Punta Uva Caribbean Beach Elopement | Cory & Chris

A Punta Uva Caribbean beach elopement was exactly what Cory and Chris wanted: something small, relaxed and different from the Pacific Coast version of Costa Rica that most destination couples see first.

There were only about ten people.

They got ready at Reloj de Arena and then simply walked to the beach for their ceremony. No complicated transportation. No large venue transition. Punta Uva was right there.

That simplicity suited them.

Cory and Chris are relaxed people, a little bohemian, and very obviously in love with each other. They weren’t interested in turning their wedding into a production. They wanted to get married somewhere that felt like them.

And Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast does feel like another side of the country.

Why choose Punta Uva for an elopement?

Punta Uva gives you something quite different from the beach towns of Guanacaste.

The jungle comes almost directly to the beach. There are palms, rocks, fishing boats and dense vegetation behind the sand. Puerto Viejo is nearby, but Punta Uva feels quieter and gives you more space for a small ceremony.

Cory and Chris specifically wanted that difference.

Their ceremony was directly on Punta Uva beach at around 4 p.m. Afterward, we didn’t need to rush somewhere else for photographs. We walked.

Some of my favorite photographs from the afternoon came from the spaces between the palm trees and the fishermen’s boats. The beach was fairly busy that day, so rather than trying to pretend nobody else existed, we kept moving until we found quieter pockets toward the end of the beach where the coastline meets the mountain.

That’s often how I approach an elopement here. The location gives you possibilities, but the exact photographs depend on what the beach is doing that particular afternoon.

Including, apparently, the local dogs.

We had street dogs appearing everywhere.

One joined the ceremony. Others wandered into the photographs afterward. Cory and Chris are dog lovers, so instead of trying to remove them from every frame, we ended up laughing about it most of the afternoon.

They became part of the story.

Is the Caribbean really different from Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast?

Yes, and not only visually.

After years photographing weddings as well as editorial and environmental assignments around Costa Rica, one of the biggest differences I’ve learned is that you shouldn’t apply Pacific Coast assumptions automatically to the Caribbean.

Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast does not have the same clearly defined dry and rainy seasons as the Pacific. Rain is possible throughout the year. However, there are two relatively drier periods around February–March and September–October. September and October are particularly interesting because they coincide with some of the wettest months on the Pacific side. Visit Costa Rica

That means I wouldn’t dismiss a Caribbean wedding simply because you’re considering September or October.

In fact, I would consider it.

March can also be excellent. Cory and Chris married on March 7, and we had a perfectly sunny day.

That doesn’t mean March 7 will always be sunny or September will always be dry. This is tropical Costa Rica, and the Caribbean is particularly capable of ignoring your weather app. A rain plan still matters.

My Costa Rica wedding weather guide is a starting point for comparing regions. For the other decisions before you arrive, read the Costa Rica elopement planning guide.

Explore elopement experiences ↗ View elopement collections ↗

But couples planning a Costa Rica wedding should understand that “rainy season” doesn’t mean exactly the same thing everywhere in the country.

What is the light like for wedding photography in Punta Uva?

This was another difference I noticed throughout Cory and Chris’s elopement.

On much of the Pacific coast, I’m accustomed to working with a very obvious relationship between the beach and the setting sun. Punta Uva doesn’t behave exactly like that.

We had strong orange color in the sky toward the end of the afternoon, but not hard direct sunlight falling across Cory and Chris. The ambient light on them remained remarkably soft.

That’s characteristic of what I’ve often found while working on the Caribbean side: direct sunlight can be harder to find, while the ambient light has a softer, almost slightly overcast quality.

The shape of Punta Uva Bay helped us work with that light rather than against it.

So although sunrise can absolutely be worth considering here, especially for an additional session the following morning, I wouldn’t build a Punta Uva elopement around the idea that you must photograph at sunrise.

Cory and Chris are proof of that.

Their ceremony began at 4 p.m., and we photographed through the end of the afternoon into sunset.

Planning a small elopement doesn’t mean there is nothing to plan

A ten-person wedding looks simple.

Behind that simplicity there are still decisions about weather, humidity, sand, beach traffic, privacy, ceremony position, transportation, photography and video.

My role in a full-day elopement isn’t only to arrive when the ceremony starts.

I help couples give the day a shape beforehand.

For Cory and Chris, that meant keeping everything geographically simple. Getting ready at Reloj de Arena, walking to Punta Uva, having the ceremony directly on the beach and then letting the photography become part of the walk afterward.

There was no reason to manufacture a complicated timeline.

That’s an important distinction.

Good elopement planning isn’t about adding more things. Sometimes it’s about removing everything you don’t need.

Photographing Cory & Chris in digital and Super 8

I photographed the day using a Canon 5D Mark III, while a Sony A7 III handled video. My lenses included 35mm, 50mm and 85mm primes along with a Sony 24–70mm GM.

We also photographed motion on Super 8.

Daniela joined me as my second shooter, while I handled both photography and video coverage.

There was no flash and no drone. Neither was necessary for the story we were telling.

For me, combining still photography, digital video and Super 8 isn’t about creating three separate versions of the wedding. They should work together.

The photographs hold individual moments. Video carries movement and sound. Super 8 introduces something less precise and more physical.

With Cory and Chris, that looseness made sense.

Their wedding wasn’t polished into perfection. Dogs walked into photographs. People were on the beach. We wandered between palm trees and fishing boats.

That’s what Punta Uva felt like that afternoon.

Is Punta Uva difficult for a destination wedding?

Not nearly as much as people sometimes imagine.

One misconception about Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast is that it is too remote or that you won’t find wedding vendors there.

Costa Rican wedding vendors travel throughout the country.

You also don’t necessarily need to rent a car. You can arrange transportation from San José to the Puerto Viejo area and then live much more locally once you’re there. Depending on where you stay, bicycles, walking and local transportation can cover much of what you need.

For Cory and Chris, once they were at Reloj de Arena, the important parts of their elopement were within walking distance.

There are also plenty of smaller hotels and accommodations throughout the Puerto Viejo and Punta Uva area rather than one enormous resort becoming the center of the entire wedding.

And if privacy matters, I’d choose Punta Uva over central Puerto Viejo for the ceremony itself.

A different Costa Rica

I understand why so many couples begin their search with Guanacaste, Manuel Antonio or the Pacific Coast.

But that’s not the whole country.

Cory and Chris came to Punta Uva specifically because they wanted something different. About ten people, a beach ceremony, no elaborate transitions, a walk through palms and fishing boats afterward, and more dogs appearing in the photographs than any of us planned.

It suited them.

And that’s probably the strongest argument I can make for the Caribbean.

Don’t choose it because you think it’s a substitute for the Pacific when the Pacific is rainy.

Choose it because you actually want the Caribbean.

The weather pattern is different. The light is different. The food and culture are different. The relationship between jungle and beach is different.

It is another version of Costa Rica entirely.

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Planning a Punta Uva or Puerto Viejo elopement?

I photograph intimate weddings and elopements throughout Costa Rica, and I can help you work out the photography, timing and practical structure of the day before you arrive.

An Osa Peninsula elopement La Jungla del Jaguar was exactly what Rebecca and Pascal wanted: just the two of them, surrounded by rainforest, far enough from civilization that getting there was part of the experience.

The wedding at a glance

• Couple: Rebecca and Pascal
• Venue: La Jungla del Jaguar, Osa Peninsula, near Corcovado
• Guests: None, just the two of them
• Getting there: About an hour and a half by private boat from Sierpe
• Ceremony: Under the palm trees outside their room, with officiant Marcello Galli
• After the vows: A horseback ride to San Josecito Beach

Thinking about eloping? Read my guide to the best places to elope in Costa Rica, see my work as a Costa Rica elopement photographer, or learn more about me as a Costa Rica wedding photographer.

They weren’t looking for a large wedding or a place where they would have to find a quiet corner away from tourists. They wanted to disappear into Costa Rica for a few days.

La Jungla gave them that.

Their ceremony happened beneath the palm trees just outside their room. Later, they changed clothes, got on horses and rode toward San Josecito Beach. They put their wedding clothes back on for sunset, had dinner back at La Jungla, and the following morning we went out again for a hike and photographs on the almost untouched beach beside the hotel.

There were no guests. No audience. And very little civilization around us.

Getting to La Jungla del Jaguar Is Part of the Experience

You don’t simply drive up to La Jungla del Jaguar.

I drove south to Sierpe, where I left my car at Don Jorge, a restaurant that also offers parking beside the boat dock.

There I met the officiant, Marcello Galli, an old friend I’ve worked with at weddings before, and we took a private boat together.

The journey from Sierpe took about an hour and a half.

First we traveled along the Sierpe River. Then the river opened into the Pacific Ocean and we continued along the coast, passing the Drake Bay area before eventually reaching La Jungla del Jaguar on the Osa Peninsula.

There is no road access to the property.

That fact tells you quite a lot about the experience before you even arrive.

Once you’re there, you’re there.

The hotel staff, the other guests and the people you’ve arrived with are essentially your little world. During my stay, I would estimate there were fewer than 40 people around in total.

For couples choosing this place specifically because they want to get away from civilization, that’s not an inconvenience.

That’s the point.

The Story: A Ceremony Under the Palm Trees

Rebecca and Pascal didn’t want their getting ready photographed, so there was no reason for me to manufacture that part of the story.

We began with what mattered to them.

Their ceremony took place just outside their room at La Jungla del Jaguar, beneath the palm trees.

It was only Rebecca and Pascal, the officiant and me.

That suited them.

They are relaxed, humble and loving people who weren’t interested in showing off for the camera. My job was to follow that rather than turn their elopement into a photoshoot.

After the ceremony, they changed out of their wedding clothes.

And then we got on horses.

Horseback to San Josecito Beach

The horseback ride toward San Josecito Beach was one of those experiences that makes an Osa Peninsula elopement fundamentally different from simply choosing a beautiful ceremony location.

We weren’t driving from one photo location to another.

We were actually doing something.

The route takes you through the landscape, with a beautiful perspective before descending toward San Josecito. For a couple who likes adventure, I would absolutely recommend it.

Photographing it was another story.

I normally work very simply. One camera, one lens and as little equipment between me and what is happening as possible.

On this day, however, I was producing both photography and video.

Trying to ride a horse while carrying two cameras on a HoldFast MoneyMaker, making photographs and capturing video was considerably more difficult than I expected.

But that’s also why I don’t want to turn an elopement like this into a production.

Rebecca and Pascal were there to ride horses through the Osa Peninsula, not to wait while I constructed shots.

I had to work around what they were doing.

That’s a big part of my documentary training: being able to photograph and film what is actually happening while interfering as little as possible.

Changing Back Into Wedding Clothes for Sunset

After the horseback portion of the day, Rebecca and Pascal changed back into their wedding clothes.

Then the light gave us exactly what we wanted.

The sunset was beautiful.

One of the advantages of an elopement like this is that you aren’t committed to wearing wedding clothes from breakfast until dinner. You can treat the day as an experience first.

Have the ceremony.

Change clothes.

Get on a horse.

Explore.

Then put the wedding clothes back on when the light and location make sense.

For Rebecca and Pascal, that gave the day a rhythm that felt natural rather than scheduled around photography.

After sunset, we returned for dinner.

Photographing Photo and Video Alone in the Osa Peninsula

I photographed this elopement with a Leica SL and Leica Summilux-SL 50mm f/1.4.

For video, I used a Sony A7 III with a Sony 35mm f/1.4 GM, and I also carried a DJI Mini 2 for aerial footage where conditions allowed.

I was working alone across both photography and video, which is something I do frequently.

My background in documentary and editorial photography and video has shaped the way I work in situations like this. I don’t want a couple’s elopement surrounded by equipment and people simply because I need to produce different types of coverage.

The equipment needs to follow the experience, not the other way around.

That becomes even more important somewhere like the Osa Peninsula.

What Happens When You’re Far From a Camera Store

Being remote changes the way you prepare.

La Jungla uses solar electricity with battery storage, and power availability is limited. I didn’t have a charging problem because I arrived with everything charged and didn’t use all of the battery capacity I carried.

For the cameras, I had two bodies with two batteries each. For the drone, I carried three batteries.

The important part wasn’t having an enormous amount of equipment.

It was redundancy.

If one camera had failed, I could have completed both the photography and video coverage with the other one.

That’s how I prefer to prepare for remote weddings. The backup should be something I can actually continue working with, not just something that technically exists in my bag.

Humidity also wasn’t a problem.

I’ve worked in Costa Rica long enough to know how to manage equipment in tropical conditions. Overnight, rather than sealing the cameras inside a bag, I left them open in the room with the fan running so air could circulate and moisture wouldn’t sit around the equipment.

Nothing failed.

And that’s the ideal outcome.

Preparation isn’t supposed to become part of the wedding story. It’s supposed to make sure the story can continue when something unexpected happens.

An Insider’s Look at La Jungla del Jaguar

The beach immediately beside La Jungla is one of the things photographs don’t completely explain.

It feels almost untouched.

There aren’t rows of chairs, buildings along the shore or crowds to work around. It has the kind of tropical landscape that can look almost unreal because there is so little obvious human alteration.

And then there’s the wildlife.

Birds, monkeys, anteaters and the constant sounds of insects and animals remind you that you’re staying inside a much larger ecosystem.

At night, it becomes especially noticeable.

It gets dark, and instead of hearing traffic, bars or a resort outside your room, you hear everything happening in the forest.

This is also where the Osa Peninsula feels fundamentally different from some of Costa Rica’s more accessible jungle destinations.

In places such as Arenal and La Fortuna, beautiful locations often mean thinking about other visitors and finding ways to photograph around them.

Here, there was nobody to avoid.

You really can feel alone.

The Tide Matters More Than Your Timeline

There is another practical reality couples should understand: access is connected to the ocean and the tide.

Because La Jungla is reached by boat rather than road, transportation doesn’t operate like arriving at a conventional resort whenever you choose.

During my trip, there was a morning boat and an afternoon boat.

That affected my own schedule. I needed to stay overnight rather than leave immediately after the elopement.

Instead of treating that as dead time, I asked Rebecca and Pascal if they wanted to go out again the following morning.

I offered the extra coverage to them at no additional charge.

We went for a morning hike and then photographed on the beach immediately beside La Jungla.

It became another piece of their story that hadn’t originally been planned.

That’s something I like about working this way. Not every good photograph has to exist on a timeline before you arrive.

Sometimes being somewhere longer creates the photograph.

La Jungla del Jaguar and Corcovado

Part of what makes this location exceptional is its relationship with Corcovado National Park.

La Jungla del Jaguar sits on the edge of this extraordinary part of the Osa Peninsula, with access to the deep rainforest that defines the region. The experience isn’t simply looking at jungle from a hotel balcony. You’re living beside it.

The property can even serve as a starting point for deeper experiences in Corcovado, including overnight camping excursions into the park.

That’s why I wouldn’t describe an Osa Peninsula elopement as simply another version of a jungle wedding in Costa Rica.

It is a different commitment.

You take a boat to get there. You organize your days around the environment. Wildlife is part of everyday life. The beach can feel almost completely untouched. And civilization is roughly an hour and a half away by boat.

For Rebecca and Pascal, that was exactly what they had come looking for.

The Kind of Elopement You Remember as an Adventure

Rebecca and Pascal didn’t travel all the way to the Osa Peninsula because they needed a beautiful background for wedding photographs.

They wanted to go somewhere remote together.

The photographs came from that decision.

A ceremony beneath palm trees.

A horseback ride toward San Josecito.

Changing back into wedding clothes for sunset.

Dinner in the jungle.

A night surrounded by the sounds of the forest.

And, because the boat wasn’t leaving until morning, an unexpected final chapter walking and photographing together on an almost empty beach.

That’s what I think an adventure elopement should be.

Not a photoshoot dressed up as an adventure.

An actual experience that happens to leave you with photographs.

Planning an Osa Peninsula elopement La Jungla del Jaguar?

If the idea of getting married somewhere genuinely remote sounds more exciting than inconvenient, tell me what you’re imagining.

I photograph elopements throughout Costa Rica with a documentary approach, using photography and video to follow the experience rather than interrupt it.

I call this kind of wedding a Wanderlust Experience because it isn’t centered around a single venue. It’s a full day of discovering Costa Rica together, where every stop becomes another chapter of your story. From rainforest trails and waterfalls to lakeside lunches and private vows high above the canopy, the journey itself becomes part of your wedding day.

Ella and Omesh traveled from the United Kingdom to celebrate their wedding in Costa Rica with a full-day adventure designed around everything they love: nature, privacy, meaningful experiences, and the freedom to explore without rushing from one event to the next.

Their Costa Rica Wanderlust Elopement began surrounded by the rainforest at Finca Luna Nueva, continued with an intimate ceremony at La Fortuna Waterfall, a relaxed lakeside lunch overlooking Lake Arenal, and ended high above the forest canopy at Sky Adventures, where they exchanged private vows on one of the tallest hanging bridges in Costa Rica.

Because they described themselves as camera shy, my approach focused on creating space for genuine moments rather than directing every interaction. The result was a wedding day that felt less like a photo shoot and more like an unforgettable adventure together.

Your Costa Rica Wanderlust Elopement

What Is It?

A Wanderlust Elopement is designed for couples who want to experience Costa Rica, not just get married here.

Instead of spending the entire day at one venue, your wedding becomes a carefully planned journey through some of the country’s most spectacular landscapes, combining meaningful moments with unforgettable experiences.

Each itinerary is built around your personalities, whether that means waterfalls, volcanoes, cloud forests, beaches, lakes, or hidden rainforest trails.

A Different Kind of Wedding Film

For this elopement, we created something deeply personal.

Instead of building the film around music alone, we recorded the natural sounds of Costa Rica, the rainforest, waterfalls, footsteps, birds, and the quiet moments between them.

At the heart of the film are Ella and Omesh’s private vows, allowing the emotion of the day to guide the story naturally.

The result feels less like a traditional highlight reel and more like a memory you can return to for years to come.

Why Couples Love Wanderlust Elopements

• Multiple breathtaking locations in one day
• Completely personalized itinerary
• Local recommendations from someone who lives here
• Flexible timeline built around your pace
• Transportation included on the wedding day
• Natural documentary photography
• Optional cinematic storytelling
• An experience that feels like the best day of your vacation

Ready to Capture Your Story?

Your wedding day doesn’t have to fit into a traditional timeline.

It can be a journey through rainforests, waterfalls, lakes, mountain roads, and quiet moments shared in places you’ll remember forever.

If you’re dreaming of an intimate wedding that feels like the greatest adventure of your lives, I’d love to help you design a Costa Rica Wanderlust Elopement that’s completely your own.