There was something about Arenal, Costa Rica, that remained with local couple Todd Gray and Jamie Cimaglio. Named after the active volcano, the small village, situated in a rainforest, was the sight of their vacation three years ago. It was the place where they wanted to be married. In November, 20 family members and friends helped make that dream come true.
“This is a place with more species per square kilometer than Africa. It may not be there if you wait too long.” The memory of one evening, alone at sunset, puffing on a Cuban cigar, beer in hand, watching Arenal erupt in the distance, also stayed with Todd, a partner with the Cleveland law firm Mannion and Gray.
The eight days that followed the couple’s arrival at their 37-acre resort were magical. The morning of the wedding, Jamie and Todd hopped into a cab and ventured out on a two-hour hike, requesting the driver return at 11:30 a.m. On the ride back, Jamie panicked. The wedding was at 2 p.m. The driver kept making stops. “We realized he was making stops for our wedding,” Todd says. “First to pick up flowers, then the cake and then in front a business where out walked the manicurist, hairstylist and other workers from the resort … all of them involved in our wedding.”
The wedding went off with only a slight hitch. The woman who was to officiate didn’t make it, ultimately good news for Todd’s friend, Jeffrey Adik, who stepped in, happy that he had become an online ordained minister only days before.
The reception was held in the open air, the sounds of the monkeys and frogs echoing in the background. The resort’s chef prepared a sumptuous feast of hearts of palm salad, lobster in cream sauce, tilapia, chicken parmesan, beef kabobs and wedding cake.
The days that followed were spent hiking to the volcano over black lava rock, on Indiana Jones-like bridges hovering 500 feet above gorges in the rainforest, ziplining over the rainforest canopy from 700 foot elevations, canyoning (rappelling) down 80 foot waterfalls, white water rafting, taking a sky tram over the cone of the volcano and enjoying the hot springs.
