Wedding Day in Armenia

Last month we had the honor of being the witnesses for the wedding of one of our employees. Mateo Chiquin lives on site here at Jaguar Creek with his wife, Rebecca, and two children, Jessica and Michael. Mateo asked us if we would be the witnesses and if Mark would be the ‘godfather.’ Of course, we said “yes!” even though we weren’t sure (and neither was Mateo) what that would entail.
There was no rehearsal; we simply bought the wedding rings and showed up ready to do what we were told.

Saturday, February 24, started with us driving to Armenia Village (about 4 miles from Jaguar Creek) at 7:45am to pick up the groom. Our car was washed, decorated, and prepared for the festivities of the day.
A little after 8:00am, we drove with Mateo and his mother to another house in Armenia to pick up Rebecca. I (Adie) was able to help a bit with her preparations, and when ready, she got in the car, and we all drove down the road to the church.

Let me back up a bit…. this wedding was a BIG deal in Armenia. Four couples were being married that day. Two Hispanic couples and two Mayan couples. Raul (Mateo’s brother) married Emiteria (Rebecca’s sister). Very cute!

The church was way too small for the occasion, so earlier in the week, they had removed the back wall of the church so that more people could see the ceremony. In addition, at least 4 or 5 people were hanging into each window on the sides.


We were all at the church, and waiting, by about 8:45am. The pastor arrived (for the 9:00am ceremony) around 9:30am and got things underway. The couples were each married one by one. Mateo and Rebecca were the last couple. We weren’t sure when we were supposed to walk in, so after the bride, groom, parents, and ring bearer had all walked forward, we asked a woman standing in the back what we should do. Her response was something like, “What?! You’re the witnesses?! You should be up front with them!” We quickly pushed between the guests and scampered into place beside the bride and groom. (I’m quite sure that no one noticed our late arrival.)
The ceremony was sweet, and we were blessed to be able to participate and pray for this commitment made by Mateo and Rebecca.


After the ceremony, we all made our way to the other end of the village to the Chiquin homes for the reception. There we feasted on the traditional meal of beans & rice, stewed chicken, and coleslaw. I have to say that I have never in my life seen such huge pots of chicken cooked over wood fires. It was impressive – and delicious! The cake (which was phenomenal) had been made by our very own kitchen staff, Julie. The party went on pretty much all day – and it clearly wore a few people out!
We headed home to Jaguar Creek around 5:00pm and heard the stories the next day about the party continuing late into the night. I wonder how our daughter, Lisa’s, wedding in July will compare…..