March 26th,2016, we got married in a “backyard wedding” with about 65 guests…just family and friends that we consider family.. And we did it just like we wanted. …With tacos.
If celiac can sometimes be hard, it can make planning things really easy. Fernando and I occasionally spoke about some of the amazing weddings we had attended or heard of… Fireworks, doves released, arriving on boats.. Fernando always said he didn’t understand why you couldn’t just celebrate with friends, family and tacos. And tacos, my friends, are gluten free.
And so it started. Our favorite Mexican restaurant, located in south Miami, the MexZican restaurant and food truck, has a food truck and/or catering side. (http://www.themexzicangourmet.com) They are amazing! Once we were set on that, the rest just came into play.
At our ages (we are old.), we really focused on how do we want to celebrate us? Colorful, fun, music, lights, family LOVE … And that was it!
I tried to do it on my own… But arranging table rentals and dishwater etc seemed mission impossible on a working woman’s schedule. I found wedding and event planner extraordinaire Mercy Iglesias of LadyandLiv events, began ordering outdoor lighting from places like IKEA and lights.com, decided on purely paper flowers except one arrangement for the welcome dinner that I would also have at the wedding and my bouquet, which were made by ELENA, and went crazy on the website amols.com. Truly, a fun website… I ordered my girls flowers, all the decorations, sugar skull candies, all the table runners, the mustaches and sombrero for the photo booth… And then.. When the shipping costs were extravagant, I emailed them and they sent me a free shipping coupon!!! Holy money savers!!!
I ordered a whole bunch of tequila and decided to serve tequila shots in keepsake Talavera shot glasses at the door and create a signature margarita..a blood orange margarita made with blood orange juice, simple syrup, herradura tequila and vanilla extract.. Served on the rocks with a chili rim… Darn that’s good!!! Additionally, we ordered mini tequila bottles as party favors and decorated with stickers from Zazzle.
I found a DJ using the Thumbtack app (I do love thumbtack and have used it sooo many times) and the party was rocked by Rodolpho Pessoa – who not just played great music but incorporated videos as well as a “light monogram” that scrolled “Holly and Fernando” over the Coral Gables Waterway until the wee hours… One word. Amazed!
It’s really amazing how much fun a backyard wedding can be.. Your style. Your budget. Our favorite people, things, drinks, music and food…. Just how we wanted it. A party for us, by us, for our families and friends.
For photography, I chose a wonderful, artsy, talented photographer who really gets into the essence of the family in her work… Corinne Sheppo O’Connell.. She has taken our family photos before and I was super impressed by the way she was able to capture each child’s personality in the photo session… She starts talking to them about school, their dogs, their friends.. And next thing you know you have Real Images of your real kids. Not the fake family, the real one.. The one that you crave to remember at every age and stage… With that look in their eyes.. Wearing a tutu and cowboy boots…
Well.. Anyway.. I spent a bit of time on Pinterest, scoping out “how to’s” and ideas that appealed to me. I found the cutest bar area made from a potting table and redesigned that for the “kid’s bar” with aqua de Jamaica and Jarritos (que buenos son!)
I also found so many great ideas for table decor with fairy lights and glass jars from ikea mixed with various shapes and sizes … Some with sand and succulents.. Others with gel beads and flowers… The possibilities just endless and all of them inexpensive!
Now dessert…
My BFF just happens to be Misha of Mishas cupcake fame. We all know she’s got stellar talent, but she set up a dessert table to DIE FOR! A 3 tier wedding cake modeled after the Mexican hacienda theme (contained gluten, but Misha’s rocks the most amazing gluten free cakes and cupcakes!), gluten free Meringues, and cakes in the jar to go for each guest!
From welcome “shot” to dancing under the stars, to tacos set up in a buffet brought in hot from a food truck parked in my driveway, I have never had so much fun at a wedding and I’m so happy that it was mine! It turned out just how we wanted… Tacos (they were sooooo good!), tequila, family & friends. Now that’s a way to celebrate a new beginning.
Be well, have fun, be happy, live, love, gluten free.❤️
by 
