A true glimpse of Peruvian culture was Matt and Edith's beautiful wedding. It was an elegant, elaborate reception and church ceremony. Definitely one of the nicest we've ever been to, and also a lot of fun. We were able to spend time with Edith's family and friends, who were warm and welcoming, and we all were really excited to be a groomsman/bridesmaid/flowergirl. The wedding celebration was a weekend-long party, starting with the rehearsal and dinner, wedding, and then a Sunday dinner at the bride's parents' home.
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| The rehearsal dinner. |
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| Cousins! Eri and Baby Joaquin sleeping at dinner. |
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| Eri getting her hair done before the wedding. She also had her first manicure for the occasion and chose red polish. |
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| What a big girl! She was very well-behaved during the Aqua Net and bobby pinning process. |
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| Eri was excited to wear a white dress, "just like Aunt Edith." |
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| The flowergirl and the groom. |
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| Explaining the flower-sprinkling duties was somewhat confusing for Eri. It was even more confusing for the wedding planner when we explained that Eri would need help down the aisle because she doesn't understand directions in Spanish and she's 2. |
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| Last minute adjustments. |
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With the dapper groom. |
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| Right before the entire basket was dumped at Edith's feet. |
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| Watching "the part where they get married." |
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| Our new sister. |
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| What a lucky guy. |
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| The newlyweds' entrance at the reception and Matt impressively giving a speech in perfect Spanish. |
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| Dinner entertainment was native dancing. |
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| The first dance. |
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| Geoff with the bride; Brye and Eri in the back with the groom. |
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| This guy and girl were the equivalent of the singles who catch the garter and bouquet at American weddings, though we're not sure the relationship lasted much longer than the next few hours. |
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| They couldn't cut this thing fast enough for a certain someone. (Not Eri.) |
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| Eri and Geoff on the dance floor. |
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| Just the girls dancin'. |
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| Brothers and groomsmen. |
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| Day-after-the-wedding party at the bride's parents home. |
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| Doin' some handy work in the backyard with Uncle Mark. |
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| Trying to soak up as much Baby Joaquin time as we can. |
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| Eri and her new amiga. |
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| The first time for our Peruvian friend to eat Macaroni and Cheese and the 1,736th time for Eri. |
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| The Magic Cuy Game. A guinea pig (cuy) is placed in the center box, surrounded by 10 numbered boxes with little openings. |
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| Bets are placed by picking the number of the box you think the cuy will run into. |
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| Eri, who has just learned to identify numbers, was excited to place the coins on the boxes for people. We were happy to show her important real-life application, such as gambling. |
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| When all bets are placed, the cuy is made sufficiently dizzy and the box is lifted. |
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| The suspense in the crowd is palpable. |
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| The cuy runs into a box and the winner gets his payday. |
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| El Magico Cuy and his bookie. |
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| When they're not earning a buck, the cuy are man-handled by kids, both of which are better than what happens later (see the Peruvian cuisine notes.) |
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| The two newest members of the Steeves family. (Cute hat, sister.) |
