It's kind of funny and also a little wrong that esposas, the word for wives, also means handcuffs in Spanish.
Charo and Norman had a 20th wedding anniversary asado thrown for them by a group of their close friends. Our backyard was all set up with flowers, white table cloths, candles, and of course, a massive buffet of grilled meat and sides. The party started at 6:30pm meaning the guests arrived at a very Chilean time of 7:30 or later. Next-day reflection counted about 53 total attendees at the asado. The two never had a formal wedding and reception and had tied the knot at the city municipal building with a government official present for the certificate signing. And so this was their chance to celebrate the way they would have had there been a party that night twenty years ago.
The novia and novio
Backyard asado patio
Meat on the grill
Choripan of course!
The novia, meaning bride-to-be and as Charo was calling herself all night, wore a white dress and carried around a bouquet of flowers while Norman, the novio, pranced around the backyard socializing with their friends. Almost every person brought a gift along with a bottle of wine and so the drinks were plenty. After the big meal, the two read aloud a conversation consisting of love letters they had sent to each other during their courtship, or something to that extent from what I could understand in my limited Spanish. That, or they were their wedding vows. Either way, it was thoroughly romantic and all the listening crowd could do was sigh, smile, and clap.
Next, my host brother, Amaury and his friend, Cristobal, played a song on the guitar and charango respectively while host cousin, Santi, did a dramatic reading that I unfortunately couldn't understand but I assumed had something to do with love and devotion. The entire extended family is extremely artistically talented, made up of painters, needlecrafters, musicians, and actors. After their performance, it was time for the removal of the garter from the bride's leg. Yes, you read that correctly. Norman pulled the garter off of Charo's leg and proceeded to put it on his head and dance around with his signature grin of mischief. The whole thing finished up with the bouquet and garter throwing and ensuing wrestling match for the flowers. Then, as Chilean parties go, the dancing and music extended into the wee hours of the morning until everyone left exhausted but happy.
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