Kirstien and Anna traveled to Costa Rica for a destination wedding.
The rainy season in Costa Rica is from July to early December. As the name suggests, sometimes you can get a bit of rain on your wedding day. For the most part, this isn’t a problem as the getting ready portion of the day and the reception are both usually in a covered area. The ceremony and photos afterward are where you might want to have a back-up rain plan. Often, it’s just a light drizzle and we can use umbrellas and still get amazing photos on the beach. But sometimes it can be a real drencher and it’s impossible to get outside for photos. If this happens, we get inventive and get some beautiful and unique photos inside. But for wedding couples who have their hearts set on beach photos that really showcase the beautiful Costa Rican scenery, a Day After Session can really come to the rescue. This is just what we did at Anna and Kirstien’s breathtaking wedding at Villa Punto de Vista.
The marriers
Anna and Kirstien met as strangers at a bar in East Atlanta. Anna saw Kirstien and at that moment knew she had to meet her. After working up the courage, she finally walked over to her and they hit it off over a couple of games of thumb wrestling. They’ve been together ever since! After a serendipitous layover in Costa Rica, they came across Villa Punto de Vista and were sure that it would be the perfect place for their intimate 19-person celebration. The wedding ceremony was held on the fifth floor of the villa that has a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. That day, it ended up raining really hard and fortunately, the ceremony area is covered in a way that gives the feeling of being outside but lets you stay out of the rain. Anna’s father officiated the ceremony.
Back-up rain plan
After the ceremony, we had planned to go to the beach for photos. While emailing in the months before the wedding, Anna and Kirstien told me it really mattered to them to get amazing photos at the beach, as well as a handful with greenery in the background. This is because they both love the outdoors and photos like this would fit their personalities perfectly. We were confident that we could get these photos the next day as we had planned on a Day After Session the next morning. So after the ceremony, we took advantage of the beautiful spaces in the Villa to get some unique photos.
Another detail that made the wedding so special is that Anna and Kirstien are friends with a phenomenal musician from Atlanta—Melody Kiser. Melody performed during the ceremony and reception and played a special song for the first dance. And it wasn’t your typical slow first dance song. Anna and Kirstien totally rocked it of course!
Day After Session to the rescue
The following morning we went to Playitas beach for the Day After Session. As expected with all the rain the night before, the weather was perfect. Anna and Kirstien brought a pride flag for some photos that all their family and friends had signed at the wedding. We ended the session with Anna and Kirstien getting in the water. It was so cool seeing their dresses blend in with the seafoam as the two marriers held each other close.
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Photographer: Kevin Heslin Photography – Costa Rica Destination Wedding Photography
Floral Designer: Costa Brava Weddings & Events
Event Venue: Villa Punto de Vista
Bakery: Mariposa Pastry
Fin Leary Lavoie
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