Una boda a la Tica!

So Andrea Vargas Bustamante, my younger sister by a mere 5 days, officially became Vargas Martínez on April 8th. After a bit of stress due the priest´s late arrival, the wedding procession hit the church and mass began. The basic format of a Costa Rican wedding is the same as in the States. The Catholic services consist of a normal mass and sermon, with the bride and groom sitting or kneeling for the most part. This wedding was an intimate affair, with lots of family and a few close friends. Pictured are Andrea and Randall, the bride and groom, with their parents immediately after the ceremony. (You can´t tell, but they´re all dying of heat! Imagine a 1pm wedding in this tropical sun!)
Afterwards, we all trooped over in several rented buses to the reception hall (where, yes, there were horses parked out front). Here, after waiting for a while for who knows what, we opened celebration with the brindis, or toast to the new couple. (The MC definitely made up names in the introductory procession, but I didn´t even know til much later...) Another long wait and some merengue and salsa dancing later, dinner was served. You guessed it... RICE & BEANS. Granted they were classy, with some vegetables, chicken, and meat thrown in, but you can´t have a Costa Rican meal without your staple food! The most interesting tradition was the "baile de billetes," where the newlyweds open and dance and all guests are invited to cut in, provided they pin money to the bride or groom! Here´s Andrea with her newfound wealth. I had to skip out early for a PC volunteer visit, but I was lucky to be able to go and celebrate with the happy couple. (And not that you can notice, but the bride is 4 months pregnant! Who would ever guess...)