Rich & Katherine’s Destination Wedding in Antigua Guatemala
Some weddings stay with you because of the music. Others because of the setting. Rich and Katherine’s destination wedding in Antigua, Guatemala managed to be unforgettable for both reasons—and then some. From a mountaintop ceremony overlooking the city to a late-night dance party at Santa Domingo del Cerro, this was one of those rare weekends where everything felt elevated without ever feeling stiff.
For East Coast Soul, it was a full-scale destination performance: international travel, multiple venues, live music across ceremony, cocktails, dinner, and dancing, plus coordination with local transportation, a DJ, and a rotating cast of performers. It was ambitious in scope—and deeply rewarding to be part of.
Antigua Guatemala: A Setting That Does the Heavy Lifting
Antigua is one of those places that immediately slows you down in the best way. Cobblestone streets, colonial architecture, and volcanoes quietly framing the horizon—it doesn’t take much for a wedding here to feel cinematic. Rich and Katherine leaned into that sense of place, choosing venues that showcased the landscape rather than competing with it.
The day unfolded across two dramatically different locations: Ermita la Santa Cruz for the ceremony and cocktails, perched high above the city, and Santa Domingo del Cerro for the reception, a mountaintop space designed for big moments and long nights.
Ceremony at Ermita la Santa Cruz
The ceremony took place at Ermita la Santa Cruz, a historic site with sweeping views over Antigua below. The setting alone was enough to quiet a crowd—but the ceremony itself felt warm, intentional, and personal.
East Coast Soul provided a keyboard soloist for the ceremony, with music beginning roughly thirty minutes prior to the start time. Prelude selections were left to the musician’s discretion, allowing the music to respond naturally to the space, the weather, and the pace of guests arriving.
Processional & Ceremony Music
The ceremony music blended classic wedding choices with soul-forward optimism:
- Bridesmaids & Ring Bearers: “Here Comes the Sun” – The Beatles
- Bride’s Entrance: “Canon in D” – Pachelbel
- Recessional: “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” – Stevie Wonder
“Here Comes the Sun” felt especially fitting in this setting—bright, hopeful, and framed by the natural beauty of the hillside. Ending the ceremony with Stevie Wonder immediately shifted the energy from reflective to celebratory, setting the tone for the rest of the evening.
Cocktail Hour Inside the Ermita
Just steps from the ceremony site, cocktail hour took place inside the Ermita itself. Guests barely had time to transition before live music resumed—this time with a keyboard, trumpet, and bass trio, joined by vocalists Giang Luc and Astha Shrestha for the formal dances.
The repertoire leaned into jazz standards and the American Songbook—music that travels well, feels timeless, and sits comfortably in a room filled with conversation, clinking glasses, and laughter.
First Dance & Parent Dances
Cocktail hour also hosted the couple’s formal dances, all performed live by the band:
- First Dance: “Have A Little Faith In Me” – John Hiatt (shortened)
- Bride/Father Dance: “You’ve Got A Friend” – James Taylor (shortened)
- Groom/Mother Dance: “I Hope You Dance” – Lee Ann Womack (shortened)
Performing these moments during cocktails kept the pacing relaxed and intimate. Each song was trimmed to its emotional core—long enough to feel meaningful, short enough to keep the evening moving.
Toasts & Transition
Toasts followed shortly after, with words from Maid of Honor Debbie Keetch and Best Man Connor Ambrose. With the sun beginning to dip and the room glowing in warm light, it was a natural pause before the next chapter of the night.
At 6:00pm, guests and performers boarded buses and made the journey to the reception venue—another reminder that this was no ordinary wedding timeline.
Reception at Santa Domingo del Cerro
Santa Domingo del Cerro sits high above Antigua and feels purpose-built for big celebrations. The space has a roofed structure for weather protection, but still feels open, expansive, and dramatic—especially once the sun goes down and the city lights come alive below.
The reception began with a DJ-led hour, during which circus performers, magicians, caricaturists, and even tattoo artists circulated through the crowd. It was playful, unexpected, and set the tone for a night that clearly wasn’t going to follow a standard script.
Dinner & Welcome Moments
At 7:30, the DJ announced the arrival of Rich and Katherine, followed immediately by a welcome toast from the bride’s parents, Sue and Bob Martin, and a blessing from the groom’s parents, Jane and Richard Ambrose.
Dinner ran from approximately 7:40 to 9:00, accompanied by a small instrumental combo from East Coast Soul featuring sax, guitar, keys, bass, and drums. The goal here was atmosphere—not volume—with the flexibility to scale back instrumentation if needed.
The result was a dinner soundtrack that felt polished and intentional, without pulling focus from the meal or the conversations unfolding around the tables.
Main Dance Set: A Global Dance Floor
Once dinner wrapped, the band shifted gears. From roughly 9:00pm onward, it was all about building a dance floor that reflected the couple’s taste and their guests’ energy.
Rich and Katherine gave us wide latitude, with a clear directive: keep people dancing. Their crowd skewed slightly vintage (a “4” on the vintage-to-contemporary scale), with room for Motown, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, and select modern favorites.
Without a strict must-play list, the band focused on reading the room—locking into grooves that worked, extending moments that felt good, and keeping momentum high without tipping into chaos.
The Finale
The night built toward a communal, sing-along-style finish, with a “Shout” / “Hey Jude” style finale that pulled everyone into the same moment—guests, band, and couple all sharing the same energy at the same time.
East Coast Soul wrapped flexibly between 11:00 and 11:30, handing things back to the DJ to carry the party forward. The venue was happy to give a few extra minutes, allowing the night to end naturally rather than abruptly.
Final Thoughts
Destination weddings ask more of everyone involved—more logistics, more trust, more flexibility. Rich and Katherine embraced that fully, and the result was a celebration that felt both adventurous and deeply personal.
From a mountaintop ceremony in Antigua to a late-night dance floor above the city, this wedding captured what we love most about destination performances: the chance to bring live music into a place that already feels special, and make it unforgettable.
