Felicidades! Nora from our sales team recently spent a week exploring beautiful Mexican destination spots and gathering inspiration for events back here in Chicago.
The first stop was a traditional Mexican wedding in the town of Tamazula de Gordiano, Jalisco. The ceremony was held in a small clay-stone church next to a sugarcane company that employed many of the local residents. The small ceremony of about 50 guests was structurally similar to an American Catholic wedding, but included unique touches such as the Lazo ceremony, where the couple’s relatives placed a large, double-hooped rosary around the couple to symbolize the eternal bond of marriage.
The reception venue that mimicked a ranch was tucked away in the nearby mountains and included a live mariachi band. A chicken and potato entrée was served for dinner alongside an unlimited amount of tequila. After the couple’s first dance, the groom retrieved the garter from under the bride’s dress and tossed it behind his back to all the un-married guests. The bride did the same with her bouquet, and then the train called “La Vibora De La Mar” began! This fun game of “boys vs. girls” begins with the bride and groom standing on two chairs and making a bridge with their hands. The ladies line up first and hold hands as they run under the bridge, and then the men take their turn. The bride and groom choose certain people in the train to stop and take a shot of their favorite liquor.
The beautiful wedding highlighted traditional aspects of Mexican culture, and mirrored some details of American weddings as well, allowing Nora to bring back some great ideas and perspectives we’ll be sure to incorporate into our events in the future.