This Wedding Begins in Costa Rica and Ends With Tacos and Margs at Mission Taqueria

Photography by Lauren Fair

Destination weddings are great when you want to go small, like this Philly couple who traveled to Costa Rica for a nine-person ceremony to escape the pressure of a big affair. But they didn’t stop there: After saying “I do” on a beautiful beach, they returned home to Mission Taqueria for a much larger — but still relaxed — tropical celebration. From Costa Rica to Center City, the festivities were photographed by Lauren Fair.

Lizzie Lund had only been living in Philadelphia for a week when she first crossed paths with Adam Kornick, during Quizzo night at the Center City Irish pub Fadó. (They landed on the same team thanks to a college friend of Lizzie’s turned work friend for Adam.) Lizzie’s first impression? Adam was “cute and sweet.” When Adam first saw Lizzie, all he could think was, “Great hair.” 

Before long, they were discussing their big plans for life in a new city on a first date at Marathon on the Square. (Adam, too, had recently relocated.) What they didn’t know that night was that four years later, they’d be buying a home together in Fitler Square — the house in which they’d get engaged. (Shortly after move-in, Adam cooked a dinner of homemade pasta, mushrooms, poached egg on brioche, and Lizzie’s other favorite foods. The proposal came with the ice-cream dessert.) 

Their self-uniting wedding ceremony took place a full 2,000 miles from home, at the Drake Bay Getaway Resort in sunny Costa Rica, with nine guests watching them become man and wife right on the sand. Jill Ryder of Shindig Bespoke designed the couples’ custom invitation in shades of lime and flamingo pink. The handmade ceremony arch was decorated with pink bananas and foliage picked right on the property at Drake Bay. “We had gone to Costa Rica before on vacation and loved it,” Lizzie says of the decision. “And I would have been too nervous to say my vows and be the center of a 100-person ceremony!” 

But that’s exactly how many people helped them celebrate three months later in Philly, where the festivities included a welcome dinner at Nomad in Bella Vista, a full-blown reception at Center City’s Mission Taqueria, an after-party at nearby Spin ping-pong club, and a farewell brunch at their home that Sunday.

“We wanted a place that had good food and felt relaxed and tropical, to tie in with our ceremony,” Lizzie says of the decision to rent out Mission for their reception. At Mission, simple bud vases of monstera were chosen to match the gold-accented installation that Belovely floral designer Lauren Weintraub hung over the dance floor. Shindig Bespoke sprinkled acrylic details throughout the space, including a jumbo seating chart and a cheery welcome sign.

Wearing the same outfits they donned for their Costa Rican ceremony, Adam and Lizzie posed for portraits against a custom last-name sign created by Etsy vendor Neon Narwall. Local artist Amberella designed a coordinating UR HOT neon sign that guests used in photo ops. Event planner Sara Murray outfitted the restaurant’s picnic tables with cerulean glassware from Borrowed Blu and runners of monstera leaves. Plates of ceviche, tuna tiradito, and five kinds of Mission’s signature tacos were served family-style for dinner, and the night’s signature drink — frozen piña coladas on tap — was Adam’s favorite detail from the reception. 

For their honeymoon, it was back to the beach: After stops in Copenhagen and Paris, they posted up on the Bay of Biscay in picturesque San Sebastián, Spain.

THE DETAILS
Venue & Catering: Mission Taqueria | Photography: Lauren Fair | Event Design & Coordination: Confetti & Co. | Florals: Belovely Floral & Event Design | Stationery & Signage: Shindig Bespoke | Bride’s Gown: Emmy Mae Bridal | Groom’s Attire: Bonobos | Music: DJ James of 74 Events | Tabletop Rentals: Borrowed Blu

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