Weddings

Two of our friends from church - Ivan and Selene - got married the other week.  We are SO happy for them!

Weddings in Mexico generally have a LOT more festive mood than those in the United States (at least the U.S. weddings I've been to!)  After the wedding ceremony there is a party with FOOD - a WHOLE meal, usually catered.  And cake too, of course!  There's generally either live music or a DJ.  And after everyone has eaten their fill, the real party begins! 

At some weddings they play what is called "La Vibora del Mar" (the sea snake).  The bride and groom each stand up on chairs (which area usually rented plastic collapsable chairs - real sturdy, hehe!) and hold hands with a big space between them.  In the picture below they used part of the bride's dress instead of holding hands.  Then, all the women (who want to participate) at the wedding hold hands in a chain and start running through the room, between all the tables and people sitting down, and eventually go underneath the bride and groom. 

Then it's the guys' turn.  They hold hands in a chain and do the same thing.  At some point during La Vibora del Mar, the groom will likely get knocked off his chair, and we may see the demise of a flower arrangement, centerpiece, or other decoration. 

I'm not making this up!  And it's not the kids who do this, it's the adults!  It's kind of hard to run through a room filled with tables, chairs, and people,  holding hands with other ladies in HIGH HEELS.  But it was fun!  But I'm NOT upset that we didn't do the Vibora at our wedding...  :)

Another aspect of a wedding party that is different from in the U.S. is that many times the bride and groom go from table to table collecting money for their honeymoon.  The bride has a little bag (traditionally she'd use her shoe, but most brides use sandals these days!) that people put coins in, and the groom gets bills pinned onto his suit.  I TOTALLY wish we would've remembered to do this at our wedding!!  :)

And then there's lots of music and fun until late at night.  And that's a traditional wedding in Mexico (in my experience)!