Destination weddings | Page 2 of 2

In Destination weddings/ Guests/ peruvian style/ Save The Date/ Venues

Assigned Seating vs. Open Seating

One of the questions that bride and groom always asked me after they found the perfect venue for their wedding and after they prepared the wedding guests list is: should I opt for an assigned seating or for an open one? Actually my answer is not always the same, it certainly depends on the kind of wedding you are planning, and the answer changes depending on if you are hosting a very intimate, private wedding rather than a big wedding with more than 150 – 200 guests. I usually present couples the pros and cons of having an assigned seating and the pros and cons of having an open seating arrangement before they make their decision. In this article I want to share them with you as well:

ASSIGNED SEATING PROS:

It is more formal than the open seating arrangement.
It is very useful for big weddings, since you know exactly where people will be seated and you can easily reach them.
It is more organized and your guests will know exactly where to go.
For wedding planner is easier to keep track of your guests, especially in case of big wedding. 😀
People will be seated on a table for a specific reason. For example people of the same family, a group of friends, people of the same age, so people will feel more comfortable this way for the entire reception, since they will have things in common to talk about and they will have fun!
If you are doing seated dinner and some of your guests have food allergy, are vegan, or do not eat a specific food and have selected a specific menu option with assigned seating will be easy for the waiter to know where those guests are seated.

ASSIGNED SEATING CONS:

It could be a real headache for the bride and groom to make their seating chart, sometimes they can also argue about it! It happened, I swear!!!
For many people it is a waste of time, since they believe that guests will end up seating where they want or asking to change their seat and go to another table for example, if they do not want to keep the assigned seat.
Some guests will not like where they are seated and they will be uncomfortable for all the celebration. They will have for sure a bad memory of your wedding.
Some guest will find out that his/her seat is already taken, since some other guest took the freedom to change his/hers arbitrarily. This can create awkwardness.
You cannot have extra table.

OPEN SEATING PROS:

It perfectly works for informal and small weddings.
It takes no time to put together, and it is very easy for bride and groom since they do not to sit on a table and start matching people.
Your guests will not complain, since they will freely choose where to seat for all the reception duration.
It allows people to communicate and socialize more, creating a more familiar atmosphere for your guests.
You can have extra table, in case some of your guests come with an unexpected date this can be very useful.

OPEN SEATING CONS:

It can be chaotic because your guests will not know where to go once they get into the reception area.
People will walk around asking other: “Is this seat taken?”, “Can I seat here?”
For people arriving late could be complicated, since they have to seat in the available seats and if they are a couple or a group of people sometimes they have to split apart.

The decision of choosing between assigned seating and open seating arrangement is actually extremely personal because you guys are the ones who better know your wedding guests, what they would prefer, if they are social people or not, etc. It also depends on the kind of wedding you are organizing. For instance if you are planning a destination wedding having an arranged seating is very useful since you will avoid that people who does not speak the same language ended up seating next to each other. If you are having a small and intimate wedding the open seating is perfect, because people will naturally form into groups and they will take their seat at the tables available.

Also lately it is also very common to use a mixed format of open seating and assigned seating. So you can use open seating for group of people that will seat together in any case, such as your college buddies, your group of friends, and you can use an assigned seating arrangement for direct family.

February 27, 2017 By sayinperu

In Chair's Decoration/ Decorations/ Destination weddings/ Wedding Trends

5 Ideas for Wedding Chair’s Decorations

Organizing a wedding is not simple; however I actually enjoy doing it, not because I am a masochist, but because I am in love with details!

The atmosphere must be exactly the one that bride and groom want and nothing can be overlooked. How do I create a special atmosphere, well…decoration is a big part of it! Using the right decoration details is the key to have a successful wedding.

One of the things that should not be overlooked is the chair to be used and its decoration. Chair and chair decorations have a very important role, and the decoration elements used need to be in line with bride and grooms’ tastes and colors scheme. Here are 6 ideas for chairs’ decoration that I hope will inspire you.

A sophisticated and elegant wedding

Her we use a black ribbon to décor reception chairs closed with a precios and sparkling elastic band. The lace ribbon really makes the difference and added a special color touch to all the wedding reception setting.

Black, gold and white color scheme

In this wedding I used a combination of different kind of chairs, classic gold chairs for wedding ceremony with black and white striped cushions, gold chairs with black cushions and crystal chairs with white cushions. It was actually a perfect combination. In this wedding chairs were a great value added to decoration and we did not add any details to decorate them, since they already played their own role in the reception setting.

Outdoor wedding. This was a very special wedding as it was held just to receive the New Year! One of the colors that prevailed in the decoration was the gold, so I decided to use gold chairs with a little flowers arrangement made of a white rose, gypsophila and a white ribbon.

Country and Elegant wedding

Here I decided to opt for wooden white chairs, perfect for an outdoor wedding in a beautiful hacienda. It is recommended to opt for wood especially if you are in a country setting and the reception is for example in a big garden.

Elopement in Cusco

In addition to organizing large weddings, we also arrange romantic and memorable elopements in the most authentic and beautiful places in Peru.

This wedding was held in Cusco and the chairs were a great detail for this intimate celebration, we opt for white wrought iron chairs.

February 18, 2017 By sayinperu

In Beach wedding/ Cakes/ Decorations/ Destination weddings/ Elopement/ entertainment/ peruvian style/ Venues/ Wedding Trends

The best of our 2016 weddings

So the 2016 is over and it was a great year, full of challenges and successful destination weddings in Peru. Me and my team worked extremely hard to satisfied and fulfill all of our bride and groom’s requests. At Say I Do in Peru we believe that we cannot start a new year without looking back at what we have done so far and making a point on what we have done well or wrong, what we have learnt and what we have achieved the past year.

In 2016 we have learnt that there are no obstacles impossible to overcome and we actually worked hard to achieve our couples wedding goals. We have learnt that each couple is different, each couple has their special point of views and it has a special way to deal with the wedding planning process. I have grown up a lot this year personally and professionally and I am extremely proud of what I have achieved and the wonderful weddings I have planned in Peru’s most amazing destinations!

The idea of this article is to collect the best moments, details, decorations of our 2016 weddings and it is indeed an opportunity to make you people understand what is my work about!

So here the most amazing sweet table from a wedding I organized in November, with French macarons, decorative macarons towers, chocolate truffles, tarts (lemon, chocolate, pecan), traditional “alfajores”, a Peruvian sweet filled with “dulce de leche”, and much more. This special table, placed at the entrance of the reception area, was decorated with white orchids, glass vases filled with water and white candles, the impact was awesome and the sweets were deliciousssss! The theme of the wedding was Art Deco so the decorative elements added were in line with it, therefore we can see geometrical patterns structures, black, white and gold color scheme and white orchids, the bride’s flower choice for the entire wedding event.

Here the most amazing scenery of 2016, this picture say it all. This is an elopement in the middle of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, organized in a beautiful property nearby the Urubamba River. We found this stunning venue for this lovely couple after a visit in the area and we felt in love with this colonial church and the beauty of the well-maintained grounds. On top of that, the presence of the Andes makes this venue even more charming. The tent structure was actually really simple, since the aim was to preserve the beauty of the place itself. We add few flower decorations on the tent and we opt for this elegant white wrought iron chairs. The result was amazing, as you can see.

Here the most elegant ceremony tent for this couple who wanted to get married in a beachfront location. We selected Paracas as destination and it was easy to create this elegant and sophisticated wedding atmosphere there. White, light grey and taupe were the main colors for this wedding celebration by the Pacific Ocean. The white chairs, the elegant chair decorations, the white petals on the aisle and the white and greenery tent give the setting a magnificent elegance, enriched by the Ocean breeze and the light blue clean sky.

This is without doubt one of the most amazing wedding shot of 2016, we love the symmetry of the elements and how the colors combined with the background. This snapshot absolutely summarizes what an Andean wedding is, what are the mysticism and intimacy behind this kind of ceremony and the brightness of the colors of that moment. The venue selected was located in Cusco, it was a ground area rounded by Incas walls, a very quiet place, ideal for this kind of intimate ceremony.

The wedding cake has always a special place in a wedding celebration, it is a decorative element so it needs to be beautiful, but of course it also needs to be delicious! Here one of our favorite from 2016 wedding, this wedding cake was actually an art piece, with the perfect flowers decorations and the two doves as topper, to represent the romance and kind of the bride and groom’s love. In Greek mythology doves are associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who was always depicted with doves fluttering around or on her arms; we really loved the romance and the idea beyond this unique wedding cake.

We also loved this romantic entrance of bride and groom to the hacienda we selected for their wedding. This was a beautiful country wedding nearby Lima and we loved how all the rustic and country elements combine between each other to recreate the perfect atmosphere of a Peruvian Hacienda wedding. This white carriage was the cherry on top of the cake, and all the wedding guests were totally amazed by the beauty of the horse and the carriage’s flower decorations.

This is just a little part of our 2016 weddings and I feel extremely proud of the job I have done, and happy to be part of these couples’ life forever… but now let’s start focusing on the 2017 weddings, I need to get back to work! 😀

February 6, 2017 By sayinperu

In Destination weddings/ Favors/ Guests/ peruvian style/ Wedding Trends

Welcome Bags for your wedding guests

Getting married in Peru is a magical experience; this is a country full of history, extravagances and damn good food! 😀 What better way to surprise your guests than giving them a little welcome gift with special products from Peru? A Welcome bag is indeed the best way to let them know Peruvian products and let them merge in the Peruvian atmosphere.

After a long journey all you want to do is to lie down in a comfy bed, but on the other way you are also very curious to start exploring this new place and to know more about this country that probable you have never visited before.

So, we can certainly help you suggesting products to include in your welcome bags. Here a list of Peruvian products you can consider to include:

1.Water: it is always useful to have a bottle of water, especially if you are attending tours or other activities, so it is essential to include one in the welcome bag. A key rule for any travller is “stay hydrated”, this way you will avoid headaches and you will overcome jetlag.

You could also customize the labels!

2.Chocolate: Almost everybody loves chocolate, it’s delicious, it gives us energy and happiness! And Peruvian chocolate is even more delicious!!! 😀

Peru is home to 60% of the world’s cocoa species and is one of the main producers. The Cacaosuyo brand, works directly with farmers and indigenous communities and produces fine white cocoa chocolate that is grown in the region of Piura – Peru.

He is also recognized in The International Chocolate Award of London as one of the winners of best milk chocolate. So this is a great product to include in the welcome bag for your guests.

3.Coffee: Coffee is one of the most exported products of Peru, and if we had to choose one we will suggest without hesitation the one by Harry Neira! He has been investigating and collecting the best coffee beans for over 8 years. The aroma of this coffee wil amaze you and your guests.

4.Snacks: You are on holiday so having a little snack is allowed! So just dare to enjoy something different: Peruvian giant corn! This product, besides of being delicious, provides fiber, helps digestion and is gluten-free!

5.Yellow Pepper based sauce: One of the essential ingredients of Peruvian food is the yellow aji Pepper, used chopped to prepare traditional dishes or also to prepare aji pepper sauce.

6.Pisco: You should definitely include a little bottle of Pisco, your guests will need to start familiarizing with the Peruvian spirit! You can customize your own Pisco bottle with your names and the date of your wedding or even with a picture. Your guests will enjoy it for sure! Cheers!

January 24, 2017 By sayinperu

In Destination weddings/ Wedding Trends

Five Venue Options to get married in Lima

You decide to get married in Lima, you know exactly what you want for your wedding but the only thing you are missing is the perfect venue. Well, we are here for you! Here five options that you can consider for your wedding ceremony and reception in Lima.

1. Beautiful house on the Pacific Ocean

This is one of our favorite places, located right in front of the ocean, with a stunning view, giant columns (Roman empire style) and a charming atmosphere! This is only an hour from Lima and ryour guests will be amazed!

2. Glamorous ballroom in the heart of the capital city

If you like the classic style this venue is a very good option, one of the best in town. The architecture is colonial and this place is ideal for bride and groom who want to get married in styel!

3. Colonial Museum in Lima’s city center

If you are a bcouple who is in love with art and you want to create a very special atmosphere for your wedding celebration, this is the perfect place for you! We recently organized a wedding here with an ArtDeco inspiration, and it was perfect!

4. Beautiful Hacienda in Lima’s countryside

If you are looking for an outdoor wedding celebration, merged with nature and Peruvian traditions you should definitely consider to get married in a Hacienda. There you can have a tent for your reception and a very special corner decorated in a rustic style for your ceremony. For “Hacienda weddings” rustic, wood and colorful flowers are the key words!

5. Beautiful villa nearby Lima

For a sophisticated couple, having a wedding reception in a amazing villa could be the best option. Renting a villa is also very versatile, since you can use the decoration that you prefer and generally there is no curfew. So you can really party until dawn!

December 9, 2016 By sayinperu

In Beach wedding/ Destination weddings/ entertainment/ Guests/ Save The Date/ Venues/ Wedding Trends

Can I have a beach wedding in Peru?

When it comes to destination weddings we generally think about weddings in exotic destinations, beachfront weddings with beautiful landscapes, lot of sunshine, stunning sunsets and the smell of the ocean breeze everywhere. This is what comes to my mind…So, one of the questions I often receive from couples is: “is it possible to have a beach wedding in Peru?”

Of course it is!!! Peru is known as a country with a huge variety of landscapes and climate areas. We have three main regions: mountains, forest and coast. Peru has a charming biodiversity and this makes it one of the best touristic destinations in the world! That is why we are able to offer to couples interested in a destination wedding a wide variety of options for their wedding ceremony and reception! So if you are planning to have an exotic beach front wedding ceremony with all the elements we saw before (beautiful landscapes, lot of sunshine, stunning sunsets and the smell of the ocean breeze) you should definitely include Peru in your list!

I will try to do my best to include the best options here, but I am sure this list will not be a closed one; there will be always a new beautiful destination to discover…that is actually the best part of my work! I am very open to new challenges and I love discovering new venues around the country!

The first destination on my list is Paracas, it is located near Lima, in the Ica region, and it offers beautiful beaches, sun and an amazing fauna. Here you have plenty of choices of venues located in front of the beach, the main hotel chains have their resorts there and the area is pretty quiet and peaceful. So you and your guests will enjoy sun, ocean breeze and you will totally relax under the sun. I do not know if the wife and husband to be will actually manage to relax, we all know that if you are getting married you are all but relax! However, I swear that your guests will have a great time there! There are so many activities and tours they can be engaged in, or they can simply lie on the beach with a great Pisco-based cocktail in a hand and a tasty and fresh “ceviche” in the other! You do not know what Pisco and ceviche are? Oh God you are missing two of life’s pleasures…check it out here and here!

Another destination you might consider is Mancora, located up north in the Piura region. This is place for beautiful and wild beaches, sunshine and stunning sunsets. Same as Paracas, you have extensive venue choices for beach-front weddings and you will definitely have lot of fun. And while you are walking down the aisle barefooted, you will be trapped by the wonderful sunset on the Pacific Ocean. If you have guests who love surfing, or if you love it yourself, this is the spot to choose. Mancora is one of the best destinations in the country for surf spots.

As you know Lima is the only Latin America’s capital city overlooking the Pacific Ocean, so why do not opt for Lima! There are also here different options you can consider, especially luxury private beach houses in the south area of the capital city. They are mainly located few kilometers far away from Lima. These houses are amazing venues, where you and your guests will have a private and intimate wedding ceremony and you will party until dawn to celebrate your special day! I can ensure you that this is a great option, especially if you have Peruvian guests living in Lima who are not eager to travel elsewhere.

As I said above, these are only few options, but there are many more to discover. Let’s say that Peru is an amazing country and it always gives surprise!

August 12, 2016 By sayinperu

Newer Posts