Did My Host Parents Just Get Married?

"Don't make any plans for this Saturday" was all my host family said to me the week before August 11th. Apparently there was going to be an important party at my house that day. They were clearly very excited for it because my host mom even took me shopping to find an outfit for her to wear for the occasion. It seemed like a big deal, but I was not sure why.

On the day of the party, everyone in my family was running around the house cleaning, organizing, and rearranging. The house had never looked so immaculate- and neither had my room. As the party drew nearer, a crew of caterers arrived and began arranging fancy food in the kitchen. At least ten tables had been assembled, all topped with my family's nicest dishes. In the courtyard, firefly lights hung along the walls and fence, as well as streamers and candles. Everything truly looked beautiful.  It seemed like a sophisticated event, so I asked my host sister what I should wear and she recommended my very elegant blue dress and a nice pair of shoes. I was very curious to see what exactly this party was for.

Around five o'clock the guests arrived. There were about thirty people there, including my host sister's friend who I have become very close with. The attire of the guests varied, but most wore dresses or suits, and nice shoes. All of the guests were family and close friends. I was chatting with my host sister and her friend on the couch when someone called for us to come outside because the ceremony was about to begin. All I could think was "what ceremony?." As we entered the courtyard, I saw my host parents standing in front of all the guests, facing each other and holding hands. My host dad was wearing a suit and my host mom was wearing a blue jumpsuit. There was someone behind them reading from a book. It honestly looked a lot like a wedding, but I knew it couldn't be because my host parents had a kid, lived together, and my host mom was not wearing a white dress, therefore they must already be married.

After a long speech given by the man standing behind my host parents, two rings were presented. My host dad placed one ring on my host mom's hand and gave a small speech about how much he loved her, and afterward my host mom did the same. Then, it hit me. They must be renewing their vows for their anniversary! How cute. They kissed and everyone clapped. Waiters emerged from the house with glasses of champagne (and soda for the kids) and everyone gave a toast to the lovely couple. The night was lit up by lights, candles, and the stars. It was such a beautiful, genuine, and intimate event.

After the ceremony, I went into the house and sat with my host sister's friend. I asked her how long my host parents had been married and she seemed very confused. I thought that my spanish had been terribly wrong, so I took out my translator and showed her my question. She still looked confused, and said, "today is their wedding."

So, to answer the title of this post, yes, my host parents did get married! What I learned from this day is that life is not same in Chile as it is in the United States. First, it is very common here for couples to have children before marriage. Second, women do not always wear white wedding dresses. Third, weddings are more about an intimate evening surrounded by the people you love, rather than having an extravagant and expensive party with multitudes of people.

Clearly the language barrier is partly to blame for today's confusion, because I assume someone explained to me that this was a wedding, and I simply did not understand them. Either way, it makes for a funny story and the first of many unexpected (but amazing) surprises I will experience here in Chile!