Mexican Weddings

Traditional Mexican weddings are one of the most celebrated occasions in this Latin territory. And although they are very much culture-oriented and religious-based, we can safely assume that they are not very different among the other marital ceremonies in the world.

Traditional Mexican weddings are largely based on the assumption that it is the union of two people as guided by the church. It is for this reason that the family and religion plays a very huge part in these celebrations. Prior the main event, the family of the groom will have to ask for the hand of the bride from her family. This is usually characterized by the guy visiting the residence of the bride with all sorts of gifts as a way of expressing his pure and clean intentions.

There are also families that are much stricter because they really require that the man will never meet the girl as soon as their engagement was announced.  Although this is just some form of formality, many families still insist in sticking with these ways to preserve the sanctity and conservatism of the occasion. You must understand that this is more of an ecclesiastical family event rather than a civil or legal one.

There are many traditions that surface in a traditional Mexican wedding.  Mexican wedding traditions are symbolic and are integrated with Latin customs.

Questions are asked about a traditional Mexican Wedding and these include…

• Who pays for the wedding?  Both families will foot the bill since both are involved in planning the wedding.  The wedding bridesmaids and groomsmen are paired and each pair plays a different role in the wedding.
• What about wedding invitations?  Wedding invitations are written in Spanish and English and list the parents of both the bride and groom.  All the wedding attendants are listed on the wedding invitation.
• Mexican has special Wedding Cakes. The Mexicans indeed has their share of a sweet tooth. There are many cakes and some are very simple to make. There is the Mexican Chocolate Pound cake in which Mexican chocolate and cinnamon is added. It is easy to prepare and simply tasty.
• A Lazo – What is that?  A Lazo is a large rosary or decorated cord that is draped around the bride’s and the groom’s neck, starting with the groom first.  It is placed in a figure eight symbolizing eternity while the couple are kneeling at the alter.  The Lazo is used after the bride and groom have said their vows.  The bride is given the Lazo after the ceremony as a keepsake.
• What is an Arras or 13 gold coins?  A priest blesses 13 gold coins and the groom gives it to the bride.  The 13 coins represents Jesus and the 12 apostles.  The groom pledges to be a good provider and the bride accepts the coin stating her trust and confidence in her husband to be.
• What is the money dance?  With this tradition, the guest are expected to pay generously for being able to dance with the bride.  The money will be used by the newlyweds for their honeymoon and for setting up their new home.
• Who selects the colors for the wedding?  The bride.  Whatever color the bride selects, that color theme dominates the entire wedding decorations.  The reception also will reflect the colors chosen by the bride.
• A time-honored Mexican wedding is steeped in tradition handed down from generation to generation to be enjoyed by the entire wedding party and their guests.  No doubt you will have a chance to enjoy in the festivities should you be honored with a Mexican wedding invitation.

Just like American weddings, Mexicans also have a dance after the wedding ceremony.  Typically the families would rent out a dance hall and host the reception at the hall. The hall would be decorated with a Mexican theme and wedding favors would be at the center of every table. Guest would then be seated at either round tables or the normal rectangular folding tables with a nice linen skirt. If food is being catered then a line would be formed and guest would slowly go through the line and prepare their own plates. Right after the meal there usually is a dance involving the bride and groom. After everybody has seen the newlywed couple dance for the first time the DJ would invite guest to join them.

This would be the start of the Mexican wedding dance. During the dancing the disc jockey would play Mexican music that would involve everybody on the dance floor. This would be like the Boot Scooting Boogie by Brooks and Dunn. Some of the dances involve spinning your partner during which Tejano music plays. Some famous artists in the past have been: Ram Herrera, David Lee Garza y Los Musicales, Intocable, Los Tigres Del Norte, Selena y los Dinos, Grupo Limite, David Marez, Xelencia, La Fiebre, Elsa Garcia, Jennifer Pena, La Sombra, Los Palominos, Duelo, La Tropa F, Fama, Ramon Ayala, Michael Salgado, Roberto Pulido, Patsy Torress, Jay Pérez, Joe Posada, Gary Hobbs, Fito Olivares, Pesado, Los Angeles Azules, Los Bukis, La Mafia, Little Joe, Liberacion, Mazz, and of course Emilio Navaira.