The bride looked radiantly beautiful in her gown, while her eyes glowed with excitement! And the groom did not stay far behind.

This was a wedding full of love, fun and personality.

I Do, Guatemala tried to give  them all exactly what they pictured to receive….tables were set, flowers placed, music played….SHEER PERFECTION!

This wedding speaks for itself…

Sit back and enjoy the pictures…………..

I met Ana and Anthony two days before their wedding, after many months of writing back and forth, planning the wedding of THEIR lifetime………………….Ana was excited beyond belief….but as calm as day and Anthony was in Love..you could tell a mile away……….. We laughed and talked over coffee…..and then..the BLOW!!! Anthony wanted to find GUAYABERAS (a traditional Cuban shirt)………….In Guatemala……two days before the wedding!!! I get on my cel and make a million phone calls…nothing…where was I going to get Guayaberas? Well we are I Do, Guatemala, and our promise is to DELIVER……so I got Flor, my number one assistant, to get on the phone and FIND THEM…….and find them she did!!!!!!!!!!

After that had been taken care of I left with Ana to get her hair and makeup trail. It was great getting to know her while she OH’d and Ah”d at how gorgeous she looked…… And boy did she look great!

The Morning of the wedding came…Ana got together with her bridesmaids in the room that  I Do, Guatemala, offered  as our special wedding gift…. at El Convento Boutique Hotel…….I went off to do my things and Romie to do hers..Yes, we have this down to the last minute…making sure that bride is comfortable, groom is getting ready and NOT drinking…guests are being taken care of, caterers setting up, florist working their magic..etc etc etc…………..

Once everything fell into place all I can say is that it was………well, another Antigua Wedding Fairytale. The bright colors of the floral arrangements made the ruins jump to life! The temple was “draped” and it offered an ever so romantic tone to the whole ceremony…………Candles, flowers, music……………………FABULOUS..

Once again, I smile as I recall Ana and Anthony’s glowing joy…………………..

Venue: Convento Las Capuchinas

Florist: Jose Antonio Garcia

Cake: Ceci de la Roca

Photographer: Francisco Sandoval

Wedding Planners: Diana Sciarrillo and Romie Black for I Do, Guatemala

It is somehow comforting, when I look back at the pictures, to see that we really did make a difference……

Planning Maggie’s wedding was, to me, a really neat experience. It is nice to feel 100% trusted..and Maggie did just that! She was opened to every suggestion I would make and actually applied nearly all of them..In the end she had one wonderful wedding planned. Guests ohhed and ahhed all night long…taking in the magnificence of the old ruins….

It all started at around five, in the Capuchina Temple, where the religious ceremony took place. We wanted to give guests, who were almost 100% foreign, little sneak peeks of the marvelous venue Maggie and Jesse selected, so the whole venue was not opened at once. Guests made their way into the temple through the old temple doors…

Once the ceremony was over, guests were asked to move into the circular atrium for cocktails….

….After listening to the sound of marimba and savoring delicious petite four’s, they were asked to move into the reception hall: the impressive fountain atrium in the middle of the venue……Candles were lit, flowers where in place and once again, guests “ooh”ed and “ahh”ed as they took in the magnificent site………

Maggie and Jesse made their way to the dance floor (in front of the so graciously decorated fountain) to dance to their first song as a married couple…sighs..tears….whispers..

Then dad came into the picture and both he and Maggie, danced to “Lagrimas de Thelma” …but in the Marimba version!!!! That was a new one for me!!!

After an exquisite meal, (where all guests had a choice of two appetizers, three main courses and two desserts) the party began! Not ONE guest remained seated…even the children danced the night away……

At around 11:00 pm Maggie brought in a surprise for her guests: a fabulous salsa teacher!! Nancy showed up and had the whole crowd dancing salsa like pro’s!!

What neither Maggie nor Jesse knew, was that their best buddies came up with a last minute idea (which put us, the planners on our toes for a while): how about adopting the Jewish custom: they sat the bride and groom on a chair an raised them and danced around the courtyard!

It was truly spectacular!

Forist: Mario Ayala (Escenica)

Venue: Convento Capuchinas, temple, courtyard and circular atrium

Music: Karribean, Dj

Cake: Ceci de la Roca

Photographer: Francisco Sandoval

Wedding Planners: Diana Sciarrillo, and Romie Black, for I Do, Guatemala (David Yates and Rodrigo Archila as assistants)

I have done many a food tastings but NONE like this one…. I had sent Karen and Jay the menus for them to choose from..well they practically chose almost EVERYTHING ON THE MENU.

They later confessed that they thought that the chef would have chosen some dishes from the list they sent…but NO. My caterers, Siitz, El Convento, are great with me and treat my clients incredibly well….Chef Arlene went wild and prepared the WHOLE THING….I AM TALKING ABOUT MORE THAN 18 COURSES and the most amazing thing of all, is that they were not even tasters portions…..THEY WENT ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!! ONE DISH PER PERSON…………..FULL SIZE!!!!!!! Jay, the groom to be, was ecstatic! He ate and ate and ate….BIG time!!!!

I usually offer the food tasting for free. And my vendors back me up because they know that  when I do this, it is because I am 99.9% sure that the couple will end up staying with them….This is something that Karen and Jay were really impressed with…they ate a king’s banquet and paid zilch for it!!!

However, this time my 99/9% certainty began to fade as I saw  more and more  food come. I started getting nervous! What if all this food will simply overwhelm my clients? I kept looking at Karen struggling with every bite….we even noticed Jay’s shirt button starting to, let’s say:                      S  T  R  E  A  C  H ……………… Luckily, they did not freak out as I feared would happen….And now……I must say  that their guests are surely in for one incredible treat!

Moral of the experience: make sure you do not eat for a few days before going to a food tasting with Diana Sciarrillo, from I Do, Guatemala!

and when I say the midst I REALLY meant just that….we organized everything to be set up among the ancient boulders of the church…guests where seated between huge rocks….it was far from the ordinary and very special….it took us hundreds of candles to light the area up and their glow made it all the more special. The groom surprised the bride with the non-traditional unity candle ceremony which has now become our “trade mark”. 

Again, Ah’s and Oh’s were heard as teardrops were being wiped from faces……

After the ceremony, The bride and groom offered their guests cocktails at El Convento’s rooftop terrace. Finger foods was served, while guests drank tequilas, margaritas, wines, and beer…and then…when bride and groom were ready to join their guests, their arrival was announced by a private show of fireworks!

The sky was lit for minutes and guests watched in awe…

Guests were then taken to the third venue; San Jose El Viejo,

and ancient church……where they enjoyed a delicious meal, drank  and danced the night away! An after party was arranged at the “Castle”,  one of the private houses that was rented as accommodations for guests…

It was an extraordinary night…and OH…did I not mention that all the while guests were transported in a very Guatemalan Limo: Yes, their very own, private CHICKEN BUS!!!!!

• Venues: La Recoleccion, El Convento, San Jose El Viejo
• Photographer: Jose Pablo Martinez
• Florist: Jose Antonio Garcia
• Cake: Cecilia de La Roca
• Wedding Planners: Diana Sciarrillo and Romie Black for I Do, Guatemala

When choosing the musicians make sure you ask the following questions:

• Do the musicians have a demo of their work?
• Will the same musicians that play in the demo the ones who will play in the ceremony?
• Have these musicians played in the venue of your choice before?
• Do the musicians have a list of suggested songs to play during the ceremony?
• Would the musicians be willing to play a particular song that is NOT included in their repertoire?
• If you decide a singer in addition to the musicians, will they be able to rehearse together?
• How many hours of music are included in the price? If the ceremony takes a little longer than estimated, will there be an additional cost, or are the musicians wiling to continue playing without charging extra?
• How will the musicians be dressed?
• What furniture will the musicians need in order to perform (chairs etc)?
• Do they bring their own sound system?
• Are the musicians willing to be at the rehearsal? Would they charge extra for this? If so, how much?

In Antigua Guatemala, when getting married in the midst of the ruins, Spanish guitarist have worked marvelously…providing the mystically romantic effect most couples look for….

Special attention was given to a somewhat different unity candle ceremony, where wedding planner Diana Sciarrillo came up with the unique idea of incorporating a Mayan tradition; Mother of the bride and Father of the groom lit the respective candles, the MOH and Best Man stepped to the front and lifted a “globo” (a sort of miniature hot-air balloon specially hand made for them),  the parents then joined MOH and BM to help lift the globo while Bride and Groom stepped up, took their respective candles and together used their candle to light a kind of “wax ball” found at the bottom of the balloon. Once the wax ball lit, the “globo” stated filling up with hot air, making it want to let itself loose and fly up in the air….(Wedding party was a bit confused, as you probably are now, but, the day of the wedding everybody got to see how marvelously romantic the ceremony turned out to be) you will simply have to come to one of I Do, Guatemala’s weddings to see how this works!

Wedding party then made their way to Casa Santo Domingo, where they held an intimate served dinner in one of the private rooms. After dinner Bride and Groom, together with the wedding party, met up with the rest of their guests on the rooftop terrace at Boutique Hotel El Convento for cocktails and private Salsa Lessons. Guests were FASCINATED!

The morning started early for guests, who were offered a morning brunch in the terrace of El Convento. Everyone then went about their own thing, while wedding planners Diana Sciarrillo and Romie Black ran around making sure that even the smallest detail was in place. 4:00 came in no time…carriages were decorated and sent to pick groom and his groomsmen first, while bride waited nervously with her father and brides maids, waiting to be picked up….guest started to make their way into the corridor that led them to the garden, where the ceremony was to take place…..

candles and floral arrangements strategically placed guided them all the way through. Gasps and Wow’s were heard….as guests saw the beauty of the decor. The bridesmaids, dressed in flowing dresses of the richest purple opened the processional taking their place up front, by the altar. Finally Maria arrived, looking radiant, as always, her lace gown flowed as she made her way with her father and took her place beside her husband to be. Pastor Paul initiated the ceremony…guitarists played softly and tears rolled…..

Once the ceremony ended, guests were led into the circular atrium for cocktails while family and wedding party took pictures in the garden….

Marimba music played in the background while everyone enjoyed sangria, white and red wine, beer and delicious finger food. After spending some time enjoying the evening guests were then led into the Temple for the reception. And THIS is where the real gasping and WOWing really began…..The temple looked spectacular! A long table was set up..the decor was breathtaking….centerpieces were works of art, the cake was astonishing….. Guests enjoyed a 7 course served taster’s menu while listening to Spanish guitarists playing in the background…… Joe and Maria danced to “Tu Amor Me Hace Bien” and were blown away when their dance floor was lit by indoor fireworks, a special touch offered by wedding planners Diana Sciarrillo and Romie Black…..

This was truly one spectacular event, guests kept coming to wedding planners Diana Sciarrillo and Romie Black saying that this, by far, had been the most majestic wedding ever!

A series of fabulous events are planned for this oh so much awaited event!

To start with, intimate guests will get together for a welcome dinner at La Fonda de la Calle Real, where they will enjoy a wonderful typical menu.

Most of the guests will be arriving on Thursday and will be settling in to their hotel rooms, most of which will be staying at El Convento, Boutique Hotel. To make guests feel more comfortable with their new surroundings, I Do, Guatemala has arranged for welcome kits that include a pamphlet that offers important information to each guest, water bottles, home made cookies, tissues and medicine.

A day tour to Lake Atitlan has been arranged for guests who wish to explore the wonders of Guatemala. Wedding party is expected to get together in the Capuchina garden to hold the rehearsal…and all guests will then move to the famous Casa Santo Domingo Hotel for a well selected rehearsal dinner. From there, they will all move to the rooftop of El Convento to dance the night away….yes….the night away! The soon to be married couple have arranged for a salsa teacher (and her team) to help get guests into the grove and learn the salsa steps, while enjoying sangrias!

The morning of the wedding day will start with a served breakfast at El Convento…the bride, her bridesmaids and the rest of the wedding party will then disappear to get ready for the big night!

The wedding ceremony will be held in the Capuchina garden. A cocktail will follow in the circular atrium and finally, the reception will be held in the Temple….it will be Majestic, to say the least!

To top things off, a farewell breakfast has been arranged at Finca Filadelfia, a genuine coffee plantation.

ESCAPE!!! A lot of couples assume that their guests will only do a long weekend, and then they will have the destination to themselves after the wedding.  This is partially true – most guests do book packages less than a week long, but others may not.  This means that you will be running into all your friends and family when you’re really going to want some alone time.  Do yourself a favor and either plan to move to anther venue, or an entire different country after your destination wedding.

Groups do not necessarily mean you get insane discounts!. Get out of the idea that just because you are traveling with a group that you will get some insanely low rate, it’s not going to happen.  Yes, if you are planning a destination wedding with a good wedding planner then you’ll receive some benefits, but the main benefit is actually making sure that everybody has a room and is paying the same amount.  As room availability at a hotel gets slim, they usually charge more, and once they sell out…those guests that waited too long are out of luck.

Don’t overdo it! I know that planning a traditional wedding includes getting really detailed about how everything will be decorated.  Do you know why?  Usually it’s because the venue NEEDS to be decorated in order to look nice.  Most couples planning a destination wedding are having their ceremonies in an incredible area that has amazing natural beauty (Ruins, beaches, gardens).  Let nature speak for itself.

You don’t need to pay for everything! The great thing about destination weddings is that there is no book of etiquette written on planning them!. It’s not like a traditional wedding where there are fairly set rules on what you are expected to do.  It is common knowledge that destination wedding couples don’t pay for anybody expect themselves.  With that being said, if you have extra money you certainly can get charitable and help certain people out.  Some couples choose to offer a kind of voucher for guests (a certain $ amount per person), to help defray costs.  But again, it’s not necessary.

Hope these tips help!!

“As you know, we are in the process of planning our wedding. We are contemplating having a Destination Wedding in a tropical location.

As someone important to us, we want to get your opinion on whether you could attend, given the following “ballpark” information:

- It could be a ____ or ______ night travel package requiring either a Friday or a Monday (or both) off from work. Our projected dates are ____________

- Estimated travel expenses could start at around $_________ per person, including airfare, hotel accommodations, transfers to and from the airport, and taxes.

We would love to have a Destination Wedding, but wanted to check in with our most important guests before making this decision, as we would love to share this important time in our lives with you. We are looking forward to hearing back from you!”

Try sending it out to your dear friends and once you receive answers, make your decision!