By Marcia Chaiken

In Mexico City and the States of Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Quintana Roo, same sex couples planning a wedding simply need to follow the same procedures as heterosexual couples (see the article in this issue).

In other States an additional step is needed. In June 2015, the Supreme Court of Mexico declared that all restrictions confining legal marriage to heterosexual couples were in violation of the Mexican Constitution. However, the laws in the vast majority of States in Mexico have not changed and still prohibit same-sex marriage. Therefore, to receive a marriage license, same sex couples need to hire a lawyer to petition the court in the jurisdiction where they are planning to marry for an injunction against the civil registry. Once a judge issues this injunction, the license must be granted by the registry. As of January 2016, using this procedure, same-sex couples have married in almost all States in Mexico.

By Marcia Chaiken and Jan Chaiken

There really has never been a
 perfect wedding. Even the 
most traditional, carefully-
planned marriage ceremony 
is likely to have a hiccup.
 Indeed, the more little details the bride 
and groom care about, the more likely
 one is to go awry. Fifty-three years ago,
as the first notes of Mozart’s Eine
 Kleine Nachtmusik announced that we
 were about to walk down the aisle, our
 six-year old ring bearer disappeared
 with the cushion holding our rings.
 Our friends and family were treated to
a longer concert than expected as he
 was tracked down. “Well,” he explained “When you gotta go, you gotta go.” Yes, every wedding can have a hiccup, but some have a loud, explosive belch. Continue reading The Perfect Wedding (Hah!) →

By Leigh Morrow

The deep aching sound of the pink and white caracol traveled across the beach. Low pitched, and one long note, reminiscent of the sound of my uncle warming up his bagpipes on a cold Ontario winter day, signaled the start of the wedding, and the invitation for all things sacred, to join us. The conch blew three times, the first two short, the third, for weddings like this, long and sustained, symbolizing the union of a long life and a longer marriage. The Mayan Wedding Ceremony called K’aam Nikte’ is highly spiritual, filled with beauty and reverence to Mother Nature. Love for Mayan weddings is the result of their simplicity, originality and deep meaning. Smoke from the steaming copals, gourds carved from these highly resinous trees, remind me of wizards’ cauldrons in Harry Potter. Billows of aromatic amber began purifying the ceremony area for the couple, similar to North American natives, with juniper and sweet grass, smudging a newly acquired home. The perfume asks the Gods for understanding in this relationship. Drums begin beating, maracas pick up the tempo and a cabasa provides a kind of “beans in a shaker” noise. Continue reading Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue…. →

By Julie Etra

At first I questioned whether there was a difference between two foreigners marrying, versus a Mexican marrying a non-Mexican, and then a Mexican marrying a Mexican. Not that much difference except for some paperwork. Most of time, according to my local sources, foreigners are here for the reception (party), for the setting, and for the novelty. However, if you want to be legally married here there are a number of required steps, and they don’t involve finding the preferred religious institution, since legal marriages are performed by a civil judge; marriages by religious institutions or figures are not recognized. Via the Hague Convention, the United States has recognized marriages in Mexico since 1954. Continue reading Getting Married in Mexico →