Our Church Wedding in Puerto Vallarta

Walking in Puerto Vallarta

We walked past the old church, hand in hand, when I said almost as an afterthought, “Want to get married again?” And I pointed at the old church, which turned out to be Our Lady of Guadalupe in Downtown Puerto Vallarta. We had only been married for a week but, dizzy from the heat, it seemed like a great idea.

My wife, Morgana, said, “You bet!”

Our friend, Tammillee, who is a minister said, “I am ordained but not in Mexico.” I said, “Great! You’re presiding.” We angled to the cute church with the crown on top.

The three of us then marched into the church where a small handful of parishioners were scattered among the tall white pillars, glistening with gold accents, and rustic wooden pews.

As churches go, the vibe was peaceful and warm, which is what I have come to know in Mexico. Our Puerto Vallarta wedding would be no different.

Morgana and I took off our new wedding rings and stood facing each other. Tammillee cleared her throat and talked about love. Morgana and I took turns reciting our vows. My memory is not great but I told the truth. I will likely post my vows to Morgana on ITKB one of these days.

Tammillee then instructed us on the symbol and meanings of our rings. I placed Morgana’s ring back on her finger and she did the same for me. Tammillee looked at us both and said “By the power not vested in me in Mexico, you are still husband and wife. You may now kiss.”
As we left the church, without causing too much of a fuss, one of the women who sat in the front row, obviously a tourist, mouthed a single word as we walked by, “Congratulations.” The whole thing took ten minutes.

I suppose our impromptu Puerto Vallarta wedding is the culmination of commitment, the nebulous certainty that goes with picking someone you want to spend your life with. It is also the function of telling your partner you love them. There was no paperwork or legalities involved. It would not have meant more if there were papers and a rubber stamp of someone else’s approval. Our destination wedding in Mexico was an experience, not an expensive memorable gala, but a memorable time none-the-less.

Wow! I’m sure some of you are thinking, that does not sound romantic in the least, even though Morgana willcompletely disagree. All together our little wedding symbolizes all the parts of the relationship we want to have: spontaneity, commitment, humor, love, travel and friends.

I think one day I would like to do a more traditional Mexican wedding. For now, however, Morgana and I will travel to the Adriatic for a number of small impromptu weddings in Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and perhaps Slovenia, San Marino and Serbia, if we have time. We will try to include some of the local customs as we renew vows all over the planet. I am hoping you will join us as we travel, commit and offer hope about relationships – as well as finding and holding onto love.

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