Wedding Blog
I’m Hispanic. My family tree began in Mexico and my grandparents moved into the US before any of their children were born. Because I grew up in a border town — about 40 miles from Juarez, Mexico — I’d always been surrounded by my culture and taken it for granted.
Then I moved away. Suddenly, my friends were amazed at my different-ness (I know it’s not a word 
), wanting to know how to make salsa, what my family eats at holidays, and how to speak Spanish.
Because our families have never met, and because Mr. Cheese’s family seems to have the same fascination for my different-ness, I’d like to showcase it at our wedding. At the same time, I’d like to stay away from cliches. Nobody in my family has ever worn a sombrero other than to be silly, and we don’t wear brightly colored, swirly dresses. On the other hand, we do like to drink margaritas.
Here are some of my ideas:
In the words of Spanish writer, Jose Marti:
In Spanish:
“El amor
nace
con el placer de contemplarse,
se alimenta
con la necesidad de verse,
y concluye
con la imposibilidad
de separarse”.
In English:
“Love is born
with the pleasure of looking at each other,
it is fed
with the necessity
of seeing each other,
it is concluded with the impossibility
of ever being apart.”
Did you use language or food to share your culture with your new in-laws? Like me, did you shy away from things you felt were cliched?
As promised, my salsa and guacamole recipes:
Salsa
To a can of diced tomatoes, add one half of a small onion (diced), one clove of garlic (chopped) or about a teaspoon of garlic powder, one small jalapeno (chopped) — more or less depending on your taste — and salt to taste. Mix well. Serve with tostadas. I also sometimes add a squeeze of lime.
Guacamole
The order of what you do is important in making this an easy recipe. Four avocados makes enough for a large bowl of guacamole. First, cut each avocado in half, twist to release the pit, and spoon the remaining meat into a bowl. Add a teaspoon of salt, one clove of garlic (chopped) or about a teaspoon of garlic powder and the juice of half of a lime, then smoosh with a fork until the avocado is the consistency of lumpy mashed potatoes. Add one half of a small onion (diced), one small jalapeno (chopped), and one half of a small tomato (diced). Mix well. Add more salt to taste and black pepper if you like it. Serve with tostadas.
Note that the lime juice keeps the guacamole from turning brown as it sits, so don’t omit. Virtually every other ingredient is optional, but I rarely leave any of them out.
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Share this post: Sharing My Hispanic Culture
Thank you for the recipes!
Mariachi bands are so fun at weddings…what about during cocktail hour?
We are planning a full on fiesta for our rehearsal dinner complete with mariachis, tons of bright colors, and FLAN!! I admit its a bit cliched, but they are all things we love about San Antonio and want to share with our guests.
MY. Lem will love the guac recipe (unforch I am alergic :()
Guacamole! Salsa! Mariachi! I’m so excited right now - and kinda hungry I must say hehehe! I think Mariachi will be a great entertainment during your reception, and that poem it’s so beautiful! Creo que tu boda será magnífica! Felicidades! 
A Mariachi band? Me too! My fiance is Hispanic and we’re also incorporating a mariachi band. We still deciding on whether we want them only for the church ceremony, the first few hours of the reception or both even. It’s just a matter of $$. Happy hunting on the band!
How exciting!!! We’re having a mariachi band play during our reception/eating time. So nice to know that you lived close by the border. We’re from El Paso, Texas; right across from J-Town (Juarez)
Salsa, guacamole, and mariachi bands are always crowd pleasers! Mmmm… guacamole…
Love the reading! You should do it in Spanish, then English. At my cousin’s wedding, the bestman read a poem from his native country first in the original Arabic and then in English. It was very touching.
Guacamole! Salsa! Mariachi! I’m so excited right now - and kinda hungry I must say hehehe! I think Mariachi will be a great entertainment during your reception, and that poem it’s so beautiful! I believe your gonna have an awesome wedding! Congratulations! PS I let a comment before, but some words were in Spanish so ‘my comment it’s awaiting moderation’. Anyway, I just translated it in order to let you know my excitement! 
Wepa to ethnic pride!
I’m puerto rican and that’s the home of the pina colada. Its no secret that they’re fattening and filling as heck, so we’re having Malibu Rum with pineapple juice for the bar area. Our cake has a pina colada layer and entrees are going to be garnished by 2 strips of tostones (fried green plantains). All in homage to mi patria.
thanks for the recipes miss cheese! can’t wait to see what you you decide!
I’m Hispanic too and even further removed (geographically) from my culture, since I live in Canada.
To incorporate my culture into our wedding we’ll likely get married in San Miguel de Allende. BUT in the case we end up getting married in Canada we will still likely do certain things………..
1) I plan to have my cousin read the Dario’s poem “Margarita.” She used to read it (well actually she had it memorized) all the time when I was little and I LOVE it!!! It may even inspire my favours.
2) I will wear a mantilla veil
3) I will play Hispanic music at the reception
Best of luck! :o)
So is a piñata too cliche? Kiddding. I looove the idea of a salsa and love the mariachi band even more. I definitly think you should do both!
I was going to say what about a mantilla? Go ahead, do all of it!
I LOVE this quote! Thank you so much for sharing. I’ve been looking for a quote and never even thought of doing one in Spanish and English.
I am Mexican. I applaud you wanting to celebrate your family background, but cringe at the word “hispanic”. Why not just say Mexican? It’s not a dirty word.
VIVA MEXICO!
My husband is mexican-american and I am chinese-american so we also had a lot of “fascination” around our cultures/wedding. It was really important for us to honor both of our heritages. Being that I’m not catholic we didn’t do the church but instead had our wedding on the lawn at the Four Season Hotle. We also incorported a mariachi band, margarita machine, I wore a traditional chong-som and we did the money dance wee into the night. My new family really knows how to party!
These are great ways to incorporate your Mexican culture! We are having mariachis during the cocktail hour (playing the requisite Las Mananitas), a Mexican-Puerto Rican influenced menu, the lasso ceremony with my Nina (Godmother) as the one who puts the lasso around us and biscochos (Mexican wedding cookies) in little baggies attached to the seating cards.
We definitely thought long and hard about having the mass in Spanish, but decided that most of our audience would not understand, so we opted to have it in English; however, my dad will welcome guests and say the prayer in Spanish at the reception.
I know “buelita” will love that beautiful blessing you picked out.
We are doing a tradition in many Italian weddings. The women in the family make cookies as an additional dessert to the cake.
We are turning it into a cookie bar and providing bags to take them home with and maybe recipies too. We will have some traditional Italian Cookies, including the “wedding Cookie” (an anise cookie that is scrumptious) and we may add other cookies that reflect our heritage. Shortbreads for both of our Scottish ancestry, a Swedish cookie called a Mandelhorn, a french cookie perhaps Madeleines in honor of my great grandmother and maybe springerle for my German heritage. We will need some Polish cookies too - possibly Chrusciki/angel Wings! (Wow we are such mutts!) We will also have some very american favorites like chocolate chip!
My cousin had mariachis during her cocktail hour and they were AWESOME!
Thanks for the recipes!! I love that you will have recipe cards at the buffet, what a nice touch! And the Mariachi band will be amazing.
@AC: It’s semantics, but for a reason. Sometimes people think that I’m from Mexico (the country) rather than Mexican (the heritage). Because I grew up in NEW Mexico, I’ve learned that if I say “Mexican,” I’m assumed to be non-American. Rather than fielding all of the subsequent questions, I use “Hispanic.” Not sure why that makes you cringe, but I will say that people have all sorts of emotions about any word I use, so I use the one that seems to make the most sense for me.
@Eddie601: Wow! Your plans sound wonderful! I was thinking last night, wouldn’t it be cool to serve Chocolate Abuelita? I was very sad when I realized that there was no longer any reason for a Spanish service since we no longer have any Spanish-only speakers in our family.
Everyone — I like the cocktail hour idea. Mr. Cheese thought it might be cheesy, but what does he know? Mariachi music tends to make me tear up.
This sounds like so much fun!! I’m going to have to make your guac ASAP. And I’m from El Paso, too!
Mexican girl here too!, I think most of our wedding will have our heritage all over. Our mass will be in spanish, music in spanish and mostly everything else. However, we will not have a Maricachi… I love it, but i can do with out it. Can’t wait to see more of your wedding Ms. Cheese.
OMG!!!!!!!!!
I’m from a border town as well–but on the other side of the border–TJ, Mexico, and I’m doing basically exactly the same thing you’re doing! Of course, I didn’t want my wedding to look like a Mexican restaurant–sombreros and chiles everywhere–but I am having salsa and guacamole. . . ceviche as well!!! (and tamales, and carnitas.) And I love your quote–it is so beautiful I might borrow it.
Karen #12 - I also LOVE the poem Margarita–my grandma actually used to read it to me–i just teared up a little reading it again :*o( I might have her read it at during the ceremony–but I’m afraid nobody else would get it ;o)
Are you from Las Cruces?
@Priscilla C: Yes, I am!
@Sakarina: Tamales! I didn’t even think of that! I bet we can make extra at Christmas (or buy them) and freeze them until May. What a brilliant idea!
[...] Sakarina, in response to my post about highlighting my culture at our wedding, mentioned adding tamales to the menu… brilliant! My family makes tamales every Christmas so this is an extra special tradition for us. Thanks! [...]
Sakarina (#27) - I say go ahead and have the poem read either way! I know there are some translations online………..but really the most important thing is that it means something to you!!!
It’s your day! :o)
[...] Sakarina, in response to my post about highlighting my culture at our wedding, mentioned adding tamales to the menu… brilliant! My family makes tamales every Christmas so this is an extra special tradition for us. Thanks! [...]
Y volver volver volver! Sorry for the cheesiness (wokka wokka as you’d say). I like the idea of a Mariachi band sort of opening the reception and playing music during the first hour or so (while everyone eats!). I think you’ll do things in classy moderation when it comes to incorporating our culture. It makes me sad that abuelita, grandma, and grandpa won’t be there to do what they do, but you’ll figure it out. Love the ideas all these random people are giving you.
Wow!!! I’m from El Paso! Nice to have a Bee from so close to home
Hey Miss Cheese! I know I’m late to this party, but not only am I from NEW Mexico, too (went to college in Cruces and I live in Albuquerque), but I’m incorporating all of the things above in my wedding.
We’re having a New Mexican buffet at the reception (salsa, guacamole, enchiladas, queso, tamales, you’ve got it!), but my dad is also surprising us with mariachis! (My mom kinda let the cat out of the bag that it was a surprise). What I think we’re going to do is have the mariachis lead us into our reception by playing La Marcha and then they’ll introduce us and we’ll get everyone out of their seats to do the march right then…then we’ll have dinner after that!
I need to check out your other posts now and see how you’re incorporating your heritage - I love it!
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Mrs. Cheese, Knoxville
Age and Occupation: 29, Engineering Manager
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, CAD Designer
Engagement Date: July 31, 2008
Wedding Date: May, 2009
Blogging Since: October 16, 2008
Venue: Our home and the two acres it sits on
About Me: I’m an emotional girl who loves sentimental things, parenthetical asides, and trying to do things herself. I can cook, sew, am a whiz at planning, terrible at delegating, and totally in love with my fiancé (who will be my second husband but first love of the rest of my life). For our home/ garden/ DIY wedding, we’ll be moonlighting as interior designers, home improvers, and gardeners with the help of our fabulous friends and neighbors. We can’t wait to be married, and are learning how fun getting married can be.
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