If you’re reading this page, it’s probably because Jason Afable and Leia Clevenger want you to be at their wedding. Since it will be a destination wedding, we thought it would be useful to provide a source of information to help people decide whether they want to attend (you do), whether it’s financially feasible (it is), and what to expect , so that everyone can begin to plan accordingly. So please, read through the information here, or scour the internets on your own for information, and if you still have questions feel free to contact us.
This spectacular matrimonial spectacle will take place on a beautiful beach in Costa Rica. For those who don’t know, Costa Rica is a small, tropical country in Central America. The infamous Cristobal Colon dubbed it the ‘rich coast’ for the vast wealth of mineral deposits he imagined he’d find hidden in the jungle. These days, Costa Rica is known for it’s political stability, pristine and diverse flora and fauna, and excellent (not to mention inexpensive) travel infrastructure, all of which make it one of the most popular backpacking destinations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information, click here.
WHEN.
The ceremony itself is tentatively set for Saturday, August 27th, 2011. The celebration will be much longer; we will be in Costa Rica for up to two weeks before the ceremony and perhaps a week after. Thus, those with more flexible schedules can join us for two weeks (or more!) of beach and jungle fun which could include things like zip-lining through tropical cloud forests, relaxing on white sand beaches, bird and animal watching in nature reserves, riding around active volcanoes on ATVs, and dancing the night away at salsa clubs. Those with less time off can still join us for a week, or even a weekend, and still have a great time while helping us inaugurate this epic commitment.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO PAY.
Whether you spend like a rap star or a cab driver, it’s probably going to be less than you expect. For your round-trip plane ticket (if you’re coming from the continental U.S.), expect to pay $300-600. As I write this, there is a deal on Spirit Airlines for $368 round-trip, taxes included, from LAX to SJO (San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica). This particular deal may not last long, but similar ones will crop up as the year progresses. For lodging, we plan to stay in hostels that also have private double rooms. Thus, if you want your own room, you can expect to pay $15-20 per night per room. If you’re ok with sharing a dorm room (usually 6-8 people) with other wedding guests—you probably know them all anyway—you can expect to pay $5-12 per night. If you’d like to eat out every meal and don’t have overly extravagant tastes, you should budget $10-15 per day for food. Transportation (taxis and buses around town, buses between cities) might average $5 per day. And finally extra expenses (guided tours, surfboard rentals, zip-lining, entrance fees to national parks, etc.) for the duration of your trip could run anywhere from $100 upwards, depending on what you want to do. So in total, you can expect the following:
2 Weeks
Backpacker Budget (dorm room, cheap food, few extras): $700-1100
Baller Budget (private room, fancy restaurants, lots of extras): $1000-1600
1 Week
Backpacker Budget: $550-900
Baller Budget: $800-1400
Weekend
Backpacker Budget: $500-800
Baller Budget: $700-1200
As you can see, longer trips are more cost-effective, but we hope to see you in Costa Rica regardless of how long you stay. We’re going to try to provide airfare assistance to members of the wedding party, but the rest of you are pretty much on your own. However, that means. . .
NO GIFTS!!!
Please, do not bring gifts. There are two main reasons for this. The first is that we are really just middle-class hoboes, floating from place to place with what we can carry on our backs. So accruing material goods, however nice they may be, becomes quite a burden. The second reason is that we’re already asking a lot of you financially by having the wedding in another country. So forget about that $300 fondue fountain and buy yourself a ticket to tropical paradise instead! Just bring yourself and that will be the greatest gift of all (cue inspirational music). If you absolutely insist (*cough* parents *cough*) on a gift, we take cash in small, unmarked bills with nonconsecutive serials, preferably in titanium briefcases.
WHY. 
If you’re reading this, you know us, and you know we’re all about travel. We plan to be travelling for the better part of our life, so it’s only fitting that we should celebrate our lifelong commitment to each other in some place exotic. Weddings at home have a lot of advantages—easier to get to, more people, etc—but we’ve decided in favor of Costa Rica. We could have a huge wedding with hundreds of friends and acquaintances, with barely time for all the guests to shake the hands of the newlyweds. Instead, we’re going to have a much smaller event, with plenty of time to kick back on the beach and spend time with our loved ones. Also, it’s going to be simpler and—here’s the kicker—cheaper.
WHAT TO DO NOW.
There is still plenty of time until the big day, but you’ll want to consider taking care of a few things in the coming months.
Passports
Passports are required to visit Costa Rica. Make sure yours is up to date and won’t expire before your return to the states. If you don’t have one, pick up an application at your nearest Post Office. It should cost less than a hundred dollars and it’s good for 10 years, but the application process sometimes takes several months, so get started now.
Plane Tickets
In general, tickets to Costa Rica are fairly cheap. You can get the cheapest by signing up to a travel newsletter such as travelzoo.com. These sites email you when travel deals become available. We’ll also be announcing any good airfare deals we find via Facebook. Another option is checking travel search engines like cheaptickets.com, Travelocity.com, hotwire.com, etc. Typically, travelers save the most on airfare when they purchase tickets at least 2-3 months in advance.
Vacation Time
Most of us are working stiffs, so make sure you put in for vacation time well in advance.
And that’s about it. We’ll update this site as we figure out the details. For now, just plan, daydream, and salivate until we meet in Costa Rica.
