Marrying in Costa Rica is often easier than marrying in the states.  You do not have to be in the country for any specific amount of time and the ceremony is legal worldwide.  However, you will need to contact the officiant prior to your trip to Costa Rica.

We recommend Marcelo Galli for the ceremony.  He charges $550 to produce all of the paperwork, perform the ceremony, file the paperwork, translate and send you the documents once they have been processed.  He speaks excellent English and performs a very nice ceremony.  If you would like to add anything to the ceremony (your own vows, etc.) he is very accommodating. The paperwork can take up to 12 weeks to be processed.  However, for an added fee, the paperwork can be expedited. Please keep in mind, you will need to pay him directly and he only accepts checks or cash.

Contact Marcelo at info@marcelogalli.com

The Bride and Groom are responsible for both the HIRING AND PAYMENT of both the Officiant and the Photographer.

Wedding Form

1. Full name. (first, middle and last; no initials, please).

2. Profession/Occupation. (Please describe; for example: YES: engineer, electronic technician, school teacher, broker, assistant in electric company, etc; NO: servicetechnician, assistant, assistant manager, strategy consultant, manager, operations manager, etc.)

3. Current address. (street address, please). This is your home address.

4. Passport number and nationality. Please make sure each passport is signed by the bearer. Fax a preliminary copy of each passport to me -photo/information page only, please- to Costa Rica, fax number: 011-506-227-1157, or –preferably- scan them together and email to: info@marcelogalli.com (Scans: please send the scan in JPG format and size no larger than 500k. Under 150k: best) If you decide fax the passport copies, just bring a set of good, clear copies with you and you can give them to me when we meet a few hours prior to the ceremony. If there’s enough time, you can put them in the mail: Marcelo Galli, 3537 NW 82 nd Avenue, SJ 414 Doral, Miami, FL 33122

5. Marital status. If divorced, please indicate the date, city and state, name of Court that decreed the divorce, and the full name of ex-spouse, no initials, please. Note: If the bride is divorced, her divorce date must be at least 300 days prior the date of the upcoming wedding. If not, I will provide further instructions.

6. Date and place of birth. (city, state or province, country).

7. Full name of Father and Mother and current citizenship. (no initials, please; Mother’s maiden name, please).

8. Mailing address. (No PO Box, please) This is the address where the final documentation will be sent. Courier company requires a street address. Package containing the Certificate of Marriage will require a “received” signature.

9. Phone number: Necessary for the courier company (in case they can’t find the address).

10. Email address: In case we are not in contact directly (through the hotel, perhaps), to let you know the Certificate of Marriage is on its way.

NO NOTARIZED DOCUMENTS : You will not need to bring any notarized legal documents because all your data will be included in a sworn statement which you both sign the day of the wedding. This avoids you having to notarize at the Costa Rican Consulate, and will save you time and money.

THE CEREMONY: The ceremony speech is a beautiful one, with a traditional touch yet contemporary in its feel. Nonetheless, if you would like to examine the speech, make any adjustments, insert in the ceremony family readings, prayers, poems, songs, selected segments in Spanish, etc., let me know and we can customize the speech to your liking.

WITNESSES: Are you coming alone or with friends? If you bring any friends along, they can be witnesses (except relatives to the third degree). If not, let me know so I can make the necessary arrangements. If you do want your guests to bear witness, send me the info on items 1-5 on two (2) people of your choice (two witnesses are required).

CERTIFICATION OF MARRIAGE: The procedure for a valid marriage in Costa Rica involves the signing of two documents once concluded the ceremony. One is a sworn statement attesting principally to your marital status, thus avoiding any further proof. The other is the marriage document itself. After the ceremony, I cannot give you a Certificate because first paperwork must be submitted to the Civil Registry of Costa Rica. The whole processing of documents, which includes translation and authentication by the Consulate of your country of residence, may vary but normally takes 10-12 weeks. Once everything is ready, the Marriage Certificate will be sent, along with instructions, to the address you provide on Item 8. I will keep you updated with paperwork progress, via email, so you know exactly when the documentation is sent.

EXPEDITED PROCESSING: Expedited Processing is available for an extra fee. This ensures your Certificate of Marriage in 10-12 business days. Let me know if you wish to inquire about this option.

Any questions you may have, please feel free to contact me, and be sure to visit my website for additional information: www.marcelogalli.com

Sincerely,

Marcelo Galli

The Bride and Groom are responsible for both the
HIRING and PAYMENT of both the Officiant and the Photographer.

Sample Vows

Sample Marriage Vows
La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Greeting: Welcome, dear friends, to beautiful Costa Rica and to this lovely setting in the lush rainforest of La Paz Waterfalls...

Opening Words: We are gathered here today, on this joyous occasion, to unite you, Steve and Lynn in marriage. This celebration is but the outward sign of an inward union of hearts, mind, and spirits. In marriage husband and wife are called to a new way of life… to live faithfully together in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health.

Reading: In our long history we have never discovered a better way of life than sharing it together in love in a lasting and responsible way. This arrangement seems to meet our deepest human needs for love and companionship, for someone with whom we can share in an intimate and trusting way all the hopes and joy and dreams of life.

But real love, Steve and Lynn, is something beyond the warmth and glow, or the excitement and romance of being deeply in love.

It is caring as much about the welfare and happiness of your marriage partner as about your own. Real love is not total absorption into each other, it is looking outward in the same direction together.

Love makes burdens lighter because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. It makes you stronger, so you can be involved with life in ways you dare not risk alone.

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A good marriage must be created. As written in the Art of Marriage: The little things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is at no time taking the other for granted. The courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through all the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.

It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel. It is not looking for perfection in each other. It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.

It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual, and the obligation is reciprocal. It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

Reading of the mandatory Costa Rican Family Code articles: I will now read the mandatory Costa Rica Family Code Articles 11 and 34, which are of universal application and I’m sure they will apply to this union as well:

• Art. 11: Marriage is the essence of family, and its object is life together, cooperation, and mutual assistance.

• Art. 34: The spouses share responsibility and govern the family. Together they must regulate the matters of the home, provide an education for their children, and prepare their future. They should also respect each other, observe fidelity and help one another.

Statement of Intent/Consent: With that said,

Steve, do you take Lynn, to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love, honor, and protect her? Share the good times and achievements as well as the hard times and disappointments? Keep her in sickness and in sorrow and to be faithful to her, so long as you both shall live?

Lynn, do you take Steve, to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love, honor, and protect him? Share the good times and achievements as well as the hard times and disappointments? Keep him in sickness and in sorrow and to be faithful to him so long as you both shall live?

Exchange of Vows: You may now face each other, and Steve, repeat after me…

I, Steve, take thee, Lynn, to be my wife / knowing in my heart that you will be my constant friend / my faithful partner, and my one true love. / I promise to honor and respect you / to love you without reservation / protect you from harm / grow with you in mind and spirit / and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.

Lynn, please repeat after me,

I, Lynn take thee, Steve, to be my husband / knowing in my heart that you will be my constant friend / my faithful partner, and my one true love./ I promise to honor and respect you / to love you without reservation / laugh with you and cry with you / grow with you in mind and spirit / and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.

Ring Passage and Exchange: And now, the rings please,

The wedding ring is the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two loyal hearts in endless love.

Steve, please place the ring on Lynn’s finger and repeat after me,

Accept this ring/ as a reminder of the love we share/, the commitment we make here today/ and a symbol of our future/ together as husband and wife.

Now, Lynn, please place the ring on Steve’s finger and repeat after me,

Accept this ring/ as a reminder of the love we share/, the commitment we make here today/ and a symbol of our future/ together as husband and wife.

Pronouncement of Marriage: By virtue of the Authority vested in me by the laws of the Republic of Costa Rica and recognized by the United States, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Congratulations. May God bless this union. You may kiss the bride.

Signing of papers: And now, Costa Rican Law establishes the signing of the marriage documents to be performed at this moment, making these proceedings and thus this union, official.

The Bride and Groom are responsible for both the HIRING AND PAYMENT of both the Officiant and the Photographer.