Chilean Wedding & Gender Equity

Little did I know that I would wake up the next day at 2PM….

My handsome Chilean date, Pablo! 

Dear future husband and wedding planner,

Chileans know how to throw a wedding and here is what I want:

• Bling-bling, hats and rapper video sunglasses for all to wear while dancing.
• Soup served at 3AM is brilliant. Gives an energy boost, revitalizes and replenishes some vitamins from all the drinking. 
• A torta table.
• Appetizers & cocktails outside with a stunning view

Chocolate, 3 Leches, Dulce de Leche and some panqueques too! 

The bride and groom were fabulous! Cote, the bride was stunning and her groom was as happy as could be! They lit up the dance floor well past 4AM.

Let's start with the dance party and work our way backward to the religious ceremony that wasn't all G-rated!

Party Time! Chilean wedding parties go until 5AM. I didn't see any Red Bull or power naps, or any other non-Chilean wedding guest (but there were blonde ladies…) Just Piscolas (Pisco and Coke) in one hand and the occasional picada kept the guests & newlyweds energized. Get this. Imagine yourself dancing to the latest JLo song with some Mardi Gras beads and a silly hat, and a waiter brings out a tray of mini burgers onto the dance floor. Protein boost to fuel 3 more hours of dancing? Genius! 

View of the dining area from the dance floor

Waiters come right into the dance floor, full of inebriated cousins, friends, uncles and aunts, with trays of snacks. Mini burgers around 2AM. French fries at 4AM. All night the Piscolas were flowing from the bar that was right on the dance floor.

Need to take a break from those high heels? Not me! I was smart and wore flats. When friends here told me a Chilean wedding goes until 5AM I knew there was no way in hell I would wear heels. Good thing Steve Madden sells a pretty pair of sparkly flats.

Back to snacking...Did you see that cake table? There were sweets galore - all night -  AND consommé at 3AM. A sweet lil thang cuts your cake for you, too. She thought I was crazy when I scooped up the raspberry chocolate cake crumbs instead of cutting a piece. I may have tried 3 different cakes...Good thing we danced for 4 hours!

Music. The dance floor was hopping all night! At first, the newlyweds and their parents dance a traditional, classic dance. And nobody pays attention. After that - it's open to us all! Plus - no slow songs. Thank you! A very interesting observation was made about the music: the DJ worked his way from typical, popular Chilean songs north to the Carribean: salsa, merengue and Puerto Rican booty-shaking tunes, and then even more north: Rihanna, Carly Jepsen (Call Me, Maybe!), The Killers, Ke$ha, and even some throwbacks with BackStreet Boys and New Kids on the Block. Apparently, as you travel north from Santiago, the better the music gets for dancing. I guess that means Shakira & Pitball are like the border-crossing from South America to the USA.  Don't worry, Gangham Style made an appearance!

Gorgeous decorations, a purple hew and the bridal table right in the middle of it all 

 The dinner was fantastic. The food was fabulous & the company great. I sat next to this beautiful couple, they were friends from Cote's work (she works with LanChile). We chatted about love, Santiago and traveling in the USA. They were super sweet and lots of fun (don't forget…this is all in Spanish…)
Oh and guess what? I was at a socially-progressive wedding. Often, Chilean weddings have a male and female dinner plate. Males get the meat and females get the fish….We all ate meat. 

Side note: this was the first year (last Sunday, October 28, 2012) that men and women could VOTE in the same place. Previously? there were separate voting locations for men and women. In 2011. 


A social scene from a cultural brochure took place at my dinner table so I've got to share, right? Let me tell you about the cuico culture in Chile. I'm talking about the upper-class, wealthy Chileans that live in the hills. The higher the altitude your house, the more cuico you are…. something like that.

• Blonde women
• Botox & fake boobs
• Closed. Very closed to people not in their family or social circle** 
• ALWAYS ask the question, "Donde fuiste al colegio?" Where did you go to high school? 

High school? Really? That matters? Here - it is the golden question. Your answer will affect what happens next. Either your colegio isn't good enough or you play the name-game. Do you know Manuel Jose Blah-Blah? Me too…  

The Ceremony. Beautiful, old Catholic church very close to where I am living now. Some of the frescos were losing their paint & I am guessing it might be damage from the earthquake. The priest looked as old as the church & said that Chileans must get married to procreate. Oh yeah. The LAW in Chile says that a couple gets married and will have children. Thinking of a marriage without children? You could be fined or jailed in Chile. The priest told us all about keeping promises, being faithful and your contract with the church. The best part? The couple in front of me and Pablo were about to procreate right there in the pew. They didn't stop caressing and kissing the whole hour we were there! Thank you!!!!! 

Pablo, thanks for a great night! 

**Whole other blog entry…coming soon. 

 

Want to know: Major differences between a US wedding and a Chilean wedding? 

In Chile: 

• Greet the parents of the bride & groom, and the groom at the church door
• The first kiss happened but there wasn't any cheering or celebrating by the guests
• There are no bridesmaids or groomsmen; or flower girl or ring bearer
• No book to sign (unless I didn't see it) when you arrive at the reception
• No speeches at the reception
• No clinking the glass for the couple to kiss
• No gift @ the end of the night for the guests

Plus, I didn't wake up with a hangover because I was dancing so much and ate some soup!