I met Guadalupe Alvarez in Lalibela, Ethiopia, during the war. The town was tense, the air thick with fear, and then — there she was. A woman from Mexico. Alone. Calm. Fully present.
She wasn’t a journalist. She wasn’t on assignment. She was just there. Out of curiosity. Out of courage. She stepped in to help people without hesitation, without ever making it about herself.
That’s how it began.
Mexico, Unexpected
Some months later, she invited me to her country. I had never been to Mexico. I arrived in San Miguel de Allende, the city she calls home, and something shifted. Through her, I saw parts of that country I would have never reached on my own — not the postcard version, but the real, layered, beautiful one.
That’s when I met Penzi Weddings & Events — her company.
A world I didn’t know. A world I never thought I’d care about.
The Love I Believe In
Let’s be clear: I don’t believe in weddings. Not in the traditional sense — not the romanticized ritual, not the performance of forever. I don’t believe in the idea of marriage. But I do believe in something else.
I believe in affinity between souls.
In loyalty. In mutual recognition. In respect.
That’s what I found inside Penzi.
Not in the ceremonies. Not in the flowers. But in the way they work. In the care for detail, the dignity of labor, the attention to each person involved — clients, staff, vendors, communities.
That’s where I saw love.
And that’s the kind of love I trust.
Behind the Scenes
At Ayzoh!, we eventually produced a book and a documentary titled Penzi – Behind the Scenes. It’s not about the events — it’s about the people who make them happen. Almost all women. All deeply respected. All working under real conditions, with joy and focus. It’s a rare thing.
I’ve documented enough workplaces to know when something is wrong. And when something quietly, simply works.
Penzi works.
Giving Without Saying So
What makes Guadalupe and Penzi different isn’t the luxury. It’s the way they move beyond it.
They support social causes not through pity, but through presence. Not through charity, but through long-term solidarity. They’ve backed our work in Guatemala (Somos Project), stood by our side in Santa Catarina Minas (El Rosario Project), and partnered with communities that most people in their world would never think about — let alone work with.
We helped build https://smapenzi.org to make these efforts visible. But the truth is: they never asked to be visible.
A Sponsor Who Doesn’t Act Like One
Many companies “support” social projects for PR. Penzi doesn’t. Guadalupe doesn’t.
She chooses to support Ayzoh! because she believes in what we do. And because we believe in what she does. That mutual trust has created not just a partnership, but a form of shared commitment — one that stretches across cultures and continents.
She doesn’t need to align with us ideologically. And I don’t need to pretend to believe in weddings.
We meet where it matters: in the facts.
Partners in Craft
“Love” is one of the most overused words on Earth. But I’ve seen it — not as a concept, but as a practice — inside Penzi.
In the joy of the people who work there.
In the generosity they extend beyond their own world.
In the beauty they build, not just for show, but to honor life.
We’re proud to walk with them.
Not because they’re perfect. But because they’re real.
