A Guide to Eloping in Costa Rica

Hi! My name is Catalina Cuervo, owner of ElopeinCostaRica.com. Today I wanted to post a quick guide to eloping in Costa Rica! Eloping has become a popular option for couples seeking an intimate and unique wedding experience. Among the myriad destinations available, Costa Rica stands out as an ideal location for an elopement adventure! Our little Central American paradise offers stunning landscapes, diverse wildlife, and a variety of romantic settings for your consideration. Here’s your ultimate guide to eloping in Costa Rica!

Why Eloping in Costa Rica?

Natural Beauty

Costa Rica is renowned for its breathtaking natural beauty. From lush rainforests and pristine beaches to majestic volcanoes and serene hot springs, our country provides a variety of stunning backdrops for your special day. Whether you envision exchanging vows on a sandy beach at sunset, in the heart of a tropical forest, at the base of a waterfall, or atop a mountain with panoramic views, Costa Rica has it all!

Adventure and Relaxation

Costa Rica is perfect for couples who love adventure as well as those who seek relaxation. This is why I created our signature “Elopement Honeymoon Adventure” trips over a decade ago. Having the backing of my travel company C.R. Referrals Travel, I knew that I could offer full service travel planning as well as full service wedding planning, and have it all come together seamlessly. I started ElopeinCostaRica.com, and it took off! You can start your journey with an adrenaline-pumping zip line tour through the rainforest canopy, followed by a peaceful soak in natural hot springs. Surfing, hiking, rafting, canyoneering, horseback riding, cooking classes, wildlife volunteering, there is SO much to do here, something for everyone! After the wedding, you can enjoy your Costa Rica honeymoon adventure, lounging on beautiful beaches or exploring vibrant landscapes.

We design your Costa Rica ceremony and honeymoon to perfectly match your travel style, these are bespoke trips, created for each couple.

Warm Climate

The tropical climate of Costa Rica is ideal for a destination wedding. However, it’s essential to consider the country’s wet and dry seasons. The dry season, from December to April, is typically the most popular time for weddings due to its sunny and dry conditions. The wet season, from May to November, sees more rainfall, but it can also offer lush, green landscapes and fewer tourists. In the months of September and October, we only plan indoor ceremonies due to weather concerns. If you are thinking about eloping or having a wedding in Costa Rica you need to consider what month you are traveling. We will help guide you with that.

Legal Requirements – Costa Rica Marriage

Getting married in Costa Rica is relatively straightforward for foreign couples. Weddings here are recognized worldwide and all you really need is a passport. You simply fill out the “Requisite for Costa Rica weddings” form that we will send you giving us the basic information needed, and scan a copy of your passports. If you are divorced, just jot down your divorce information on the Requisites form we send.

It’s as simple as that! If anyone tells you otherwise, they are either wrong or going about things the hard way.

Choosing the Perfect Location

Beach Elopements

Costa Rica is home to some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. On our Pacific coast we have many beach areas to choose from. Locations like Manuel Antonio, Esterillos, Dominical, on up through Samara, Tamarindo, and up the gold coast. These areas offer stunning sunsets and golden sands. We will help you find the perfect beach location for your wedding vows.

Rainforest Elopements

For a more intimate and magical setting, consider a rainforest elopement. Costa Rica’s rainforests are teeming with life, and the dense foliage, vibrant flora, and enchanting sounds of the jungle create a mystical atmosphere. These settings are perfect for nature-loving couples looking for a unique and unforgettable experience.

Mountain and Volcano Elopements

Costa Rica’s mountainous regions and active volcanoes provide dramatic and awe-inspiring backdrops. These locations offer breathtaking views and a sense of adventure, perfect for couples who want a bit of thrill with their romance.

Waterfall Elopements

Imagine exchanging vows with the sound of a cascading waterfall in the background. Costa Rica’s numerous waterfalls, such as La Fortuna, Nauyaca, Rio Celeste (pictured) and Llanos de Cortés, to name a few, provide picturesque and romantic settings for an elopement. The beauty and tranquility of a waterfall elopement make it a truly magical experience.

Planning Your Elopement

Hiring a Wedding Planner – That’s me! 🙂

While eloping might seem simpler than planning a traditional wedding, hiring a local wedding planner is invaluable. And I am not just saying that because I am a wedding planner! 🙂 We can help with everything from legal paperwork and venue selection to arranging all wedding day vendors and ensuring your day runs smoothly. A planner with experience in Costa Rica will have local knowledge and connections to make your elopement stress-free. With the added bonus of being an award winning travel company, your elopement honeymoon adventure will take shape!

Here I am, Catalina Cuervo, your wedding planner, on location! 🙂

Choosing the Right Time

Selecting the right time for your elopement is crucial. The dry season, from December to April, is the most popular due to its favorable weather. However, the green season, from May to November, can offer lush landscapes and more availability. Consider your preferred weather conditions, budget, and the type of experience you want when choosing your date. I do not typically take any wedding trips in September and October due to weather.

Accommodation and Travel

We offer a range of accommodation options, from luxury resorts and boutique hotels to eco-lodges and vacation rentals. We will help you find a place that fits your style and budget. When booking flights, San José (SJO) and Liberia (LIR) are the main international airports, with many destinations within a few hours’ drive.

Eloping in Costa Rica is a dream come true for many couples. With its stunning natural beauty, diverse landscapes, and warm climate, it provides the perfect setting for an intimate and unforgettable wedding. By planning carefully and taking advantage of local expertise, you can create a unique and magical experience that you and your partner will cherish forever. Whether you choose a beach, rainforest, mountain, or waterfall setting, Costa Rica promises an elopement filled with romance, adventure, and lasting memories.

Best Waterfall Wedding Locations in Costa Rica

Costa Rica offers many different venues and backdrops for your elopement or wedding ceremony. One of our favorite backdrops for a wedding are waterfall weddings! Costa Rica offers many different waterfalls for those looking to tie the knot! Surrounded by rainforest, nature abounds in this wonderland. For nature lovers, Costa Rica is truly a paradise, the perfect choice. Today's blog post we are going to talk about some of the Best Waterfall Wedding Locations in Costa Rica in 2024.

Waterfalls in Costa Rica come in 2 flavors, those that are easy to reach and have decent infrastructure onsite or nearby, and those that are more difficult and isolated. Most couples do not want to hike long distances to reach some of our waterfalls, so today we are focusing on areas that are easier to reach.

So what do we have to offer for your waterfall wedding dreams? Let’s jump right into the best waterfall wedding locations in Costa Rica in 2024.

Wedding Venue Difficulty: This is an easy location to navigate, stairs and good infrastructure for the ceremony.

Location Facilities: With the Peace Lodge you have 5-star luxury in the cloud forest.'

Closest Airport: San Jose Airport (SJO)

This is one of our favorite waterfall locations for elopements! One nice aspect of weddings here is that they close down a section of the gardens for a truly intimate experience. Unlike most waterfall wedding locations in Costa Rica which are open to the public, these are private and that is a huge plus when wanting complete privacy.

For couples seeking an intimate celebration, the Peace Lodge offers the ultimate waterfall wedding experience in Costa Rica. With its luxurious accommodations, top-notch facilities, and impeccable services, the Peace Lodge is the epitome of a high-end resort. What sets it apart is its enchanting setting amidst the lush tropical rainforest, where magnificent waterfalls, vibrant toucans, graceful hummingbirds, and delicate butterflies create a truly magical ambiance for your dream destination wedding. Imagine exchanging your vows beneath a tranquil gazebo, surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the rainforest and the soothing sounds of cascading water. Every moment will be an exquisite sensory experience, etching unforgettable memories of your wedding ceremony in your hearts forever.

Start planning your elopement or wedding here!

Wedding Venue Difficulty: Hiking in for a wedding or photo shoot is not recommended but we can hire a 4x4 to take us in!

Location Facilities: Bathrooms

Closest Airport: San Jose Airport (SJO)

Nauyaca Falls are concealed amidst the Central Pacific mountains, a mere 20-minute drive from Dominical Beach. Comprising two waterfalls, this enchanting location provides breathtaking natural surroundings for your Costa Rican waterfall elopement or wedding. Nestled within a canyon spanning about eighty meters, one of the falls cascades in a free fall from a height of forty-five meters, while the other descends in steps standing at twenty meters tall. At its base, a sprawling pool adds to the picturesque beauty of Nauyaca Falls. As with many waterfall options here, this one is open to the public and it is popular. For this reason it is not for everyone but if you do not mind some uninvited guests this is a dreamy backdrop. Nauyaca Waterfalls stands as the perfect setting for couples seeking to exchange vows in one of the most stunning natural locations in the southern Pacific region of Costa Rica. The Nauyaca waterfall is also close to beaches such as Manuel Antonio National Park, Dominical, Uvita and Ballena Marine National Park, so you can even mix the adventure of the waterfalls with the romantic sunsets by the beach in the same day.

Wedding Venue Difficulty: very easy, just a few steps and you are there.

Location Facilities: Bathrooms.

Closest Airport: Liberia Airport (LIR)

As we continue with our best waterfall wedding locations in Costa Rica, we come to a good one! This is an easy one to reach and a good location if you are flying into Liberia Airport. This stunning location has everything you need, and all you have to do is follow the soothing sound of the water. Reaching Llanos del Cortés is a straightforward journey. You don't require a 4x4 vehicle or legs of steel. In fact, Llanos del Cortés waterfall is an ideal spot for those who prefer leaving the car in the parking lot, taking a brief stroll, admiring the beauty, and exchanging marriage vows by the cascading waterfall.

Upon arriving at the entrance marked by a sign, you can immediately sense the impressive presence of the waterfall, even though locals mention it might be slightly smaller than usual due to the prevailing drought. Situated in the canton of Bagaces within the Llanos del Cortes community, the waterfall takes its name from the region. It is part of the Potrero River, and after its majestic descent, the water continues for over a kilometer. Since this location is municipal property, it is a public space, and visitors are encouraged to make a voluntary contribution.

Wedding Venue Difficulty: medium-hard. 20-30 minutes hike on a good condition trail

Location Facilities: Bathrooms

Closest Airport: San Jose Airport (SJO) or Liberia Airport (LIR)

Nestled within the Tenorio Volcano National Park in Costa Rica, Rio Celeste stands out as one of the most enchanting locations for a waterfall wedding. The focal point, Celeste Waterfall, boasts its unique turquoise hue, creating a picturesque scene. This gem is surrounded by lush rainforests, both primary and secondary, making it a haven for wildlife enthusiasts.

While hiking through the trails, keep an eye out for playful monkeys, serene sloths, and a variety of tropical birds. As you venture deeper into the Tenorio Volcano National Park, the captivating journey leads you to the banks of the Celeste River, where the magic of nature unfolds.

Wedding Venue Difficulty: Medium hike, about a 20-30 minute hike to the waterfall through the rainforest.

Location Facilities: Hotel facilities at AOL are excellent. Onsite spa, restaurants, trails.

Closest Airport: San Jose Airport (SJO) or Liberia Airport (LIR)

Situated along one of the most scenic trails at Arenal Observatory Lodge & Spa, the waterfall location offers a delightful experience. A brief and relatively easy 20-minute walk from the lodge leads hikers to the base of a charming 20-foot waterfall. The air becomes invigoratingly moist, thanks to the waterfall's cool mist, complemented by the lush forest surroundings adorned with ferns and palms.

Furthermore, this eco-lodge boasts an ideal location directly positioned between the majestic Arenal Volcano and the serene blue waters of Lake Arenal. Uniquely, no other hotel in La Fortuna, Costa Rica, or the broader Arenal area is as proximate to the renowned volcano and its picturesque lake as this remarkable retreat.

Elope in Costa Rica

It has been 6 years since I launched Elope in Costa Rica (.com) as an extension of my boutique travel company, C.R. Referrals Travel, and what a wonderful time it has been! I have been happy to plan a few hundred elopement adventure honeymoons her in Costa Rica over that time and LOVE the way the trips come together! Being a small part of these trips has been the highlight of my career as a travel & event planner.

2022 is looking to be a very busy year for elopement adventures and full-size weddings! With the disruptions in travel from Covid-19 it is no surprise that more couples are looking for alternatives. I am even planning wedding trips as far ahead as 2023 right now! I normally only take 4 elopement adventure trips on any given month but I have been stretching that to 5 elopement trips if they are spaced apart well enough in the month. Some months I have larger weddings booked so I take fewer elopement adventure trips.

So, what are the most popular months that couples want to get married? Dry season months are always the best for beach weddings, January – April provides nice weather on much of our Pacific Coast. July is still my favorite month of the year for weddings, with our little summer falling during that time it can be perfect weather on the coast or inland. We are working on some new locations for 2022 and beyond and I will be making some announcements about this soon.

Some popular honeymoon areas in the age of Covid 19 are Glamping on islands in the Pacific! This is about as socially distant as you can get! Island Glamping can be combined with bio-luminescent kayaking, it is just magical! Costa Rica offers couples the chance to stay away from crowds while surrounding yourself with nature. Volcanoes remain high on everyone’s travel list and our most requested waterfall/rain-forest weddings are always romantic and magical!

We are doing a lot more private rentals these days as many travelers want to have the extra social distancing. We have a wonderful selection of villas for couples or small wedding groups that want to lodge together. If you want to start planning your Costa Rica Elopement, please use our online wedding trip designer to get started!

Costa Rica is open to travelers right now from around the world. If you are considering traveling you can learn all the latest Covid-19 entry requirements for Costa Rica here.

Getting Busy- Elope in Costa Rica in 2021 & 2022

With so many weddings postponed in 2020 due to Covid-19 there has been an uptick in couples looking for alternatives in 2021 & 2022. Many are looking to Elope in Costa Rica! So much so, we have had to decline some elopement trips. We only do a maximum of 4 elopement adventures a month and demand has been higher than we can handle some months. Sometimes I can squeeze 5 elopement trips in a single month if the dates are spread out enough.

Eloping is a lot more socially distant as opposed to a traditional wedding. This is a good approach during this crazy time of pandemic.

Costa Rica offers a wonderful option for nature lovers! This year we had weddings near waterfalls in the rain forest, weddings on our beaches, and weddings near volcanoes. Our couples have rafted down rivers, had breakfast with baby sloths, and zipped from tree to tree on zip-lines! The beauty of the trips we create is that they are created for our couples, focused on their interests from start to finish.

Overall travel in Costa Rica is down considerably due to Covid. For the travel side of my company (C.R. Referrals Travel) working on regular trips such as family adventures and groups things have been slow. On the wedding side it has been busy-busy!

Here are just a couple of highlights from 2 of my weddings this year, a waterfall rain forest wedding near Poas Volcano and a beach wedding in beautiful Manuel Antonio! 🙂

As we approach the third quarter of 2021 I look forward to what 2022 will bring. I hope that things can improve globally and that we can all put the sadness this pandemic has brought us to a close.

We are looking at new wedding locations for 2022 that are unique. I will be making some updates on this soon so stay tuned! If you are thinking to Elope in Costa Rica I am here to help! – Catalina Cuervo

August – Mid month update!

This has been a tough year with Covid-19, all of my elopement adventure trips postponed from March through October. We are rescheduling, and we will work through it. We hope things will have improved to move forward with our November trips and beyond.

That aside, this is also a VERY exciting year here in Costa Rica with changes in the laws governing marriage! Same sex marriage is now legal here in Costa Rica, as it should be worldwide. I am thrilled to be planning some of the very first same sex elopement trips right now for 2021. My first same sex marriage here in Costa Rica will be in January 2021 and I cannot wait! 😊

I have been working on having some of the photo galleries updated, and will be adding more soon! Our offices in Costa Rica are now open as of Aug 1^st, but we are advising our regular trip clients and elopement adventure clients to wait until things improve both here and abroad. We hope in another 1-2 months protocols will have been streamlined and the travel experience overall will be on par with what you would expect from us.

We hope to see you soon! Sending love and best wishes from Costa Rica! Pura Vida! – Catalina Cuervo

Elope in Costa Rica Website Launch!

I am so excited to be launching our new website Elope in Costa Rica.com. Over the years as my company, C.R. Referrals Travel has become busier; I have hired more planners, more staff in operations & accounting. As my staff grew, my responsibilities changed and I have to oversee all 3 departments.

What started out as just myself planning trips throughout Costa Rica, over the last 10 years blossomed into a top boutique travel planning service. I am proud and humbled by the experience. Although I still oversee the planning of all of our trips, I do not get to plan as many “hands on” myself as I used to and that was always my favorite part. Creating the adventures and getting to know my clients is the best reward.

Whenever we get a wedding or elopement, I call dibs in the office! 🙂 These were always my favorite to plan and Elope in Costa Rica is an extension of that. I love weddings; any celebration of love is magical in its own way, but I also know that many couples are looking for something simple, something different. They may not want to spend thousands on a dress, or have a big party, instead they want an adventure, to run away to far off lands and marry the one you love! Nothing is more romantic, an experience of a lifetime that you will share with your loved one forever.

I myself am eloping to Italy! That was what originally got me thinking to create Elope in Costa Rica .com. I always wanted to go and my fiancé agrees that our money is better spent on an adventure elopement like this than on a one-day big wedding event.

At Elope in Costa Rica.com we will take care of all the legal wedding details and plan an amazing honeymoon to follow the special day! We take all the guesswork out and the trips cost a fraction of a traditional wedding. – Catalina Cuervo

Specializing in Elopement Adventure Packages, Wedding planning, Honeymoons, Anniversaries, and vow renewals!

Please contact us for more information or use our elopement vacation creator!

A Guide to Eloping in Costa Rica

Why Eloping in Costa Rica?

Legal Requirements – Costa Rica Marriage

Choosing the Perfect Location

Beach Elopements

Rainforest Elopements

Mountain and Volcano Elopements

Waterfall Elopements

Planning Your Elopement

Hiring a Wedding Planner – That’s me! 🙂

Best Waterfall Wedding Locations in Costa Rica

Costa Rica Waterfall Weddings - 2024

La Paz Waterfall Garden Weddings

Nauyaca Waterfall Weddings in Costa Rica

Llanos del Cortes Waterfall Weddings

Rio Celeste Waterfall Weddings in Costa Rica

Arenal Observatory Lodge Waterfall Elopements

Elope in Costa Rica

October Updates

Getting Busy- Elope in Costa Rica in 2021 & 2022

August – Mid month update!

Elope in Costa Rica Website Launch!