Villa Caletas Hotel

Wedding Day

Wedding

Reception

Our Wedding

Lauren was baited into attending a dinner with friends at a restaurant across the street from her house (the only reason she went). Omar noticed&nbsp;on Instagram his friend was DJ'ing at that same restaurant the very same night. She noticed him, played
 coy, followed by cutesy, followed by obvious and still he was oblivious. She made their mutual friend (the DJ) introduce them and the rest as they say is happily ever after

How We Met

While vacationing in Maine, Omar (who secretly bought the ring months earlier) decided to pop the question with Lauren's parents in tow. After an epic hike up Cadillac Mountain, the foursome went to Acadia National park. Omar and Lauren went on a bike ride through the carriage roads while her parents (unbeknownst to her) scoped out a picturesque locale for what they knew was coming. While she focused on a beaver in the pond, he made the move, and pops caught the whole thing on camera.

How He Made It Happen

Airport Transportation

Shuttle Service

WE HAVE SECURED AIRPORT SHUTTLE SERVICE STARTING WEDNESDAY 7/6 THRU FRIDAY 7/8. THE PICKUP LOCATION FOR ALL TRANSFERS IS JUST OUTSIDE THE MAIN EXIT OF SJO AIRPORT. ONCE OUTSIDE, WALK TO THE RIGHT 200 METERS TO MALINCHE RESTAURANT (SEE PICTURE). THE DRIVER HAS EVERYONES NAME AND CAN ACCOMMODATE DELAYS. PLEASE NOTIFY LAUREN AND OMAR IF THIS IS THE CASE. **WEDNESDAY (7/6)-- SHUTTLE ARRIVES AT 1:30PM (CST) AT MALINCHE RESTAURANT FOR A 2:00 PM (CST) DEPARTURE.**WEDNESDAY (7/6) PRIVATE TRANSFER FOR 7 DEPARTS AT 4:00 PM (CST) FROM MALINCHE**THURSDAY (7/7)- SHUTTLES ARRIVE AT 1:30 PM (CST) AND 2:00 PM (CST) AT MALINCHE RESTAURANT. DEPARTURE IS AT 2:00 PM (CST) AND 2:30 PM (CST).**FRIDAY (7/8)- PRIVATE TRANSFER ARRIVES AT 1:30 PM (CST) AT MALINCHE RESTAURANT FOR A 2:00 PM (CST) DEPARTURE. IF YOU ARE ON A PRIVATE TRANSFER, YOU HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. IF YOU HAVE EXPRESSED INTEREST IN A SHUTTLE AND GET THERE BEFORE 1:30, YOUR NAME IS ON THE LIST, BUT FEEL FREE TO CHECK IN WITH LAUREN OR OMAR TO CONFIRM.FOR ANY DAY-OF ISSUES, THE ITINERARY # FOR OUR SERVICE IS 314905. CALL ANYWHERE COSTA RICA TOLL FREE AT (888)371-0214, OR CONTACT THE BRIDE AND GROOM.

Our Story

Registry

Gifts

Your presence and/or blessings are gift enough, so we have not registered anywhere. But if you feel inclined to offer us anything, please go to the registry tab where we have linked to our favorite charity, Enchanted Closet. The Enchanted Closet has outfitted over 6000 girls for prom and other enchanting times in their lives since 2003. The organization has saved families over $1,000,000 and has relieved the stress that used to come with families having to decide which bills they would not pay in order to purchase prom dresses for their daughters. Lauren has worked with the foundation for over 10 years now and can attest to the GREAT work they do!

Details

Photos

Wedding Party

Q + A

Hotel Club del Mar Costa Rica, beachfront resort &amp; condominiums, is the Jewel of Jaco beach. We are located where the rainforest meets the ocean, offering exceptional opportunities to explore Costa Rica's fascinating bird and animal life, enjoy deep
 sea fishing and surfing (regardless of your level of experience), and relax in our peaceful jungle by the sea.
We have a block of rooms reserved&nbsp;ranging from 1-2 Bdrm Condos and standard hotel rooms. To take advantage of the reduced price for these rooms, coordinate with our travel agent, details below.

Hotel Club Del Mar

The closest airport to Jaco, Costa Rica is Juan Santamaria Airport located in the capital city of San Jose, approximately 1.5 hours from the wedding location. While you are planning travel please keep this in mind: The locals flock to the coastal towns (like Jaco) for the weekend, making travel on Sundays heading back into the city (San Jose) VERY congested. We witnessed this for ourselves and it is total gridlock for miles. We recommend either giving yourself an obnoxious amount of time to get back to the airport on Sunday, or avoiding it altogether and departing Monday.

Juan Santamaria Airport

To get to Jaco you'll need the services of a transportation provider. When we went, Anywhere Costa Rica was our choice and they did not disappoint. You can arrange for private transport or shuttle transport, depending on your budget. We used shuttle service
 which typically runs twice a day and is approx. $45 per person one way. The shuttle does not pick up at the airport so when booking suggest the Denny's (yes the restaurant) by the airport as your pickup location. It's less than a $5 cab ride from
 the airport to Denny's. There are a couple restaurants and a casino by the pickup location to kill time should you need to. ****WE WILL BE PROVIDING A COMPLIMENTARY SHUTTLE SERVICE FROM WED (7/6)-FRI (7/8). IN ORDER TO ACCOMODATE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE, PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR ARRIVAL DAY/TIME BY EMAILING <a href="mailto:ABDULALIWEDDING@GMAIL.COM">ABDULALIWEDDING@GMAIL.COM</a>. ****

Anywhere Costa Rica Vacations

We're thrilled to be working with Eliot Greenspan of Costa Rica Custom Trips and author of Frommers Costa Rica! He has a world of knowledge on where to stay, how to get the best bang for your buck and everything CR has to offer. He has exclusive rates on the listed accommodations for our guests and is best reached through email. Additionally he can book transport from San Jose to Jaco (see below). His services are free, so please use his expertise to help with booking your vacation/wedding trip! Please join us for however long you can handle the beach, great food and amazing people!

Travel Arrangements

For those looking to take advantage of Marriott Rewards or interested in hitting the links, we recommend the Marriott Los Suenos, a couple miles west of Club del Mar. This beach hotel, recognized by Travel &amp; Leisure magazine as one of the "World's Best Hotels for Families," offers golf, gorgeous spa facilities and restaurants. We have personally been here and can attest to its fabulous accommodations. Pricing is moderate to high.

Marriott Los Sueños Ocean & Golf Resort

For a more affordable option look into Croc's Casino Resort also located just west of Hotel Club del Mar. This BRAND NEW hotel features 152 gorgeous rooms, 3 restaurants and a Las Vegas style Casino. Its also located directly on the beach and the prices are incredibly reasonable. Something to keep in mind if you choose to stay here, it is located a couple of miles from the central area of Jaco and not exactly walkable to restaurants and sights. The use of a rental car or taxi is recommended. We have also personally visited this hotel, and the rooms are large, clean and very modern. There are even options to rent privately owned condos with full kitchens and additional bedrooms.

Croc's Casino Resort

And of course there is the STUNNING hotel where we're getting married, Villa Caletas. The views, food and service are unmatched at this 5 star boutique hotel. If you are looking for the ultimate in luxury this is your place. Please keep a few things in mind before booking. Although the address is technically Jaco, the hotel is located a few miles from the town and sits atop a cliff that overlooks the Pacific. In other words, it's secluded and in the rainforest. The hotel can easily hail you a cab that typically costs around $20 USD down to city center. This hotel is small so if you're interested you'll need to book further in advance than the aforementioned options.

Travel

We're hoping to do an excursion as a group on Thursday July 7th at approx 10am with Vista Los Suenos Rainforest Tours. The activities range from ATV Tours to Ziplining to Horesback Riding, or a combo of them all. Please check out the website, and if you're interested email Eliot, info@costaricacustomtrips.com to book at a special rate.

Lauren & Omar

Lauren & Omar

Photos