South America is an enchanting place where life happens at a slower pace.  The people are warm and friendly and the food is delicious!  It isn’t like Europe where most people understand English.  And, there are very few Americans or Europeans around.  We were excited that they use US currency and that everything was very inexpensive.  But, its not easy to forget that while we are living like Kings the vast majority of the Ecuadorian population is living in poverty.  Still, we couldn’t help but remark on how happy everyone was and how little material things seemed to matter.  It was a refreshing change from American consumerism and I am going to try hard to incorporate that into my own life.

Michelle & Brandon really made us feel welcome at their destination wedding.  They had planned activities for family and friends and made sure we were included. Unfortunately, my trip was off to a rocky start when my plane was delayed 4 hours and I arrived at the hotel at 7:30 am on the day of the wedding.  Ah!  Plus, I had shot the stunning South Beach wedding I blogged below earlier that day.  So, with just 2 hours of sleep I operated solely on adrenaline (and caffeine).

I started with Michelle in hair and make-up and was mesmerized by her stunning Kleinfeld dress complete with a hoop skirt (which makes dancing easy and the heat not quite so unbearable).  The bridal party was in great spirits and Michelle was stunning.  Estella Maris Church is on an Ecuadorian Naval Base and sits high on a cliff with windows overlooking the ocean.  One thing I loved was that noting was landscaped…just wild and un-manicured growing naturally.  Again, it reminded me of how simple life can be if you let it.

The reception was simply amazing.  I’ve got to give mad props to Michelle’s Aunt who is an event coordinator in Guayaquil, Ecuador.  Michelle told her aunt a vague idea of what she liked and was completely surprised when she walked into this vibrant room filled with larger than life centerpieces.  The cake literally was about 4.5 feet tall!  And, Michelle told me that was small for Ecuadorian standards.  It was accompanied by over 3,500 traditional Ecuadorian sweets.  I was in heaven.  Seriously.

And, for the wedding guests there is a special treat…I’ve included an image of your favorite local celebrity – Juan Carlos.  Friends and Family from both Ecuador and the United States danced the night away and the evening was a beautiful compilation of traditions from both countries.  One highlight was the Salsa dancers who impressed us with their lifts and jumps and really got the party started.

After everyone had a chance to sleep in, we all headed out on buses to a little surf town called Montanita.  It is world-famous for surfing and the crowd is a cross between hippies and surfers punctuated by the friendliest dogs roaming the town.  Michelle and Brandon had arranged surf lessons for all their friends.  Those who were brave gave it a shot.  The rest of us got to explore the town and sample the local street vendor fare.

This was an incredible experience and I hope to come back to South America one day.  I was not only artistically interested in the change of scenery, but I treasure the opportunity to explore the culture and see another part of the world.  Thank you, Michelle & Brandon!

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 at 11:30 am and is filed under photography. Tags: Columbia wedding photography, destination wedding photographer, destination wedding photography, ecuador wedding photography, Orlando wedding photographer, orlando wedding video, South America Wedding Photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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