We had a very memorable stay in Morelia, our four days there could have been a vacation unto itself. But the real reason for our trip to Mexico: Manny and Monica’s wedding in La Mesa. From Morelia it was about an hour-and-a-half to the bustling rural town of Acámbaro in southern Guanajuato. It was a picturesque drive through the mountainous highlands of central Mexico, some huge lakes flanked the highway with towering peaks overlooking the water. We checked into Hotel Mesón del Puente, prettied ourselves and got into the wedding mood as a few guests we recognized started to arrive for the main event.
The wedding was in the village of La Mesa, a small town at the base of Sierra de los Agustinos where Manny’s parents were both born and raised before making their way to Northern California. In true Valtenbergs style we were first to the church, a classic Catholic temple in the middle of the small town. Guests started to roll in, a few of whom we recognized and chatted with as we waited for the wedding party.
As the masses started to gather we heard music in the distance, peering down the street we saw Manny and Miguel walking through town flanked by a mariachi band in full traditional garb. Lisa and I both agreed afterwards it was like something out of a movie… The procession eventually made its way to the church, where Manny presented himself to the guests and the band entertained us all while we waited for the bridal party to arrive.
The bridal party and Monica arrived, quite moving to see her two children and mother escort her into the church. The church is quite small, it can hold maybe 60 people in a pinch, so with 300+ guests invited there was a little jostling for space as the ceremony got underway! Lisa and Lilia managed to score a spot in one of the pews, Max and I were outside with the bulk of the guests as the ceremony took place (which was actually a good thing because it was quite a long traditional Catholic ceremony with a baptism included, Max would have lost his shit cooped up inside for that long). A few tears here and there and, much to Max’s chagrin (who has a serious crush on Monica), the Morenos were wed! The last photo below is of Manny and Monica throwing money (instead of confetti) to the niños, a traditional Mexican custom, my kids were pretty pumped with this part of the ceremony!
The ceremony was back in Acámbaro, we saw the setup underway when we checked into the hotel but I don’t think any of us were quite prepared for a Mexican wedding: three bands (four including the mariachi septet), a huge stage with scaffolding, lasers, lighting, big screen, dance floor and 300+ guests. Not to mention there were two pigs and a cow slaughtered for the event, which made two pigs worth of carnitas and over 700 pounds (more than 350 kilograms) of birria. Mexicans know how to party.
The tequila was flowing into the early hours of the morning and the food was oh so ridiculously good. I could have eaten until I popped. Eventually the tequila bottles made their way from the bar to the tables so we didn’t have to get up for refills, and the dance moves radically improved as the night wore on. The fourth band of the evening – a 20 piece ensemble supporting Juan Carlos Ochoa – has us all full of energy: the whole family was out there boogieing down, Max and Lilia had a blast dancing and playing with all the other kids at the wedding (even though they couldn’t speak to each other!), Stacy was busting some crazy moves on the dance floor, so much fun! I’ve never been to a wedding I didn’t enjoy, but I think this will go down as a special one in our memories… Congratulations Manny y Monica!
Wow. What a fun shindig!