A small destination wedding in Costa Rica gives you time to share the celebration with the people who know you best. You can exchange vows overlooking the ocean, gather everyone around a beautifully set dinner table, and spend the next morning catching up over breakfast instead of wishing you had more time together.
To plan a wedding with 20–50 guests, start with your guest list and overall budget, then choose a location and venue that suit the whole experience. Confirm accommodations, transportation, event permissions, and a weather backup before booking. From there, build a relaxed schedule and a design that makes the gathering feel personal.
At Jenifer Hernandez Weddings, we love helping couples bring that experience to life. Here is how to approach the decisions that matter most when planning an intimate wedding in Costa Rica.
1. Decide what you want a smaller wedding to feel like
Before collecting venue proposals, talk about the moments you are most excited to share. Perhaps it is a private ceremony followed by a long dinner, a weekend with your closest friends, or a celebration where your families finally have time to get to know each other.
Choose three priorities together. They might be exceptional food, everyone staying nearby, and an outdoor reception with a beautiful view. Use those priorities to guide your decisions when the options start multiplying.
A wedding with 20 guests can feel quite different from one with 50. Twenty may allow one shared dinner table; 50 may call for several tables, a larger reception space, and more transportation coordination. Both can feel intimate when the setting and schedule support connection.
2. Build your guest list before choosing the venue
Create your invitation list early, including partners and children if they will be invited. Avoid booking a property for your smallest hoped-for attendance if you would be happy to welcome everyone on the list.
It helps to discuss travel feasibility with the people whose presence matters most before committing to dates. Give them room to be honest about cost, time away, and family responsibilities. Their answers can help you plan without assuming everyone will be able to attend.
Consider individual needs, too. An older relative may appreciate fewer stairs and shorter transfers. Families may need different room arrangements from couples traveling alone. A small guest list makes it easier to notice those details and choose a setting that feels welcoming.
3. Choose the location around the entire trip
Costa Rica offers very different backdrops, from coastal celebrations in Guanacaste to volcano and rainforest settings around Arenal and La Fortuna. Start with the atmosphere you love, then look at what staying there would mean for your guests.
Ask your planner to compare airport options, actual transfer routes, nearby accommodations, and activities that fit your group. A beautiful venue may be less suitable if the journey or surrounding lodging options do not work for the people you are inviting.
Try to keep the wedding events and accommodations within a practical area. Moving a small group between distant locations can consume the time you hoped to spend together. Your guests should have space to enjoy Costa Rica, settle in, and arrive at the celebration feeling relaxed.
4. Find a venue that feels right for 20–50 guests
Capacity is only the beginning. Ask how the space will look and function with your particular guest count, including the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, dancing, and backup setup.
A private villa may offer a personal, residential atmosphere, but permission to host a wedding must be confirmed separately from permission to stay there. A boutique hotel may make it easier to gather guests in one place. A resort may offer more accommodation choices and services, depending on the property.
Before signing, confirm:
Event capacity, overnight capacity, and any minimum stay or spending requirements.
Whether outside guests and vendors are permitted, and whether fees apply.
Which furniture, staffing, catering facilities, and rentals are included.
Music restrictions, event end times, and access for setup and breakdown.
A suitable weather backup for both the ceremony and reception.
An accommodation listing alone cannot answer all of these questions. Ask for wedding-specific terms in writing and review them with your planner.
5. Set a budget that accounts for fixed costs
A smaller guest count can reduce expenses such as meals, beverages, and some rentals. However, photography, entertainment, planning, transportation minimums, and event production may not decrease at the same rate.
Rather than dividing a large wedding budget by the number of guests, build a proposal around the celebration you want. Include the venue, food and beverage, planning, photography, design, rentals, transportation, and any additional events you are hosting. Clarify taxes, service charges, delivery, setup, and breakdown when comparing quotes.
Separate wedding spending from your personal travel and honeymoon expenses so you can see the full picture. Keep room for adjustments as proposals become final.
For an intimate celebration, choose a few details to give extra attention. That could mean a memorable dinner, thoughtful lighting, or accommodations that make gathering easy. You do not have to expand every category simply because fewer people are coming.
6. Make accommodations and travel information easy to understand
Decide whether you want everyone at one property or a small selection of nearby accommodations. Staying together can encourage spontaneous time by the pool or over coffee. Nearby alternatives can give guests more flexibility with room types, budgets, and travel plans.
Be clear about what you are hosting and what guests will arrange themselves. Share accommodation options, booking deadlines, recommended arrival timing, airport guidance, and transportation plans through your wedding website. Update that information as arrangements are confirmed.
As a wedding planner and travel expert, Jenifer can help connect the celebration with the wider trip through thoughtful accommodation recommendations, excursions, and restaurant ideas. Discuss the scope of travel support early so everyone knows where to turn for help.
The goal is to give guests clear guidance while allowing them to make travel choices that work for them.
7. Create a wedding weekend with breathing room
With a smaller group, you may be tempted to organize every meal and activity. Leave some time open. Guests may want to rest after traveling, explore independently, or enjoy an unhurried morning.
A simple three-day outline could look like this:
Day
Shared plans
Time left open
Arrival day
An evening welcome gathering after guests have settled in
Travel, check-in, and rest
Wedding day
Ceremony, cocktails, dinner, and celebration
A relaxed morning before preparations
Following day
An optional farewell breakfast
Independent plans or onward travel
Adapt the schedule to flight arrivals and your guests' needs. An excursion can be a lovely addition, but it should be clearly optional, with any guest costs explained before booking. A full weekend does not need to mean a full itinerary.
8. Design the celebration around conversation and comfort
For a small wedding in Costa Rica, the way people gather can be as meaningful as the decorative details. Think about seating, sightlines, shade, lighting, and how easily guests can move between spaces.
One long dinner table can create a beautiful shared setting if the venue allows it. Several smaller tables can work equally well, especially when they make conversation easier. Keep arrangements at a height that lets people see each other, and consider the sound level during dinner.
Personal touches can be simple: a handwritten note at each place, a menu that reflects your favorite flavors, or music connected to your relationship. Choose details you will enjoy experiencing with your guests.
Your planner can help bring those choices together so the ceremony, dinner, and reception feel connected to you and to the setting.
9. Plan for weather and coordinate the details locally
Even with only 20 guests, an outdoor wedding needs a workable alternate plan. Ask where everyone will go if conditions change, whether the covered space can accommodate the full celebration, and which additional rentals would be required.
Discuss heat, shade, airflow, pathways, and guest comfort alongside the possibility of rain. Confirm when weather decisions will happen and who will communicate them. Your photographer and planner should also coordinate ceremony and portrait timing for your actual date and location.
When planning from the United States, a local wedding planner can help assess proposals, coordinate vendors, and connect these decisions. Clarify whether support includes your welcome gathering, guest transportation, and farewell event. A smaller wedding still involves several teams and moving parts, especially across multiple days.
Frequently asked questions about small Costa Rica weddings
Is 50 guests considered a small destination wedding?
Fifty guests can make a wonderfully intimate destination wedding, although there is no universal definition of “small.” What matters most is choosing a space and schedule that allow you to spend meaningful time with the people attending.
Is a small destination wedding in Costa Rica less expensive?
It can be, particularly for expenses charged per person. The overall cost still depends on the venue, dates, design, vendors, and number of events. Fixed costs and property minimums mean a smaller wedding is not automatically a lower-budget celebration.
Can we host our wedding at a private villa?
Possibly, if the property explicitly permits events and can support your plans. Confirm event capacity, vendor access, catering needs, bathrooms, sound restrictions, and a weather backup before booking. Overnight guest capacity does not establish wedding capacity.
How early should we start planning?
Begin once you have a workable guest-count range, budget, and preferred dates. Earlier planning gives you more time to compare properties and notify guests. Availability varies, so ask your planner what is realistic for your preferred venue and season rather than relying on one fixed timeline.
Let's plan a celebration that feels like you
The beauty of an intimate destination wedding is having time to enjoy the people who came to celebrate with you. Thoughtful planning makes room for the conversations, shared meals, and little moments that become part of your wedding story.
At Jenifer Hernandez Weddings, we plan and design personal celebrations that bring together your vision, your guests, and the beauty of Costa Rica. If you are imagining a wedding with 20–50 guests, tell us what you have in mind. We would love to help you bring it to life.