Under the palms, on the hillside
The gardens
The grounds climb the hill in terraces of heliconia, palms and bamboo, with corners that stay private. The smallest ceremonies happen here, and most of the photographs.
Weddings at Las Cascadas
Say it here, in Manuel Antonio
Couples fly to Manuel Antonio for the beaches and the national park, and we sit a few minutes from both, at the top of a narrow street above the marina in Quepos.
You get a planner who is already here
Our wedding planner works on the property, not from an agency in another town. The person telling you the ceremony can run at five is the person who watches that light every evening.
A wedding here can be two people and an officiant in the gardens, or your whole family taking over the hotel for a weekend. We have done both.
Send an enquiry and our wedding planner replies within 24 hours.
Tell Us About Your Wedding
Start the conversation
Fill in whatever you know. A date and a rough number of people is plenty to start with, and nothing here is a commitment.
What happens next
This goes straight to our wedding planner, who replies within 24 hours. If you would rather talk, WhatsApp us on +506 8964-3562.
Thank you, this reached our wedding planner
She will write back within 24 hours. If your plans are moving faster than that, WhatsApp is the quickest way to reach us.
WhatsApp UsWhat we handle
Ask for all of it or any part of it. There is no set combination, because no two of these weddings have wanted the same things.
- Flowers and decor
- Bouquets, arch, table settings. Tropical if you want the country in the photographs, or restrained if you would rather it stayed about the two of you.
- The setting itself
- Chairs, arch, aisle, lighting, and the setup and breakdown around it, whether that is on our pool deck or on the sand.
- Food and drink
- Our own kitchen at Coconuts, working to a menu built with you rather than picked off one. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and most allergies are routine here.
- The cake
- Made locally, to whatever you have in mind. Ours is also the kitchen that runs the pastry case, so this is not an outside errand.
- Photographer
- Local photographers the planner has worked with before and can vouch for, rather than whoever is available.
- Hair and makeup
- Arranged for the morning, at the hotel, so nobody is driving anywhere with their hair done.
- Music, dancers, fireworks
- From a guitarist through the ceremony to a band and a proper party afterward. Fireworks over the water if the night calls for it.
- The legal side
- An attorney who officiates the ceremony and files it correctly. See what the law asks for below.
- Rooms for your people
- We hold rooms for the wedding party and help your guests book theirs, so everyone is in one place the night before.
- Getting everyone here
- Transport down from San Jose, airport pickups, and the shuttles between the hotel and wherever the day happens.
Four places to say it
Three of them are on the property and one is a few minutes down the hill. Most couples end up using more than one across the day.
Most weddings here take the whole hotel. We have beds for about 40 guests, so a list near that number means the property is yours for the weekend.
The middle of the property
The "Las Iguanas" pool deck
The pool sits at the center of everything, the river stone waterfall at one end. Set for a ceremony it faces the waterfall; for a party it runs late, with nobody above us to disturb.
Dinner, and whatever follows it
The terrace at Coconuts
Our own restaurant terrace, open on one side to the jungle and strung with lights under a high roof. Receptions sit down here, and the kitchen is thirty seconds from the table.
Sand, waves and the sunset
The beach, minutes away
For a ceremony on the sand, the beaches are a few minutes down the hill and we set up there. Everyone comes back here afterward, which is what makes it workable.
What the law actually asks for
You do not have to live in Costa Rica to be married in Costa Rica, and the list is shorter than most couples expect.
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An attorney officiates
We provide an attorney who legally officiates the ceremony in Costa Rica. That is the same person who files it afterward, so the paperwork does not become your problem on your honeymoon.
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A valid passport, and two witnesses
That is the whole requirement for each of you. The witnesses can be relatives or friends, and both of you must be at least 18.
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You sign, then the registry does
After the ceremony the couple, the two witnesses and the attorney sign the marriage statement, and it goes to the Civil Registry of Costa Rica, the government body that records marriages.
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The certificate follows, usually in two to four weeks
The registry issues the marriage certificate, officially translated and authenticated by the consulate, and sends it to you to file with your own marriage record office at home. Costa Rican marriages are recognized worldwide.
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Names do not change here
Under Costa Rican law a woman does not change her surname on marriage, so the bride's name appears on every document exactly as it does in her passport. Changing it is something you do at home afterward if you want to.
Questions we get asked
Do you have a wedding planner?
Yes, on the property rather than at an agency. She advises on the vendors in town, coordinates the day and is the person you deal with from the first message to the last guest leaving.
Do you sell wedding packages?
No, and we do not intend to. Every wedding here is built from what you actually want, so instead of picking a tier you tell us your vision and what you are comfortable spending, and we come back with what that looks like here.
Is there a minimum number of guests?
No. We have hosted ceremonies for two people and celebrations for a whole extended family. Neither gets treated as the lesser version of the other.
Can our guests stay at the hotel?
Yes, and it is usually the easiest way to do it. We help your guests book their rooms and hold what the wedding party needs, so everyone wakes up in the same place on the day.
What do we need to get married in Costa Rica?
A valid passport each, two witnesses who can be friends or family, and both of you over 18. No residency, no waiting period. The attorney we provide handles the ceremony and the filing.
Can we bring our own photographer or florist?
Tell us who you have in mind in your enquiry and the planner will talk it through with you. We work with Costa Rican professionals we know and trust, and the point of the conversation is to get you the day you want rather than to defend a supplier list.
How soon will we hear back?
Within 24 hours. A wedding enquiry does not sit in a queue behind room questions; it goes straight to the wedding planner.
What if our guest list is bigger than the hotel?
Tell us the number in your enquiry. We would rather say now that a list is past what we can sleep than after you have planned the weekend around us.
This is where the rest of it starts
Tell us what you are picturing. We will tell you honestly whether we can do it here, and if we can, we will tell you how.