Now that you know more about the country and its geography, let me share with you 4 facts that makes Ecuador one of the best places to plan & celebrate your Destination Wedding.
1. Easy Air Connectivity & Short Distances between our 4 worlds
First things first: you are probably wondering how to get to Ecuador :)
We have 2 top notch international airports, the Mariscal Sucre Quito International Airport (perfect to discover the Andes and Amazon regions) and José Joaquin Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil (perfect for the Pacific Coast beaches and Galapagos). Manta's Airport (located in the Coast region) is slowly reactivating for international flights, so shortly it will be a piece of cake arriving directly to our amazing Pacific Coast beaches.
By land or air, moving around Ecuador takes little time, making it easy for you to visit our different regions in no time. From Quito, you may reach the north and south Andes provinces, where most haciendas and colonial houses are located, within 2 to 3 hours; the nearest beach in 4 hours away and you reach the Amazon region within 3 hours. From Guayaquil, you may reach the nearest beach in 2 hours; arrive to Cuenca, one of our most beautiful cities, or Ingapirca, our Inca ruins in 4 hours. Even traveling to Galapagos is quick: a 1.5 hours flight from Guayaquil will take you to Santa Cruz or San Cristobal and voila! The Enchanted Islands are at your feet. Now picture you and your loved ones traveling together around the Andes, the rainforest, magical small towns or even the beach, celebrating your love and union! Or picking just one region and getting to know its traditions, immerse in its culture, its people, their way of life. Experiences! This is what you and your guests will cherish for life.
2. Benign Weather all year long
Surely you haven’t given this fact a thought, but when planning a wedding, having a benign weather is a suuuuuper plus. We have an amazing weather all year long, as we don’t have four seasons in our country. We either have the sunny season and the rainy season, meaning there are months in which it rains (or not) more often than other months. For example, in the Andes region, it is said that “summer” (sunny days, lots of wind, chilly nights) is on June, July and August; but you may easily have sun and wind on December or January as well. In the Coast and Galapagos, the hottest months are December to April, but it doesn’t mean the it is cold the rest of the year, it is less hot. Got it?
There is no hurricane season here, no snow nor extreme hot. This has enabled us, planners, to learn how to work with the weather on our side and have perfectly planned outdoor weddings, with plan B and C duly in place . Why outdoors? Remember on our last post we told you about our amazing landscapes and how nature is one of our assets? Well, if we take you to a ball room or a hotel, you will be losing the beautiful natural sights, the sky at 12 pm, the golden hour at sunset, the snow peaks, the beach… and we really don’t want you to miss this!
3. Consuming locally will blow your mind (and taste!)
We, Ecuadorians, are used to having fresh fruit & vegetables all year long; we take this for granted and with the experience, we have seen that this is a remarkable (and notable) difference with other destinations. Having fresh, organic vegetables at hand, at reasonable prices, is a huge advantage. In fact, many venues in the different regions have their own orchard, so they harvest their vegetables and serve them as part of their menu, making a huge impact in their guests. This applies for wedding catering options too, so imagine all we may offer for your destination wedding.
Another interesting fact is that the Andes are the original home of superfoods such as chia, quinoa, amaranto, sweet potatoes and more; and our Coast has a wide variety of fish and seafood, super fresh and with the highest quality. In fact, Ecuadorian shrimp in know around the world for its flavor and size. As you may see, catering in Ecuador will not be a problem and it will delight your guests with new, interesting flavors.
4. Dreaming big on decor? This is the place to be!
Did you know that Ecuador produces the biggest and most colorful roses in the world? Thanks to our climate conditions, Ecuadorian roses last longer and are the most wanted by roses fanatics. Now, can you imagine the amount and variety of roses we may include in your wedding decoration, at a totally reasonable price?
Weddings in Ecuador are known for using natural flowers in almost all decorations. And not only roses: hydrangeas, astromelias, orchids, palm, rainforest species such as anturios....
Thanks to our location, our natural resources and our size, Ecuador is a perfect getaway destination for you to tie the knot.