Adina & Raúl’s Mexican-American Wedding at Tuscan Hall

Adina and Raúl got engaged at a family Christmas party at Adina’s uncle’s house. The family had been drinking wine, but Raúl went for the tequila. “When everyone was opening gifts, Raúl handed me a large gift bag that had a note inside,” Adina says. “As I was reading the note, he got down on one knee and pulled out a ring. I heard gasps from around the room before I realized what was happening. Afterwards, everyone was joking, saying they understood why he was drinking tequila – to calm his nerves!”

Since Adina hails from Union Grove, Wisconsin and Raúl from Suchilapan Veracruz, Mexico, the couple decided to have a Mexican-American wedding. “We had both bread and corn tortillas at dinner. Our DJ played a combination of English and Spanish music.” Both the ceremony and reception was held at Tuscan Hall Banquet Center.

The ceremony was in English, but Raúl and Adina wrote their own vows in Spanish. “Raúl cried pretty much during the whole ceremony,” Adina says. “One tear slipped out and there was no recovering. It was adorable.” Her favorite part of the ceremony was Raúl’s impromptu speech after their vows. “He turned to the audience and called one of his groomsmen to translate for him. He continued to explain to our family and friends (in Spanish with his groomsman translating) that even though there is a language barrier, he wanted them to know how much I mean to him.”

Then it was time to party! Raúl and Adina embraced a mix of American and Mexican wedding traditions. “We did the bouquet and garter toss, but also the dollar dance to the song “Mueveme el Pollo” in Spanish. We also danced “La Vibora de la Mar,” which is a traditional Mexican wedding dance where the bride and groom stand on chairs and their wedding party stands around them. The groom holds up the bride’s veil to create a bridge for the wedding guests to run under.”

Dinner was catered by Tuscan Hall, and there was an open bar with beer, wine, and call drinks — “with Modelo beer on tap, of course.” For dessert, in addition to a delicious cake from Aggie’s Bakery, there were churros and pineapple and strawberry tamales to “keep both cultures on the dessert table.” Adina’s grandmother also made candied nuts and butter mints, which were on each table during the reception.

Other personal touches include the party favors: homemade bags of granola. Adina made batches of chewy granola, hand-stamped “A&R Granola” on brown bags, tied each bag with twine, and sealed them with a custom sticker. “I also designed our wedding program using a Word document and downloading a few fun fonts from online,” she says.

When it was time to dance, everyone got out on the floor. “It was so nice to see some of my American family trying to learn how to dance to Spanish music,” Adina says. “It was a great mix of people, and everyone was very active and having a good time.” Raúl and Adina also had a photo booth during the reception, which added to the fun. “We really enjoyed looking through the book of the all the pictures after the wedding.” And Adina says that all night, she felt like a princess in her Miss Ruby’s bridal gown, with all the little kids asking to take a picture with her.

Through all the fun, there was also an emotional tinge to the wedding; Adina’s mother had passed away just two months before. “She was going to walk me down the aisle,” Adina says. “I’m an only child – grew up with just my mom. Our wedding planning really took a turn when my mom fell ill; her passing helped us reevaluate what we value in life. We had a memorial table set up in her honor.”

In the end, Adina believes: “It’s the spirit of the bride and groom that make a great party. We both danced the night away with our guests, smiling and laughing. We had people from both sides of the family tell us they had such a great time. Raúl and I spent the day living in the moment and enjoying our time together. We weren’t worrying about trying to host the perfect party – and in the end, we delivered just that.”
[table]
Invitations~Wedding Paper Divas
Rehearsal Dinner~Las Palmas Restaurant
Ceremony & Reception~Tuscan Hall Banquet Center
Cake Designer/Dessert~Aggie’s Bakery & Cake Shop & La Flor de Trigo Bakery (churros and dessert tamales)
Flowers~Clare’s Corner Floral
Music/Entertainment~Sonido Piojito
Transportation~First Student Charter Bus Rental
Photographer~Ari Rosenthal Photography (Art Montes)
Videographer~Orphonic Multimedia (Johnny Marszalkowski)
Dress~Mikaella
Bridal Salon~Miss Ruby a Bridal Boutique
Formalwear~Men’s Wearhouse
Rings~Kesslers
[/table]