The journal / Real weddings / Costa Elena

April
& Bryan at Costa Elena.A BEACH WEDDING IN GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA

A ceremony in the evening light, a floral arch beside the water, and the small moments between the formal parts of the day.COSTA ELENA · NORTHERN GUANACASTE COAST
Black and white close-up of a bride's hand with a ring resting on her lace gown
A RING AND A LACE VEIL · COSTA ELENA · GUANACASTEPHOTOGRAPHY BY ADRI MENDEZ

COSTA ELENA BEACH WEDDING · REAL CELEBRATION

April and Bryan’s Costa Elena beach wedding took place on Costa Rica’s northern Guanacaste coast. Adri photographed their celebration against the ocean and the surrounding greenery.

Photography by Adri & Lucas Weddings · Story by Adri & Lucas

Planning a wedding on the Guanacaste coast? Check our availability for your date. Based in Tamarindo, Guanacaste, and working throughout Costa Rica.

April and Bryan’s wedding at a glance

THE COUPLEApril & Bryan
THE COASTCosta Elena, northern Guanacaste
THE VENUE THENDreams Las Mareas
THE CEREMONYEvening light, by the ocean

Photographed by Adri for Adri and Lucas Weddings. The property is now JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort & Spa.

THE GALLERY IN ORDER

From the setup
to the vows.

How the photographs below move through the day.

A COSTA ELENA BEACH WEDDING

One gallery, three parts.

The setting, the people and the vows.

  1. 01

    The setting

    Veil, arch and white chairs

    Details and the ceremony setup on the sand, beside the water.

  2. 02

    The aisle and the guests

    Walks, drinks and friends

    The aisle under the trees, and the small moments between the formal parts of the day.

  3. 03

    The vows

    Under a floral arch

    April and Bryan exchange vows on the beach, with their guests around them.

This shows the order of the photographs, not clock times. Planning details for your own date are worth confirming with your planner and the venue.

Photographing a Costa Elena beach wedding.

The bright coastal light changed throughout the day.

Working with the sun and shade helped us vary the portraits while keeping the beach setting part of the story.

Round floral arch at the end of a sandy aisle lined with white chairs, boats anchored in the bay behind
The ceremony setup: a floral arch, white chairs and boats at anchor.
White chairs and a round floral arch on the sand overlooking a calm bay, a tall flower arrangement in front
A floral arch above the aisle, with the bay behind.
Tall tropical flower arrangements on wooden pedestals beside rows of white chairs on the beach
Beach ceremony setup with white chairs and flower pedestals under shady trees beside a calm bay
Sandy aisle with white chairs and flower arrangements under trees, a forested headland across the water

April and Bryan, by the ocean.

The couple’s ceremony unfolded in the evening light. Their photographs bring together the setting, the people and the small moments between the formal parts of the day.

Man walking down a sandy aisle between seated guests under large trees
A young guest walks the aisle.
Man and woman in light summer clothes smiling and holding drinks beside a table of cocktail glasses
Guests with drinks between the formal moments.
Five women in formal dresses standing together on the sand with trees behind them
Four guests in summer clothes seated together, smiling, in sunglasses and holding drinks
Person walking down a sandy aisle between seated guests under tall trees
Walking the aisle under the trees.
Two people walking down the aisle between seated guests holding tropical bouquets under trees
The bride on the garden aisle.

The memories they took home.

Groomsmen waiting beside a round floral arch while seated guests look on, bay and headland behind
Couple exchanging vows under a round floral arch on the beach as guests watch, bay behind them
Vows under the floral arch.
Bride in a lace gown with a long train facing the groom under a round floral arch as groomsmen watch
The vows.
IF YOU’RE PLANNING HERE

Notes for a
Guanacaste beach wedding.

Four notes drawn from this wedding.

  1. Plan portraits around the changing light.

    The bright coastal light shifted through the day. Working with sun and shade kept the portraits varied while the beach stayed part of the story.

  2. Let the water be part of the ceremony.

    Here, a floral arch and rows of white chairs on the sand faced the bay. Think about what your guests will see behind you.

  3. Make space for the moments between.

    The small moments, such as a young guest walking the aisle or friends with drinks, are part of the story too. Leave room in your plan for them.

  4. Confirm the current venue details yourself.

    The resort is now JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort & Spa. Ask the resort directly about current event spaces, packages and policies for your date.

USEFUL ANSWERS

Questions about this Costa Elena beach wedding

Answers from this real celebration. Confirm the details for your own day with your planner and the venue.

Where did April and Bryan marry?

On the northern Guanacaste coast of Costa Rica, at Costa Elena, at the property then known as Dreams Las Mareas.

Is this a wedding at JW Marriott Costa Elena?

The wedding took place before the property opened as JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort & Spa. The resort is open today, and these photographs show the earlier wedding.

Does this page show the resort’s current wedding spaces or packages?

No. For current event information, see Marriott’s official page for the resort.

What was the ceremony like?

It unfolded in the evening light, with a floral arch and rows of white chairs set up by the water.

Do you photograph weddings in Costa Elena?

Yes. Adri photographed this one, and we have more stories from the area, linked below. Send us your date and we will tell you if we are available.

Source: Marriott’s page for JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort & Spa. The photographs document April and Bryan’s wedding; current availability and arrangements at the resort need separate confirmation.

THE PEOPLE & PLACES

Venue at the time · Dreams Las Mareas, Costa Elena
Now · JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort & Spa
Photography · Adri & Lucas Weddings
Planner and vendors · not listed in the original post

A NOTE ON THIS STORY

Story and photographs by Adri and Lucas Weddings.
Based in Tamarindo, Guanacaste, and working throughout Costa Rica.

YOUR DAY, YOUR PEOPLE

Planning a wedding
in Costa Elena?

Share your date and venue with us so we can discuss your photography timeline and the moments you want to make space for.

Check your date on WhatsApp ↗Or send your date through our contact page

Compare Costa Rica wedding settings
More from Costa Elena: JW Marriott Costa Elena wedding photographer · our Costa Elena regional guide · Lexie and Evan’s Guanacaste wedding