A Laidback Wedding Atop a Tropical, Floral Mandala at Tamarindo Beach in Costa Rica
As these two high school sweethearts say, “We met in history class, fell in love and the rest is history!” Reily and Annika then navigated the next four years apart, the entirety of their college experience, before finding a home together in Seattle. Not long after, Reily surprised his fiancée-to-be with a trip to the small fishing village of Ucluelet on Vancouver Island, where they stayed the night at a houseboat B&B on the bay. “After taking a dip in the sea and sauna-ing in the floating sauna, he proposed on the fly deck at sunset,” Annika says of their “best day ever” (at least until their wedding day).
Having previously been to Costa Rica, the couple’s plan for a non-traditional destination wedding brought them to wedding planner, Mil Besos. From there, they found their dream venue, Pangas, a spot they’d seen on Pinterest weeks before with the exact laidback vibes and beautiful scenery they were looking for. “When designing the wedding day, we had two guiding principles: 1. We wanted our guests to have an amazing night with great food and drinks, and 2. We wanted it to feel like a natural party and not a staged show,” the couple says.
These elements guided Annika and Reily to a warm color palette, a minimalistic and eclectic style and a mix of natural elements. With no shades of black or white (minus Annika’s wedding gown), they wanted the natural beauty of the beach to speak for itself. Speaking of the bride’s look, she opted for a silk slip dress from Flora in a creamy white, paired with a cathedral-length Jenny Yoo veil with embroidered flowers. As for Reily, he chose a green linen suit, which Annika says, “He wanted a color that matched the natural landscape of Tamarindo and that was comfortable for dancing.” He accessorized the look with a necklace a friend had made and a belt that had been passed down in Annika’s family for years.
They incorporated natural foliage and florals from Costa Rica into their wedding, making it a main element of the design. Annika says, “While we had a guiding color palette of warm, sunset hues, Reily and I were open to any and all flowers being used on our day.” Their wedding planners at Mil Besos utilized tropical blooms like anthuriums, birds of paradise, chrysanthemums and other vibrant flowers to take the spotlight. From the bouquet to the groomsmen’s boutonnieres and even the design of the bridesmaids' dresses, flowers were a recurring motif.
The couple chose not to do a first look with their photographer, wanting instead to capture the moment Annika walked down the aisle to Reily as their first time seeing each other that day. “I surprised Reily by walking down the aisle to ‘Sentimental Lady’ by Fleetwood Mac, a song that was special to us as a couple,” she adds, this moment one that the two of them anticipated most leading up to the wedding.
Florals also played a part in a new tradition the couple created, who were both non-religious but wanted to add a spiritual element to their day. “Before the ceremony, we had guests choose a flower to lay on a partially made mandala at the altar,” Annika says. “They were asked to send love and positive energy into the flower that they placed on the ground.” The two stood barefoot atop the mandala, feeling blessed by their family and friends as they exchanged vows beneath the branches of a stringlit tree with Tamarindo as their backdrop.
Many of their guests had to travel for the wedding, and Reily and Annika wanted to make it a vacation for everyone. “Since we asked people to travel so far to celebrate with us, spending quality time with all of them was one of our main priorities. Most of our guests arrived 5 days before our wedding, so the week before was filled with dinners, beach trips, surf sessions, yoga and boat rides with our family and friends,” Annika says, calling it one of their most memorable and favorite parts of their destination wedding.
For their reception, they had a tented space on the sand with string lights and lanterns for when the night came. The bride says, “We envisioned natural materials such as light linens, woods, and colorful florals being the center of our design… Our tables were long, banquet style, with bright floral arrangements and mismatched place settings.” The newlyweds and their loved ones danced the night away to a custom playlist from DJ Kika, who included a mix of reggae, 70s music and more.
Though Annika and Reily credit much of what made their day memorable to their vendors, their own focus on the details helped to create a wedding uniquely theirs. “When planning your wedding, take the time to think about what will truly make your day special,” Annika says. “We spent hours some nights just brainstorming and visualizing what the day would look like, and we feel like it really paid off because we had a lot of confidence in the decisions we made.” Planning your perfect day, after all, is about making it truly yours. And your guests will love it for that.