Destination wedding at Secrets Papagayo – an Honest Review from Jessica and Alex

The Couple

Jessica and Alex met as teenagers, through mutual friends. They originally chatted on Myspace and were high school sweethearts. Alex jokes that he knew she wanted her proposal in a public place, but not public. While on a trip to New Buffalo to visit wineries, he proposed to her at a park on a walking trail, public but not public.

The Planning

They knew they wanted a destination wedding because it fulfilled two needs; their budget, and a desire to be more private. They worked with Destify and their agent Melissa. Jessica said, “It was stress-free, it was really easy.” They chose Secrets Papagayo because they wanted the option for activities and liked that it was adults-only. Costa Rica offered all of that, from the beach to snorkeling and more.

Their coordinators were switched during the process, and once working with the new coordinator things went much smoother. The true decor planning finalized in the month prior to the ceremony. Once they arrived they met with their coordinator in person, saw the ceremony site, and finalized last minute details. As part of their package inclusions, they also reserved a couples’ massage and breakfast in bed for one day of their stay.

The Wedding

That night they had a dinner rehearsal, where their guests got more time together before the ceremony. The day before the wedding the group participated in an excursion package which really let them explore more of Costa Rica. It included zip lining, horseback riding, a coffee tasting, and even mud bath spa treatments. On the day of their ceremony, Jessica met with her bridesmaids at 1:30 to get their hair and make-up done at the resort’s bridal salon.

When it was done her photographer had arrived and took photos of the couples, including the first look. They held their ceremony on the beach, and after took sunset pictures, which turned out stunning. They met their guests at a cocktail hour, featuring horderves, followed by a private reception in the garden leading up to the beach with a full 4-course dinner.

Looking Back

The couple agreed the excursions were their favorite part, but that taking photos at sunset was also one the most memorable moments. They recommend investing in an outside photographer, or a second photographer in order to really capture everything how you truly envisioned.