Dreams Las Mareas Costa Rica Destination Wedding: Eryn & Adam

Eryn and Adam met by chance at a friend’s pool during COVID, only to discover they were neighbors! They share a love for travel, snowboarding, and staying active, perfectly balancing social gatherings with quiet, relaxing times. 

When they got in touch, Eryn and Adam knew they wanted a destination wedding but needed help pulling it all together. By nature, they aren’t planners. The thought of spending countless hours choosing decorations and coordinating every tiny detail for just one day didn’t appeal to them at all. That’s exactly why they loved the idea of a destination wedding—they had witnessed how it could transform into a memorable, week-long celebration with their closest friends at another wedding. And they wanted that same relaxed, extended celebration for themselves and their loved ones.

They imagined a day that’s less about the frills and more about the fun and beauty of being together with their loved ones in a beautiful place. And we at Alpaca Your Bags Travel were thrilled to have helped make the destination wedding dreams of this fun-loving couple a reality!

Real Wedding Q&A with Eryn and Adam!

What were your biggest fears when planning a destination wedding?

Our biggest fears about planning a destination wedding were not being able to have all our closest friends and family there. Due to finances, kids, pregnancies, jobs, etc, there were people who were not able to join us. We were also worried about the resorts being too expensive for our guests or that they wouldn’t live up to our expectations. 

Is there anything about the actual destination wedding experience that surprised you?

The major thing that surprised us the most was the cost of the wedding. In the end we were able to keep it reasonable but had to make cuts to keep it that way. But even keeping it simple, our wedding was beautiful and I’m still so happy with it.

What is your favorite memory of your destination wedding?

Our favorite memory would be having all our favorite people in one place for an extended period of time.  It was so cool to see your different circles of friends and family all come together and really get to know one another, it made the wedding and reception even more fun. A bonus memory we will never forget is a monkey jumping over our heads during our ceremony. 

Did you splurge on anything travel or wedding related? If so, what was it and was it worth it?

We splurged on overhead lights and wooden tables for our reception and it was 100% worth it and really gave us a wedding reception out of a fairy tale. We also decided to hire a photographer & videographer  who were outside the resort and it was worth the vendor fees we had to pay to bring them in. They did an amazing job and we now can relive the perfect day. 

Did you attempt to *save* on anything travel or wedding related? If so, what was it and was it worth it?

We decided to not have a dance floor and  danced on the sand instead (100% worth it and so different from a normal wedding). We also kept flowers at a minimum, choosing to only do some flowers on our arch. The last big way we saved was we didn’t do centerpieces through the resort, we ended up bringing our own table runners, electric candles and fairy lights for the tables and it helped us save a ton, and we thought they turned out perfect.  

What kind of feedback did you get from your guests?

That it was the most beautiful and intimate wedding they have ever been to. That nothing will ever compare and they are so happy we did this.

Now that you’ve been through it, what is your #1 best piece of advice for wedding couples entering the planning process?

Sit back and relax, it will all turn out perfect, even if you don’t hear from your planner very often. Don’t stress over little things, the resorts are so beautiful they are your decor and aesthetics.

In what ways did Alpaca Your Bags Travel make this less stressful for you?

They helped in so many ways but honestly the biggest help was handling all the transportation to and from the resort.  We had a 2 hour commute to Dreams and a lot of guests so trying to organize that would have been a nightmare. They also fielded all of our guests’ questions leading up to the wedding so we didn’t have to. They got us our refund back for the room comp very quickly and took care of all communication with the resort and sometimes even our planner. They had a set process through the entire year making it less stressful and knowing exactly what we needed to do next.  I can’t imagine trying to have a destination wedding without Alpaca Your Bags leading the way.   

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Photographer: Meric Moments

Travel Advisor: Alpaca Your Bags Travel 

Resort: Dreams Las Mareas Costa Rica