The Blending of Two Cultures

Photo Cred: The Focused Soul Photography

His...

If you haven't already noticed I am marrying a verryyy handsome Mexican-American man this year. Both of Jesus' parents were born and raised in the agricultural parts of Guanajuato, Mexico and Jesus is one of 5 boys: Jesus, his twin Elpidio ( who is getting married this April!!), and three older brothers David, Jose, and Salvador. 

I LOVE presence that his culture has in his life, I think it is one of my favorite things about about him. I think it makes him the warm, loving and kind man that he is today. He is proud of his culture and I find it so exciting the more I learn. I have more than enjoyed my time learning about the Mexican traditions, FOOD, music, and everything in between. I still have a good deal to learn so its a good thing that we are signing up for forever right?? 

This December we made our first trip together to  Guanajuato and that was by far one of the best experiences I have had to date. While I could not speak the language fluently, understanding body language and tone allowed me to feel the warm welcome from friends and family that we visited.  This experience only heightened both of our desires to make sure that we included some of the traditions you would find in a Mexican wedding. 

Hers..

So what about me... I mean you may have guessed it from the title of this page but my families heritage is Irish and Scottish. While we are a blend of things, these two cultures are the highest percentage. 

When you look at me you would be able to guess that, especially when I was younger. I am pretty sure I came out of my mother with flaming red hair and covered in freckles ( not that all Irish people look this way but you know what I mean).  Growing up we had a few small things we did as a family to celebrate our heritage, but it was our great greats that came here from Ireland. 

In 2018 we as a family wanted to explore our roots in Ireland and Scotland and took a trip to engage in the cultures we come from. It was an amazing trip and I learned so much about myself and my family. It inspired all of us to not only explore our heritage but to travel more to explore others. It's like an itch now that we are all dying to go someplace  to see the world around us. 

Celebrating Us

It is very important that we celebrate both of our families coming together. This means that the blend of cultures as well. It has been very exciting to learn about the different wedding day traditions for both the Mexican Culture and the Irish/Celtic cultures. We won't be spoiling all the surprises but here is a small taste of what's to come... 

Photo Credit: The Focused Soul Photography

1. Gotta Be Bilingual: Many of the family members on Jesus' end of the guest list speak mainly Spanish. It was very important to us that both languages were spoken through the event so that everyone is included in each part of the day. While we do not plan on going around and saying EVERYTHING in both languages, there will be a balance of what we say in each. What I have loved about my time spent with Jesus's family is that while I may not speak the language fluently yet......their tone and body language has always made me feel warm and welcome. 

2. Ceremony Traditions: While I am not going to tell you everything we are going to do for the big day, there are a good deal of different Mexican ceremony traditions that we are including. One of them being the Lasso. The Lasso is placed around the couple to hold them together as they make this commitment to the next chapter of marriage. This Lasso is normally given by a couple in the family that will watch over the newly weds through their trials and triumphs. Another ceremony tradition, but on the Irish/Scottish  ends of things, is the sixpence coin being put into the left shoe of the bride. This to bring luck and also wish the happy couple a prosperous life together.   This coin can be placed in the shoe or glued to the bottom. 

3. Food & Drink: For both cultures Food and Drink are very important. While we have chosen to do a more Italian-american dinner ( we both are huge fans ) we are incorporating our cultures through a few small details. While again, I am not going to give it all away, we will be doing His and Her drinks. Both of which will focus on more traditional boozy choices for the mixes. Can you guess??? I would hope soo... Tequila  and Whiskey. 
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While we are going to be paying respects to both of our families heritage it is even more important to us that every choice we make is personal to the two of us as a couple together. What traditions we keep, what ones we make our own, what ways we incorporate everyone, are all choices we will make keeping our desire to make it personal to us.. in the forefront. That would be my advice to any couple also working to blend two cultures together. Lay out your options, decide what is important to the values you want moving forward in the marriage AFTER the wedding, and represent those things in your special day. 

One thing is for sure...... IT WILL ALWAYS BE A PARTY!



Cheers! Slainte! Salud!