At times I thought I would never be a bride and even at some point thought that I would only elope if it happened to be a part of my path. My work life revolved around weddings and so I thought that when it came to my own that it would be so hard to remove myself from the behind-the-scenes coordination to enjoy myself.
Funny how life works out though isn't it? When I met Soul, my opinion changed. I wanted a union to celebrate our love and bring our families and friends together. I mostly wanted the chance for the people we love the most to get to know one another and learn about both of our cultures, history and dynamics. Since our families are from different countries, I knew that this would likely be the only chance to get everyone in one place - other than my funeral (sad but true).
Costa Rica did just that for us. But the journey wasn't smooth. AT ALL.
Choosing a Destination Wedding Location
Choosing a destination was so complicated! Beyond what I ever thought it would be. Although I have many connections here in Toronto, I knew that planning my wedding here would create so many unhealthy obsessions with designing every little detail of decor. I knew that it would consume me and that Soul would want to kill me. So to save our relationship and my sanity, I knew that a destination wedding would force me to relinquish control. It certainly did that! Ha!
In the beginning, we toggled with the possibility of getting married in the south of France in the fall. It was the off-season for me and cheaper to have a wedding in France at that time of year. When I communicated the idea to my must-have's, they all told me that it financially and physically couldn't happen at that time. October was back to school time and I forgot that since I am the last to get married in my friend circle, that everyone has kids that go to school!!!
Onto the next idea. The only one that seemed fitting. Nicaragua. It meant something to us. My property is there. We got engaged there. It is a place we both feel connected to. Not to mention it is AFFORDABLE!!! And a quick flight for the fellow Canadians! It is also a 2-flight-path for the French relatives coming - which we decided was reasonable.
And so, I started the leg work. I found the most beautiful location that was private and even convinced the owner to let me host my wedding there! We would have had private villas in the trees for such a reasonable price! It was seriously a dream. Most of all, I was excited to show people how lovely Nicaragua is and get them immersed in the culture.
Crushed Dreams
To our utter shock, 3 weeks after our engagement, news broke that Nicaragua was in political turmoil. After over a decade of peace, the country was not in a good state. We waited. We thought that it had no chance of becoming dangerous again and continued with our plans. But the universe had a different plan for us. Two months went by, and the situation worsened. We had no choice but to pull the plug. Sad and feeling defeated, I sent out an email to announce to our guests that the wedding was on hold until we found a new destination.
Honestly, I think I had a minor breakdown at that point. Our wedding was supposed to be just 6 months from that moment and I had to start again. I had already invited over 120 people knowing that it was a destination and our group would be small...and we were trying to stick within a timeline of early 2019 so it wouldn't affect our work seasons. I took 2 months off to think and decompress. It gave me a lot of anxiety. Now it seemed as though I was hunting for a location somewhere in the world just to find something instead of it remaining meaningful to us anymore. I guess I am a hopeful romantic when it comes to these things.....
Hope on the rise
In any case, one day, Soul found this beautiful villa in Costa Rica. We had both been to Costa Rica before and had discussed that it had the same vibe as Nicaragua. Although it cost a lot more, it was feasible for both the Canadians and the French guests. We messaged Finca Austria with our mandatory questions that had to be answered yes:
Can you host a wedding for up to 75 guests?
Is your curfew "no curfew"?
They got back to us with a universal YES! We were elated! It made us both feel excited. It had everything we wanted within our budget. After many phone calls and emails, we signed the dotted line and set upon setting up our new destination wedding in Nosara, Costa Rica!
A la carte or a la chaos?
I will not go into details of planning my wedding in this post as I could talk for days about my struggles. (That is for a specific blog in the future) All I will say is that planning an a la carte destination wedding is not for the faint of heart. Especially when you are planning in a country where you do not speak the language. It is frustrating at most times, and something simple can be an extreme hurdle that just simply isn't logical at all! If you are a type A personality like me, this will frustrate you beyond belief. Delegating jobs just isn't feasible either and if you want your wedding to look and flow a certain way - expect that simple requests will become problematic.
Design Hurdles
Almost all of my style choices were hurdles. Most of all, what I didn't account for in my budget was the remoteness of the location. Since the Finca was on the top of a mountain, in a town with TERRIBLE roads, the fees for delivery were beyond my wildest dreams! So to cut back on costs, I ended up doing many services I had planned to hire out myself. Having knowledge of costs in Canada for wedding services made me jump out of my skin when I was being charged $800USD for a delivery service of flowers for example.
With these learning curves, I had to adjust, alter and redesign my vision multiple times. I had to fight for my desires a lot and think between the lines for solutions that were never presented to me. At the end of the day, no one could tell that my design vision was my 5th vision, or that the food menu was only solidified two weeks before the wedding!
A las, the result was worth it
The end result was beautiful. It encapsulated us as a couple and most of all the decor elements that I fought and had countless sleepless nights about, conveyed the over-all vision. Our family and friends all made it to the Finca in one piece (although rattled from the journey) and the goal of mixing our two lives into one was a success!
Pre-wedding Story
Soul and I arrived in Costa Rica early to have a few days solo before the storm! We rented an Airbnb close by to the Finca to focus on spending time with both of our families who had never met.
On the 24th, we headed to the Finca which consists of 2 main houses on the top of the hill and 2 cottages at the bottom of the hill. My family rented a house outside of the Finca. Since we had 69 guests, we could not fit everyone at the Finca so we had our guests choose depending on their budget and preference. This took major planning and organization as we had to personally collect payment and then pay the Finca in a lump sum. A la carte began here with complications.
The day before the wedding, we opted for an activity day where we chose zip-lining as our group activity followed by an afternoon at the beach. This was a great way to get our friends and family mingling and getting to know one another.
Wedding Day
January 26, 2019, and it's the day of our wedding :) I slept solo in the bridal suite and since I was up so late making my own bouquets, I welcomed the empty king bed to my exhausted self! The morning I woke up was beautiful. Even though it was insanely hot - 44 degrees by the afternoon! - I wasn't complaining. After a buffet breakfast that I barely ate, my room filled with girls getting ready. The hustle and bustle of the wedding morning were under-way. :)
The Finca surroundings are picture-perfect, with Indian and Moroccan details at every corner. My dress hangs with anticipation in these gorgeous archways as my friend Eunice does my hair and makeup. Keeping my morning low key.
The hunt for the perfect dress
The hunt for the perfect dress and accessories was another journey for another blog. Let's just say that I couldn't seem to find what I wanted. Let's call that the theme for my wedding. Hahahaha. Perhaps I knew too much of what I didn't want. Maybe I was too immersed in weddings on a daily basis for me to be more open? For me, I had a perfect vision that I just couldn't find. The bridal vendors I adore are mostly Australian. I realized quickly that Toronto stores carry very little of a bohemian-tropical style. I found many dresses very "safe." A market worth tapping into I think. A few Australian brands I absolutely love include: Grace Loves Lace, Lovers Society, Made With Love Bridal, and one from New Zealand, which is RuedeSeine.
Alternative Choices
In any case, the topical print vision I had for my shoes turned into these pretty low heels from the Australian company, Forever Soles. They were magic! Super comfy and a low heel to boot! Since I am already tall and my hubby is not much taller than me, I wanted to keep my heels to a minimum without wearing flats. This company makes pretty low heels which I found soooo hard to find..especially in the Canadian winter months. I also grabbed a pair of flat sandals from them too - which I didn't end up wearing but it is worth noting that a back-up plan is worth the investment!
Paper Stationery vs. Digital
Soul and I opted to do our invites online since we had guests from all over the world and had so many bookings to manage. We also thought we'd save on paper and postage!
I made a wedding website with plenty of info about the trip and details surrounding it and then printed one copy of a stationery suite for our photos. (Of course, a wedding story is not complete without this lol).
At times I thought I would never be a bride and even at some point thought that I would only elope if it happened to be a part of my path. My work life revolved around weddings and so I thought that when it came to my own that it would be so hard to remove myself from the behind-the-scenes coordination to enjoy myself.
Funny how life works out though isn’t it? When I met Soul, my opinion changed. I wanted a union to celebrate our love and bring our families and friends together. I mostly wanted the chance for the people we love the most to get to know one another and learn about both of our cultures, history and dynamics. Since our families are from different countries, I knew that this would likely be the only chance to get everyone in one place – other than my funeral (sad but true).
Costa Rica did just that for us. But the journey wasn’t smooth. AT ALL.
Choosing a destination was so complicated! Beyond what I ever thought it would be. Although I have many connections here in Toronto, I knew that planning my wedding here would create so many unhealthy obsessions with designing every little detail of decor. I knew that it would consume me and that Soul would want to kill me. So to save our relationship and my sanity, I knew that a destination wedding would force me to relinquish control. It certainly did that! Ha!
In the beginning, we toggled with the possibility of getting married in the south of France in the fall. It was the off-season for me and cheaper to have a wedding in France at that time of year. When I communicated the idea to my must-have’s, they all told me that it financially and physically couldn’t happen at that time. October was back to school time and I forgot that since I am the last to get married in my friend circle, that everyone has kids that go to school!!!
Onto the next idea. The only one that seemed fitting. Nicaragua. It meant something to us. My property is there. We got engaged there. It is a place we both feel connected to. Not to mention it is AFFORDABLE!!! And a quick flight for the fellow Canadians! It is also a 2-flight-path for the French relatives coming – which we decided was reasonable.
And so, I started the leg work. I found the most beautiful location that was private and even convinced the owner to let me host my wedding there! We would have had private villas in the trees for such a reasonable price! It was seriously a dream. Most of all, I was excited to show people how lovely Nicaragua is and get them immersed in the culture.
To our utter shock, 3 weeks after our engagement, news broke that Nicaragua was in political turmoil. After over a decade of peace, the country was not in a good state. We waited. We thought that it had no chance of becoming dangerous again and continued with our plans. But the universe had a different plan for us. Two months went by, and the situation worsened. We had no choice but to pull the plug. Sad and feeling defeated, I sent out an email to announce to our guests that the wedding was on hold until we found a new destination.
Honestly, I think I had a minor breakdown at that point. Our wedding was supposed to be just 6 months from that moment and I had to start again. I had already invited over 120 people knowing that it was a destination and our group would be small…and we were trying to stick within a timeline of early 2019 so it wouldn’t affect our work seasons. I took 2 months off to think and decompress. It gave me a lot of anxiety. Now it seemed as though I was hunting for a location somewhere in the world just to find something instead of it remaining meaningful to us anymore. I guess I am a hopeful romantic when it comes to these things…..
In any case, one day, Soul found this beautiful villa in Costa Rica. We had both been to Costa Rica before and had discussed that it had the same vibe as Nicaragua. Although it cost a lot more, it was feasible for both the Canadians and the French guests. We messaged Finca Austria with our mandatory questions that had to be answered yes:
Can you host a wedding for up to 75 guests?
Is your curfew “no curfew”?
They got back to us with a universal YES! We were elated! It made us both feel excited. It had everything we wanted within our budget. After many phone calls and emails, we signed the dotted line and set upon setting up our new destination wedding in Nosara, Costa Rica!
I will not go into details of planning my wedding in this post as I could talk for days about my struggles. (That is for a specific blog in the future) All I will say is that planning an a la carte destination wedding is not for the faint of heart. Especially when you are planning in a country where you do not speak the language. It is frustrating at most times, and something simple can be an extreme hurdle that just simply isn’t logical at all! If you are a type A personality like me, this will frustrate you beyond belief. Delegating jobs just isn’t feasible either and if you want your wedding to look and flow a certain way – expect that simple requests will become problematic.
Almost all of my style choices were hurdles. Most of all, what I didn’t account for in my budget was the remoteness of the location. Since the Finca was on the top of a mountain, in a town with TERRIBLE roads, the fees for delivery were beyond my wildest dreams! So to cut back on costs, I ended up doing many services I had planned to hire out myself. Having knowledge of costs in Canada for wedding services made me jump out of my skin when I was being charged $800USD for a delivery service of flowers for example.
With these learning curves, I had to adjust, alter and redesign my vision multiple times. I had to fight for my desires a lot and think between the lines for solutions that were never presented to me. At the end of the day, no one could tell that my design vision was my 5th vision, or that the food menu was only solidified two weeks before the wedding!
The end result was beautiful. It encapsulated us as a couple and most of all the decor elements that I fought and had countless sleepless nights about, conveyed the over-all vision. Our family and friends all made it to the Finca in one piece (although rattled from the journey) and the goal of mixing our two lives into one was a success!
Soul and I arrived in Costa Rica early to have a few days solo before the storm! We then rented an Airbnb close by to the Finca to enjoy on a smaller level with our parents and siblings. On the 24th, we headed to the Finca which consists of 2 main houses on the top of the hill and 2 cottages at the bottom of the hill. My family rented a house outside of the Finca. Since we had 69 guests, we could not fit everyone at the Finca so we had our guests choose depending on their budget where they would stay. This took major planning and organization as we had to personally collect payment and then pay the Finca in a lump sum. This is why I say doing something a la carte is wildly time-consuming, so if you are not the planner type, you better stick with an all-inclusive that basically facilitates all of these bookings for you.
The day before the wedding, we opted for an activity day where we chose zip-lining as our group activity followed by an afternoon at the beach. This was a great way to get our friends and family mingling and getting to know one another.
January 26, 2019, and it’s the day of our wedding 🙂 I slept solo in the bridal suite and since I was up so late making my own bouquets, I welcomed the empty king bed to my exhausted self! The morning I woke up was beautiful. Even though it was insanely hot – 44 degrees by the afternoon! – I wasn’t complaining. After a buffet breakfast that I barely ate, my room filled with girls getting ready. The hustle and bustle of the wedding morning were under-way. 🙂
The Finca surroundings are picture-perfect, with Indian and Moroccan details at every corner. My dress hangs with anticipation in these gorgeous archways as my friend Eunice does my hair and makeup. Keeping my morning low key.
The hunt for the perfect dress and accessories was another journey for another blog. Let’s just say that I couldn’t seem to find what I wanted. Let’s call that the theme for my wedding. Hahahaha. Is it because I’m steeped so deeply in weddings, every day, that I just knew what I didn’t want? Maybe. For me, I had a perfect vision that I just couldn’t find. This frustration was partly because all the bridal gown vendors I adore are Australian and I realized that Toronto stores carry very little of the wedding gown style that I like, which is bohemian-tropical. A market worth tapping into I think. A few Australian brands I absolutely love include: Grace Loves Lace, Lovers Society, Made With Love Bridal, and one from New Zealand, which is RuedeSeine.
In any case, the topical print vision I had for my shoes turned into these pretty low heels from the Australian company, Forever Soles. They were magic! Super comfy and a low heel to boot! Since I am already tall and my hubby is not much taller than me, I wanted to keep my heels to a minimum without wearing flats. This company makes pretty low heels which I found soooo hard to find..especially in the Canadian winter months. I also grabbed a pair of flat sandals from them too – which I didn’t end up wearing but it is worth noting that a back-up plan is worth the investment!
Soul and I opted to do our invites online since we had guests from all over the world and had so many bookings to manage. We also thought we’d save on paper and postage!
I made a wedding website with plenty of info about the trip and details surrounding it and then printed one copy of a stationery suite for our photos. (Of course, a wedding story is not complete without this lol).
Since my hair is naturally wavy, Eunice and I thought we would keep it down and natural looking with a more manicured wave. I guess the heat spoiled that plan because after about 30 minutes in the heat my hair flattened. I have never had straight hair but my wedding day, I did. Go figure. In any case, I just rolled with it. Boho meets frizz. At that point, who cares???
It was important to me to greet guests with a token of our appreciation, and so I made welcome bags for each couple. Using my Cricut machine, I made customized bags, emergency hangover kits, door hangers, and print outs of the itinerary. I made some organic lip balm and bug-off too! Lucky for us, there were no mosquitos the entire time!
I know a lot of ladies agonize over what their engagement ring will look like. (while sweetly saying to themselves “Anything he offers will be perfect.”) But what you are really thinking is “Will it be something I like?”
Honestly, in my opinion, I would tell your man. Do it in your own way, but saying nothing and hoping he will fulfill your dream ring is a bit too dreamy don’t you think? If you are okay with a surprise, then you have nothing to say if you don’t like it…but seriously I think most men are scared to choose alone. Delegate a friend to offer help, or slip in a few Pinterest photos to his email. Don’t confuse him. Just one or two.
I don’t think most proposals are coming out of left-field. Most couples discuss their future goals. For Soul and I, we knew marriage was our next step. Let’s face it, I am not a young bride so for me, I had a timeline to try and create. I shared a few photos with Soul on Pinterest and even snuck into a few jewelry stores solo to try on what looks I thought I might like. After all, I had never worn a fancy ring before so I knew what I liked in photos, but not on my finger. I tried on a few styles to make sure what I “wanted” was actually what I liked. And then I patiently waited and wondered what he would choose and when he would pop the question!!
This engagement ring above is from Blu Boho and it was actually one of my trial testers. I loved everything about it and mentioned it once. Ironically it is the “Mon Couer” ring. Seems fitting coming from my Parisian husband.
We didn’t stick to many traditions for our wedding, but I have always loved pics of the girls in beautiful robes. This was another small gesture I could fit in my suitcase for each of my pretty bridesmaids.
After getting insanely high floral quotes from the only 2 vendors in Nosara, I opted to make my own bouquet and bridesmaids bouquet. I ordered the flowers I wanted from the wholesaler and paid for a delivery fee for the flowers instead of the already made product which saved me quite a lot of money. Since I have a bit of experience doing flowers, it didn’t stress me out and I knew I would get a more boho vibe than the vendors in the area offered.
I also opted to make my own foot jewellery as the ones online were quite pricey. They were super easy to make and took about an hour.
I was so lucky to have all the baby girls from my life in my wedding party! My two nieces and my bestie’s daughter were a true pleasure to have with me that day. I made some cute flower crowns for each of them, bringing a few supplies like paper butterflies and feathers to add for extra interest. Don’t they look so cute??
Account for an additional 30 minutes to put your dress on when building your timeline for your wedding day. You are used to dressing yourself in 2 minutes, but putting on your wedding dress takes time. It isn’t pretty either. Usually, you are sweating and the poor person zipping or bustling you in is sweating too. Your lady parts need to be pulled here and there and then you have to be photographed all the while! Slow down your timeline and make sure you are not rushing. There is nothing worse than getting ready in a hurry and feeling like you never completed your well-planned look because you ran out of time!
Having my mom put on my dress was such a great moment for me. As much as I am a woman against many traditions, there are some important ones I love! Having a mother-daughter moment the day of the wedding is so vital and quite honestly, it might be the only moment of the day where it can happen – so plan it into the schedule!
White, white, white! I opted for the girls to be dressed in white in addition to the moms. So many people cautioned my choice which really surprised me! I stuck to my guns though, as I had seen it in photos and loved the look. I also love the symbolism it represents. I wanted to note the importance of my girlfriends in my life and shine a light on each of them too! Marriage is a unity of love among friends and family as well.
I let each of the girls choose whatever they wanted to wear. My only stipulation was no patterns or colours – just white.
Although I ended up with a dress that wasn’t what I hunted and searched for in 15 different stores, I got a dress that fit me and suited me and the venue perfectly. The lace is almost Aztec inspired, which is something I really love about it! Ferre Sposa is an amazing boutique that helped me customize the dress to my specifications with patience and excellent customer service. I am beyond thrilled with the outcome. And after all the alterations and searching, I am now selling it! So anyone interested in a street size 4, dress size 6, send me an email. 😉
Soul and I decided beforehand that we would both wear white for our wedding day. We also decided to have an African ensemble to show tribute to Soul’s African heritage later in the evening. We agreed on colours, and both found our own outfits in secret. It was a nice surprise seeing one another for our first looks!
Costa Rica has so many howler monkeys. It was seriously beautiful to hear them howling in the background in the morning and again at sunset while we actually tied the knot!
Doesn’t my husband look so handsome???
Soul found his African Dashiki on Etsy. He sent in his custom measurements and it was sent to him in a few weeks! I think he did very well!!
Having Soul’s parents at the wedding was such an honour! I actually met his father for the first time there and it was such a blessing to spend more than just a day with them. We have a huge barrier to communicate: language. So, being able to spend quality time with them before and after the festivities was so important to me! It’s a time we will cherish forever.
Friends and family helped with so many aspects of the wedding to make it truly personalized and focused around our love. Our friend Yannick was our DJ, Sarah and Frank translated ALL of our speeches in both French and English so that the speeches were a surprise to us and so everyone could join together in understanding. It was tedious at times and required extreme patience, and we couldn’t be more thankful for their devotion!
In perfect “Maciborka” tradition, we give photo books as presents. We are definitely a photo-based family due to my mom’s love for photography. I started the tradition between Soul and I for a wedding day gift, leading him through the alphabet of the reasons why I love him.
The First Look:
Soul and I opted to do a first look mostly because it saves so much time! As much as I am a sucker for that first look down the aisle, I think the first look is just as sweet and personal. It was great to have a moment to ourselves hiding behind the pool while our friends curiously waited on the other side to catch a glimpse of us.
The first look allowed us to take photos with our friends and one another without interfering with the timeline of the day. Since the sun sets early in Costa Rica, we were working on a 5:00 pm sunset timeline and my goal was to have guests enjoy the sunset during cocktail hour!
The bride squad. I opted against a “bridal party” even though it kinda was. I wanted to showcase my friends by including them in the ceremony and photos but not stick to all the traditions of bridal party expectations. Overall, I think it worked.
Soul also opted to do a non-groomsmen bridal party. He asked his girlfriends to wear white as they would walk down the aisle and his guy friends wore what they wanted. More than anything he just wanted to include them in some photos and that’s what he did! I encourage my couples to do what you want. You don’t always have to follow traditions! Just do what makes you happy.
I knew that we would be pressed for time on our actual wedding day to take photos of just the two of us, so I opted to get re-dressed in our wedding clothes for photos two days after the wedding. This way, we wouldn’t be pressed for time, stressed, AND I would get my sunset golden hour shots that every photographer wants! I would be damned if I didn’t get that! Especially in Costa Rica!
Since our photoshoot day was separate, I decided to dress it up with some fun earrings that I made and a flower head-piece. Why not? Using the extra flowers, I made this head-piece while Eunice re-did my makeup. We set out on the Finca grounds with Lelania to get some pretty captures just the two of us without the stress of hurrying back to a party.
If you can do this, I highly recommend it! It does require more effort and you don’t look exactly the same, but you can use that to your advantage as well. Maybe instead of an engagement shoot, you can request a post-wedding shoot with your photographer?
Photographer Tip:
It is nice to get to know your photographer a bit before embarking on your wedding day photos. Whether that be an engagement shoot or lifestyle shoot for practice, or simply meeting for a coffee and chat, it is ideal if you have met and have some common ground. When I chose our photographer, I was certainly perplexed. All of my favourite shooters are my good friends, and I wanted them to enjoy the wedding. For a moment I considered hiring someone locally and then I thought to myself – “Are you serious April? Why would you risk that?”
The obvious choice was bringing someone from Olive Studio that I trust and whose work I love. And so, Lelania was hired as our girl and we couldn’t be happier! My friend Scott, offered to second-shoot which was a double whammy! We had a solid crew of hard-working talent and my mind was set at ease. They captured such beautiful memories and details that we will cherish.
Moral of the story: hire someone whose work you love, whose personality you jive with and who can make you at ease throughout the day. If photography is your jam, don’t dare risk hiring someone you don’t feel entirely comfortable with! You will regret it.
The ceremony altar was another element that I changed about 5 times because the quotes I was receiving were outlandish. I opted for something that my day-of-coordinator already had made so it was cheaper. It still had the same effect at the end of the day, so I eventually relinquished my ideas and settled. The flowers were at least within my vision and with the addition of the rental furniture and terra cotta pots, it fulfilled the overall desire.
Fresh coconuts awaited guests on each chair as a nice gesture for a long ceremony awaiting them. I wanted them to feel cool and relaxed, inviting them to a scene that was fun and open and not stiff and formal.
Soul made his usual loud entrance to the ceremony 😉 The processional was organized in a very non-traditional manner and quite honestly, we were both so pleased with how it turned out!
It was truly a remarkable experience to be on the other side of a wedding. All of the choices we made enabled me to forget about the details and focus on our friends, family and us! I think I cried the entire time!
The processional was also unique. Instead of playing music for people to walk down the aisle to, Soul and I wrote small anecdotes about each of our friends. We wanted to use these to introduce our family and friends to the important players in our lives. The ceremony was officiated by our good friends, Leslie and Serge. We couldn’t imagine having it done by a stranger and so we asked them to lead a huge undertaking! They agreed and did it seamlessly! Leslie and Serge made the ceremony so beautiful. They told anecdotes about us; Leslie in English and Serge in French. They were witty, fun and emotional and it really was so special to us and inclusive to those who speak only one language.
Walking down the aisle with my dad was so bittersweet. I felt his emotion that evening as we walked hand-in-hand and my heart hurt, because he is my dad, but it also thudded with excitement! Feeling the love from all the people you admire and adore around you is truly so emotive! WOW!
Since we were faced with the dilemma of having a division of language, we really battled with how we were going to resolve that for our wedding day. In the end, we opted for what we wanted instead of what we felt everyone else might want. We decided that to be fair and to completely have our most important family members understand the entirety of the day that ALL speeches and announcements should be executed in both languages. We recognized that this could be painful and long but in the end, we couldn’t justify leaving anyone out so we just went with it!
It was a painstaking process, requesting speeches ahead of time, managing who translates what and pairing people with a translator but in the end, it was magic! We decided that instead of having poetry or religious readings, we would host a bulk of our speeches during the ceremony. That way, everyone is already seated and fresh and ready to listen. Our officiants and siblings said speeches at this time and they were all spectacular! I cried the entire ceremony! They set our souls on fire.
Soul and I opted to write our own vows and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. They were personal and meaningful and I was set to tears again when Soul said his. He made me melt all over again.
Walking down the aisle together was a moment of pure joy!
The Finca’s lawn has 4 large palm trees which for me was a beautiful and graphic natural element of design. I really wanted an over-sized hanging structure to hang between the trees with basket lights. From there, the design evolved and I added flowers and dried leaves that I loved and that were available locally. The colour scheme was white, coral, pink and yellow.
Bohemian and tropical are the best words to describe our theme. The colour palette was chosen through the flowers that were available in Costa Rica. I had originally designed something with all of my favourite flowers, to quickly find out that none of them were locally grown in Costa Rica in January.
The over-sized hanging installation was the most important feature of the reception decor. It set a tone for the bohemian vibe and balanced out the floor-plan as the center of the lawn. Using dried leaves allowed this feature to stick out against the lushness of the green lawn and mountain surrounding which I think does wonders vs a lush installation.
To keep costs low, I opted for only 3 white harvest tables that would be centred in between each palm tree. On top of these tables featured terra cotta pots with white flowers and cracked coconuts. The place-settings were left open as we encouraged no assigned seating.
I then filled the lawn with cheaper round tables and table cloths which still had the same effect for half the price.
Inserting a cozy seating arrangement is always a nice touch for outdoor weddings. It invites people to move around and interact with one another, rather than staying seated at the table.
I selected mis-matched chairs arranged in every other position to play with texture and interest.
Lighting is such a crucial part of event design. Nothing beats candlelight, so I ensured hurricanes with candles were on each table. My favourite lighting though was the Edison string lights zig-zagged across the lawn. This adds a beautiful golden glow from above – perfect for photography. Of course, we didn’t forget the lights over the dance floor and then flanked entrance-ways with tiki torches!
The reception featured food stations where guests could mix and mingle and eat when they wanted. A beef, chicken and fish dish were served over different bbq’s spaced out about the lawn. There was no assigned seating and the focus was on dancing and connecting two families that speak two different languages together with speeches that were translated in both languages. Although this was long at times, we felt the warmth and connection with the people we love as if we are at kids camp by the fire sharing stories. It was intimate and we had the chance to tell our families our appreciation and love for them.
I joke about this photo because these two are some of my faves yet the moment is less appealing in reality.
Actual Real Moment:
Soul – whining and complaining that he’s had enough of modelling and wants to finish.
April – “Hurry up. Come quickly and hold my hand and walk towards the sun with me. Smile and laugh at me. Love me. We don’t have time for complaining.”
Lelania – quietly waiting to take the shot as we bicker at each other already.
Let’s not forget to pay tribute to the reasons Soul and I found each other; these two fur babies! Laika, the brown Pitbull is originally Soul’s dog (now my Princess) and Black-Jack, the Border Collie/Bernese Mountain Dog is Leslie’s dog (my original fur). It would have been extraordinary to have them at the wedding but this was the best I could do!
Ihab was our MC for the evening, speaking in both English and French. He set the mood for a reception of fun and dance! Thank you Ibo! xo
I have always loved Jewish weddings for many reasons. One being the scheduling of the reception. They always put an emphasis on dancing in between courses and it ensures a lively dance party! Another reason is because of the Horah. I kind of wanted my own Horah on our wedding day. In my eyes, you should be able to take whatever fun tradition you like from whatever culture and just do it!!! It’s your day!!! Soul thought I was crazy to add Jewish tradition to our non-Jewish wedding so I didn’t add it in the schedule. Plus, it’s something you want to spontaneously happen too, right? It ended up that all of Soul’s friends naturally did it anyway. Apparently, lots of Africans do it in their culture too. So there you go! I got my Horah after all! And Soul did too!
Part of African culture is dance. Luckily for me, I love to dance! Soul is also a trained dancer so obviously our wedding night was filled with DANCE! I am so thankful for Soul’s side who danced the night away! It certainly helped get the stiffer Canadians out on the dance floor too!
We had just a “few” speeches; NOT! I am sorry to those who hated the long speeches and honestly, they took up a lot of time. One of my personal pet-peeves is a speechless wedding, as I feel like I walked away with no more knowledge of the couple than before I came. It is truly personal. At the end of the day, do what makes you happy as a couple. Family counts for something, but only give them a few requests. You can’t please everyone!
I felt as though we were kids at a campfire when we told speeches. People were engaged and involved and respectful which made the experience that much more special.
My friend Katrine, from Denmark, hosted the traditional shoe game which I think is a lot of fun and again allows your guests to get to know more about you and your partner.
Before our bride and groom speech, we changed into our African attire. I would like to point out that my friend Nagat made this dress custom for me. She just finished fashion school and so I couldn’t think of a better person to design and make my dress! And a perfect job she did. I was so happy to show Soul’s mom my African tribute and she was elated! I forgot that in traditional African style, women change 2-4 times at a wedding! I thought I was doing it up when I changed twice! Stamina goals!
We enjoyed dancing the night away and at some point, Soul got thrown into the pool. I followed with most of the guests for a dance party continuing in the pool. The party died down around 5 am – just before the sun rose. I stopped for a moment and realized that it was definitely time for bed.
Our wedding day would have to be the best day of our lives marked as a couple. We look back on it fondly, reminded of our amazing friend circle, our supportive family and the blessings that we have. If asked how I would do it differently, I would change a few logistics, but honestly, really, the headache made the success that much more rewarding! We endured and we prevailed and we shared our appreciation and love for the people we care about in our lives! I would say we succeeded in fulfilling our wedding goal and it met our expectations 10-fold!
Thank you to everyone who made this day so special. We cherish it, as we cherish all of you!
Olive Studio is a documentary based photography studio, specializing in unique, intimate and off-the-beaten track weddings. Our candid shooting style allows for couples to...
At times I thought I would never be a bride and even at some point thought that I would only elope if it happened to be a part of my path. My work life revolved around weddings and so I thought that when it came to my own that it would be so hard to remove myself from the behind-the-scenes coordination to enjoy myself.
Funny how life works out though isn’t it? When I met Soul, my opinion changed. I wanted a union to celebrate our love and bring our families and friends together. I mostly wanted the chance for the people we love the most to get to know one another and learn about both of our cultures, history and dynamics. Since our families are from different countries, I knew that this would likely be the only chance to get everyone in one place – other than my funeral (sad but true).
Costa Rica did just that for us. But the journey wasn’t smooth. AT ALL.
Choosing a Destination Wedding Location
Choosing a destination was so complicated! Beyond what I ever thought it would be. Although I have many connections here in Toronto, I knew that planning my wedding here would create so many unhealthy obsessions with designing every little detail of decor. I knew that it would consume me and that Soul would want to kill me. So to save our relationship and my sanity, I knew that a destination wedding would force me to relinquish control. It certainly did that! Ha!
In the beginning, we toggled with the possibility of getting married in the south of France in the fall. It was the off-season for me and cheaper to have a wedding in France at that time of year. When I communicated the idea to my must-have’s, they all told me that it financially and physically couldn’t happen at that time. October was back to school time and I forgot that since I am the last to get married in my friend circle, that everyone has kids that go to school!!!
Onto the next idea. The only one that seemed fitting. Nicaragua. It meant something to us. My property is there. We got engaged there. It is a place we both feel connected to. Not to mention it is AFFORDABLE!!! And a quick flight for the fellow Canadians! It is also a 2-flight-path for the French relatives coming – which we decided was reasonable.
And so, I started the leg work. I found the most beautiful location that was private and even convinced the owner to let me host my wedding there! We would have had private villas in the trees for such a reasonable price! It was seriously a dream. Most of all, I was excited to show people how lovely Nicaragua is and get them immersed in the culture.
Crushed Dreams
To our utter shock, 3 weeks after our engagement, news broke that Nicaragua was in political turmoil. After over a decade of peace, the country was not in a good state. We waited. We thought that it had no chance of becoming dangerous again and continued with our plans. But the universe had a different plan for us. Two months went by, and the situation worsened. We had no choice but to pull the plug. Sad and feeling defeated, I sent out an email to announce to our guests that the wedding was on hold until we found a new destination.
Honestly, I think I had a minor breakdown at that point. Our wedding was supposed to be just 6 months from that moment and I had to start again. I had already invited over 120 people knowing that it was a destination and our group would be small…and we were trying to stick within a timeline of early 2019 so it wouldn’t affect our work seasons. I took 2 months off to think and decompress. It gave me a lot of anxiety. Now it seemed as though I was hunting for a location somewhere in the world just to find something instead of it remaining meaningful to us anymore. I guess I am a hopeful romantic when it comes to these things…..
Hope on the rise
In any case, one day, Soul found this beautiful villa in Costa Rica. We had both been to Costa Rica before and had discussed that it had the same vibe as Nicaragua. Although it cost a lot more, it was feasible for both the Canadians and the French guests. We messaged Finca Austria with our mandatory questions that had to be answered yes:
Can you host a wedding for up to 75 guests?
Is your curfew “no curfew”?
They got back to us with a universal YES! We were elated! It made us both feel excited. It had everything we wanted within our budget. After many phone calls and emails, we signed the dotted line and set upon setting up our new destination wedding in Nosara, Costa Rica!
A la carte or a la chaos?
I will not go into details of planning my wedding in this post as I could talk for days about my struggles. (That is for a specific blog in the future) All I will say is that planning an a la carte destination wedding is not for the faint of heart. Especially when you are planning in a country where you do not speak the language. It is frustrating at most times, and something simple can be an extreme hurdle that just simply isn’t logical at all! If you are a type A personality like me, this will frustrate you beyond belief. Delegating jobs just isn’t feasible either and if you want your wedding to look and flow a certain way – expect that simple requests will become problematic.
Design Hurdles
Almost all of my style choices were hurdles. Most of all, what I didn’t account for in my budget was the remoteness of the location. Since the Finca was on the top of a mountain, in a town with TERRIBLE roads, the fees for delivery were beyond my wildest dreams! So to cut back on costs, I ended up doing many services I had planned to hire out myself. Having knowledge of costs in Canada for wedding services made me jump out of my skin when I was being charged $800USD for a delivery service of flowers for example.
With these learning curves, I had to adjust, alter and redesign my vision multiple times. I had to fight for my desires a lot and think between the lines for solutions that were never presented to me. At the end of the day, no one could tell that my design vision was my 5th vision, or that the food menu was only solidified two weeks before the wedding!
A las, the result was worth it
The end result was beautiful. It encapsulated us as a couple and most of all the decor elements that I fought and had countless sleepless nights about, conveyed the over-all vision. Our family and friends all made it to the Finca in one piece (although rattled from the journey) and the goal of mixing our two lives into one was a success!
Pre-wedding Story
Soul and I arrived in Costa Rica early to have a few days solo before the storm! We rented an Airbnb close by to the Finca to focus on spending time with both of our families who had never met.
On the 24th, we headed to the Finca which consists of 2 main houses on the top of the hill and 2 cottages at the bottom of the hill. My family rented a house outside of the Finca. Since we had 69 guests, we could not fit everyone at the Finca so we had our guests choose depending on their budget and preference. This took major planning and organization as we had to personally collect payment and then pay the Finca in a lump sum. A la carte began here with complications.
The day before the wedding, we opted for an activity day where we chose zip-lining as our group activity followed by an afternoon at the beach. This was a great way to get our friends and family mingling and getting to know one another.
Wedding Day
January 26, 2019, and it’s the day of our wedding 🙂 I slept solo in the bridal suite and since I was up so late making my own bouquets, I welcomed the empty king bed to my exhausted self! The morning I woke up was beautiful. Even though it was insanely hot – 44 degrees by the afternoon! – I wasn’t complaining. After a buffet breakfast that I barely ate, my room filled with girls getting ready. The hustle and bustle of the wedding morning were under-way. 🙂
The Finca surroundings are picture-perfect, with Indian and Moroccan details at every corner. My dress hangs with anticipation in these gorgeous archways as my friend Eunice does my hair and makeup. Keeping my morning low key.
The hunt for the perfect dress
The hunt for the perfect dress and accessories was another journey for another blog. Let’s just say that I couldn’t seem to find what I wanted. Let’s call that the theme for my wedding. Hahahaha. Perhaps I knew too much of what I didn’t want. Maybe I was too immersed in weddings on a daily basis for me to be more open? For me, I had a perfect vision that I just couldn’t find. The bridal vendors I adore are mostly Australian. I realized quickly that Toronto stores carry very little of a bohemian-tropical style. I found many dresses very “safe.” A market worth tapping into I think. A few Australian brands I absolutely love include: Grace Loves Lace, Lovers Society, Made With Love Bridal, and one from New Zealand, which is RuedeSeine.
Alternative Choices
In any case, the topical print vision I had for my shoes turned into these pretty low heels from the Australian company, Forever Soles. They were magic! Super comfy and a low heel to boot! Since I am already tall and my hubby is not much taller than me, I wanted to keep my heels to a minimum without wearing flats. This company makes pretty low heels which I found soooo hard to find..especially in the Canadian winter months. I also grabbed a pair of flat sandals from them too – which I didn’t end up wearing but it is worth noting that a back-up plan is worth the investment!
Paper Stationery vs. Digital
Soul and I opted to do our invites online since we had guests from all over the world and had so many bookings to manage. We also thought we’d save on paper and postage!
I made a wedding website with plenty of info about the trip and details surrounding it and then printed one copy of a stationery suite for our photos. (Of course, a wedding story is not complete without this lol).
