Well, this weekend was interesting to say the least...My friend China (her real name is Ariene, but we all call her China) asked me to be in her wedding when I was down here in Rocky Point in July....I thought that was kind of strange since we're not really the best of friends, but of course I agreed to do it...
So, we had the wedding yesterday here in Rocky Point...the whole experience was kind of strange...I guess I didn't consider the way the culture and differences in time would affect the wedding....so, I stayed up til 2am the night before the wedding with China and Toni (the groom) to wash tables and chairs and get them ready for the reception...the reception was gonna be at her parents' house in the backyard and nothing was done...So, that was a start...we did the party favors the night before too...Ahh, gotta love Mexico.
The day of the wedding, China and I were supposedly gonna get up at 530 am to help her mom make tamales, but that didn't happen either (although I was kind of thankful we didn't have to go off 3 1/2 hours of sleep on the wedding day). We got up around 9, leisurely made our way to the kitchen, sat and had breakfast and chatted with her mom for almost an hour...no rush, right?
So, we had quite a few things to get done and I felt kind of responsible to keep China on the ball...she didn't have her bouquet yet...hadn't even requested to have it made actually....hmmm...so, we went to this flower shop and got that taken care of...thankfully the ladies there were understanding and happy to do it...as last minute as it was....we had a few more errands to run and then headed back to the house...
Besides helping the bride with the prep for the wedding itself, I felt like I had the role of the mediator between everyone not getting along. So, Toni, the groom has a 12 year old son who was supposed to be in the wedding. But, when he got the suit that he was borrowing for the wedding, he said it was too big and that he just wasn't gonna go. So, China was really angry at him for this and Toni didn't really know what to do. Now, you have to realize that Toni's son hadn't even tried on the suit...he just looked at it and was like "no, it doesn't fit"....So, I made him try it on (which took awhile of me letting my bossy side come out lol) and what do ya know, it actually fit pretty well...a little long on the sleeves, but it looked just fine...So, he says to me "Oh it fits" with a bit of surprise in his voice and I told him that's why I made him try it on....problem resolved.
When we got to China's house, there was a lot to do with getting all the balloons blown up...at one point, I felt like I would pass out....We had to make a little balloon arch and blow up other balloons for decorating outside...Then we had to get the tables prepped and put the tablecloths on...in the midst of the wind...interesting as that was...Oh yes, China and I also somehow ended up being responsible for ironing Toni and the guys shirts....
So, to say the least, it was a hectic day...after gettting a lot of the legistics out of the way, China and I headed to a salon to get our hair done by a girl she was friends with....that made it feel more like a wedding day...I felt like all the other stuff is usually stuff they usually get done the day before the wedding...at least all the weddings I've been a part of before...So, after that, we went back to the house and finished getting ready...
A little while before I was about to put on my dress, China sends me on an errand....to buy lingerie...I'm thinking...you've gotta be kidding me...the wedding is supposed to start in 2 hours and you're just now sending me out to do this....and making ME be the one to buy it....you can't be serious....of course I didn't say that, I just suggested I go with her...But she told me that she felt bad because she knew the girl who ran the store and felt bad because she hadn't invited her....so, I went...laughing to myself the whole way there...oh the joys of being the maid of honor!
There was a little bit of debate about what time the actual wedding started....the night before, we had met with the pastor and he said...well, it starts at 5, but ya know, we're on Mexican time, so let's start at 6. So, we're all getting ready at the house and Toni says "Yeah, we don't have to be there til 6"....which started a whole other debate since China wanted to start at 5. "The invitations say 5, so we should start at 5," she insisted...."But the pastor said 6, so we have to start at 6," Toni said. So, once again I got to play the mediator and suggested we call the pastor just to clarify in case there was a misunderstanding. Once we talked to him, that helped sort things out and I reassured China that it would be fine if we started at 6....people would understand (at least I was hoping!)
We showed up to the church at about 530 and people were still getting there, so that was fine....we started taking some pictures and then China realized she'd left her bouquet at home...so I drove back to the house with her mom to pick it up. When we got back to the church, there was still a little time before the actual ceremony started, so I was thankful we were on Mexican time :)
The wedding ceremony went well....a little different than our ceremonies in the US....I walked down the aisle with the other bridesmaid instead of with the guys....Then, the wedding party sits in the front row instead of standing up front.....Even the bride and groom actually sit in these nicely decorated seats for the majority of the ceremony. then they stand up and face each other towards the end. Another thing they do in Mexico that we don't do in the US is they put a lasso over the bride and groom, symbolizing the way they are now bound together (I guess we just replace that with the unity candle)...I thought that was kind of cool....Then at the end of the ceremony, the bridesmaids pass out the party favors as they go back down the aisle...so that was kind of fun too!
After the wedding ceremony ended at the church, we took the traditional Mexican "victory lap" (well, I don't think that's what it's really called, but that's what I call it) where the bride and groom ride around town and everyone who attends the wedding follows, honking and celebrating...I got to be the lucky driver of the bride and groom, which was a lot of fun!
The wedding reception was probably my favorite part...It was great to see lots of friends there...and my "family" from Rocky Point....we had a great time with lots of music and lots of fun...sadly enough, there wasn't as much dancing as I had been hoping for, but we still had a good time...It was great to see all of my kiddos too and get to dance with them....they are so precious! All in all, it was a time of fun and joy, as weddings should be....But, after all the craziness of the day, China joked that "Now that you see all we have to do, you're never gonna want to get married!" Ha ha...well, I definitely don't want to be a wedding planner, I can tell you that! I was happy to help out though and enjoyed it, even in the crazy "mexican time" moments!
