The final two days we were in Antigua were a complete whirlwind. Saturday was the day of the wedding, which kicked off with a ladies brunch for the women family members of the bride and groom and the bridesmaids. The brunch, and the room where we got ready in were all at the Hotel El Camino Real--a place I sure wouldn't mind staying if we ever travel back to Antigua.
At the brunch all of the bridesmaids wore traditional Guatemalan shirts called huipils. Each one was a different color and pattern, which represented a different region of Guatemala.
Brittni had zippers put in the back so that we could wear the huipils while we were getting our hair and makeup ready and prevent smudges from pulling a shirt over our heads.
With the lovely bride!
That's my girl :)...
Meanwhile, while the girls were spending time with B-bear and getting ready, Tony and a few of the other guys went on a walking tour of Antigua.
The tour started off in the Parque Central (apparently this is where the governor of Antigua lives?).
Volcan de Fuego? Agua? Sigh.
Sand sacrifice. These sand murals were also along the aisles of Brittni and Nick's wedding.
Ruins from an earthquake in the late 1800s
Entrance down into the catacombs.
This guy :). We chatted a bunch at the wedding reception--he came to the conclusion that Tony belongs in the South. He's probably right :).
Hermano Pedro's Hospital
Beautiful tiles in an old awning
Another volcano--I think these might be Acatenango and Fuego, but I really have no clue...
And here we have this guy!! This isn't Tony (look closely), though they do have similar facial hair color :). This guy was quite the dancer at the reception....
Macaws in the courtyard of a fancy hotel
An old Mayan market in Antigua
The church where the ceremony for Brittni and Nick's wedding was held: Convento de las Capuchinas
After all the bridesmaids and groomsmen walked down the aisle, the doors closed and the music changed. The church was lit with hundreds of candles, and everyone seated turned around in anticipation of seeing the beautiful bride. The doors (which are probably 15-20 feet tall) dramatically opened, and Brittni was escorted by her father down the aisle. Most of the bridesmaids (well, I can really only speak about those who were on either side of me) began to cry. I certainly wasn't able to hold back the emotion. Her entrance was such a powerful image, I don't think I'll ever forget that moment.
The vows were said, communion was taken, a worship song was sung (in both English and Spanish!), and then, the covenant was sealed with a kiss.
The reception was also a blast--there was a great dinner, a flash mob dance to Hall and Oates "You Make My Dreams Come True" (Tony was a critical part in it--so proud of him!), salsa dancing and general merriment.
With Suzi, a friend and fellow Trinity alum. We had on a LOT of makeup y'all. Where are my freckles? Also, you can totally tell I had been crying. Super :).
This photo and the one above it were taken directly from Suzi's blog--check out her full post for her Guatemalan experience!
With the beautiful bride!
After many laughs and tears at the reception (y'all should ask me about the soup incident if you have the chance...funny in retrospect, not as funny when I was all worked up and emotional about the wedding ;)...), we headed home for the evening to pack our treasures (COFFEE!) and belongings and get ready for the last day of our trip.
Sunday morning Nick's granny hosted a farewell brunch that was a delicious, traditional Guatemalan breakfast of eggs (an omelet), black beans, cheese, salsa and fruit. The view from the patio where we ate was magnificent.
A view of 2 volcanoes. Fuego is on the left, and it was chugging out smoke all morning (and throughout most of our trip). See the smoke?!? Awesome.
Sweet Julie. We nearly died in a Tuk Tuk together :)...
Sunday was a hard day for me. I had to say goodbye to Brittni not knowing when I would see her next. Oof, just typing that put a lump in my throat. Being an adult is hard. I'm sure that we'll continue to walk through life together (albeit long distance, at least for now), but it's still hard not having a set date to look forward to seeing each other again.
Going to Guatemala was such a fantastic and memorable trip. I was so delighted to see Brittni walk down the aisle and to meet Nick in person. Here's to many, many years of marital bliss for the newlyweds!
