Good Ol' Downhome Casamiento Nicaragüense

"It's not every Northamerican who comes here who gets to actually be in a wedding!" -Charito

Saturday was an awesome cultural experience. One that I've actually been planning for, for awhile. My "cousin" Itamar got married. About a month or two ago she asked me to be one of the damas in her wedding. This really surprised me, because I didn't know her very well. However, I immediately accepted. What girl doesn't love to get dressed up and be in a wedding? (Well, I guess I know many, but I'm not one of them!)

Sandra - a lady in the church, my neighbor, and my friend Joel's mom - made my dress after I bought the material in the market. The material cost 65 cordoba per meter. I bought 2 meters. For Sandra to make my dress it cost me 110 cordoba. So I spent 240 cordoba on a brand new, handmade formal dress, fit to my body. (Divide 240 by 29.5 and you get US dollars... I love spending money in Nicaragua!)

Here the bride chooses the damas, and then each dama chooses her caballero. I chose Joel because he had originally been asked to go with someone, but then she ended up not being able to go to the wedding, so he was free and had been planning on going, plus he's my friend! So, the groom actually has no say in the men at all - except for his best man or caballero de honor. Isaac - my brother - was the caballero de honor. This is because Itamar was his favorite cousin and Guillermo (or Memo) was his best friend, and he brought them together. (cute, eh?) My sister Belén wasLa Esperanza (Hope) and wore green; Itamar's sister, Sharon, was La Guía - she led the procession carrying the Bible, and wore red. There were 18 damas and caballeros, as well as a whole group of young girls, and then one little girl and one little boy who carried the rings. Talk about a huge wedding party.

My preparation started the night before when Belén painted my fingernails and toenails, along with Itamar's and a handful of the other damas. Then I plucked Itamar's eyebrows - so I feel like I contributed something to her special day, haha. On Saturday everybody was crazy getting ready, but we all arrived at Itamar's house at 2:30 en punto dressed, beautied, and ready to line up. Except for Joel - my caballero. He wasn't there yet. When we all lined up everyone had their pair, except for me. It was three and even the people who had come late were there and lined up. I was a little nervous he wouldn't make it; however, totally thankful that I'm tall here and therefore was lined up as the second to last person. Well we were all taking our first steps and the mariachi band had begun to play when Joel came running. :) Just in time.

The entire processional, beginning with Sharon, La Guía, and ending with Itamar, accompanied by her brother, Enoc. A mariachi band played, and we walked through the town from her house to the church. It was like a parade, and people who were going to the wedding joined in the processional walking beside us. People who weren't going to the wedding came out of their houses and watched as we walked by. I've been in far too many parades, so it didn't feel awkward at all, but it's definitely a difference in culture.

When we got to the church the entire congregation stood for the processional from beginning to end, not just for when the bride entered. We walked to the front of church and then the damas filed into the first rows of seats on the right, and the caballeros to the left. La Guía, La Esperanza, y El Caballero y La Dama de Honor all sat in chairs off to the right as well. In the center up front were chairs for the bridge and groom, as well as one to the left of the bridge where her grandfather sat (usually it's the father) and one to the right of the groom where his mother sat.

The ceremony began with music from the Mariachi band, then Pablo and Janeth (the uncle and aunt, as well as the pastor and wife) led us in praise music. Isaac read the scripture from Genesis 2. We sang more praise, and Pablo gave a brief reflection. Then they had the lighting of the unity candle, the vows, the exchange of rings and a blessing. Between the ring exchangement and the blessing they had a part where first the groom has a handful of coins, and places them one by one into the palms of the bride. She then repeats the same thing. It's symbolic that in their marriage are going to share their benefits. After the blessing everyone in the church went forward to greet the new couple and their family - rather than the couple proceeding down the aisle. After all of the salutations, the wedding party lined up in the aisle and made a tunnel with our arms for the bridge and groom to pass under, and then each pair in the processional followed them to their house for the reception.

The backyard of the house was filled with plastic tables and chairs decorated with candles and there were balloons and streamers and strings of lights brightening everything up. There was a live band and plenty of food and pop, and of course a huge wedding cake to celebrate. They even had the tossing of the bouquet. There was no dancing, and no garter... but the reception was a lot like one in the United States - only a little more "down home, country" type of thing rather than a fancy wedding. Honestly, I felt like I was at a family reunion, only everyone was dressed up.

I feel so blessed to have partaken in the wedding, though. So many people from the States who know Itamar because they came to Nicaragua for the same reason I have, have expressed their jealously and their wishes that they could have been at the wedding. So I feel pretty lucky to have been in it! Also, it was such a testament to the love and community within the church El Buen Pastor of Sabana Grande. I felt loved and accepted, as well as a part of everything - and it wasn't even my wedding!