Where Should You Get Married in Costa Rica?

THE GUIDE

A Meric-curated collection of insights, practical advice and thoughtful perspective for couples planning a destination wedding in Costa Rica.

A couple once came to us convinced they wanted to get married at a waterfall.

They had fallen in love with Nauyaca — and honestly, we understood why. It's one of those places that feels almost unreal.

But as they started planning the rest of their time in Costa Rica, they realized something important.

They didn't just want a beautiful place to get married. They wanted a beautiful experience around the wedding, too.

After doing their research, they decided La Fortuna was a better fit. They would still have dramatic nature, but they would also have more to explore, more dining options, more activities, and more ways to enjoy the days surrounding their elopement.

And that's something we've learned after photographing weddings across Costa Rica:

The best place to get married isn't always the place with the most beautiful photo. It's the place that makes the most sense for the experience you want to have.

Costa Rica doesn't have one wedding setting. It has many. Rainforest. Ocean. Mountains. Volcanoes. Gardens. Private estates. Boutique hotels. Grand resorts.

And that is one of the reasons couples come here.

But choosing where to get married isn't simply a matter of finding the prettiest view. The setting shapes the entire experience — how your guests arrive, what the day feels like, when the light is beautiful, and whether your celebration feels intimate, adventurous, relaxed, refined, or some combination of all of them.

After photographing weddings throughout Costa Rica, we've learned that the best location isn't necessarily the one that looks most impressive on a screen. It's the one that feels most like you.

01 — THE BEACH IS A WONDERFUL PLACE TO START. BUT IT ISN'T THE ONLY ONE.

For many couples, the answer seems obvious: an all-inclusive resort on the beach. And honestly, we understand why. It's beautiful, convenient, and makes planning from another country considerably easier.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing that experience. A beautiful resort can make an extraordinary wedding celebration feel wonderfully effortless.

But Costa Rica is much bigger than its beaches.

Rainforest, mountains, volcanoes, private estates and boutique hotels can create a very different kind of destination wedding — sometimes one that feels even closer to what made you fall in love with Costa Rica in the first place.

02 — START WITH WHAT YOU LOVE ABOUT COSTA RICA.

Before asking, 'Where should we get married?', try asking a slightly different question: What is it about Costa Rica that made us want to get married here in the first place?

If it's the ocean, the Pacific and Caribbean coasts offer very different experiences. If it's lush tropical greenery, the rainforest may give you more of what you are imagining. If it's mountains, volcanoes, privacy or a sense of adventure, you may find yourself looking inland.

If what you love is the feeling of being surrounded by exuberant greenery, a beach resort during the dry season may not give you the same landscape you have in mind. A rainforest setting might.

The point isn't to choose the 'best' part of Costa Rica. It's to choose the part that best expresses what you appreciate about the country.

03 — IF THE BEACH MATTERS, LOOK BEYOND THE RESORT.

If you've decided that the ocean is an important part of your wedding, the resort is only one part of the decision. Take a little time to understand the beach itself.

Costa Rica's beaches are public, so the experience of a beach ceremony can vary considerably depending on accessibility, location and time of day. Some beaches feel lively and social. Others can feel wonderfully removed from the world, even when they are technically public.

That distinction can matter when you're imagining an intimate ceremony, portraits by the water, or simply that feeling of having found your own little corner of paradise.

A resort can be exceptional while the beach in front of it feels busy. Another property may have a setting that feels far more secluded. Neither is automatically better — they simply create different experiences.

So when you fall in love with a property, ask one more question: What does the beach actually feel like when a wedding is happening there?

One beach can feel like a private escape.

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  Intimate Moment. Private Beach Wedding

Another can feel like part of a more lively destination.

04 — WHERE AND WHEN ARE CONNECTED.

One of the things couples sometimes discover later is that where you choose to get married and when you choose to get married aren't completely separate decisions.

The landscape changes with the seasons. A beach, a rainforest, a mountain view or a garden can have a very different character depending on the time of year.

That doesn't mean there is a right or wrong season. It means the date should be part of the location conversation from the beginning.

We go deeper into that question in The Guide: The Best Time to Get Married in Costa Rica.

05 — DON'T LET THE OBVIOUS CHOICE BECOME THE ONLY CHOICE.

Costa Rica's most familiar destination-wedding locations are familiar for a reason. They are beautiful, established and easy to discover from abroad.

But there are also private estates, boutique hotels, mountain properties, rainforest retreats and regions that may not be the first places you see when you begin searching.

The Pacific coast may be the first thing that comes to mind, but the Caribbean side offers a completely different visual language. La Fortuna can give you volcano and rainforest. The Central Valley can offer gardens and mountain views. And sometimes the right answer is a place you would never have found by searching only for 'Costa Rica wedding resort.'

The more clearly you understand what you want the destination to feel like, the easier it becomes to look beyond the obvious.

06 — THE HIDDEN TREASURES

There is another way to think about 'where' — and this is one of our favorite discoveries from photographing weddings in Costa Rica.

Your wedding location and your most extraordinary photographic location don't have to be the same place.

Some of Costa Rica's most magical places simply aren't practical for 60, 70 or 100 wedding guests. And they don't have to be.

Your wedding can take place at a beautiful resort, estate or private venue where everyone you love can celebrate with you. Then, after the wedding, you can give yourselves permission to explore somewhere completely different.

A secluded island. A waterfall at a carefully chosen time. A hidden corner of the rainforest. A dramatic landscape near Arenal. Places that might be impractical for a group can become completely possible for two.

Your wedding can be for everyone. Your adventure can be just for the two of you.

07 — ASK SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THE LANDSCAPE.

One of the most useful things you can do when planning a destination wedding is ask someone who has actually photographed weddings in the places you're considering.

Not because they should choose for you, but because they've experienced the differences firsthand.

You might tell us, 'We're getting married in December. We'd love a beach wedding, but we'd also love lush surroundings and some privacy.' That's a very different question from simply asking, 'What's the best beach wedding venue in Costa Rica?'

And sometimes the answer may take you somewhere you hadn't considered.

That is one of the reasons we love conversations that start before a venue has been chosen. A little context — your month, your guest count, the atmosphere you want, how much adventure you are comfortable with — can open up possibilities that a venue search alone may never show you.

THE MERIC PERSPECTIVE

The best place to get married in Costa Rica isn't necessarily the place everyone else is choosing.

It's the place that reflects what brought you here in the first place — the landscape you imagine, the atmosphere you want your guests to feel, and the kind of experience you want to remember.

And sometimes, the most extraordinary part of the experience isn't where you say I do.

It's where the two of you go afterward.

NOT SURE WHICH PART OF COSTA RICA FEELS LIKE YOU?

Tell us what you're imagining — the landscape, the atmosphere, the experience you're hoping to create. We've photographed weddings across Costa Rica, and we'd be happy to share what we've learned.

LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR WEDDING →