The wedding day post from Cameron on planning a Destination Wedding in Costa Rica.

One of the primary reasons for our Destination Wedding Planner and I  deciding on Tropical Occasions to coordinate the ceremony details, was because of the photographer, Juan Carlos. When he arrived he just took care of everything. It was obvious that he had shot over 400 destination weddings!  Within minutes we were off to the ceremony, yet ran into a farmer who was leading the cattle through the road. How many brides have to stop for a herd of cattle?? I choose to look at this as an opportunity and jumped out of the car to have my picture taken. When we arrived at the national park we were informed that we could not get to the ceremony site due to dangerous volcanic activity. I was ready to chance it, but Juan Carlos informed me that going to jail in Costa Rica for destination wedding pictures was probably not a good idea. Oh well. The ceremony was still beautiful. God must have been looking out for us, because the clouds parted and we had a beautiful view of the volcano for the ceremony. Although my mother and sister were the only "invited" guests, we had a host of other people watching us from the volcano viewing area. Our guitarist was amazing, he has won a Grammy Award in Costa Rica and it was obvious why. The ceremony was beautiful and moving, even though Jose's English was sometimes a bit off... he asked me to take Scott as my husband through idleness and health. We heard the volcano rumbling throughout the ceremony. I chose to think that the volcano was supporting our union and adding additional ambiance, instead of thinking that we were witnessing a huge explosion that was going to result in all of our deaths!  However, the best part of the ceremony came when Jose asked for the rings, I looked at Scott, Scott looked at my mother whose face went white. My sister then exclaimed, "Mom, where are the rings?"  Then we all burst out laughing. Luckily the rings were just in the car and we resumed the ceremony shortly. The video is hysterical, and my mothers faux pas has been told time and time again! After the ceremony, we drove to a little restaurant with a fantastic view of the volcano. We said our goodbyes to our new friends and I gave them little presents I brought for them from North Carolina. Even at lunch we were treated to more explosions from the volcano. At least this time we were watching from a safe distance! Strangely enough, that afternoon the clouds returned, the rain began and we never again saw our volcano.  Below is the infamous video of the volcano eruption, and the view from our lunch:

Planning a Destination Wedding - Volcano:

One of the benefits of a destination wedding is that you can be as non-traditional as you wish! Since we really didn't have guests to entertain, we booked a private reception just for us. Tabacon offered something called a Romatic Gala Dinner which was expensive, but nothing in comparison to what most people pay for a wedding reception. It was one of the best experiences either of us have ever had!! The dinner took place in a private bungalow on the edge of the rainforest. Streams of hot springs ran on either side and three sides were open to the gardens. There were lit torches, rose petals on the table, a private chef and waiter and food which melted in your mouth.  Below is a video of the dinner:

Planning a Destination Wedding - Dinner:

The fifth post from Cameron on planning a Destination Wedding in Costa Rica.

Remember when I said that since you are planning a destination wedding in a foreign country, you should be laid back and prepare for anything? My philosophy sure was put to the test on my wedding day! I woke up, opened the curtain to admire the amazing volcano which inspired our wedding, but when I looked outside all I saw was clouds! I actually laughed, it may not have been what I wanted, but I was marrying Scott and that is what was most important. About 7:30 a.m. the stylist arrived at my room, but, "no habla Engles!" Oh.....! My sister came to the room and asked me if there was anything I needed, and I sent her in search of coffee and a Spanish/English dictionary. For some reason I did not bring a picture of how I wanted my hair, I just expected that in a Spanish speaking country they would be able to understand my directions. Ultimately, it was everyone else that was freaking out while I was laughing. It was ironic because I had stressed so much over my hair during the planning of the wedding. In the end, my hair and make-up were beautiful and I spent the morning reassuring everyone that everything was okay.