Several weeks ago, I returned once more to Guatemala for a wedding for my dear friends Celina and Eleazar. The two of them are so in love, so I had been counting down the days until their wedding for as long as I can remember. Well, the day finally came and August 16th, these two got married. Eleazar had asked me to be the official wedding photographer, so I thought I would share some of the photos of their beautiful day with you. A Guatemalan wedding is unlike anything I had ever experienced, so I am so, so grateful that I was given this experience to know what a Guatemalan wedding consisted of. Here is basically a play-by-play of the day…
First, an unbelievable amount of decorating, vegetable chopping and tamale making took place. Side note ~ I learned how to make tamales and made 117 in one day. That was a proud moment for me! 🙂
Next, the groom’s family all walked to the bride’s house, where we all stayed for around an hour. There, the bride and groom shared some sweet stories and the bride gave the groom’s family gifts. After this, we all walked to the church where Celina and Eleazar got married! The ceremony was over two hours, but although very lengthy, it was the sweetest thing I have ever been a part of. Not only did they share more stories about how the Lord brought their relationship to be, but they even sang a love song to each other. Let’s just say that many guests shed some tears (yes, this means me!). After the ceremony, we all walked to the reception where everything was beautifully decorated and ready to go! There was confetti and flower petals everywhere!
SO many family members were there to congratulate Celina and Eleazar…we think around 400 people in total were in attendance! That is one large wedding!
Probably my most favorite part about the wedding was that there were mini hot air balloons that said “Celina y Eleazar” that we all kept lighting and sending up into the sky. It was the most unique thing ever! There was also a worship band for the beginning of the evening that was playing, and then a mariachi band came to end the evening. Even though I’ve been to several exquisite weddings for friends here in the United States, this was hands down the best. What an incredible experience! If you ever get the chance to go to a wedding in a different country, do it. Do it. I can’t encourage you enough to take the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and try the experience!
Much love,
Olivia
