The Wedding

I have fallen behind in my postings and as Timb is threatening my blogging privileges, I am obliged to send you this account of the big day, the reason we all came to Ecuador, the wedding...

The day started out quite early in our hostel, as 11 wedding invitees were staying there. The showers began around 7am, and the women took over the living room, doing our hair and make-up. The men disappeared to buys shoes at the very last minute, and didn't arrive back until 30 minutes before the ceremony was set to begin. Little did we know, as we rushed to get to the church on time, that punctuality is not a virtue many Ecuadorians possess. We arrived and the church was still quite empty, with the foreigners who had showed up on time constituting the majority of guests.

Jess, Laura and Carla outside the church in their bridesmaid dresses.

Timb and I in our wedding finery.

The wedding party was organized, and the march down the aisle. Jess was quite appalled to find herself forced into the role of bridesmaid due to an absent member of the wedding party. It was quite amusing for me to watch Timb, Jess and the rest of the wedding party march down the aisle.

The inside of the church.

The ceremony was given in a mix of Spanish and English, though the priest's accent was quite thick, and I had a tough time distinguishing anything that was said. The already ornate church interior was decked out beautifully, with white roses and candles on the pews, and large bunches of white roses at the alter. Daniela looked amazing in her off-white gown, and Sam looked amazed at his luck. The church slowly filled as the wedding progressed, and by the time the wedding party exited, it was full of applauding Ecuadorian relatives.

The wedding party.

Then it was off to the reception at the Quinta, the family farm situated 45 minutes away from Quito. We arrived to cocktails in a reception area, with live music and appetizers. The dinner tents had been erected, and were bustling with catering staff organizing the tables and food. The tents were beautifully decorated, with green and white adorned tables surrounding a dance floor, with a stage for the band up front. I have never been to such a swanky occasion. It was amazing to be waited upon in such an attentive manner, they even had porters carrying large umbrellas to escort you to the bathrooms through the afternoon rain. The Canadians clustered together at a pair of tables, and had a great time savouring the amazing meal.

Timb, Rory and Sam, looking very handsome in their suits.

The bridesmaids and Sam.

The men with their whiskeys.

After dinner came dancing, and the party commenced, to last the rest of the afternoon and on late into the night. The bouquet was tossed twice, as Daniela's cousin Fillipe thought it would be a laugh to grab the bouquet away from the group of unmarried women. The garters were removed in an amusing tradition in which a few of the unmarried male guests are paired up with an unmarried female guest. The garters are removed one by one, off of Daniela's leg by Sam, and are put on the unmarried female guest by the unsuspecting male guest. Apparently it is quite a controversial tradition, but I found it to be quite funny, especially as Timb was chosen as one of the male participants.

Timb politely placing the garter onto Stefi's ankle.

It was an awesome party, with lots of salsa music and dancing. My feet were killing me by the end of the night, and I was wearing flats! Everyone took advantage of the open bar, and we were all pretty tipsy as we stumbled to the bus back to Quito.