Tags
Hacienda Guachala, jonathan hall wedding, Roses at wedding, Wedding Reception at Guachala, Weddings in Ecuador
Ready to go to a fairy-tale reception?
(Cayambe Ecuador) Climb aboard the wedding-party bus! We’ll drive about three kilometers from the Mitad de Mundo site (of the wedding) to Hacienda Guachala, one of my favorite places in the Andes.
Elvis leads the way.. Have any of you ever been to Hacienda Guachala?
An injection of humor contributes to the BEST bus ride EVER!
Ahhh; I know where we are, and the entrance is a magical one! Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you, Hacienda Guachala!
But wait – the entrance and eucalyptus-lined drive is wearing some fancy attire!
Magical.. truly magical! Follow the rose petals!
(Let’s look back toward the gates!)
(and look forward toward the hacienda)
Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of roses!
We’ll park by the ‘new’ iglesia…
Roses roses everywhere!
Like in a fairy tale, the flowers beckon us along the magical trail! Are those orchids sprinkled here and there?
Why are we sitting on the bus when we could be waltzing through those gates?
Follow those rose petals!
Rose petals everywhere!
(We’re coming in the back way.. Hacienda courtyard straight ahead!)
(How’s that for a precious little man?)
(He stole my heart with one kiss!)
“Lisa! Where were you?” (Shhhhh! – I sneaked away and took some photos from the top of the iglesia!)
Jonathan looks as if he has some tricks up his sleeve!
Of course I meandered away from the rose trail and took time to smell the roses… and the orchids… and climb the church stairs… Then I toured the gardens and peeked through the windows!
Oops! There’s a party going on here!
Uh-oh.. I think I should dash around and join my group!
She just realized that the peeking paparazzi is the gringa from the coast that visits about once a year! (I was last here in December, 2014.)
Say ‘Hello’ to lovely Ashley (with the butterfly necklace) and her handsome father, Eloy and equally-lovely mother, Sarah.
Remember those talented musicians from the wedding? Their music complimented the setting as we prepared for a wedding feast.
The ancient sun dial dresses up well! The old iglesia quietly presides in the background.
As the sun slinks toward the horizon, we’re informed that the party has just begun, and there’s no way they’re going to let any of us leave until morning! (Yes, we brought overnight bags!)
Stay tuned!
Z
(And yes, the Easter Bunny inspected the gardens early the next morning!)
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
BEAUTIFUL!
So beautiful it all but made me cry! Thanks!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many roses! Lovely photos!
Same with me! It was a magical experience and a visual balm!
What a wonderful and beautiful party it must have been. congratulations to the bride and groom.
Thank you, and yes, it was a lovely reception!
A beautiful wedding – love all the roses and petals to mark the way. Lovely bride!
It was lovely to fall under the spell of the roses, but I also sensed the amazing love attached from the people who designed the trail of roses!
So cool Z!
OMG! This is over the top beauty!!!! Thanks for sharing such wonderful photos.
Thank you! It truly was ‘over-the-top’ but one could expect that (but I wasn’t) when the reception site was square in the middle of rose-production area of the country!
Z, now that is a wedding reception. I love the flowers, architecture, colors, etc. I am sure there was wonderful music as well. Thanks for sharing, BTG
thank you, and yes, it was wonderful, every minute!
Oh, I should add the four-year old heart throb with the suit and sun glasses blowing a kiss is a scene stealer.
wasn’t he precious? there was another young man, equally precious… at some point i’ll post ‘candids…’
What a wonderful celebration you are chronicling for all of us to see! Thanks for sharing your photos of this beautiful wedding and reception! Be well and hugs chica! ^..^
i’ve never seen so many roses at a reception, and they were the perfect trail to lead us to an unforgettable reception! thank you amiga.. still no internet at the house, so i am way way behind..
I hope the internet issues resolve for you! I too was blown away by all the roses! Did they have fragrance?
its odd that i don’t remember the fragrance of the roses, but i do remember the aroma of the eucalyptus!
Intense, sweet, heady, spicy. These are words that come to mind describing the fragrance of a rose…
Beautiful !! Sounded like a fun time . 🙂
it was amazing.. you’d love the hacienda, dressed in wedding finery or in its normal authentic state.
I am in awe at the amount of roses…magical.
the entrance was so stunning, and of course it just got better and better. it was a lovely event, and the roses definitely contributed to the effect!
As you say, a fairy tale. I am beginning to understand why the folks you photograph always seem so happy.
i rode with my friend to manta and back today, and i asked him if he knew that ecuador was listed as one of the countries with the happiest people. ‘Really?’ he beamed.. “yes, really..” we talked about their strong work ethhic, and i told him that his country still had values that our country is losing.. and one is that the guys on the farm work WITH their employees and don’t just point fingers and drive around in A/C trucks!
his grandfather died today at age 103 and was greatly loved. seems this week is bringing its share of grief.
An overnighter, too. That ‘s quite the reception, Lisa. The roses are absolutely amazing. 🌹
one of these days when you and ron return to ecuador, maybe we can use guachala as the meet-up spot.. it’s almost as close to the quito airport as quito is now!
What a wealth of flowers. Completely amazing and so very beautiful. Was the air perfume-filled?
you know i truly don’t remember the aroma of roses, but there are very large/old eucalyptus trees, and perhaps that aroma trumped the roses..
I am sure it did!
thanks for sharing, that must have been so beautiful the wedding.
oh yes, the wedding, the reception – all very beautiful, and one that we’ll all remember forEVER!
Stunning photos!
You would have been in photographer’s heaven! One of these days you’ll reach Ecuador!
I must Lisa! I’m sure I will! I love seeing weddings from other cultures too. Always amazing and fascinating.
WoW! That’s all I can say. What an extraordinary setting! Gracias Lisa ♥
yes, it was extraordinary for sure! we had a great time and will forever treasure the memories!
Wow! They must have gotten every white rose on the continent! Beautiful. I love the bunny at the end. 😉
i’ll bet that white roses were difficult to find/buy during that time period – they were all dedicated for use at the reception!
I wish this post had smell-a-vision. lol The smells of all those rose petals would have transported me to a garden of Eden.
ha.. it was magical for sure! if only we had a scratch and sniff!
Too beautiful. Thank you for sharing these lovely photos, amiga. I miss the group. Remember me to Jonathan?
What a wedding feast of roses, Lisa! 🙂 I never saw anything more beautiful.
Beautiful wedding photos Lisa. This wedding must have wiped out the rose bushes for miles in every direction. This reminds me of Bali, where colorful flowers are so plentiful, and they’re used all over in everyone’s daily life – not just on special occasions. BTW, have you been able to keep up with the horrible earthquakes in Kathmandu? Hope there’s minimal shaking in your area. ~James
A dawn 5.8 temblor rattled us on Monday morning; epicenter near Guayaquil…
A post is pending as I wait on images from my friend who specializes in treks to Nepal. He’s in Canada but has emailed two updates…
Good photos.
thanks! the wedding and reception were beautiful!