A Simple Yet Elegant Wedding on the Beach

I was super excited when Sandy, the wedding coordinator from Gaia Hotel and Reserve, called me to photograph Maria and Stephan’s wedding in Manuel Antonio. Maria and Sandy were in the same modern dance troupe back in Germany and Sandy wanted to plan something special for Maria and Stephan’s wedding here in Costa Rica.

The day before this simple yet elegant wedding was Valentine’s Day, so the two of them got fully pampered with dinner and spa treatments that day. That meant they were fully refreshed and ready for the beach ceremony the next day. They had planned on a late afternoon wedding at Playitas beach, with a dinner on the beach after the sunset, catered by Bohemia Cafe.

It had been storming in the afternoons the days previous, but we lucked out and had a rain-free evening and a gorgeous looking sky. It was also the first time I had been able to photograph one of the trees in bloom at the beach (the one behind and to the right of Maria and Stephan in the first photo.)

Maria and Stephan were also truly awesome to work with during the photo session. We had a bit of a communication gap since they are from Germany, but we managed to understand each other by repeating ourselves a few different ways and even a little acting out of what we were trying to say.

It made for a really fun and light-hearted approach to the portrait session. I think this helped them to really enjoy themselves and focus on each other. We finished the portrait session as the sun went down, and they stayed to enjoy their intimate dinner with the waves crashing just a few feet away.

Groom sees bride in dress for the first time. — Stephan sees Maria for the first time in her wedding dress.

Can you see yourself enjoying a wedding like this? Are you still on the fence and looking for more inspiration? Check out this other awesome wedding I shot at Gaia!