A warm and sincere congratulations to Marilena and Fabrizio on theirr beautiful Destination Wedding at the RIU Palace Costa Rica on the Guanacaste coast!

About Marilena and Fabrizio:
Occupations: (Fabrizio) VP at a Software and Consultancy company  and (Marilena) Aesthetician and salon owner.
How they met:  On-line dating site
What attracted Fabrizio to Marilena: Her smile and great sense of humor
What attracted Marilena to Fabrizio: Handsome and intelligent
What was the best advice you received as a bride/groom? Be patient with one another
Engagement story: Travelled to New York for the Annual St. Patrick’s day Marathon, which Fabrizio was scheduled to run in. On the night before the marathon, Fab took Marilena to an exclusive Sushi restaurant and proposed in front of the entire restaurant before dinner. All of the guests dining at the restaurant and the staff, were all in on the plan.

The Wedding Day:
Wedding date: January 2^nd, 2015
Number of guests: 32
Wedding colours: All whites and neutral colours
Marilena’s most memorable moment: Walking down the aisle and seeing Fabrizio
Fabrizio’s most memorable moment: Watching Marilena come down aisle to meet me
Favourite wedding detail: All of the flowers – turned out beautifully!
Most unexpected moment: Everyone ended up in the mini-pool that surrounded our dinner reception. Couldn’t believe that every single one of our guests ended up getting in and dancing in 2 feet of water! What a blast that was!
Most romantic moment: First dance
Did you include any traditions in your wedding? We wrote our own vows
Honeymoon: Stayed in Costa Rica, although transferred to the Westin Golf Resort & Spa in Playa Conchal
The day in three words: Couldn’t describe it in only 3

Wedding Details:
Ceremony location: Beach
Reception location: Private rental of the Coconut pool bar
Why did you choose this location for your wedding? Costa Rica was something different and exotic. We chose the beach ceremony, as it was suitable for a destination weddings and had a beautiful backdrop, and the reception was chosen because it gave us the most privacy and had a beautiful and modern feel to it.
Marilena’s gown: Vera Wang
Fabrizio’s outfit: Burberry
Type of rings: Bands
Jewellery: Marilena wore pearls that Fabrizio had bought her
Bridesmaids dresses: No bridesmaids. Although Marilena’s daughters wore coral and pink
Wedding song: Billy Joel – Just The Way You Are
Favours: Welcome bags were offered as favours
Music: Ceremony: a lot of John Mayer, Marvin Gaye and Norah Jones. For the reception: a little bit of everything. Little bit of salsa, little bit of pop, some oldies and some reggae. We all love to dance and party, and music was definitely pumping until late into the night.
Flowers: All white Flowers. White phaleanopsis orchids were included in all of the flowers used for the wedding. They are stunning, elegant and crisp. Gave a beautiful clean, fresh and elegant look to all of the flowers. White Orchids and bear grass lined the aisle for the ceremony and were attached to the Gazebo. Dinner table centerpieces includes lush white centerpieces created in long, white-wooden boxes. Turned out beautifully!
Photographer: Wedding Day Story
Hair: Soft and loose up-do. Mother of the bride is a hair dresser.
Makeup: Marilena is make-up artist and went for soft and subtle
Catering: RIU Palace Costa Rica – customized a special menu for the wedding

Fun Stuff:
Astrological signs (Marilena) and (Fabrizio): Cancer and Leo
What did you put in gift bags? Luggage tags, suntan lotion, bug spray, handkerchiefs/bandanas for the group excursion, welcome letter and itinerary, New Years Eve party favours, mini flashlights for the kids, disposable cameras, etc. The Welcome Bag itself was a canvas/linen bag, that guests could take to the beach and use throughout the week.