Eloping in Costa Rica: What to Avoid—and What to Look for Instead
Eloping in Costa Rica can be wonderfully simple—but that doesn't mean it has to follow a formula.
For some couples, the dream is just the two of them standing in front of a waterfall. For others, it means bringing their children, their parents, or four of their closest friends. Some want a quiet morning ceremony followed by a long lunch. Others want an editorial experience in one location and, later that day, a completely different kind of adventure.
That freedom is one of the best things about an elopement.
After photographing elopements across Costa Rica, we've learned that the decisions couples sometimes overlook aren't always the obvious ones. They are often the small assumptions: assuming the ceremony is the whole experience, assuming a place name tells you exactly where you're going, assuming every beautiful photo is easy to reach, or assuming the day has to happen at sunset because that's what an elopement is supposed to look like.
So instead of giving you a rigid formula, here are a few things we would avoid—and what we would look for instead.
DON'T PLAN ONLY FOR THE ELOPEMENT DAY LOOK FOR THE COSTA RICA EXPERIENCE YOU ACTUALLY WANT
One couple we worked with originally imagined their elopement at Nauyaca. We completely understood why. We love Nauyaca. The waterfall is spectacular, the surrounding landscape feels immersive, and it can create an unforgettable experience.
But they did something we always appreciate: they researched beyond the ceremony.
They started asking what they wanted the rest of their time in Costa Rica to look like. Beyond the waterfall, they wanted tours, more restaurants, more dining options, and several places to explore together. Once they looked at the entire experience—not just the few hours surrounding the ceremony—they realized La Fortuna made more sense for them.
That didn't make Nauyaca the wrong choice. It made La Fortuna the better choice for their trip.
Before choosing your elopement location, ask more than: Where do we want to say our vows?
Ask: • What do we want to do the day before? • Where do we want to have dinner afterward? • Do we want a quiet, remote escape or lots of activities nearby? • How much driving do we actually want to do? • What do we want the next few days of our trip to feel like?
A beautiful ceremony location can be part of an incredible trip—or it can become a beautiful stop that requires hours of driving before you get to the experience you really wanted.
The right location is not always the place with the most dramatic photograph. Sometimes it is the place that gives you the best overall experience.
DON'T LET THE LABEL DEFINE THE EXPERIENCE LOOK FOR THE VERSION OF INTIMATE THAT FEELS RIGHT TO YOU
Traditionally, the word elopement was associated with running away to get married, often secretly. Today, couples use the word much more broadly, especially when talking about intimate weddings and destination celebrations.
And from our perspective, getting too attached to a strict definition can make couples unnecessarily limit themselves.
Yes, we've photographed elopements with just the couple, an officiant, and us there to document it.
But we've also photographed couples who brought their children. Couples who invited their parents because having them there mattered deeply. Couples who included four of their closest friends.
The question isn't always, Is this still technically an elopement?
A better question might be: What are we trying to protect by choosing a smaller celebration?
Maybe the answer is intimacy.
Maybe it is freedom.
Maybe it is simplicity.
Maybe you don't want a traditional wedding with a hundred expectations competing for your attention.
If including your children, your parents, or a few people you genuinely love makes the experience more meaningful, don't let a label make the decision for you.
An elopement gives you fewer rules. Don't accidentally create new ones for yourself.
DON'T FOLLOW THE SUNSET FORMULA JUST BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE DOES LOOK FOR THE RHYTHM OF THE DAY THAT FITS YOU
We hear it often: We want to elope at sunset.
And sunset can be beautiful. But it is not a rule.
Costa Rica can give you beautiful light and beautiful experiences at many different times of day, depending on the location, season, weather, and the kind of experience you want.
We've had couples create completely different chapters within the same day.
One experience began in a refined, elegant environment where the couple could enjoy a more editorial look—beautifully dressed, relaxed, and completely dry. Later, they changed outfits and headed somewhere with a completely different energy: more adventurous, more spontaneous, and much closer to nature.
You don't always have to choose between elegant and adventurous.
You may not have to choose between a morning experience and a sunset experience either.
Depending on your plans, you could have: • a quiet morning ceremony; • portraits later in the day; • two different locations; • a second outfit; • an elegant chapter and an adventurous one; • time in between to rest, eat, or simply enjoy being together.
The point is not to make your elopement more complicated for the sake of it.
It is to remember that the standard formula—ceremony at sunset, portraits, done—is only one possibility.
Start with the experience you want. Then build the rhythm of the day around that.
DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH THE PHOTO BEFORE YOU UNDERSTAND THE JOURNEY LOOK FOR A PLACE YOU'LL ENJOY EXPERIENCING, NOT JUST PHOTOGRAPHING
Costa Rica has no shortage of places that make you stop scrolling.
A waterfall. A hidden beach. A rainforest trail. A dramatic viewpoint.
But a beautiful photograph doesn't always tell you what it takes to get there.
How many stairs are involved?
How far do you need to walk?
What kind of shoes will make the journey comfortable?
Where will you change?
What will happen to your dress, jacket, veil, bouquet, or other details while you're getting there?
We learned this very practically during one of our waterfall elopements.
The groom had chosen a beautiful linen suit in a soft green tone. It was stylish, elegant, and perfectly suited to the couple's look. Everything looked great while they were getting ready.
Then came the journey down to La Fortuna Waterfall.
There are roughly 500 steps on the way down. The groom didn't want to wear his jacket the entire way, so he carried it as they walked.
By the time we reached the waterfall, the jacket had been carried against his arm through the descent. When he put it on, the linen had become noticeably wrinkled.
The suit wasn't a mistake. The location wasn't a mistake.
The missing piece was simply planning how one would travel through the other.
That experience changed the kinds of details we now discuss with couples heading into similar locations. For a more recent waterfall elopement, one of the simple things we specifically asked the couple to bring was a proper hanger and a protective garment bag. Instead of carrying the jacket on an arm or shoulder, we could keep it protected until the moment it was needed.
Small detail. Big difference.
This is not about limiting what you wear.
Wear the suit you love. Wear the dress you imagined.
Just think about how those things will live through the day—not only how they will look during the first five minutes.
The journey to the beautiful place can be part of the elopement itself. Plan for it accordingly.
DON'T ASSUME A NAME ON A MAP TELLS YOU THE WHOLE STORY LOOK FOR THE EXACT LOCATION, ACCESS POINT, AND ROUTE
This sounds almost too simple, but it is one of those details that can quietly affect an entire day.
We once spent a lot of time talking with a couple about Nauyaca. It came up again and again throughout the planning process, and everyone assumed we were talking about the same place.
What we hadn't realized was that we weren't all picturing the same access point.
There are different ways to experience the area, and the access we usually prefer was not the one the couple had assumed we would use. They had chosen their Airbnb based on a different point of access.
The result wasn't a disaster. But it did mean extra driving on a day when the time could have been used differently.
The name was the same.
The physical location was not.
This can happen in more ways than people expect in Costa Rica.
A property listed as being in Jacó may be well outside the center of town. A beach name may not tell you exactly where the best access is. Some place names are repeated in different parts of the country.
So when you're coordinating with your photographer, makeup artist, transportation, Airbnb host, or anyone else involved, don't just say the destination name.
Share the exact map pin.
And confirm: • Which entrance are we using? • Where exactly do we park? • Where are we meeting? • How long does the route actually take from our accommodation? • Does the final stretch require a specific type of vehicle? • Is the route different or more difficult in heavy rain?
A destination name tells you where to start researching.
It doesn't always tell you where you need to be.
DON'T PLAN FOR A PERFECTLY CONTROLLED DAY LOOK FOR FLEXIBILITY, MARGIN, AND REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
One of the advantages of working with experienced local vendors is not that they can control Costa Rica.
They can't.
Nobody can control traffic, rain, a slow road, or the small surprises that sometimes happen during a travel day.
What experience can give you is a better sense of where to leave room.
A map may say a drive takes 35 minutes. But that doesn't automatically mean your next important moment should begin exactly 35 minutes after you leave.
What happens before the drive?
What happens after you park?
Do you need to walk?
Change shoes?
Carry equipment?
Find the entrance?
Take a breath?
For an elopement, the transition is often more than the driving time.
The same is true with weather.
We've had elopement mornings in Costa Rica begin with rain and a very nervous couple. During one of our Nauyaca elopements, the day started wet. We knew it was the rainy season, and we also knew the couple was understandably watching the weather closely.
But we had experienced enough Costa Rican mornings to know that the story of the day was not necessarily finished at 6 a.m.
As the morning moved forward, the rain began to ease. We made coffee, got ready, and by the time we headed toward the location, the weather had opened beautifully.
That does not mean rain always disappears.
And it certainly doesn't mean a sunny forecast is a guarantee.
The lesson is not, Don't worry about the weather.
The lesson is: Don't emotionally give up on the day before the day has had a chance to unfold.
Build a little margin into the timeline. Understand the season. Have reasonable alternatives when the location truly requires them. And work with people who understand that conditions can change.
Flexibility is not a sign that the plan is weak.
Often, it is the reason a good plan survives real life.
Newly married couple sharing an intimate moment surrounded by Costa Rica's tropical nature
THE MERIC PERSPECTIVE
THE THING WE WOULD AVOID MOST: BORROWING SOMEONE ELSE'S ELOPEMENT
There is no shortage of beautiful inspiration online.
And inspiration can be incredibly useful.
But don't let Pinterest, Instagram, or someone else's adventure quietly become a rulebook for your own day.
You may want the waterfall.
Or you may discover that you would rather have the waterfall for portraits and spend the rest of your trip somewhere with more to do.
You may want sunset.
Or a quiet morning may feel much more like you.
You may imagine the two of you alone.
Or you may realize that having your children, parents, or closest friends there would make the moment more meaningful.
You may want one dress, one location, and four simple hours.
Or you may want an entire day with two completely different chapters.
That's the beauty of an elopement.
It can be smaller without being limited.
It can be simple without being generic.
And it can be carefully planned without feeling overproduced.
The goal is not to copy the perfect Costa Rica elopement.
The goal is to create the version of Costa Rica that feels like yours.
PLANNING YOUR ELOPEMENT IN COSTA RICA?
Tell us what you're imagining.
Whether you already have a location in mind or you're still trying to decide between a waterfall, the coast, a volcano, or something completely different, we'd love to hear what kind of experience you want to create.
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