Guatemala 7/1/2022 - 7/17/2022

Saturday, 7/9/2022 - Vanesa and Danny's Wedding

Today is the wedding day! Craig and I had been worried about catching covid prior to the wedding, but we managed to stay healthy and felt great.

The house was a hive of activity as everyone blew up balloons and strung them up, scattered pine needles on the floor, and hung streamers. Margarita, Bernardo, Soleyba, and Heidi came over to help.

Paola joked that it was "desayuno express" this morning as everyone had a simple breakfast of cereal and coffee.

Julia, Humberto's colleague and friend from Antigua, arrived and got settled in one of the guest rooms. She helped to put together the bridesmaid bouquets.

Humberto arranged a short honeymoon for Danny and Vanesa. They would leave tomorrow morning and return on Tuesday, because Danny had to get back to work soon.

We had a celebratory lunch consisting of pulique (a delicious soup reserved for special occasions like weddings and baptisms) with chicken and tomalitos.

After lunch, everyone scattered to go get dressed. Friends came over to do the girls' makeup.

We were supposed to be at the municipal building at 3 o'clock for the civil service, followed by the churrch wedding at 4 o'clock, and the reception at 6. We hung out with Julia, Juan Carlos, and Humberto, having some wine while waiting for the girls to be ready.

Vanesa finally emerged in her wedding gown, looking absolutely radiant. We rushed to the van, leaving the house at 3:20 p.m. We rode with godmother Rosa, Humberto, Paulina, Ivan, Julia, and Vanesa. We entered the municipal building where Danny and his family were eagerly awaiting our arrival.

We entered the mayor's small office and sat down behind the bride and groom. The mayor married them, and we were asked to sign the official document as witnesses. At the conclusion of the ceremony, they were given a framed marriage certificate as well as a coffee mug with the mayor's name on it. As we exited the building, we were each given a can of soda and a packet of cookies.

We walked across the street to the San Francisco de Asis Catholic church. We arrived at 4:09 p.m. The girls and Eddy were not there yet. A young flower girl and ring bearer led the way as Paulina and Humberto escorted Vanesa down the aisle. Ivan carried Vanesa's beautiful train.

The girls and Eddy arrived later during the Mass. There was a band complete with a marimba, guitar, and chorus. Juan Carlos served as deacon during the Mass. The godparents put a large, oversized rosary around Danny and Vanesa, binding them together.

After the Mass was complete, everyone took time to get photos with the bride and groom at the altar. Then they set off celebratory firecrackers outside. Vanesa and Danny led a procession to the hotel down Calle Santander. Traffic crawled along behind us as we made our way to the reception. People on the street and in the businesses that lined Santander started to clap and hoot and holler. Many people took photos and videos. The gringo hippies were especially enthusiastic.

When we arrived at the Kaqchikel Hotel, the bridesmaids pinned ribbons printed with Vanesa and Danny'snames and the date of the wedding to each of the guests. We were amazed at how many people were already seated in the hall when we arrived. There was barely a place for us and the girls to sit. We chose the table off to the side of the stage, which was nice because it was next to a door to outside, which provided a nice breeze. We sat with the girls, Eddy, Ivan, Julia, and Juana.

Vanesa and Danny entered the hall and were showered with confetti from a lacy white bell. They sat at the head table and the godfather, father of the groom, and father of te bride gave toasts. Then Danny and Vanesa each spoke. Danny gave us a shout-out during his speech, which was very kind.

Next was a receiving line where everyone brought their gifts up to the happy couple. They placed the abundance of gifts on the front of the stage. Dinner was served: chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy, corn on the cob, and vegetables. It was delicious!

Then everything seemed to happen at once. Paola called me outside where fireworks were going off in the sky. At the same time, Vanesa and Danny were cutting the cake. I managed to see the last firework, but didn't capture it on film. I did, however, capture the cake cutting and the way that Vanesa and Danny sweetly fed one another a bite of cake.

Next, Vanesa threw her bouquet. It took several tries, as it landed on the floor the first two times she tried. But eventually she had a successful catch.

We saw Rocio, Hector, Mael, Junior, Rosa, and Victor. We had a slice of cake and some fruit, and they served ponche (a fruit drink made by Juan Carlos) to which the staff added rum.

Vanesa and Danny had their first dance to Ed Sheeran's "Perfect". It brought tears to our eyes. Yoselin came over and put her head on my shoulder as we watched them dance. Then the fog machines started up and the disco lights.

Humberto danced with Vanesa and Paulina danced with Danny. Once the dancefloor opened up, the girls really wanted Craig to dance. He was a great sport and was out there with his cane, dancing with Margarita, Nidia, Lety, and Paola. We all got into a circle and girls took turns dancing in the middle of the circle. When I gt in there, there was a lot of hooting and hollering. It was a lot of fun. It was very hot and we had to take water breaks to cool down at our table, sometimes stepping outside to get some fresh air.

Yasmin went home to change into comfier clothes, and the other girls soon ditched their high heels in favor of bare feet for dancing.

The dj's distributed props including balloons, glowsticks, and hats. Everyone was having a wonderful time. Ivan and his little friends were racing around the ballroom. There were confetti cannons that everyone had a hard time setting off, but they finally worked.

Julia's friend Carlos arrived and they tore up the dance floor. We chatted with Rosa, Miguel, and Nicole, and met Nicole's older sister Monsi.

The music drew to a close at 11 p.m., and the cleanup began. It took many trips to the car to bring all of the gifts.

When we got back to the house, Juan Carlos, Yolanda, Victor, and Rosa came over to continue the party. We drank ponche and ate leftover chicken and tamalitos. Vanesa and Danny went home to Danny's house; they would be leaving bright and early tomorrow for their honeymoon.

The party broke up at 1:30 a.m. and we all went to bed.
Beautiful bride Vanesa

Beautiful bride Vanesa

The family

The family

Wedding procession

Wedding procession

Paulina, Craig, Humberto, Steph

Paulina, Craig, Humberto, Steph



Vanesa and Danny's wedding (July 9, 2022)
Video by Steph and Craig
Music: "Perfect (Instrumental)" by Taylor Davis
"Perfect" by Ed Sheeran

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