Location confirmed!! Punto De Vista

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I decided to just pull the trigger and book Punto de Vista! I am not going to lie... it was terrifying and its so hard for me not to get on google to make sure I got the best deal possible. (I don't know why that would make me feel better because I would either waste hours confirming a decision I've already made or find out I got shafted and feel horrible about a decision I can't change! Argh... grumble, grumble)

We picked Punto de Vista for three reasons:
1. We really wanted to be within driving distance (around 2 hours driving being the max) from San Jose ... so we picked Manuel Antonio which is about 2 hours away from the airport.
2. We didn't want a cookie cutter resort wedding. When I was considering getting married at a resort, I started having nightmares about showing up at the resort and being the third wedding party to arrive... so we decided to get married at a private villa.
3. We really love our friends and we loved the idea of turning our wedding into a big group vacation. So we decided we wanted to rent a private villa large enough to house our whole bridal ... so we picked Punto de Vista

Without any further ado, here are some gorgeous pictures of my wedding location: (YAY)

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This is the rooftop deck overlooking the pacific ocean. At first we thought we would get married here but Mr. Pancakes really wanted to get married on the beach... so the beach it is! We'll try to have the reception here depending on the heat factor.

{Source}How gorgeous is this view!!


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Yes, it IS a rooftop jacuzzi with a view of the Pacific Ocean!

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This is what the bedrooms look like. There are 10 bedrooms and every room has a view of the ocean... hence the name "punto de vista" which means "point of view."

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Here is another bed room. They call this one the master because it has a balcony and a hot tub in the room (See bottom left hand side of the photo), but I actually prefer one of the other rooms because it is a little bigger and I think will be a better location for the bridesmaids to gather on the big day.

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This is the covered terrace its totally air-conditioned so if its super hot on our wedding day, this is where we will be having our reception.

{Source}This is the dance room, where we will be having the "cake & champagne" reception. Those huge glass windows also slide open to the pool area creating an indoor/outdoor space.

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This is the other end of the main room where we will have drinks and dance the night away! There is a bar to the right and a DJ stage so its PERFECT.

{Source}This is just one of the many weird hang out nooks. How amazing would this be in a photograph, with us in our wedding attire and two classes of champagne!

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Obviously there is a pool! How fun will this be with all our closest friends and family.

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There are TWO kitchens a professional kitchen for the chef (yes, the house has a chef) and a regular kitchen.

Maybe it was meant to be, the architect/owner of Punto de Vista is originally from Manhattan Beach. That's where Mr. Pancakes is from!! Did I mention that I'm a huge believer in fate :)

Destination: Wedding

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For a number of reasons, we have decided we want a destination wedding. I have literally been dreaming about my wedding day since I was 7. When I think about my wedding it is not a series of small parties that lead up to the big day. Instead it's more like Mardi Gras. It's an event that just builds for about a year but is basically a week-(or more) long vacation filled with laughter, friends, fun, and of course a little bit of alcohol. Additionally, because our friends and family are coming from all over the U.S. and some from even further, I really wanted to make sure I would get to enjoy having all my favorite people in the same place. How amazing does that sound? I know its selfish but its MY WEDDING :D

Originally the debate was between somewhere in the Caribbean, Mexico and Costa Rica. Then we realized that we kind of had to get married on the pacific. That's where we met, that's where we are both from, and according to Mr Pancakes, the Atlantic is not even really an ocean. It quickly became obvious that all WE really wanted was to have the wedding in Costa Rica. Pacific Ocean...check. Surf...check. Monkeys (yes, monkeys)...check. What more could we want?!!?

Then came the guilt... I felt guilty that its gonna cost my friends so much, I felt guilty that we weren't going to be able to have a catholic wedding, I felt guilty that the wedding is all about us and not at all about my parents.

Then I stumbled upon this amazing blog. Tulle and Feather is this amazing blog that follows the journey of two California brides to be, one from San Diego and one from San Fransisco. Here's what I read regarding destination weddings:

"if you've been debating about whether or not to have a destination wedding, do it. by far, the best decision we've ever made. when we set out on our wedding planning process we knew we wanted something more than one day. we wanted several days of memories, laughter, tears and pure selfishness. all our favorite people in a favorite place that we would never be able to recreate again in our lives without the excuse of a wedding to do it."
{For More from Tulle and Feather}

I don't know why it took the words of a stranger to make my decision but I totally agree with her. I only pray that my friends and family will support our decision and decide to join us on this amazing journey. We love and adore you all.

How did you decide where to have your wedding? Was it a tough decision? Were your friends and family supportive?