Primer Matrimonio Chileno

This past Saturday I attended a Chilean wedding for the first time. I.'s cousin got married and the whole family was there. If I could sum the wedding up in 3 words, I'd use the Chilean expression "3B" for bueno, bonito, and barato (good, pretty, and inexpensive). I was VERY impressed by all aspects of the wedding without considering how much it cost, but when they told me how much (little, really) they spent on everything AND that they had to change the location 2 weeks before the wedding, my jaw dropped to the floor and I vowed right there and then to get married in Chile.

First and foremost, the most beautiful aspect of this wedding was that the bride and groom are madly in love with each other. I'm very realistic about the probability of a couple staying together (so I often think they won't), but I'd put a good amount of money on the success of this couple. Sharing their special day with them was a wonderful experience.

Second, the location was AMAZING. It was up in the mountains in (or just outside of?) Lo Cañas. Seriously, why someone doesn't own a little vineyard/hotel/restaurant up there is beyond me since it seems to be geared toward the wealthy. If I could invest in something, it would be Chez Shea, Lo Cañas, Chile. Anyway, this place is comparable to the gorgeous wedding my best friend just had in Virginia which cost much more (as most US weddings do). Now, her wedding was magical and the place where she got married was so beautiful (same goes for how much she and her hubby love each other), but this place at Lo Cañas was magical and beautful, too. There is the most amazing view of the mountains and Santiago at night. It was breathtaking. The house/event place was gorgeous with an ivy-covered walkway and garden around it. The grounds weren't as well maintained as they should have been, but it was still impressive.

Third, the catering company was excellent. Their service was remarkable by anyone's standards and all of the employees were very friendly and accommodating, which is something I've learned not to expect while living in Chile. Whenever you wanted a drink or mini empanada, they were right there helping you. And, they had a perfect number of staff working, not too few which was a big problem at my friend's wedding.

Now, it's not that I expected a mediocre wedding from C and her hubby; it's just that there was no fuss at all about it from anyone. I'm used to American weddings where often the bride, groom and family start planning at least a year in advance and inevitably run into wedding party and/or planning problems. I've seen brides forced into including disliked family members in the wedding party just to make grandma lay off the guilt trip and, fancy wedding planners blatantly lying about how the wedding will be while charging an arm and a leg for their services. With this wedding, there was none of that. Over the past few months you'd hardly know they were even planning one, yet everything turned out beautifully and I doubt they ever broke a sweat over any of it. How refreshing! The most important day of their relationship was stress-free and perfect. I can only hope for so much.

Here are some pictures from Saturday: