“I do,” Lumbisí style.

When I arrived in Lumbisí Saturday morning I was greeted with a ‘Courley! Hi, how are you? Grab those flowers and corra get into the car!’ It was a crazy house of women running around with flowers and food, Ozwaldo, the fiancé driving them where they needed to go and kids playing around with decorations and fancy dresses. After taping the flowers to the pew benches of the church and chopping a lot of tomatos, I was given the honor and responsibility of accompanying la novia, the bride, to get her hair and nails done in Cumbaya. She had been working all day as well and it was nice to see her relax and feel a bit pampered on her wedding day. Getting back I threw on a dress and we all headed over to the church.

Weddings, like most Ecuadorian events, are a familial affair. Everyone contributes and everyone celebrates. The nephew that has a car lends it to the family so that they can run the errands that they need to get done. The uncle that raises pigs brings two to the slaughter for the grand feast. The father that abandoned his girlfriend and family at a young age returns to walk his daughter down the aisle. The aunts and daughters spend weeks arranging flowers, tying ribbons and writing invitations and even the kids help prepare food and set up chairs. It makes me laugh to think of the western notion of wedding planners, caterers and florists.

After the short service deeply affirming Catholic theology and tradition, comes the long party deeply affirming the latino heart of celebration. A ‘Fiesta del pueblo’ is an experience hard to capture in words. At any celebration, be is a baptism, birthday or wedding, guests are fed a traditional three course meal along with lots of alcohol. Chicha is a highly alcoholic indigenous drink made from corn and wheat. I personally think that it smells like hotdogs and can’t down even a sip, but the town loves it! As people drink more and more the songs get longer and the dancing crazier. Cumbia is heard blasting from speakers well into the night.

The following morning it is tradition that the godparents of the marriage, along with the wedding party and guests bring chocolate and bread for the couple’s first breakfast together. The crowd marched through the streets of Lumbisí with a huge pot of hot chocolate and bags of bread, handing it out to people as they made their way down the hill to the happy home. The day long celebration ends with chocolate..what is not to love about this country?

Photos: Glory getting ready for the big event.

Esteban, Maria José, Ozwaldo, Gloria, Fernanda and Matias....my beautiful family.

Leaving the church being attacked by rice.

Jenny and I with her new little girl! (I fit right in with my black hair, right!?)

The first dance with the Mariachi band.

Where the magic happens..serving up the COMIDA!