Wedding Blog

One of the most facinating parts of my trip was visiting with a Shaman named Raven. She performs spiritual weddings for guests of Waterfall Villas and other locations in Costa Rica.

Raven traveled and studied at more than 200 sacred sites around the world. She brings that vast knowledge of customs and ancient traditions into her ceremony.

One beautiful feature of her ceremony is that she builds sacred altars. She like to create a space, fill it with love and celebrate something special, like a marriage in that space.

One of the current ceremonies she uses comes from European/Celtic tradtions. She includes handfasting with spoken promises between the bride and groom. Each colored ribbon symbolizes on of those promises.

The “Blessing Boat” was my favorite part of the ceremony. The couple works together to build a boat out of flowers and leaves and then sends it down the waterfall. The “boat” goes in many directions based on the rocks and the current but it eventually reaches the bottom. This symbolizes releasing the marriage to be whatever it is to be. Life doesn’t always go exactly as we plan it. A good marriage needs to adapt to the many ways we travel through life and througout the couple remains together.

Raven has also done Native American wedding ceremonies and she is currently working on a Christian ceremony.

If you have questions on this or any other wedding related topic, please post for me here or send me an email to susan.southerland@pwg.com. Also become a fan on Facebook by clicking here and follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Your partner in perfect planning,

Susan

I believe that I mentioned that we stayed at a stunning property called Waterfall Villas. It is located near Domincal (about four hours from San Jose airport). The area was just gorgeous. It isn’t very developed like some of the more popular spots in Costa Rica, so it wasn’t crowded, it wasn’t noisy and the view of the stars was breathtaking.

I will tell more about the villas in another post, but in keeping with my blog tradition, today I am going to feature a couple who was married at Water Fall Villas… Kym and Ray.

Susan: What made you decide to get married in Costa Rica?

Kym and Ray: We love the environment, and wanted to see the Rain forest, and also get married in it.

Susan: What was the most memorable part of the wedding day for you?

Kym and Ray: We cant pick one part of our wedding day to be our favorite. From the ceremony to the beach and dinner it was all perfect. OUR FAVORITE MOMENT!!!! It rained after the ceremony was complete, not too hard, a sprinkle. Until we were eating. It was so beautiful.

Susan: What were you most worried about?

Kym and Ray: I was not worried about anything. Until after the ceremony we find out it is not a legal ceremony. (Susan’s note, legal weddings in Costa Rica can be complicated. It isn’t impossible, but there is a lot of legal work you need to do. Waterfall Villas has an attorney who will help you navigate the marriage license process. If you decide to get married at another resort, you should check to see if the resort has someone who can help you get the legal paperwork done. Another good option is to get legally married in the states before you go, and then have a spiritual ceremony in Costa Rica.)

Susan: What advice do you have for other couples who want to get married in Costa Rica?

Kym and Ray:I have already told so many people to go to Costa Rica and get married or just go. It is an incredible place. My husband and I are planning to go to the other side of Costa Rica next year, it is so amazing there that it makes you want to see it all and have it all. It is an extremely slow way of life, know that before you go. It is the best place to go for a truly relaxing vacation.

Susan: Do you have anything else you would like to add?

Kym and Ray: I suggest to all couples that do not want the big wedding and are doing it for their family. Run away to Costa Rica get married. Go on your honey moon. Take a lot of pictures and videos. Have the reception when you get back. It is sooooo worth it.

If you would like to see more images and video from my adventure in Costa Rica, check out our Just Marry! fan page on Facebook.

If you have questions on this or any other wedding related topic, please post for me here or send me an email to susan.southerland@pwg.com. Also become a fan on Facebook by clicking here and follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Your partner in perfect planning,

Susan

Our adventure didn’t slow down one bit during our trip. Finally, the explanation for that now infamous photo…

Just Marry! vice president and good friend Terri Oster, her husband Darren, my fiance Scott, and I embarked on a little hike. I was warned it would be a little challenging, but I had no idea what was in store…A 5 kilometer, 1000 ft. drop, “walk” down muddy hills in the jungle.

I should mention that the hike is an exclusive tour from the villa where we stayed, Waterfall Villas, however, you can get there via horseback with other tour companies. The horseback riders go at an earlier time, so we had the falls all to ourselves.

The beginning of the walk was a bit misleading. It was a nice leisurely walk with a gradual slope.

We got to see some nice docile wildlife.

We picked flowers. These flowers are called “Hotlips,” which explains our very silly behavior.

Then things started getting a bit trickier…

…And trickier

At this point we had to put the camera away to finish the descent… but here is where we wound up!

It was amazing. We went swimming and ate lunch on the rocks. There was no one around… Just our small group from Waterfall Villas, Terri, Darren, Scott and me. Incredible!

The climb back up was really, really hard. I wouldn’t have made it without my fiance and friends. When we finally reached the top, I was euphoric. What an experience. I thought, this adventure was a perfect honeymoon activity. Relying on each other to make the return climb was a very intense experience.

I should mention that Terri did threaten to sell the company if I didn’t make it to the top. That was a great motivator.

If you would like to see more images and video from my adventure in Costa Rica, check out our Just Marry! fan page on Facebook.

If you have questions on this or any other wedding related topic, please post for me here or send me an email to susan.southerland@pwg.com. Also become a fan on Facebook by clicking here and follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Your partner in perfect planning,

Susan

I am finally able to sit down and share my Costa Rica adventure with you. I am sharing, not because I think that you would be interested in my vacation photos, but because at this moment, I cannot think of a better place for a destination wedding or a honeymoon.

My reason for visiting Costa Rica was to check out a property for destination weddings. I imagined it would be beautiful, but I didn’t imagine what a wonderful adventure the trip would be. I should start by saying, I am not the most adventurous person. My typical vacation includes historic landmarks, museums, shopping, great food and luxurious hotels. My vacation in Costa Rica included hiking, white water rafting, zip lining organic food and a stunning (and very reasonably priced) villa. Amazing!

This is Ballena Marina. The really cool thing about this beach is that at low tide, the sand bar goes right up to the beach so it looks like a whale’s tail.

My blog for the next week is going to discuss some adventures you could have on your Costa Rican honeymoon, my conversation with a Shaman who performs spiritual wedding ceremonies, a couple’s real wedding in Costa Rica, and resources for your wedding or honeymoon in Costa Rica.

My first day started with an early morning zip line tour in the rain forest canopy at Hacienda Baru.

Here I am getting fitted with my harness.

This is a three-toed sloth we found. There are a lot of them all over Costa Rica. They are easy to spot because they barely move!

We spotted a Toucan as well.

This is a Basilicas. There are many, many big lizards everywhere in Costa Rica. Our travel companions love lizards, so I got to see them all!

And here I am zipping through the canopy.

The scenery was undoubtedly beautiful and the experience was exhilarating, but the memory that stands out the most is the fantastic tour guides and the camaraderie we felt with the others on our tour. There is something about flying 160 ft. above the rain forest on a harness hooked to a cable that makes you bond. IT WAS A BLAST!

We finished up the tour with a fantastic lunch of Cassado, a Costa Rican specialty of beans and rice, grilled chicken and salad.

Tomorrow the hike to Nauyaca. For my Facebook and Twitter friends, this will finally answer the question of the cheering photo.

If you would like to see more images and video from my adventure in Costa Rica, check out our Just Marry! fan page on Facebook.

If you have questions on this or any other wedding related topic, please post for me here or send me an email to susan.southerland@pwg.com. Also become a fan on Facebook by clicking here and follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Your partner in perfect planning,

Susan

Hello All,

I apologize for being the absentee blogger for the past week. I had an amazing trip to Costa Rica where I was checking out a beautiful venue for destination weddings. I was also doing research on honeymoon packages. What a glorious place (and very, very affordable).

I will be writing a week of blogs on weddings and honeymoons in Costa Rica. I am gathering my photographs, so look for it in about a week. The topics will include the legalities of a Costa Rica Wedding, floral ideas, vacation activities and an interview with a Shaman who does spiritual wedding ceremonies (she was brilliant!)

If you want to get a sneak peek at some of the photos, become a friend of mine on Facebook by clicking here

Stay tuned!

Your partner in perfect planning,

Susan