It’s finally getting warmer which is making me dream of sandy beaches and tropical getaways. Jacqui and Peter’s Costa Rican wedding is doing nothing to help my craving to hop on a plane!
The couple met in 2006 at an international electronic music festival. To their surprise they discovered that they were both from Philadelphia. They were married nine years later, in January 2015. “Both of us love travel and the adventure of it”, Jacqui said. “This inspired us to go somewhere else to get married….and drag our friends and family with us!”
Both being artists who work with light, they wanted this to be a recurring presence at the wedding. “Peter creates a digital and surreal environment with his visual projections of light and lumens, and my theatre company hand paints masks and costumes with special paint that reflects ultraviolet light. We both create work that is said to have a magical and inspiring effect on people when they see it. We decided to integrate light into a night time wedding using glow sticks in unique ways, and LED lit tables and chairs.”
“The glow meadow idea was taken from Animus Arts, a Burning Man arts collective from New York. We consulted with them after seeing an installation they did that we loved at a Burning Man party. Friends and family helped put it together and planted the meadow. It suited our theme of luminescence and was in place of a candle sharing ritual at the end of the ceremony. We brought 1500 glow sticks through customs and created a ‘Glow Field’ for people to enjoy during the reception. After our vows, we started the ‘planting’ and our wedding party and the rest of the wedding guests finished. We used 10-inch glow bracelets and attached them to 20 inch bamboo skewers. It’s hard to capture how amazing this looked in a photo. It was enchanting.”
“Another DIY we did was to put holes into over 60 Costa Rican coins and string leather through them”, the bride continued. “People wore the necklaces all week. They found them wrapped around some Costa Rican coffee in their welcome bags.”
“Our biggest costs were travel and housing for all our guests but having a wedding is way cheaper in Costa Rica than in Philadelphia. For instance wedding food in Philadelphia starts at $150.00 per person and in Costa Rica the food was incredible and less than $30 per person.”
“Choosing a favourite part is hard at a destination wedding”, Jacqui concluded. “It became a week long celebration, not a one day event. Actually, that was my favourite part! The fact that the wedding wasn’t a blur but a ramping up of experiences in love with friends family and the love of my life. I don’t think I could handle just one day. Not because I’m selfish but because it would just go too fast.”
The Gallery
Suppliers
- Photography: Peach Plum Pear Photo
- Wedding Planner: Weddings Costa Rica
- Venue: Discovery Beach House, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
- Bride's Dress & Groom's Attire: Michelle Yeager
- Bride's Accessories: Man is Five
- Bridesmaid Dresses: Tobi
- Stationery: Designed With Amore
- Flowers: Stylos y Flores
- Catering: Desiree Brassert
- Lighting: Eventos Boadicea