Sunday, May 28, 2006

Mexican Wedding Fun!

One of my good friends in the MBA program is a guy named Jaime. Jaime is Mexican. Not Hispanic, he is "speaks fluent spanish, part of the family still lives out of the country, had Mariachis at his birthday party, mom makes the best food ever but speaks no English" Mexican. So he calls me on Friday and says "Have you ever been to a Mexican wedding?" I said no and he said "They're not like White people weddings where you have to RSVP and everyone knows everyone and stuff...its just like a big fiesta and you need to come." So I did.

The wedding was at the Texas Girls Choir building. I showed up around 7:30 or so and the party was already in full swing. We ate some fantastic Mexican food, they had an open bar with beer, wine, and tequila (I had to have some tequila....my Mexican wedding experience just wouldn't have been complete!) and a Mariachi band played for 2 hours. Apparently Mariachi's cost about $600/hr, so 2 hours was a BIG deal! Right at the end of the Mariachis, they did the bouqet/garter tossing. So I go out on the dance floor expecting just to gather in a clump when Jaime's cousin says "Get ready to run!" Before I could even say "What??" my hand was grabbed by the girls next to me. The bride and groom stand on chairs in the middle of the dance floor while the mariachis play a song and an aunt led all the single women running in a line around the room, snaking through the dance floor, the tables, into the hallway, back through all the people watching, etc. for about 4 or 5 minutes! I was exhausted! Then they threw the bouquet and the boys did the same thing before the garter.

After that, the boys stripped the groom down to boxers and a tshirt and started throwing him up in the air! Once he got redressed, the money dance started. Girls and guys in pairs stand in line to pin money on the bride and groom and dance with them. So I danced with the groom. Then the 2nd band came - a mariachi polka band! We danced all night long. I danced with all of Jaime's cousins in true Mexican dancing style which I like to describe as Country dancing on speed. I had no clue what I was doing, but most of them were really good dancers and I was able to just follow. It was seriously a workout! I am sore today!

I had so much fun being the token white girl at the Mexican wedding...even though I couldn't talk to half of the attendants because they didn't speak English! But who needs to talk when you've got Mariachis to dance to!

P.S.
If Patty is reading this I'm sure she is freaking out right now! DON"T SAY MARIACHI!! (who can name the reference? Trey?)

3 comments:

Lindsey said...

HA! Hilarious, great post.

Unknown said...

As you know, dancing is one of the three things I do that become parodies of themselves when I do them (bowling and skating being the other two) and yet it sounds so fun that I wish I had a mexican wedding to go to.

Jenn said...

wow! we passed by there (the texas girls' choir building) that night on camp bowie. we saw all of the trucks and hispanic/mexican men with their cowboy hats on! we wondered what was going on in there. so, did you dance the cumbia(sp) dance???!!!