California residents, Cheyenne and Jake, met in high school and love to surf, hit the beach, hike with their dogs, and have fun at Disneyland. They both share a love for travel and exploring new places. After a trip to Costa Rica the summer prior, they knew that Costa Rica would be the best fit for their barefoot wedding in Conchal beach.
During their vacation, they had spent time adventuring at Lake Arenal and the Monteverde Cloud Forest and then headed to Playa Hermosa, near Jaco, for some relaxed beach time and surfing.
For the wedding venue, Cheyenne and Jake chose the Reserva Conchal Beach Club at the Westin, and it was a perfect fit for their wedding guests. This venue has so many options for the perfect wedding ceremony and reception.
One of the most special moments of the day were the vows the couple exchanged before the ceremony, during their First Look. Cheyenne later told us, "the best part of the wedding day was doing the first look and vows in the garden. This was such a special moment that was shared between just Jake and I. We laughed, we cried, and it was perfect for us." We loved hearing that because the photos from the first look were our favorite photos from the day. The setting, the love, the quiet moment for the two of them was really special.
The wedding took place during a time of the year when it can rain, so we had a tent ready for ceremony just in case, which was fortunate as the rain was teasing us all day! Ultimately, we knew Cheyenne + Jacob would rather go for the uncovered beach wedding on the sand if there were ANY chance, so we went for it - and it worked! The beach ceremony narrowly escaped the afternoon showers.
For the ceremony, the couple chose an arch that embraced their young, fun California surf spirit! Cheyenne knew she wanted only white on the arch to frame her and Jacob during the ceremony, as colors would be in the bouquets and bridesmaids dresses and blue from the groomsmen attire. We placed subtle touches of color on the aisle decor at the sides of each chair and her Barefoot Wedding sign.
For the ceremony, one of our past brides, Halley of Halley Rose Calligraphy, created a beautiful custom sign that said "Barefoot Wedding" to embrace the laidback nature of the ceremony.
Initially, the plan was to hold the wedding in the downstairs part of the Reserva Conchal Beach Club because the upstairs was previously private to club members. While reviewing the layout and details during the venue walkthrough, it was mentioned that the upstairs could be considered for future events. It was perfect for Cheyenne & Jacob's reception, so I asked if we could use it for this event if the couple were up for it, and management approved it!
Cheyenne & Jacob loved the space when we showed them, so we shifted the layout of the event just two days before! After the wedding, Cheyenne told us, "I really loved the unexpected venue change for the reception. The availability of the new reception was beautiful. I was happy we were able to use this space, and everything looked beautiful. It was the perfect size for our wedding guest count."
Our excellent relationships with our wedding vendors enabled everything with the change to go smoothly. Jaime & Rigo from Los Primos were terrific because they shifted out lighting plan completely just two days before the event and took on the ambitious challenge of lighting the upstairs space. Given the height of the space and the ceiling fans placed throughout, it was not an easy feat! Their flexibility and willingness to meet the challenge with enthusiasm are why they are one of our favorite partners!
Cheyenne's design was very Sunset & Surf Vibes meets Tropical Luxe. The first inspirational decision was the deep green velvet tablecloths that were custom made for us by Costa Mesa. We slightly wavered between the deep green and other teal tones, but the vibrant green won out. That's not what you typically see at a beach wedding, so we loved Cheyenne's bold choices and willingness to take a risk!
The rich green velvet showcased the beautiful sunset colors of the florals, and the vivid gold of the sunburst chargers stood out against it. We were looking for a napkin ring to tie the colors all together and add a fun element, and Cata had the amazing idea to use the tassel napkin rings. We added some local Costa Rican "perfect blend" coffee favors at each place setting.
Instead of a traditional guest book, we had a postcard display with a variety of Costa Rica sunset and scenic postcards shot by Samba to the Sea. Guests wrote well-wishes to the bride and groom.
The group had a blast dancing the night away to the music of Mason Dunn. After the wedding, Cheyenne told us, "we felt incredibly happy. Everything we wanted and planned pretty much came out perfect. We kept saying this was the best wedding ever and not just because it was ours!"
Thank you, Cheyenne and Jake, for trusting us with your special day! Congratulations!
Features + Blogs From This Wedding
Conchal Wedding Featured on Carats and Cake
We are so excited that Cheyenne + Jake’s Conchal Wedding is Featured on Carats and Cake this week!
Floral Designer Feature on Issuu
We were excited to see Cheyanne + Jake’s wedding in this Floral Designer Feature on Issuu in Mexico this week!
Featured on Bodas & Co
We were excited to be featured on Bodas & Co for their new 12 beautiful places around the world to get married article!
Surf Chic Wedding in Costa Rica • Featured on Bride UK
Cheyenne + Jake’s surf chic wedding in Costa Rica was featured in Bride UK! Our favorite part of this feature was the couple’s comments on their wedding location. The couple said: “Costa Rica gives a magic Pura Vida vibe to any wedding. This country is an ideal wedding destination for those seeking a beach or … Read more
Best Wedding Concept Award 2020
We are so excited to announce we have won our first award for 2020! We are so honored to be featured alongside some incredibly talented wedding professionals in the 12th edition of the Belief Wedding Awards. For the second year in a row, we have won this award for Best Wedding Concept and previous to … Read more
