I am a mother of the bride; indeed a very demanding one! We just had our daughter’s wedding in
Antigua, Guatemala. This was a series of events spanning over a few days. The first event was a family
breakfast for a large group of extended family members at Sabe Rico, one of the local restaurants. Then
a rehearsal luncheon the next day, at Casa Tracolli, which led right into our actual rehearsal at the
wedding venue. Almost immediately following this, was another one of our major events, the Welcome
Reception, at Las Capuchinas, where all of our guests were invited. The wedding ceremony came the
very next day, at San Jose El Viejo, leading to the wedding reception at Casa Santo Domingo Hotel, which lasted until 1 am. And finally, all events consummating in a Farewell Brunch the next morning at Hotel Porta.
I cannot find enough words to explain the beauty and magic of this wedding experience for our family
and guests. It is not an exaggeration to say that everyone was awestruck! Everything was like a fairytale, nothing short of spectacular, draped in elegance and beauty.
My daughter, Tara, and her fiancé, Daniel, got engaged in early September, and were adamant to get
married before the end of the year, during the Christmas holiday. Moreover, my daughter had dreamt of
having her wedding in Antigua, Guatemala, for the past decade, even before there was a man in her life.
This seemed like an impossible task, to plan a multi-event destination wedding in a country I had never
visited, and invite more than 200 of our friends and families from all over the world during their
holidays— all in 3 months and 3 weeks time! Most people considered us crazy!
Our desire above all else was to make this wedding worth the trip for the many who sacrificed their
money and time so close to the holidays.
I am a very demanding person, with high standards, and accept nothing short of excellence! I had a
glorious vision for this wedding and I felt so helpless to make it happen in a country I did not know. That is when my talented niece, Veronica Rogers, a well published wedding designer, found me Saguzo
Eventos wedding planning, and put me in touch with Gladys Santizo, the general manager of the
company.
Gladys was a gift from heaven. She was everything I needed, had dreamt of, and even far more. She is
the first person in my life that has exceeded my expectations. I wish I could give you pictures of our
guests as they entered every venue with their jaws dropped, gasping for words to express their
emotions of awe, and wonder!
As I said previously, I am a perfectionist, and I have very high standards. I continue to fail my own
standards! But not Gladys! This lady is a super woman. I have worked as a senior executive in corporate America for years. I have had thousands of people working for me over the years. I have never encountered anyone with such a level of competence. Her project management skills, her attention to details, her follow up, her promptness, quick response to questions, her grace under pressure, her backbone to stand up to me and tell me why some of my ideas were not workable, and her creativity to come up with solutions in cases where we would hit a roadblock, were unmatched. Throughout, she and her staff kept a smile on their faces and guided us through a journey of joy and excitement. She knows all the best local vendors and has a personal relationship with them. That is how she makes magic happen! She secured the venues we wanted with such a short notice during the busiest time of the year. She convinced Adolfo Cojulun of Expressions, who usually closes shop during the holidays, to work this year and have all his staff work too!! Adolfo’s work was magical and the work of dreams.
Gladys communicated our complex vision for the events, articulated in English, to Adolfo, in Spanish, in a way, that he blew all of us away with his spectacular implementation.
Not to mention, my daughter, Tara, and new son-in-law, Daniel, could not be a happier bride and
groom!! For the decade that Tara dreamt of weddings in Antigua, never had she dreamt a wedding as
exquisite as she received!
Thank you Gladys! Thank you Olga! Thank you Adolfo! You guys are my heroes. I wish you worked in
the US, so all my family and friends could hire you for future weddings!
You guys are the BEST!
Elahe H.
