Costa Rica Bachelorette Trip!

Hello everyone! AH, I am SO EXCITED to finally share the behind-the-scenes scoop from my bachelorette party getaway to Costa Rica! If you follow me on Snapchat, you likely got a first hand view of all the action…from the most hilarious wigs we all wore as soon as we got to the airport (thanks to my sister for surprising us with those!!), to the insanely stunning house we rented for the week, to watching my best friends belt show-tunes at the top of their lungs after a dozen bottles of wine at dinner…Yep, it was as magical as it sounds! 😉 I seriously could not have asked for a more incredible time and trust me, I am totally tearing up as I go through these photos and write this post because y’all, being surrounded by your very best friends – everyone happy and carefree as can be – all together to celebrate you? Words can’t describe how grateful I am for these precious and unforgettable days together!

My friends live all over the United States, so we decided together that it would be more fun for everyone to meet somewhere new and explore together – and Costa Rica was the perfect place.

We flew into Liberia, Costa Rica and made the two and a half hour trek to Nosara, the most beautiful beach town set amidst the rain forest and known for amazing surf and delicious food. Given the size of our group, we decided to forgo a hotel and instead rent a beautiful house called Casa De Alces – an 8 bedroom, 7 bathroom compound just minutes from the ocean. (Special shout-out to Ben for organizing everything! Seriously – he is vacation planner extraordinaire! Oh and also for taking the photos in this post – he is an amazing photographer, too!). It was truly incredible! I loved the privacy of having the place to ourselves, complete with a pool in the center of the main house and surrounding bungalows. The house also came with an outdoor kitchen and directly above was an outdoor yoga studio – needless to say, this house was pure magic with plenty of space for a big group like ours!

The theme of the getaway was “from bridesmaids to mermaids,” so I had gift sets ready for each “mermaid” and “merman” in my bridal party, complete with the cutest Wildfox tank tops that said Mermaid across the front. They were the perfect tanks to throw on over our swimsuits with cutoff shorts for a day at the beach! I also included adorable tassel bracelets by Gold & Grey and personalized YETI Lowball cups with a mermaid quote on one side and custom monogram on the back – which made it super easy to find our drinks (…and keep them cold throughout the day!). Lastly, those “Let’s Be Mermaids” illustrated cards were made by my sister and are SO cute, loved having something more personal in the gift sets!

I was seriously SO proud of my friends because everyone dove headfirst into all the adventure that Nosara had to offer! From waking up to surf at 6am, to attending daily yoga sessions at the Nosara Yoga Institute among the trees, to zip-lining our way through the stunning, lush rainforest – we lived it up!

I think what was so wonderful and refreshing was for everyone to step away from their normal routines (…and their phones or laptops), throw their hair up in a messy bun, nix makeup (trust me, it would melt off in seconds!) and really just soak in being surrounded by nature.

^^My mom and aunt are both flight attendants for Southwest Airlines (wahoo SWA!), and they worked the flight over to Costa Rica and it was SO MUCH FUN! (…Also note the ridiculous wigs…hahah!). They are wonderful and hilarious and brought me a giant handmade mermaid crown/veil (my aunt Robyn is super crafty, this thing was gorgeous!). Not to mention they played bartender to our big group as we sat in the back of the plane next to them…they even made an announcement over the loud speaker and mentioned we were on a bachelorette trip – it could not have been a more amazing start to the trip!! Shoutout to my mom, aunts (thank you Cherisse & Robyn!) & Debi for being AMAZING!!!

^^See what I mean? Having some fun before takeoff, ha! 😉

^^Y’all. Is this place not STUNNING?! Casa De Alces…literally magical heaven on earth!

^^That time I got everyone matching “Mermaid” tank tops and we all wore them for a photo sesh… are these gals not the cutest?! Thanks ladies for being sports while I went into “blogger mode” during this one, ha!

^^My sister, Kimberlee, and one of my best friends Veronica (Vron) and I…we had to pose before heading into the water! Kimberlee is a serious beast at surfing and got the whole group excited to get out there…she was on a mission to surf! After she jumped in, everyone followed her lead.. it was awesome! Vron rocked it out and stood up a TON during the trip.. who knew my friends were such surfer chicks?!
^^Off to the beach with my girl LV!! The folks in Costa Rica called LV “Barbie” and called Ben “Ken” throughout the trip – ha!
^^Jan in her element! I quickly learned that Jan is meant to be at the beach… total surfer girl right here!^^If you’re planning a getaway with your group, I highly recommend getting everyone matching (but also monogrammed on the other side) Rambler On YETI Lowball cups! These were amazing and we didn’t have to keep buying disposable cups… and YETI knows what’s up when it comes to keeping your drinks cold or hot for hours on end. Everyone LOVED theirs! Ps. Those tassel beaded bracelets are by Gold & Gray and they are SO GORG and fun for a mermaid-themed bach trip! I got everyone different colors to wear on the trip…they were a huge hit!

^^Scenes from Snapchat: LVand I sippin’ beer along the beach to the left, and Blake’s sister Blair and I to the right! Note: Blair’s phone has the same picture on it..ha! Hey, gotta get the snap, right? 😉 LOVED having Blair on the trip with her friend Courtney (they left a few days early so I didn’t get a ton of pictures with them!!), such a treat to have them along!^^This is what Nosara looks like – a tiny town in the middle of the rainforest. No actual paved roads, super lush green plants and canopy trees. Absolutely gorgeous!
^^Nosara is super tiny, so we walked down the street to this bagel house every morning for breakfast treats and lattes. The man that owns it is from France and recently opened his breakfast spot – he said he needed a change of pace and fell in love with Costa Rica… I can definitely understand why! ^^We woke up at 5am one morning to walk to the beach and watch the sunrise, it was so stunning!!! The sun rises super early and sets super early in Costa Rica (..like at 6:30pm it’s dark outside!), so we would wake up as soon as there was a touch of light out to make the most of each day!^^Can’t even handle this photo… it is SO GOOD! Haha! These ladies are WONDERFUL! Definitely one for the frames. Ben killed it as photog, per usual!

^^Classic head wraps from these two… and of course they’re totally serious about it for the camera…can’t deal, they are hilarious!! Also…LOVE THEM!

^^Amanda lives in Chicago and Emily lives in NYC, both gals made the trek to Costa Rica – so thankful for my time with them!! I’ve known Emily since high school and Amanda since college, we all go way back!!

^^KAY-BAY-BAY! This sweet lady flew in from Chicago, too! Kayla and I have also been friends since high school but really got super close after college (right before I dated Blake, actually!). LOVE this little free spirit so much!!!

^^Hello, gorgeous humans!
^^YES. Those are actual monkeys! SO CUTE and also SO loud…these things have such deep voices and howl non-stop!^^The house came with a private yoga studio on the second floor outside… it was so peaceful and wonderful to do some stretches with these yogis – surrounded by the sounds of nature in the rainforest! Ps. Ben & Amanda are basically yoga pros… look at these two!

^^Mermaid tee photo shoot turned into me not stop laughing because Elissa is ridiculous and hilarious… classic Liss! Obvs “we got the shot!” 😉
^^Staging a Native Shoes ad, pretty much.. 😉 Jk, but seriously, these shoes are waterproof and we all got a pair… they are SO CUTE AND AWESOME!

^^Also, Jerusalem Sandals for the gang was amazing! We LOVE this shoe brand, so perfect for summer and beautiful quality leather sandals for under $100… Yes, please! Made trekking around Nosara more fun in matching shoes! 😉

^^Finishing this post strong with a Snapchat roundup…oh my gosh y’all, going through my Snapchat photos makes me SO SAD because this trip was amazing!! Can you tell we had fun?! Also, that tarantula stayed in that same spot on the sliding door for TWO DAYS. All good, he was sweet and harmless…just quite large and terrifying as you can see! Also… note Ben’s “mer-manties” … I didn’t get him a girly tank top, so when I saw the Manties on Etsy I about died and knew he HAD TO have these.

Kimbo, Vron, Damay, BL, Janet, Kay, Amanda, Em, LV, Blair, Courtney – LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH, thank you x a million for coming on this adventure with me!! XOXO

Now…just 50 days until we get hitched! 😉

If you have questions about Costa Rica or tips in planning your bachelorette trip, please leave a comment below – happy to help or give advice as best I can! I linked to everything in the gift bags below, so feel free to scoop up your favorites and treat your bridal party to fun mermaid themed goodies, too!!

**Photos by Benjamin Stelly Photography

mermaid tees – c.o. WILDFOX / rambler lowball cups – c.o. RAMBLER ON / tassel bracelets – c.o. GOLD & GRAY / slip-on shoes – c.o. NATIVE SHOES / leather sandals – c.o. JERUSALEM SANDALS / “Let’s Be Mermaids” illustrated cards – c.o. KIMBERLEE ARTWORKS ETSY