The Costa Rica Wedding Journal

Planning guides, real weddings and honest local knowledge from Christopher Alga, photographing weddings across Costa Rica since 2008.

What couples are reading

Start here: plan it in four steps

New to planning a wedding in Costa Rica? Read these in order.


  1. Make it legal

    What foreigners need to marry in Costa Rica, and what to do back home afterwards.

    Legal requirements →Registering in the U.S. →


  2. Set a budget

    Real prices and budget examples, then plan your own numbers.

    What it costs →Free budget tracker →


  3. Choose where and when

    Beaches, rainforest or volcano, and what each month is like.

    Venues →Month by month →


  4. Build your team

    The planners, officiants and photographers who make it happen.

    Wedding planners →Choosing a photographer →

Photography in Costa Rica

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Latest planning guides

All planning guides

Where to say I do

Venue lists

Most searched

Explore by region

Guanacaste and La Fortuna make for completely different weddings. Start with the place.

Costa Rica, month by month

All month guides

Weather, light and crowds for every month of the year.

Real weddings & elopements

See all

What actually happened on the day, from Guanacaste to La Fortuna.

The Costa Rica vendor lists

All lists

Planning a wedding in Europe

Europe guides

Free planning tool

The Costa Rica Wedding Budget Tracker

Set your guest count and budget, then see where the money goes, including Costa Rica costs like IVA, service charges and vendor travel. Use it online or download the Excel version.

Already have a date in mind?

Tell me your date and where you are thinking of celebrating.

CHECK MY DATE