Doce Lunas Hotel, Jaco, Costa Rica Elopement Photo Story Award

Cassie tearing up during the ceremony at the Doce Lunas Hotel in Jaco, Costa Rica.

Words from Cassie the bride:

"Originally Jay and I were on opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to a destination wedding. I wanted a wedding in our home town, he really wanted a destination. I started looking at my travel bucket list and all the things I would want for us and our guests, and that I didn’t want a beach wedding. I started looking at Costa Rica and found some places that really piqued my interest, so in May we came down and visited a couple of different places. We decided on DoceLunas because we felt it had a more authentic Costa Rican vibe, along with their restaurant being literally everything I had envisioned for my reception venue. 

We loved so many things about Costa Rica, the people, the beautiful scenery, the sloths (lol), the food, just the vibe in general. 

What I’m most excited about is getting up in front of our family and closest friends and committing to our relationship and then the dancing at the reception. Jay is most looking forward to hanging out with our friends and family for several days...and the food!  

We are looking for a rustic, tropical, semi-formal event, so we kept the wooden tables and chairs exposed and accented with tropical leaves and fruits for centerpieces. We are hoping our guests will get dressed up, but then feel comfortable kicking off their shoes to hit the dance floor. 

Tradition is important to me, but more than the traditions themselves is the meaning behind them."

There was a small ceremony early in the afternoon in case it rained.

This is the dog who lives at the hotel. Cassie and Jay fell in love with him and asked him to be in the ceremony.

Cassie, the bride, used to be a dancer and she tore it up on the dance floor.

The reception area had some fairy lights so we got a quick portrait.