An Antigua Wedding

In February the Escobar family received a fancy gold embossed box which contained an invitation to the wedding of an old neighbor. The bride was from Guatemala, the groom from India. They met in the gym (both very toned) and on their special day, money was no object! Blanca, Esau, and I took advantage of this, and experienced a night full of beauty and exquisite food for the cost of a parking ticket. The ceremony and reception took place in Santo Domingo - a lovely 5 star hotel built among the 300 year old ruins of churches and convents. The architecture, new and old, is genious. They perfectly incorporated modern convenience and beauty into the stunning works of 300 centuries ago without taking anything away from their original awe-inspiring power.

The wedding party.

And the onlookers, waiting for the bride.

And here she comes!

There were candles everywhere: along the paths, around the fountain. I then understood why they chose to get married in the evening.

The reception area.

And all of the people below.

Our table and headless Esa... No one was quite ready for this picture. :) We started out the meal with cream cheese balls and toasted bits of bread; next came the plates of traditional candies; then we lined up for the buffet... chicken roll-ups lined with spinach, wiquoito filled ravioli, thinly sliced prime cuts of beef with chutney, and all kinds of special sides and sauces; finally, three typical Guatemalan desserts... flan, 3 leches cake, and molletes. Sigh, now that's a meal I would like to repeat!

And when we all thought it couldn't get any better, one of the most famous bands in Guatemala showed up!

Esa and Mom


And us! I dropped LOTS of wedding hints, don't worry.

*And for the couple, this was only the beginning. They were soon flying off to India for a second ceremony and reception!