Alicia and Sam in Playa Grande

Alicia and Sam

Alicia and Sam got married at a courthouse during COVID. Years later, they came to Costa Rica with their closest friends to have the celebration they never got to have. No pressure, no big production — just the people they love, a great house, and a beach they’d never been to before.

They rented Casa Lobos in Playa Grande, about 15 minutes from Tamarindo. The house has a really nice layout — great common areas and a spacious backyard where the reception happened. Everyone danced either out in the open or under a small rancho with a roof, though at that time of year there was no rain. The whole group had the place to themselves.

Sam and Alicia had been legally married for over five years already. They wanted this day to be special but knew it wasn’t the grand start of their relationship. They just wanted to have fun and capture the moments without a lot of pressure. That energy comes through in the photographs.

What made this couple great together was how they balanced each other. Alicia loved how capable and handy Sam was. Sam’s favorite thing about Alicia was how genuine she was. You could see this in how they looked at each other all day.

Right after the ceremony, the guests did some icebreaker trivia games. Everyone was laughing and getting to know each other better. This was exactly what Sam and Alicia wanted. They loved seeing their family and friends hanging out together.

Alicia, Sam and I went to the beach for portraits. They didn’t want to be away from their guests for too long. It turned out to be the perfect amount of time for a mini session with an amazing sunset.

As the night went on, there was dancing to end the celebration. The music was playing and everyone was having a great time. Sam and Alicia spent the whole night with their guests instead of being pulled away for photos every few minutes.

This was exactly what they wanted. A relaxed day with family and friends in a beautiful place. No stress, just celebration. Casa Lobos and Playa Grande gave them the perfect setting to do just that.

The light that evening was incredible. We found a quiet stretch of beach on Playa Grande — practically nobody around — and had a long portrait session with just the two of them. The sky turned completely orange. It was one of those evenings where everything just works.