WEDDINGS IN HACIENDAS

To get married in and hacienda has become increasingly popular during the past years. The thick walls, high vaults, frescos and huge paved patios as well as the gardens full of trees and fountains and the chapels impregnated with incense and time will arouse ancient savors that will enhance your special wedding. This is particularly suitable for traditional, elegant and romantic personalities. Scattered all around the country, the haciendas which have spent so many years in silence, are now revived by joyful weddings. There are places that are completely restored and others that are left with the remains of the old splendor saturated by the winds of old ancestry. In Mexico City you will find some of these, as well as in the surrounding places like Tepozotlán and Cuernavaca which are both in the state of Morelos. You can also find beautiful haciendas in Yucatán, Jalisco and Oaxaca, next to the beaches, close to archeological zones, in the forests and by the mountains. All of these places are touched by their particular magic which at the same time is utterly Mexican. There are henequén haciendas, livestock haciendas, tobacco haciendas, chocolate haciendas, and mescal haciendas which have revived thanks to the tourism and unforgettable social event like weddings. Many of them have a chapel where to celebrate the religious ceremony and smaller private halls for civil weddings. The ones that do not have these facilities will help you to organize both ceremonies in the local cathedral or in any other temple you choose. The reception can be held either inside the main building of the hacienda or outside in the gardens and patios in case the number of the guests requires larger spaces. The traditional food served in the weddings that were held in hacienda used to be arroz y mole guajolote (rice with turkey sauce) but these days the food and the beverages can be international. The ideal, however, would be the region?s typical food for the rich Mexican cuisine with its tasty drinks gives a delicious experience to all kinds of palates. When thinking about the decoration, you will soon find that the only limit you have is your own imagination since the combinations of flowers, foliage and fruit are splendid and almost infinite. There are also beautiful paper flowers you can use together with strips of Mexican cut paper. Clay, blown glass or silver in the center of your tables will give them an elegant touch of Mexican tradition. While your guests are waiting to enter the halls inside, most of the haciendas will offer them beverages or delicious fruit waters served under the shades of bougainvilleas and jacarandas. And to complete the lovely day, together with the midnight chilaquiles you can ask for fireworks to fill the sky with colorful stars in front of your guests? eyes! The music will depend on your own taste and the type of atmosphere you want to create but there is nothing as nostalgic as some violins or xylophones in the background or perhaps a joyful bazucada (a type of dance) and to close the evening, a triumphing entrance of the mariachis to entertain the guests for the rest of the night. The bride, normally dressed in white with a veil which symbolizes the bride?s piety, can also innovate with a beautiful shawl or stamen tied into her hair in a sophisticated way. The groom can wear a traje de charro (typical Mexican men?s suit) which is manly and in its modern versions very elegant. Some of the haciendas in Ixtapan de la Sal in the state of Mexico, in Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco and in other places have marvelous spas and temazcales (a typical Mexican bath enriched with herbs) which will relax you and enliven your state of mind after so many days of preparing for the grand day. What is magical about these haciendas is that many of them used to belong to artists and other celebrities due to which each one of them has a special story to tell. Weddings in haciendas are always distinguished, romantic and unforgettable: it is getting married with a taste of our traditions!