Chefs were at work! Before long, we were all seated before a fabulous meal – grilled Tuna steaks, Tuna Tartare, Spicy Tuna Sushi Rolls, and a variety of salads and entrees. Dinner was spectacular, and we spent the evening drinking cocktails under a starry sky, the soothing sound of the waves in the background.

The next morning, I woke up to chaos. We jumped out of bed, and went to meet the parents. Loud and excited, they made their way around the house asking questions, making suggestions, criticizing this and that – it took a good hour to have them sit and relax, and have breakfast. Pancakes, scrambled eggs and Gallo Pinto (a Costa Rican delicacy, black beans and rice) in our bellies, we got down to business. We went from place to place with our parents, they approved and disapproved of things, while we checked on our impending tasks for the day. Everything seemingly on track, my bride and I went our own ways for the preparations, to meet at the altar at the beach by the house in five hours, at sunset. My father, father-in-law, brothers, brothers-in-law, cousins – we all went out for lunch and beers, and enjoyed the sunshine and the Tropical surroundings. A little guy-time and cold beers – just what we all needed!

The ceremony an hour away, we made our way back to the house and got ready. Five minutes to sunset, the sky the color of burning fire, the waves gently rolling in from behind us onto the sand, I watched her walk down the aisle with her father. She was beautiful, and I was happy – happy that we’d be spending the rest of our lives together, happy that we had chosen Jaco Beach, Costa Rica as our wedding destination. As the colors of the sky transitioned from yellow to orange, orange to red, and red to purple, we exchanged rings and said our vows, and before long were declared married before all our family and friends. It had been a beautiful ceremony, and everyone was having a great time at the reception. Tropical music all around, the smell of food in the air, a light breeze – it was perfection. Thank you, Jaco Beach!