We are sure you have found that planning a wedding in Costa Rica raises all kinds of questions! We want to assure you that you are not alone, and have incuded some of the most common questions on this page to assist with your planning. Have a question you don’t see the answer to? Give us a call!
For the Bride & Groom
You have probably done some searching, are a little overwhelmed, and unsure how to move forward. Don't worry, that's completely normal! There is an overload of information out there, often conflicting, and we are here to keep it easy on you. We are located in Costa Rica, we know these properties, we know the hotel owners and managers by their first names, and can provide you with reliable recommendations based on years of travel planning experience, our own site inspections, and thousands of clients vacation and wedding reviews.
Now that you know you are considering or would like to be married in Costa Rica, we recommend completing our Request Form to receive your Custom Wedding Getaway Itinerary. This request form walks you through the simple information we need in order to create a customized trip plan and wedding quote. You can also give us a call and we can walk through the information together.
After you have received your proposal from us, we recommend reviewing this and compiling your guest list (which you probably already started loosely doing once you became engaged!). Next, we recommend dividing your guest list into four groups: Definite, Most Likely, Not Sure, and Probably Not. There will always be surprises in your guest list and some of those Probably Not's will surprise you, but some of those Definite's and Most Likely's will have schedule conflicts that prevent them from making it to your event. So in our experience, the number you come up with for your Definite's is usually the number of guests you end up with. This will give us an idea of what type of properties and venue to recommend to accommodate your party.
At the same time you will be working out your itinerary with us to meet your preferences and when it is ready you will order your Save the Dates and create your Wedding Website.
You will want to give your guests as much notice as possible to ensure they have time to plan for the getaway. Your will contain your wedding date and wedding website. Your wedding website will contain information to assist you guests with travel planning and to help field questions so that you don't end up playing travel agent to your friends and family! Your guests itinerary options will be on your website, with our contact information so that they can contact us directly and we will coordinate their plans.
There are several factors to take into consideration when selecting the time of your ceremony. If the ceremony is intended to be a sunset ceremony, the main factor of course if what time the sun is actually setting! The exact time of the sunset varies depending on the location, as well as the time of year. The average sunset in Costa Rica is 5:30pm so a ceremony that begins at around 4:00 or 4:30 is recommended, depending on how much time you want for photos afterwards. This will allow you the best lighting for post-ceremony photos while your guests enjoy themselves sipping cocktails and snapping their own sunset photos!
Another factor to take into consideration if you are being married on the beach is the tides, but don't worry – we always check the tide charts!
Costa Rica does not require any length of stay or complicated paperwork for a legal marriage, making Costa Rica one of the easiest countries for your destination wedding. The following is a list of the information we will request from you prior to your wedding:
- Full Name
- Occupation
- Current address
- Mailing address
- Phone Number
- Passport number and nationality
- Martial status
- Date and place of birth
- Full name and citizenship of parents
OTHER DETAILS:
Witnesses Costa Rica Law requires two witnesses for the marriage. Family and friends can be witnesses. If this is Just the Two of You, we can make the necessary arrangements for local witnesses such as hotel staff.
No notarized documents:
You will not need to bring any notarized legal documents because all of your information will be included in a sworn statement which you both sign the day of the wedding. This avoids you having to notarize at the Costa Rican Consulate, and will save you time and money.
The Certification of Marriage:
The procedure for a valid marriage in Costa Rica involves the signing of two documents once the ceremony is concluded. One is a sworn statement attesting to your marital status, thus avoiding any further proof. The other is the marriage document itself. After the ceremony, the paperwork will be submitted to the Civil Registry of Costa Rica. The processing of documents, which includes translation and authentication by the Consulate of your country of residence will vary but normally takes 4 months. Once everything is ready, the Marriage Certificate will be sent, along with instructions, to the address you provided. We will update you on the paperwork progress, so you will know when the documentation is sent.
The success of your Wedding Getaway is not based on the Wedding alone. Every aspect of the getaway contributes to your and your guests experiences. This includes hotels, transportation, and tours/activities. We are here to ensure that these details all contribute to the overall success of your wedding, making it not the only one of the most memorable days of your lives but also that of your guests. To give you an idea of what is available we have listed below some of the most popular services and helpful tips about each of these aspects of your trip:
Guest Services
- We provide your guests with any Travel Assistance they may require which means you are not handling their travel plans! Simply direct them to us.
- Each guest can receive a full color high quality waterproof map of Costa Rica
- Each guests can receive a detailed personalized color e-brochure with wedding events and details
- Welcome bags & flowers can be in your guests rooms upon arrival
Accommodations
- We make our accommodation recommendations based on feedback from thousands of vacation and wedding clients.
- We perform regular surprise site inspections to rate hotels based on service, cleanliness, quality of rooms and food, attractiveness of rooms and property, maintenance, and overall experience.
- All of our recommended hotels are ICT certified.
- Accommodations are available at every price range ($60 – $400+/night). To allow your guests options to fit their budgets, we can offer your guests different price range hotels to choose from (whether selecting a hotel with multiple room styles and price ranges, or offering a choice of 2-3 hotels in close proximity to eachother).
- We can typically secure better rates by reserving all rooms at one hotel.
- If All Inclusive is what you are after, Guanacaste is the región where they will be found. This area has a variety of All Inclusives, from Private All Inclusive Villas to mid range All Inclusive Resorts, to 5 Star Luxury experiences.
Transportation
- VIP Airport Greeting Service: A representative of our company will greet each of your guests as they arrive through Customs, assist them with claiming baggage (and claims if any luggage is lost), and direct them to the final customs check point. This is an exclusive service our company offers to ensure a positive beginning to your Costa Rica experience.
- Private Transportation: Private transportation is provided by a uniformed driver in a 10 passenger, air conditioned, newer model tour van and will be under Private conditions, meaning that it will only be you and your companions in the van. This also means that you will have the luxury of stopping for any restaurants, souvenir stands or photos ops along the designated route.
- Shuttle Transportation: Shuttle transportation is provided by a uniformed driver in a 10 passenger, air conditioned, newer modeler tour van and will be under Public conditions, meaning that you will be joined by other passengers in the van. This means that you will be stopping at pre-determined rest stops along the way to stay on the shuttle schedule.
- Domestic Flights: Short in-country flights are available fairly inexpensively to most major destinations in the country. Flights are a good option for those who do not want to spend time en route via land transportation.
- Boat Transportation: Utilized in certain destinations, for example between Arenal and Monteverde a boat transfer is the most scenic, most convenient, shortest, and least expensive way to travel between these two destinations. It is also neccessary to take a boat transfer to reach Tortuguero or Corcovado.
- Rental 4×4: Should any of your guests wish to have a vehicle at their disposal, we can arrange for daily or weekly rentals. Drop-off and pick-up can be done at the airport, or if preferred at their hotel. Based on availability, a complimentary cell phone with 1 hour free local usage will be provided to our clients with vehicle rentals of one week.
Tours/Activities
- Our tour operator recommendations are based on feedback from thousands of clients.
- We perform regular surprise tour inspections to rate operators on safety and equipment, guide knowledge and experience, value, and overall quality of experience.
- All of our tour operators are ICT certified and fully insured.
- All of our tour operators provide transportation to/from your hotels.
- Wildlife/Nature: Hanging Canopy Bridges, Wildlife boat tours, Nature walks, Cloud Forest tours, Volcano tours, Butterfly Farms, Spice Tours, Turtle Nesting
- Adventure: Canopy Zipline, Horseback Riding, Surfing Lessons, Sportfishing, Kayaking, Snorkeling
- Extreme Adventure: Whitewater Rafting (different class rapids available), Canyoning & Rappelling, Overnight Camping Experiences, Bungee Jumping
- Sight Seeing: San Jose City Tour, Waterfalls, Coffee Plantations, Local artisan visits, Sunset Catamaran Cruise
- For a Weekend Wedding Getaway, we generally recommend a variety of activity options for your guests on Friday and Sunday with the wedding on Saturday, or selecting a main event on Friday such as an adventure activity or wildlife tour, and ending the weekend Sunday with a Romantic Sunset Catamaran Cruise.
Airfare
While we do not provide International Airfare, we recommend www.kayak.com. This is a discount flight site that searches other discount flight sites and provides the lowest fares nearly every time. After you enter in your departure city and arrival city – SJO (Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose) or LIR (Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia), Kayak will provide a variety of round trip, flight options, including all taxes & fees. You can reserve your flights within minutes of entering this site. Our Travel Advisors are available to walk you through the reservations process if needed.
Choosing your location is one of the first steps in planning your destination wedding, just as it is with a hometown wedding! One of the main factors in choosing your location is the time of year you plan to be married, and the typical weather patterns that can be expected at that time. Another factor is the type of destination you have in mind. We divide destinations into three categories:
- Beach: North Guanacaste, South Nicoya, Central Pacific, South Pacific, South Caribbean
- Rainforest: La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano area, Monteverde, Central Valley, Central Pacific, South Pacific
- Volcano: La Fortuna/Arenal Volcano
When we have spoken with you and discussed your preferences we will provide you with venue recommendations for you to review. Our venue recommendations will be based on a variety of factors including:# of guests, level of service, location, transportation factors, activity availability, pricing/value, comfort and overall experience.
Costa Rica is a very unique country in that though it is very small, it is comprised of 12 different micro-climates! That being the case, no matter what time of year you would like to be married there is a part of the country that lends itself weather-wise.
Generally speaking, November through May offers the best weather and overall experience in most parts of the country. The rest of the year, chances of rain shouldn’t bother you as there are plenty of sites with roofs, and tents are easily arranged. Many people actually prefer May through Septemeber for the Florida-like climate with mid-afternoon showers that cool temperates down a bit and keep everything lush and green. Mid September through the end of October is considered the Green Season in most parts of the country, with heavier and more frequent rainfall. Should you wish to be married during this time period, we recommend the Caribbean side which offers beautiful summers at this time of year. As accommodations and services are more limited in this area, weddings should not exceed 30 guests. We have listed where the best options to be married are, based on time of year:
January – May: Guanacaste, Central Pacific, Arenal Volcano
June – Mid September: Guanacaste (with roof, tent, and/or other backup plan)
Mid September – October: South Caribbean
November – December: Guanacaste
There are two parts of the year that should be avoided. These are the two Peak Weeks (Christmas/New Years and Easter) during the year when tourism is at its highest, hotel prices are substantially increased, quality of service is decreased and the most popular destinations are crowded. These factors make for an unpleasant and unsuccessful experience all around.
We highly recommend considering purchasing Travel Insurance.
It is a common expectation that one would not receive a refund for airline tickets or events such as sports events or concerts but often there is an expectation that vacation components (transportation, accommodations, and activities) can be changed or cancelled at little or no expense.
This is not the case.
In Costa Rica reservations typically require 100% prepayment. Most reservations are not refundable. Changes, if allowed, depend on availability and often with a fee.
These policies are set by the hotels, activity providers, and transportation companies – we have no control over them and must abide by these policies. They make these policies basically because by blocking a room, tour time, or vehicle for you they lost opportunities to sell it to others.
You will not receive compensation for unused items as a result of illness, missed or cancelled flights, airline strikes, etc.. unless you purchase travel insurance.
How to Buy Travel Insurance
We are not an insurance company and we do not recieve compensation or commissions in any way from any kind of insurance company. We recommend insurance simply because we do not want to see our clients (or their guests) burned by unexpected changes or interruptions to plans.
To give you an idea of what it costs to insure your trip, costs and coverage will vary by company and your age (when medical coverage is included) and by the type of policy you select. Quotes run $38 to $126 total to cover two 30 year olds for a 5 day trip costing anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000, based on normal coverages selected. Complete medical coverage with evacuation & take me home plans can run up to the $300’s.
The lowest cost plan had the most basic coverage and the most limited valid reasons for cancellation. The highest cost plan had more coverage and was more flexible in reasons for cancellation.
All of the plans had reasons for claims including death, injury, birth and illness for the travelers and immediate family memerbs, air travel problems due to weather, strikes, etc…
It is our goal to hear clients say they had the trip of the lifetime, and the event of the lifetime. We are here to help you and part of that assistance is recommending that you cover your butt ? The ways we can help are:
If you have insurance we will provide all needed paperwork to the insurance company to illustrate your expenses and non-reimbursable costs. We will do this free of charge.
If you cancel early enough we will give you a partial refund. In case of modifications before or during your trip we will do our best.
We are here to help the process be as easy as possible, but cannot be responsible for items of which we have no control. Insurance helps protect you from incidents beyond your control.
For Guests
There is a $26 per person departure tax when leaving Costa Rica. This is common but in some other countries it is added into your airfare. In Costa Rice you pay the departure tax directly at the airport before you leave. This can be paid in cash (colones or dollars) or credit card. It's a great way to use up any colones you have left from your trip.
Costa Rica has the same outlets as in the U.S., the standard current is 110 volts. Outlets are the same and no adapters are needed if traveling with electronic items used in the U.S.
Costa Rica is on Central Standard Time (-6 GMT) and Daylight Savings Time is not observed. This means the time difference between Costa Rica and U.S. cities varies throughout the year. For example: during the Summer time in the U.S., Costa Rica is 2 hours behind the East Coast. After the East Coast observes Daylight Savings Time and “falls back” an hour, Costa Rica is only 1 hour behind the East Coast.
Yes. Unlike many other Latin countries, Costa Rica has similar practices and standards found in the U.S. for ensuring that clean, potable water is available to its citizens. We support positive environmental practices and encourage you to bring a refillable aluminum container to reduce waste. Bottled water is available in stores & restaurants if preferred.
No. Spanish is the official language but English is widely spoken throughout the country. Members of our wedding team are bilingual, as are your guides. We do recommend learning basic courtesies in Spanish such as please and thank you ? Locals appreciate an effort to exchange pleasantries in their language.
Absolutely, we are happy to help you prepare for your trip.
Check out our downloadable Costa Rica Packing Recommendations.
By agreeing with our policies and making payment on behalf of yourself and others, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our policies. You also acknowledge and accept responsibility that anybody you are paying on behalf of has also read and understands our policies.
Unless otherwise specified, all vacations are private vacations. All vacations can be modified by adding or subtracting days, tours or transportation methods. Childrens' prices are based on one to two children triple occupancy or quadruple occupancy in the same room as parents.
Children's prices are based on child under 10 years of age sharing occupancy with 2 adults unless otherwise specified. Times, tours, hotels and locations are subject to change without notice on this website. Nine Degrees Latitude S.A. reserves the right to change hotels, tours or transportation based on availability to hotels, tours or transportation of equal or greater value without notice. In the case that this cannot be provided, the client will immediately be notified of available options.
We strongly recommend buying trip insurance to protect your investment. You wouldn't drive your car without insurance, so why would you travel without insurance? Nine Degrees Latitude S.A. is not an insurance company and cannot be held liable for any situation not incurred directly by the services that we provide including: missed or cancelled hotels, tours or transportation, flight delays or cancellations, natural causes, rain, thunder storms, tornado, hurricane, fire, theft, flood, land slide, flat tire, automotive problems, construction, health problems etc.. Nine Degrees Latitude S.A. is also not responsible for situations that can occur based on clients not providing reasonable or adequate information such as incorrect flight information, health issues, height or weight restrictions and / or limitations etc.. This includes any situation that could reasonably deemed as inadequate information provided by the client.
Nine Degrees Latitude S.A. is not responsible for any injuries (including death) while riding in any conveyance reserved / arranged by our company, or on any tour reserveved / arranged by our company. You agree that there are inherent risks to travel, and agree to hold us blameless for any loss experienced while traveling. Please contact a travel insurance provider to obtain appropriate coverage.
By authorizing us to make your travel arrangements or by making a payment to us, you agree to be bound by the above stated policies, terms and conditions and acknowledge that you have shown these policies to all members of your travel party in which you represent by making payment for them. Please contact a travel insurance provider to obtain appropriate coverage.
Rental Car Clients: Unless otherwise specified in your travel plans, your rental car will have a manual transmission. Please note that rental car companies usually require a refundable deposit in the amount of $750 – 1,500 on your credit card for a deductible. Please also note that most require a $150 deposit for cell phone rental with the car.
Payment Policies:
We utilize the following options for payment; PayPal or Bank Transfer.
PayPal allows you to utilize a credit card or check transfer without divulging your credit card information.
Direct Funds Transfer: We accept direct funds transfer into our Citi Bank account in Costa Rica. Please contact us for details; 1-877-490-7774.
Regular Season dates:
* Reservations made more than 3 months in advance require 25% down payment to secure reservations, 50% of total reservation must be paid within 3 months of arrival date, and the remaining 50% balance due no later than 60 days prior to arrival date.
* Reservations made within 3 months of arrival date require 50% down payment to secure reservations. The remaining 50% balance must be paid on or before 60 days prior to scheduled arrival date. 60 days prior to clients arrival, payment for the remaing balance will be processed. After processing, a printable receipt of payment will be sent to clients email address.
* Though Nine Degrees Latitude S.A. will send a reminder statement via email, it is the sole responsibility of the client to contact Nine Degrees Latitude S.A. for all payments. If a client does not make payment or other written and confirmed arrangements with Nine Degrees Latitude S.A. within 14 days of scheduled payment due date, their vacation may be subject to cancellation.
Peak Season Dates:
*Vacations scheduled for December 20 – January 5 must be paid in full a minimum of 90 days in advance. If a client does not make payment or other written and confirmed arrangement with Nine Degrees Latitude S.A. within 7 days of scheduled payment due date, their vacation may be subject to cancellation.
Government Taxes:
We take great price in providing bottom line pricing, but there are some situations which are out of our control such as government taxes. We are a law abiding company and respect the local law, which means that we cannot be held responsible for changes in government taxes. That rate you have been provided is based on current government taxes. If the government changes tax policy prior to your final payment, the new tax rate will be applied to your final balance and will be base don your entire purchase price (not only the final payment). Remember, we are a service provider. We cannot control government regulations and have no way of predicting them.
Cancellation Policies:
Elopements or parties of 8 or less travelers please check your Service Agreements for your particular cancellation policies.
Cancellation Policies for Guests:
Cancellation 60 days or more before scheduled arrival will receive a full refund minus $50 processing fee per person**
Cancellation 30 days to 60 days before scheduled arrival will be refunded 50% of full payment**
Cancellation 14 days to 29 days before scheduled arrival will be refunded 25% of full payment**
Cancellation 13 days or less before scheduled arrival will be refunded 0% of full payment.
Though Nine Degrees Latitude S.A. will send a reminder statement via email, it is the sole responsibility of the client to contact Nine Degrees Latitude S.A. for all payments. If a client does not make payment or other written and confirmed arrangement with Nine Degrees Latitude S.A. within 14 days of scheduled payment due date, their vacation will be cancelled without exception.
Vacations scheduled for December 20 – January 5 must be paid in full a minimum of 60 days in advance. If a client does not make payment or other written and confirmed arrangement with Nine Degrees Latitude S.A. within 7 days of scheduled payment due date, their vacation will be cancelled without exception.
**If an individual hotel's or event vendor's policies supersede our policies in any way, it will be added to the aforementioned policies. Examples: If you cancel your vacation 61 days prior to your vacation start date and one of the hotels has already been paid that has a zero refund policy, you will be refunded all but $50 processing fee per person plus whatever is lost to the hotel / If a vendor has been paid a deposit that is non-refundable, you will be refunded all but the processing fee per person plus whatever deposit(s) is lost to the vendor(s).
Individual Hotel Cancellations: Hotels reserved individually or separate from vacation packages will be reserved with the policies of each individual hotel or resort. These policies can be furbished upon request. Nine Degrees Latitude S.A. policies do not supercede individual hotel policies when reserved in this fashion.
Partial Group Cancellations
Cancellations made by individuals of a larger group are considered on an individual basis, based on the amount of money credited to us by providers. This is normally a small sum if cancelled last minute as the transportation and hotel rooms are often still being used by other group members. Group rates are quoted based on the group sharing these items and we cannot ask other group members to pay more if you decide to cancel. Generally, the only credit given in these situations are for tours that are within the cancellation period of the tour operator when the total rate is not affected by the loss of the cancelling participants. Due to the aforementioned, standard cancellation policies may not apply to partial group cancellations.
Rescheduling Policy:
Our Rescheduling Policies do not include rescheduling your vacation. Rescheduling your vacation requires an in depth review of individual hotel, tour operator and transportation company policies and is handled on an individual basis. **If an individual hotel, tour operator or transportation company's policies supersede our policies in any way, it will be added to the aforementioned policies. Example: If you reschedule your vacation 14 days prior to your vacation start date and one of the hotels has already been paid and applies a penalty for rescheduling, you will have to pay the penalty. Please keep in mind we are a travel service, not an insurance company.
A flat fee of $20 per person, per Activity / Hotel / Transportation will be charged for amendments to confirmed dates and times. This fee is to cover courier costs, communication costs, re-documentation and the additional time to coordinate the changes. Nine Degrees Latitude S.A. is not responsible for any missed or cancelled hotels, tours or transportation due to any reason not directly caused by our services. Including: flight delays or cancellations, natural causes, rain, thunder storms, tornado, hurricane, fire, theft, flood, land slide, flat tire, automotive problems, health problems etc.
Hotels, transportation and tours are subject to change based on availability to hotels, transportation and tours of equal value.
Nine Degrees Latitude Sociedad Anonima is a registered Costa Rica business, conducting all affairs in the country of Costa Rica. Nine Degrees Latitude S.A. abides all laws in accordance to those regulated by the Republic of Costa Rica. In the case of legal dispute, the Costa Rica judicial system will determine judgements.
Traveling to Costa Rica is simple! If you are a U.S. citizen traveling from the U.S. you will only need your passport. To obtain or renew your passport please visit the following website:
http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html
We also encourage you to visit the Costa Rica Embassy website for further information: http://www.costarica-embassy.org
If you are traveling from a country other than the U.S. please visit the Embassy's site for passport and visa requirements specific to your country of origin.
You will also want to bring your Driver's License if you are renting a vehicle or an ATV during your getaway.
We highly recommend considering purchasing Travel Insurance.
It is a common expectation that one would not receive a refund for airline tickets or events such as sports events or concerts but often there is an expectation that vacation components (transportation, accommodations, and activities) can be changed or cancelled at little or no expense.
This is not the case.
In Costa Rica reservations typically require 100% prepayment. Most reservations are not refundable. Changes, if allowed, depend on availability and often with a fee.
These policies are set by the hotels, activity providers, and transportation companies – we have no control over them and must abide by these policies. They make these policies basically because by blocking a room, tour time, or vehicle for you they lost opportunities to sell it to others.
You will not receive compensation for unused items as a result of illness, missed or cancelled flights, airline strikes, etc.. unless you purchase travel insurance.
How to Buy Travel Insurance
We are not an insurance company and we do not recieve compensation or commissions in any way from any kind of insurance company. We recommend insurance simply because we do not want to see our clients (or their guests) burned by unexpected changes or interruptions to plans.
To give you an idea of what it costs to insure your trip, costs and coverage will vary by company and your age (when medical coverage is included) and by the type of policy you select. Quotes run $38 to $126 total to cover two 30 year olds for a 5 day trip costing anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000, based on normal coverages selected. Complete medical coverage with evacuation & take me home plans can run up to the $300’s.
The lowest cost plan had the most basic coverage and the most limited valid reasons for cancellation. The highest cost plan had more coverage and was more flexible in reasons for cancellation.
All of the plans had reasons for claims including death, injury, birth and illness for the travelers and immediate family memerbs, air travel problems due to weather, strikes, etc…
It is our goal to hear clients say they had the trip of the lifetime, and the event of the lifetime. We are here to help you and part of that assistance is recommending that you cover your butt ? The ways we can help are:
If you have insurance we will provide all needed paperwork to the insurance company to illustrate your expenses and non-reimbursable costs. We will do this free of charge.
If you cancel early enough we will give you a partial refund. In case of modifications before or during your trip we will do our best.
We are here to help the process be as easy as possible, but cannot be responsible for items of which we have no control. Insurance helps protect you from incidents beyond your control.
