Traditional Mayan Wedding Ceremony in Beautiful San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Alejandra and Bradley decided they wanted to adventure somewhere that aligned with Alejandra’s Spanish heritage. Instead of a big, traditional wedding ceremony, this couple planned a Mayan wedding ceremony at San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Their intimate ceremony is the whole reason why we love elopements. Planning an intimate wedding ceremony allows you to enjoy the moment together, without worrying about a huge guest list. Get all the details from this wedding adventure and what you need to know when planning your own.

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What is a Mayan Wedding Ceremony?

Mayan traditions are filled with deep spiritual meaning that ties both the soul and nature together. A Mayan wedding ceremony must be officiated by a native priest, known as a Shaman. This ceremony includes different elements including musical instruments, songs, and sacred rituals.

“Alejandra and Bradley’s indigenous-inspired Mayan wedding ceremony was crafted like a sacred union ceremony combining elements symbolic of nature; earth, air, water, and fire. The rituals you see here are the common practices, passed down from indigenous ancient Mayan ancestors.” [Lauren, the photographer]

Some of the rituals Alejandra and Bradley did during their wedding ceremony included taking off their shoes to cleanse and purify the auto’s energy with “Palo Santo”. This couple’s ceremony was an inspired variation of the traditional Mayan wedding ceremony, also knowns as a sacred union ceremony.

Other rituals during this ceremony typically include:

• Sharing a sacred beverage called “balche”, which symbolizes feeding the soul.
• Exchanging yellow flowers to represent the sun and white flowers to symbolize the moon.
• Tying their hands and feet together to represent the beginning of their union

Explore what other rituals you can include during your elopement ceremony.

The Beauty of a Sacred Mayan Ceremony During Your Elopement

Mayan wedding ceremonies, just like elopements, don’t need to work around a timeline. This is why this type of ceremony is so perfect for intimate weddings and elopements, where couples don’t need to worry about their guests during their ceremony.

The whole purpose of this type of ceremony, and any wedding ceremony, should be about taking the moment in together and enjoying the connection to each other and nature. Alejandra and Bradley’s ceremony was about an hour long.

“Mayan wedding ceremonies are enchanting and a true honor to experience. Their purpose is to not only unite partners physically in marriage but spiritually uniting their souls. This is done through a shared experience and connection to Nature. With rituals symbolically presented as blessings from the four elements of nature (earth, water, fire, air).

To begin the ceremony, a shaman leader usually purifies the aura and space and asks the elements (north, south, east, west) permission before beginning to perform the sacred rituals upon the rose-petaled altar (roses represent love).Various music is usually played throughout the ceremony.” [Lauren, the photographer]

Memorable Moments During This Elopement

The most memorable moment has to be how detailed and personal their ceremony was during their wedding day. As you look through the photos of this ceremony, you can easily see why. There’s so much detail and beauty to appreciate during this special moment.

“During traditional Mayan wedding ceremonies, badges of prosperity are given for good fortune, often honey, so that the sweetness of love never goes away. Ximena had Alejandra & Bradley dap a few spots between the eyes, forehead, lips & chest and then kiss the area they placed the honey. The ties around their ankles and wrists represent the bondage of marriage and working together to support each other, always.” [Lauren, the photographer]

San Miguel de Allende is a gorgeous city on the central hillside of Mexico. Besides their romantic ceremony spot, these two explored the town after their wedding ceremony to enjoy the Spanish architecture, rich culture, food, and entertainment.

Celebration After Ceremony

After their I do’s, these two explored the streets of San Miguel. They enjoyed grilled Mexican street corn (elote), before dancing the night away together. If you go to Mexico, then eating elote is a must! This Mexican dish is sweet corn with lime juice, creama, queso fresca, and chili powder (YUM)!

“Walking the streets of San Miguel is like walking into a novel that you’ve been envisioning for years and dreaming of experiencing. Rich & historic architecture is at every turn, the smell of fresh Spanish cuisine is in the air, the streets and blocks are all cobblestones, lined with multi-level rooftop stucco balconies, all colonially designed around the city’s main plaza, El Jardin.

Musicians line the streets to play a variety of different instruments, puppet masters carrying human-size puppets parade the street, cafe patios and rooftop lounges look out toward the rolling hillsides. It’s truly a world of another time & the perfect destination for a romantic and adventurous getaway.” [Lauren, the photographer]

Are you ready to plan the elopement of your dreams? Explore our top places to elope to get more inspiration.

Vendors

Photography | Whiskeysage Photography (Lauren)

Sacred Ceremony Artists | Ximena & Chris Rubey

Location for Ceremony | Casa Christina Tinajitas #4 San Miguel de allende

Photos From This Mayan Wedding Ceremony in Mexico