Sunday, April 20, 2008

Mexican Wedding

My friends Tom and Elba got married while I was in Puerto Vallarta and I was privileged enough to be invited to their wedding. It was a beautiful affair held at Le Kliff, a very nice restaurant perched on, hard to believe, a cliff.

Le Kliff


It is a bit out of town, close to Mismaloya, so you need to take a taxi. Luckily it is very easy to get a taxi from my place.

Taxis Always Available


Of course the easiest place to find them is right across from where I stay. They seem to like to cluster around the rock with a big "No Taxis" painted on it.

Local Taxi Stand


Back at Le Kliff they had set up the area where the ceremony was going to take place. I have to admit, if you are going to take the plunge, this place is a good place to plunge from.

Plungeable




Tom was all decked out in his finery and looked quite ready to take the plunge.

Tom, Looking Suave


Before the wedding started there was an open bar and delicious snacks. My favorite was the shrimp on a stick with a thin crunchy coating.

Appetizer Plate


Le Kliff is classy all the way. Even the banos was beautiful

Nicer Then Your Average Piss Trough


I kind of wonder what the women's room looked like.

After we were all seated Elba was escorted down the steps by her son, Chava.

Elba On Her Way Down


The ring bearer and flower girl waited patiently to play their role in the ceremony. They are two of Elba's grandchildren, Diana and Juanito

Waiting In The Wings


It was a lovely ceremony with both Mexican and American traditions. Tom is originally from Wisconsin but now lives in Mexico. Elba is from Puerto Vallarta. One of the parts involves the mixing of sand from the hometowns of both the bride and groom. This signifies that the two families are now united and, like the sand, can never be separated.

Saying The Vows


They certainly had a beautiful backdrop with the sun setting behind them.

Happily Married


As you can see, the sunset truly was magnificent.

A Beautiful Sunset For A Beautiful Ceremony


And, of course, there was the obligatory mariachi band playing in the background.

No Wedding Is Complete Without Them


After the ceremony there was a very nice dinner (I had one of the best steaks I have ever had) and dancing.

Aren't They Adorable?


Of course there was the traditional cutting of the cake and messy kiss afterwards.

Cutting The Cake


Messy Kiss


I sat with a bunch of nice people. The fellow, Rollie, is an architect and his wife, who is also Elba's niece, Dunny is a Computer Engineer. They both spoke very good English, which was good because I know about 10 words of Spanish and they mostly have to do with ordering beer and getting the check. Dunny just has a little boy who they named Giam (prounounced Yum)

Table Mates Rollie And Dunny


Not altogether unexpected, The Mysterious Chinese Woman managed to wrangle a wedding invitation as well. Either that or she just crashed the party.

Woo Woo!! I'm Here


One tradition that seems to be common between weddings in the United States and Mexico is the wedding singer. No wedding is complete without one and this one was pretty good. He is also a friend of the Bride and Groom.

Enrique The Wedding Singer


Of course with Elba you always know you are going to be entertained. No shrinking violet she. And it apparently runs in the family.

Elba And Her Daughter Marisol Singing


It was a very lovely ceremony and dinner and I wish Tom and Elba much happiness. I am already looking forward to seeing them all settled into their new casa (house) when I return to Puerto Vallarta next year.