Guests | Say I Do In Peru

In Guests/ Invitations/ peruvian style/ Wedding Trends

Four Ways to Prepare your Guests for a Peru Destination Wedding

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If you decided to get married in a remote, wild and stunning place far away from home the first thing you need to make sure of is to prepare your guests for your destination wedding! So in this article I want to share with you some useful tips on how to prepare them, I am especially referring to your direct family and close friends. There is always a bit of “fear” of the unknown that you should deal with, when you announce your destination wedding in a country such as Peru. Many of your guests might not be expert travelers or might not know Peru at all, except for Machu Picchu of course. Some of your guests are not really into traveling, while some others might be extremely excited by the idea of discovering a new place, it really depends. Obviously this is also related to the average age of your guests; if you are dealing with young guests in their thirties for example they would be most likely thrilled by the idea of a new place to discover, since they have an inclination to travel abroad and they are used to. If you are dealing with older people, the excitement for a trip abroad may vary; there would be a bunch of people eager to a new experience and some other who are not so excited by the idea. To deal with this issue here some tips to consider before sending out your wedding invitations:

Talk to your direct family and close friends before sending the invitation. Avoiding the surprise effect could be a good advantage for you, since they will have time to think about the idea and to process it. This is also a way for you to make sure that they are able to attend your wedding and they will understand how important their presence is to you for your special day. They will understand that it is sooooo important that you are also eager to sacrifice your venue and location idea for them to be able to attend.
Send your invitation in advance: once your family and close friends know about your decision it is time to send the invitation to all the guests on your lists. It is essential to send the invitations out at least 8-10 months in advance, remember that this is not a classic wedding celebration, this is a destination wedding and people need to start planning in advance. They need to check their finance first and see if they are able to attend or if they need to start saving money for a couple of months, they need to start checking their flights and plan everything accordingly. So send the invitation quite in advance!
Create a website for your wedding celebration: in my opinion this is mandatory! Your guests will be lost at the beginning so a website is a very useful tool to share information efficiently. It is important that you include there all the information that they need such as: international flights, airport pick-up options, accommodation options (Hostal, Hotels, private houses, etc.), activities, restaurants recommendations, tours options and other travel tips. Since this is a destination wedding you might want to create a specific itinerary for your guests, including some sort of tours, activities, parties, dinners, etc. So all this must be included on your website. Remember to constantly update your website and be in touch with your guests if they have questions and need advices.
Welcome your guests: they will have to make travel arrangements to attend your special day, they will have to spend money and you have to show them that you really value that. It is a nice way to welcome them properly. For instance you can prepare special welcome bags that they will find in their hotel room on arrival. You can fill this bag with local products, for example in Peru you can include a bottle of Pisco, Peruvian “canchita” (corn), Peruvian coffee and much more. I have already talked about welcome bags here. Other way to welcome them is to organize a welcome dinner or a welcome cocktail in a special place, which will give your guests time to socialize and relax after their trip.

What you should always keep in mind is that this is not a classic wedding, this is a destination wedding and it is important to consider it this way; your guests will need advices and information on the country and you are the host here and you need to answer them. I always suggest my couples to work with us also for the travel arrangements part, since this would avoid a lot of stress for them; guests could bombard you with questions of any kind which sometimes you are not even able to answer. So it is always better to rely on professional travel experts, who will make your wedding planning process and your entire life much easier before your wedding day.

July 26, 2017 By sayinperu

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 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 colors palette/ Guests/ Invitations/ peruvian style/ Wedding Trends

4 ideas for wedding invitations

Invitation cards are the business cards to your wedding celebration. From your invitation card we can understand what is your favourite wedding style. Do you have the venue, the date and time? So now start thinking about your wedding style, which should reflect your tastes and personality! Once you get this clear you can start preparing your invitations!

Here you will find 4 invitation ideas that can fit different wedding styles! i am sure you will find the one you are looking for!

1. Modern and Nature
Do you want to get out of the conventional wedding stuff? This invitation is ideal for a modern wedding.
The abstract image of the envelope background can give a great result if you are looking for something different.
The blue, green and pastel colors give us this quiet that only nature can give us. Ideal for an intimate wedding or a beach wedding. I usually suggest this style to couples who want to tie the knot in Cusco, sorrounded by great energies and special landscapes.

2. Baroque
Gold is that spark of joy and happiness that every glamorous and elegant bride wants to represent.
Gold can usually be combined with any color, in this case it is combined with blue, which makes a beautiful and elegant contrast. the details also recall the famous baroque style.
This invitation would look perfect for classic weddings, in classic venues with high ceilings and columns.

3. Minimalist
There are people who love details, abundance and complex stuff and others who love simple things.
This invitation is inspired by simplicity and elegance.
The combination of three types of typography gives dynamism to the invitation and the light pink background ad a touch of sweetness.

4. Rustic
Whethever you have opted for a vintage wedding or a country wedding, a rustic invitation is definitely the best choice.
Being rustic does not mean that you lose elegance, which is a plus when choosing this type of invitation.
The leaf detailing around your names is the perfect detail to reflect your love for nature, plus you could use recycled paper to emphasize your rustic concept!

January 9, 2017 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

In entertainment/ Guests/ Save The Date/ Venues

Entertain your guests, a key tip for a successful destination wedding week!

If you are planning a destination wedding you should be aware that your guests will have to travel somewhere in the world and they are probably planning to stay in the country a week or so. Sometime the trip is a long one and they can also wish to stay more than 10 days abroad. So it is worthy to schedule activities for them and give them suggestions on things to do! I have extensive experience on organizing destination weddings in Peru and my job is also giving advices to the new couples on which activities they can organize for their guests once they arrive here.

So guys, this is a little piece of advice for you: do not be unprepared and put together a real program for your wedding guests with specific activities and options they can choose from for the days before or after your wedding celebration. Usually a week program works best.

Paragliding in Lima, Miraflores

As for Peru, main attractions of the country for people coming here for the first time or people coming here in holiday’s mood are the following: archeological sites, food and adventurous activities. That is why I always suggest organizing cooking classes, special dining experience in Peru’s most famous restaurants, Pisco tasting (for those of you who do not know what Pisco is, just follow the link and you will find out), Pisco cocktail classes, paragliding, bike tours, Sand Boarding Tour, city tours, and last but not least a trip to Cusco and Machu Picchu!

Peru has been considered the best culinary destination of South America recently at the Travel Awards 2016 and the culinary boom that the country has lived is actually unquestionable. So why don’t engage your guests in a hands-on cooking class where they can learn the basic of Peruvian traditional cuisine? They can learn how to cook a delicious ceviche, a “causa limeña” or a juicy “lomo saltado”. From my experience this activity is pretty fun for people and it is a way to socialize, there will always be some guests that do not know each other, especially for big wedding, and this is a great way to break the ice and have fun all together. Of course after the cooking give your guests time to taste their own creation and enjoy a pleasant supper!

Pisco-based Drink

Another option is also focused on gastronomy: organize a special dining experience for them. You can offer them a rehearsal lunch or dinner in a famous restaurant, or you can organize a nice brunch with a beautiful view of the ocean or an outdoor picnic in the middle of the Sacred Valley of the Incas or in the charming Lima’s Malecon! It is really up to you, there are plenty of culinary options in a country such as Peru.

Do your guests want to have fun and want to learn more about the country’s lifestyle? A Pisco tasting activity in a cool and trendy venue is a must to include in your wedding week! People will have the opportunity to taste different Pisco-based cocktails and to chat to each other and hav lots of fun! I highly recommend this activity especially if you have young guests who love drinking, chatting and having fun. Another option is to organize a Pisco cocktails class, so that your guests will learn how to prepare the basic Pisco drinks, such as Pisco Sour and Chilcano.

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Rafting in the Urubamba River, Sacred Valley

As for adventurous activities we can suggest to do paragliding if you are getting married in Lima and your guests are planning to stay in the capital city a couple of day! This is a great experience for people who love altitude and risk and they will be able to see the city from another perspective! Usually the activity is held in the early afternoon, but it depends from the wind and it is unpredictable, which could definitely be an issue if you do not have a backup plan.

Sand-boarding is also another option if your guests love adventure. For this specific activity you will have to travel to Paracas, a desert area where there are a series of dunes perfect for Sandboarding. You will go up and down the dunes pirouetting, feeling the excitement and adrenaline that the activity offers, and enjoying the stunning landscape. That’s a lot of fun!

Huacachina, Ica Region

Last but not least, the best option is to plan a “chaperoned honeymoon” to Cusco and Machu Picchu, since these are the most important spots to visit in the country and the majority of your guests will be interested in visiting them. In this case what you have to do is organize a real group trip, and taking care of flights (you need to flight from Lima to Cusco), trains to Machu Picchu, guided tour (once you are there it is extremely worthy to have a knowledgeable guide), transportations, meals, hotels! I know…it is a lot to take care of, but believe me that this is a once in a lifetime experience and very special for you since you will be rounded by your friends and family.

Machu Picchu

There are plenty of other options I can suggest for your destination wedding week in Peru, just leave me a comment and I will be happy to help you! Peru is waiting for you guys!

July 22, 2016 By sayinperu

In Decorations/ Guests/ Invitations/ Save The Date/ Wedding Trends

The importance of sending your Save The Date on time!

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One of the most common questions I receive when a couple starts planning a wedding is: “Is Save The Date necessary?”. Usually couples start thinking about their Save The Date in the first phase of the wedding planning process, since they have to fix the date of the event and start deciding about the number of guests they want to invite.

My answer is always the same: having a Save The Date is mandatory, especially if you are thinking about having a destination wedding somewhere in the world. People need to know when you are getti
ng married in advance, so that they can start planning their travel arrangements on time. The aim of this article is to give you some highlights on why the Save The Date is soooooooooo important for a destination wedding! So let’s start!

First of all bride and groom start entering into the “wedding mood” when they see the official version of their Save the Date. In few words, they realize that their special day is coming for real and they need to start getting ready for it!

Also, you and your guests need to start planning the trip abroad, and believe me that planning trips for 80-100 people at the same time is not an easy business. This really depends on which kind of guests you have, you can have guests who are expert travelers and they usually can do their own travel arrangements, but you can also have guests who need suggestions, advices or customized travel packages. From my experience also the expert travelers need some travel tips when traveling abroad in countries such as Peru. So, sending a Save The Date you will be sure that your guests will have your wedding date circled on their calendar, which is your main goal!

An relevant third point is that your guests will start asking questions on planes, hotel rooms, information on the foreign country, what to do, where to eat and so on. They can feel lost and their reaction will be asking you thousands of questions on the country you are getting married. So do not worry, to avoid replying to each one of your guests you can include a detailed itinerary with suggested activities and tours directly in the Save The Date. I generally use a two-page Save the Date, the first page is the cover page with photos of the couple and the day they are getting married and for the second page I usually send a detailed travel package for their guests. This way they have a travel option ready for them and they feel relieved. In countries such as peru, there are some mondatory things to do: visiting Cusco, exploring Machu Picchu, dining at the best restaurant in the country! So this is what I generally include, but I always customized based on the couple interests and requirements!

Sending a Save The Date will also give you the simplest way to do your initial head-count, since your guests will start sending their confirmation. This is essential from my experience, because it is totally different to organize an event for 80 people from organizing one for 180 people. And believe me the difference it is not only in costs and service prices, there are many other variables to be considered!

The Save The Date’s importance also resides in the design you opt for. This will give you to your guests the first impression of the kind of wedding celebration you are organizing. So think twice before choosing a specific style, a specific color palette and decoration details. It is extremely important that you visualize your wedding and the atmosphere you want to create for your guests. It is very important that your Save the Date matches your wedding theme, colors and style!

I would also suggest that you do not need to send printed Save The date to all of your guests, but since we are in 2016 you can just send an electronic format of the Save The Date by e-mail, this is a fast, easy and not expensive way to let people know that you are going to tie the knot soon. You can also select the people that do not have familiarity with e-mails and technology stuff and send them a printed version of the Save The Date by mail. This will be easier to handle, since you have to mail only few envelopes.

Finally, as for when to send the Save The Date, I can suggest that for destination wedding the sooner the better. I usually suggest bride and groom to send it at least 12 months before the wedding, so that people who will be attending, have enough time to do their travel arrangements and to take holidays from work (if necessary). You can wait until 10 months before, but as I told you the sooner the better! Your guests will be grateful!

July 7, 2016 By sayinperu

In Decorations/ Guests/ Invitations/ Wedding Trends

Wedding Invitation Ideas

Finally you have chosen THE ONE, the person of your life and set the date for the most important event of your life: your amazing wedding! You obviously want your loved ones there and them to have a pleasant and enjoyable moment at your wedding day! Why don’t you start surprising them from the moment they receive your wedding invitation?

So, what’s next? You have to choose the theme. There are plenty of ideas, options and ways to invite your family and friends, but the key to a truly unforgettable marriage invitation depends on the design you use, that’s why you got to choose amazing colors and an awesome theme. That sounds a little bit sketchy but you’ll get there we swear, start looking for a color palette that really represents our love guys, the essence of you two, because after all that’s what is about!

If you chose Peru as your wedding destination, you need to know that you have a lot of patterns that you can use, each of them comes from a different areas of the country! Do not forget that Peru is filled with art and culture and this can be a truly inspirational thing in regards of the design of your invitations.

Our first option is to go for something classic, fairly clean, but with a nice decoration that will get to your guests and give an incredible idea of what they will see the day of the wedding. If you have a big wedding with more than 100 guests just ask a graphic designer to make it, but if you have a very intimate wedding with few guests, mainly friends and close friends, you can paint the invitations by yourself, your guests will really appreciate that and this, since you can make the invitations personalized for each guest.

Now, if you are thinking about something more colorful with specific patterns we have a second option. For example you can go for a flowers pattern, which is always a classic when it comes to weddings. Just choose your favorite flower pattern and personalized it to your colors palette! If you opt for a dark color, such as purple or blue, you could combine it with silver or gold, this will make your wedding card more stylish and glamorous!

But what if you’re more of a minimalist kind of person? Well, we got an answer for you: just opt for white paper with only few details! The paper could be white, ivory, nude or nude and you just have to add a little colorful detail. To use a really nice kind of paper in a pastel color with a little and delicate pattern and a calligraphic typeface will make your wedding card a simple and sophisticated one.

Another option it’s nature itself, especially if you’re an eco-friendly girl or woman. Why not? After all you probably have tons of used paper just laying around in your house. The answer is recycled materials, this is a great option. You can take all those papers for recycling and make amazing, modern, eco-friendly invitations. Don’t forget to combine it with an amazing typography and a colorful decoration. It will turn out beautiful and you will be doing the world some good, not bad, huh?

If you fancied this options, don’t forget to follow us for more, like, pin and share this post with all your friends and don’t forget to visit our website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!

March 11, 2016 By sayinperu

In Favors/ Guests/ Wedding Trends

Peruvian Wedding Favor Ideas

There are tons of ideas for your wedding favors, from standard items available everywhere to customized ones based on your wedding theme, color palette, and of course the place where you are getting married! And what if you are getting married in Peru?

We have tons of different ideas that we really want to share with you, since couples living abroad might have a bad time dealing with Peruvian traditional products and items that they can give as favors to their wedding guests. For this reason we have put together a list of nice and elegant options that you have to keep in mind for your destination wedding in Peru. This list includes only some of the thousands of options we can propose you, since as you understand Peru is full ofgreat artisan, textiles, gastronomic products…and much more!

An easy and classic idea is to give your guests aromathic candles, you can choose between a lot of different flavors, colors, packaging and you can even personalize them with your names and the date of your wedding!

Another great option is to give to your guests soaps made of traditional Peruvian flavors with a nice packaging as shown in the photo below.

Peru has an incredible variety of coffee throughout the country. Do you dare to choose a variety of the region of your wedding and give it as gift to your guests? This is a nice favor that your guests will certainly appreciate!

Other option could be a homemade jam of some exotic Peruvian fruit, like Camu Camu, Aguaymanto, etc. With this your guests will never forget your wedding and they will bring home some Peruvian flavors as well!

So, these are just some nice wedding favors ideas, we are sure you have a thousand more to share with us! If you like this post don’t forget to visit our website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!

March 1, 2016 By sayinperu