A well-planned Costa Rica wedding can be magical.

Costa Rica is one of the favorite tourist destinations today, and its popularity is now stretching to more countries throughout the world. Maybe because it is so peaceful and idealistic; where else would anyone find such incredible beaches, exotic little towns, eternal sunshine, white sand, blue sea, palm trees, rain forests and volcanoes! More and more people are now choosing to come here to get married. Indeed, how romantic to take your vows in front on the ocean, with a flamboyant sunset illuminating the ceremony, or under the spectacular starry sky of Guanacaste. There seems to be no better way and no greater dream than getting married in Paradise.

Sure, to keep in touch with reality, some preparation and paperwork does come into the picture. First thing is to find yourself a good lawyer. There are some companies now here which specialize in such things and finding the right lawyer should not be difficult. Wedding planners can also do wonders, and at a much lower cost than it would cost in your own country, and they guarantee a hassle-free wedding. Getting married is after all one of the most important things we do, it should be unforgettable, and it should be perfect and beautiful.

Once you have settled on a lawyer, he/she will help you with all the paper work. You will then have to decide on a spot. Most people choose the beach. However, few months ago, some friends of mine got married right in the middle of Braulio Carrillo, in the rain forest. It was enchanting, different and inspiring. I though that it was a truly beautiful experience.

No matter where it takes place, the ceremony will have to be carefully planned. if you want to have a civil wedding, it is quite straight forward, however, getting married to the church becomes a lot more complicated, and you will have zillions of things to do. If one of you is divorced things really can become tricky. Some Catholic classes may even be required. If both parties are not Costa Rican citizens, you will just need to present your passports and valid contract with a lawyer or attorney to marry you. If one of the parties is Costa Rican, she/he will have to produce their ID card or cedula, and a certificate of civil status. If this person was married before and divorced or widowed, the following papers will have to be produced: A copy of the divorce paperwork certified bearing “timbres” or stamps, or a copy of the previous spouse’s death certificate bearing “timbres” or stamps and finally a document certifying his/her civil status sworn before the notary.

The whole procedure is slightly more difficult if the Costa Rican spouse is a woman; she can remarry but has to wait 300 days after the day she was legally declared divorce or after the legal publication of her former spouse’s death certificate. This certainly seems a little barbaric; the reason behind it is to avoid confusing should she be pregnant as to the identity of the father. One way to avoid this is to have two pregnancy tests from two different doctors claiming that she is not pregnant!

Finally, you will need two witnesses, and these persons must not be relatives. They will need to produce their passports if they are foreigners, or their cedulas if they are Costa Rican.

I was at a beach wedding in Guanacaste a couple of weeks ago. I thought that if ever I would get married again, I would do it this way. It allows for the wedding to be simple, yet stupendously wonderful. It reminded me of a fairy tale. I now know, there isn’t a better way to get married than in front of the majesty of the ocean and under the brilliant stars. This is, I believe, the way it was meant to be all along! And let’s not forget the Costa Rica honeymoon!

This post's rating:

Related Stories

Filed under: Travel on May 21st, 2008