You crazy, crazy party people,
Welp, we’ve (almost) made it! Suck it, Beryl!!! We’ve cleared what looks like is the worst of the storm. Some of us are here in Mérida. Others of us are making our way from Mexico City. Tomorrow, you’ll finally stop getting emails from us as we’ll all be gathered at Japoneza Retreat for what promises to be a wonderful celebration! Gathered below are a few more details to get you over the finish line.
CEREMONY & RECEPTION
- Where: Japoneza Retreat (map)
- When: Sat, 7/6, 6pm (Swing by starting at 5:45pm for welcome agua frescas!) Cocktails at 6:30pm. Dinner at 7:30pm: a mix of individual and family style courses.
- Things will be a little damp, but we’ll have towels to dry off and we should be covered for the most part. We don’t think you’ll need umbrellas, but do you! Please dress comfortably, as the temperatures are sure to creep up with high humidity. And wear flat, comfy shoes–floors will be slippery from the rain!
BREAKFAST BUFFET
Our pool party is no longer (apologies to everyone’s poolside lewks!); but we were able to organize a breakfast buffet Sunday morning! We know a bunch of folks are leaving Sunday afternoon, so we’re hoping starting things off in the morning will catch most of us.
- Where: Japoneza Retreat (map)
- When: Sun, 7/7, 10am – 1pm Come by starting at 10am for some light, tasty fare. Cocktail service will begin at 11am. We’ll have agua frescas throughout. Checkout is at 1pm, so we will have to end things pretty promptly.
Again, if you’re flying into Merida Saturday morning, please note the travel options from the airport: If you’re taking a taxi, it will cost around $300 pesos and you’ll need to pay in pesos. There’s an ATM right before the airport exit. The Va y Ven bus will easily take you to the ADO bus station (1st stop, about 20 minutes) and then you can hop in a super cheap Uber from there. They also prefer cash for the Va y Ven bus fare ($45 pesos) at the ADO stand in the airport, right before you exit. More on this at plasaj.club.
In some miraculous fashion, you can continue to check the website for the most updated info and for other fun things like our podcast playlist and tattoo signup if you’re still thinking about it!
I can’t believe you’ve all made it/are making it. We love you all so much.
Diane + Richard
p.s. — We realized that no one knows what a plasaj is and, tbh, we kind of like it that way. It’s very funny. But just in case you were wondering, I first came across the term in historian Colin Dayan’s book, Haiti, History and the Gods:
In contemporary Haiti, there are three kinds of unions possible between men and women: placing (plasaj), marriage (mariaj), and finally concubinage with or without cohabitation (known as byen avek or keeping company). The definition of plasaj, the predominate form of conjugal union in Haiti for a long time, is complex: the relationship is not one of common law marriage or concubinage. It demands elaborate rituals…To place oneself means to establish both a household and agricultural cultivation. But whatever the relationship, the unions are expected to last.
Marriage is not really our thing, but a lasting union? We’ll take it! Thank you so much for entering this ritual with us.