Alex and Mar's wedding

Here in Mexico there are always (or almost always) 2 weddings. The second “religious” wedding is always dependent upon the first…the civil wedding. Because a pastor or a priest here does not have legal authority to actually, legally marry a couple, the first wedding is always done in front of a judge. The marriage certificate is signed by the bride and the groom and two witnesses. Then, later that same day, or later that month, or later that year, the religious “church” wedding happens. Usually.

In Alex and Mar’s case, they did the more important legal ceremony 18 years ago. But they never had a church wedding. Until this past Saturday. And I think they would agree that it was worth the wait. What a time we had!

The simple, yet beautiful ceremony took place in the church’s white pole tent, washed and decorated for the occasion. David Gómez directed the service, Martín preached the sermon and I did the vows. There were other elements to the service as well…4 praise songs, a testimony by Alex, their oldest 16 year old son, special music by Jim and Shari Cottrill, testimonies by Alex and Mar themselves, and a Powerpoint that I created with scanned pictures they gave me, and a bunch of digital pictures that I’ve taken of them over the last two years. There were symbols presented too…the “arras,” coins that represent financial stability and blessing. The “lazo,” literally a decorative rope in a figure 8, that represents unity and harmony in the marriage, a Bible (presented by Mayra) that is a Christian addition to the ceremony, symbolizing their guidance and dependency on God’s word. Finally the rings.

It was a very special time. Here are some pictures, courtesy of Crystal again.