Destination Costa Rica: Lauri + Adrian

Late last summer I was on a plane to Atlanta, then San Jose, Costa Rica; then to drive in a van to the Pacific lower half of Costa Rica to shoot my first destination wedding. This came after a whirlwind of months of is this really possible, is this really going to happen .. after learning from a best friend that she was engaged and that no, my destination wedding possiblity wouldn't be Chicago (where she lives) but rather, Costa Rica. And that she wondered if maybe I'd come to Costa Rica with them. My answer? — but of course.

Many couples make Costa Rica a destination wedding, and as soon as we flew over the lush green landscape into the country and made our way to the ocean I knew why. In the half day ride from the airport in the capital city of San Jose to the beach area where Lauri + Adrian were to be married at, we drove past mountain regions, rainforest areas, and the beautiful Central American terrain. I was captivated with the people (Ticos) and the country and all there was to discover. The Costa Verde hotel was our destination point for 4 days, and the service provided by them from the hotel for their wedding was incredible. A small intimate ceremony for just Lauri, Adrian, and their officiant, Marcelo Galli was what I had to capture for the wedding. I could get very used to shooting a wedding with no shoes, and an island skirt! The ceremony was beautiful, at sunset, with a small rainstorm just beginning to come across the ocean.

I love that a lot of the weddings I get to document have a great personal connection to me in some way. This one was tops in my book, as Lauri and I go back to 1993; we met in Psychology class our very first day of college. Our friendship grew on from that day, and never in my wildest dreams did I think that one day I'd travel with her beyond Chicago and get to photograph such a special day for her in a completely different country (the thought of even being a wedding photographer wasn't even planted in my head at that point! I was a journalism major!)

Below are some of the standout images of our time together than spans 5 days of exploring the great country of Costa Rica, and telling the story of Lauri + Adrian's beginnings of being husband and wife. You can view their entire slideshow here. Pura vida!

Comments

[Ben - researching print and graphic design]

Wow! Beautiful photos of a beautiful event, it looks like. Costa Rica, the cake, the couple! Thanks for posting!

Ben