You Are My Sun, My Moon, And All My Stars: Cross-Cultural Destination Wedding in Antigua

Guatemala Celestial Wedding

If your destination wedding would be the first time your families are meeting, what would you want that day to look like? How would you want it to feel? When Emily, a US native, and her Guatemalan fiancé Yefry were planning their wedding, they knew incorporating both of their cultures would be crutial. E + Y wanted to celebrate their union with a Mayan ceremony set around an open-fire, which is used to have direct contact with Ahau, the Mayan sun God. Since astrology also plays a large role in the Mayan culture, Emily dreamt up the idea of having day-of decor inspired by the moon + stars.

The bride shares: We had a strong vision for our entire wedding weekend. We wanted our wedding to be a reflection of our shared values, a celebration of the cultures we come from, and a party that we’d never forget. Our love transcends borders and connects us to everything else in the universe, so celestial “cosmic love” was the theme.

Bea de la Roca, from Addy Florales, created a stunning backdrop of a deep-blue moon made from dyed pampas grass, accented with golden stars and florals. The reception, planned + styled by Saguzo Events, had continual, on-theme decor in ways of hanging golden stars and midnight moon candlelight.

Every detail of this destination wedding celebration at San Jose El Viejo was lovingly thought of and considered. We’re counting our lucky stars that Daniel Lopez Perez Photography captured the day:

orchid wedding bouquet

First Look

first look

first look

They’re glowing, aren’t they? And the starry headband on E, by Rose Red Accessories, is literally the crown jewel.

Guatemala Celestial Wedding

Guatemala Celestial Wedding

 

Guatemala Celestial Wedding

Golden Girl

gold wedding dress

Yep, this bridal look has us completely starstruck. Emily tells us about the inspiration: I knew that I wanted a gold dress, but none of the options I found felt right. I also wanted my dress to reflect our celestial theme. I studied fashion design in college, and finally decided to design my dress, bridal cape, and reception topper. It was the best decision! I love how my look turned out; I felt so special and also truly like myself on my wedding day.

orchid wedding bouquet

navy blue bridesmaids

David’s Bridal makes bridesmaid dress shopping easy, even with the logistics of a destination wedding! These midnight blue dresses are almost metallic-looking, and work with E’s starry cape so well.

Celestial Ceremony

blue moon backdrop

Guatemala Celestial Wedding

Did you just gasp? So did we. These navy blue-dyed pampas grass accents are EVERYTHING. Those anthurium flowers are dripping in gold, and we LOVE that look all paired with the Moroccan star lights + blue candles.

Our Musical Choices

Processional: (guests) Here Comes The Sun by Richie Havens, (groom + groomsmen) Coincidir by Macaco, (bride + bridesmaids) Welcome Home by Radical Face

Recessional: Ain’t That Love by Ray Charles

First Dance: Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra

Guatemala Celestial Wedding

Guatemala Celestial Wedding

Guatemala Celestial Wedding

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

Every stage of the day felt so special and perfect for us. Our ceremony was very unique and a beautiful blend of cultures. A Mayan wedding ceremony incorporates the community that will support the couple, and we will always treasure that our parents and wedding party played important roles during the ceremony. A dear friend of ours, who actually inspired me (Emily) to come to Guatemala as a volunteer for the first time nine years ago, served as our bilingual officiant.

A Starry Reception

moon escort cards

Guatemala Celestial Wedding

Guatemala Celestial Wedding

If you’ve got all the star eyes right now, check out these celestial wedding details!

hanging gold stars

Introducing our new favorite wedding decor: hanging pampas grass poms.

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

Decide what’s most important to you as a couple and as individuals early on. Then spend some time finding vendors you love and trust, and take their advice, too. We almost didn’t have a first look, but our wedding planner strongly suggested we reconsider, and I’m so glad we did! It was such a fun and sweet moment to have to ourselves, and seeing each other again at our ceremony was equally exciting!

hanging gold stars

Dessert Display

gold star backdrop

gold and blue wedding cake

Each tier of this wedding cake is like a different phase of the moon. Sweet Brooklyn Bakery truly created edible art; and we love the gold accents!

Guatemala Celestial Wedding

These’s two shining stars finish by sharing: Being from two different countries, it was so meaningful to have our family and friends from different stages of our lives all in one place. Many of them met for the first time that weekend, and we loved watching them get to know each other (even in spite of language barriers)! We are eternally grateful that our loved ones traveled from near and very far to celebrate with us! We would also like to thank our amazing vendors, who brought our vision to life in the most magical way.

photography: Daniel Lopez Perez Photography // venue name: San Jose El Viejo, Antigua, Saquetepequez, Guatemala // planning: Saguzo Events // florals: Addy Florales // wedding dress: bride designed and sewn by Modas y Textiles in Guatemala City // hairpiece: Rose Red Accessories // bride's shoes: Nina // bride's ring: Jay Boylegem // bridesmaid dresses: David's Bridal // hair stylist: Vilma Coy // makeup artist: Vilma Coy // groom attire: Saúl E. Méndez // catering: Porta Hotels // cake: Sweet Brooklyn Bakery // furniture rentals: Unik Decor // bride's earrings: Elizabeth Cole // pocket squares: Tono & Co

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