From our earliest communications with Tropical Occasions, we had the distinct feeling that we were in good hands. They were responsive to our inquiries, upfront about the possibilities, and attentive to our needs. We planned an intimate destination Wedding with our immediate families in Costa Rica. We were a bit apprehensive as we were not going to get to visit the location in advance, meet with any of the vendors, try any of the foods, or even meet in person with our wedding planner. We put a lot of faith into Tropical Occasions and they delivered beyond our expectations. Everything was handled with professionalism and care. Every detail was covered and the wedding was magical. They were still able to adapt to changes on the day of the wedding itself. Just a remarkable level of service so the cost is extremely reasonable. We can not be more pleased with the job that they did and we highly recommend Tropical Occasions to any prospective clients.

Karen is a complete gem of a wedding planner. The whole experience was very straightforward from the start and easier to navigate than I had imagined. Karen laid out a detailed plan in Word format with clearly marked areas that would require my decisions or input. She provided me with several choices of the best vendors in the area as well as their costs, and I was able to chose the one that best fit our style, budget, and vibe we were seeking. She kept close track of our budget on a spreadsheet and provided great alternatives to cut costs on the right things, so that we could splurge on others. Several months after hiring Karen, I learned that we would have to change our wedding date due to work. Karen was very accommodating to this change and immediately got to work re-booking our vendors for our new date.

Our wedding rehearsal was to the point. Directions were very clear, and questions were answered in an upfront manner. I can say that I greatly appreciate Karens style of directing because you have so many personalities together for one experience, if done any other way things would get missed and go sideways. Because of her directing style I believe we were able to get through our rehearsal efficiently which in turn set us up for success the following day.

Day of: Everything was planned out to great detail, down to what I was going to have for a pre-ceremony snack, getting ready drink, and details for my wedding photography shoot, the timeline for everything..How long we had to get ready, when the photographer/videographer would arrive, when to go to the beach for sunset beach shots. I mean it was like clockwork. I was able to completely put all my faith in Karen, and enjoy my day and my guests and everything just happened, just as it should. When I say our wedding was perfect...thats exactly what I mean. We are over 6 months post wedding and that is the first thing that comes out of our mouths when we explain our wedding. It still blows us away how impeccably everything came together. I truly cannot express how grateful I am to have had Karen as my wedding planner. She is hands down the best decision I made in the wedding planning processes. I owe it all to her on how flawlessly everything came together on wedding day.

We got married in Manuel Antonio this May and couldn’t be happier with our decision to choose Karen as our wedding planner.

As foreigners flying into Costa Rica for the first time, and planning a wedding in a country we’d never been to, it took off a lot of pressure and gave us a lot more reassurance having Karen’s guidance.

Karen is extremely organized & she has documents for everything
- Guides - documents for specific processes we needed to understand (ex: how to DIY your own bar and bring alcohol from Costco to CR)
- Vendor List - the list of vendors she's worked with for years and TRUSTS (the best DJ’s, caterers, makeup and hair artists, etc. in the area) with links to their website, social media, and a photo of them/their work
- Budget Sheet - a very detailed and easy to follow budget excel sheet that she updated as we chose vendors
- Master Wedding Doc - this was EXTREMELY helpful. She uses a “master wedding document” where she keeps all necessary details so you’re always on the same page. Full transparency and a great guide to refer back to once you’ve made choices. 


Karen’s also very prompt in responding to emails. Especially when she’s waiting for you to choose vendors - she keeps the ball rolling. We learned a huge part of the wedding process, when you have someone like Karen guiding you on deadlines and ‘what goes next,’ is really just knowing what you want - doing your research and making a decision that fits in your budget.

She’s also very straightforward and honest and we really appreciate that.
For our rehearsal she made sure all 8 people in our wedding party understood what would be happening during the wedding - we had a few family members asking her pretty ‘silly’ questions tbh and she handled them like a champ. She made my husband and I the focus and we felt confident she wouldn’t let anyone get in the way.

On our wedding day she was there from 7am to 9pm and her assistant stayed with us until after midnight to make sure everything was sorted.
Our ceremony setup, dinner setup, my flowers, our cake, my makeup and hair, the DJ, the food - everything was awesome.

Also, we had some troubles with our hotel’s concierge a few months before our arrival (we were struggling to find a boat tour and arrange all 18 guests van transfers) and when we told Karen she jumped right in and got us sorted. She sent us a doc with all the best boat options and she arranged all of our van transfers to and from the airport - we did not expect for her to do that and so quickly too. She went above and beyond for us!

If you’re getting married in Costa Rica and want someone who has the professionalism, connections, and expertise, choose Karen as your planner!