Merk and Ana's first Peruvian wedding

This blogpost comes especially to you by Merk and Ana - also known as Mariana (just run our names together quickly and drop the 'k' to get the idea) or Max and Anita.

Last night we got a special mention on the wedding program of the couple we have been giving marriage classes to. 'Prayers: Merk y Ana' the program said. 'Do you think that is us?' Mark asked ironically.

The wedding was our first Peruvian experience and we won't forget it.

24 hours before the wedding the church had no roof (it fell down after the earthquake), there were no lights, no sound system and no cake.

Thanks to last-minute Peruvian efficiency (and Jono!) when we arrived the church looked beautiful, a marquee of beautifully folded fabrics had been erected and the church decorated with flowers. Lights had been put up under the marquee, the missing things had been acquired and a lovely three-tiered cake (made in 24 hours!) stood at the front of the church.

The first difference was that the wedding was in the evening unlike our UK law that weddings cannot be performed after dark (for fear that the wrong people might get married! - strange but true). When the wedding finally started (two hours after the time on the invitation at 8pm) we had various processions of bridesmaids and page boys, flower girls, the boy carrying the bible, the candle carriers, the family, the padrinos (godparents or sponsors of the wedding), the groom (accompanied by his mother) and finally the bride accompanied by her father. The sisters of the bride all wore identical bright blue sequined dresses, whilst the bridesmaids all looked like mini brides in strapless white dresses.

The rest of the wedding was fairly like a UK wedding without the usual slickness (I'm not convinced the guy leading the service had even read the program let alone been told what to do!) and of course everyone looked beautiful.

At the end food was served to the guests in their seats and amazingly for a Peruvian wedding, it was served even before the service had ended and it had all finished by 10.15pm.