My Mayan Wedding Ceremony

Thinking of what to do to surprise my guests and to make our wedding weekend unique and unforgettable, the idea of having a Mayan ceremony crossed my mind. However, I was having doubts since I had never experienced being in a Mayan ceremony before and I didn’t know what to expect. We were getting married in The Riviera Maya, during a very important year for the Mayan culture so we decided to go for it, although I never imagined the big surprise it would be for me and my husband…..it turned out to be the most incredible experience that we could have as a couple!!

You have to know that for the Mayans, it’s a sacred ritual that is done to connect the souls of the couple, and be in touch with our creator. All the elements are involved in a spiritual practice where their mind is ready to receive the positive energy for their future life together.

We arrived at the beautiful Le Reve Hotel & Spa at sunset time around 6 pm in September 2012, since I wanted the ceremony to be more spiritual than a party celebration, we invited only family members for a total of 30 guests (parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunties, and grandparents). I was wearing a casual dress and wasn't very worried about hair or makeup since I was saving the “vavavoom effect” for the wedding itself the following day.

Our guests were welcomed by the “saumadora” (a Mayan girl that was using incense and the sacred copal), and a card with a short explanation of what was about to happen so we could get everyone into the Mayan ceremony mood. We then walked down to the altar holding hands, “our first walk as a couple and with the intention of joining our lives together”. At the altar the shaman welcomed us with the copal and He honored the 4 natural elements.

The altar is where the spiritual part of the ceremony took place… it was represented by a circle on the sand that contained all the important elements of the ritual: flowers, cacao, corn, rice, beans, pumpkin seeds, rose petals, and obsidian stone. All of these elements contribute to be immersed in the atmosphere of spirituality and connection with nature and the 7 directions.

For the Mayans, the earth represents our mortal body, the water is our blood, the wind is our breath and the fire is our spirit that never ends. That’s why the principal element of the ceremony is the fire; which is used in the incense, the sacred copal and torches.

The ceremony was performed by a Mayan priest called “Shaman” in a Mayan language. However, he was doing the ceremony with another “Shaman” that was translating to everybody in Spanish step by step and explaining all of the meanings (it can be done in English too).

The ceremony began with a ceremonial blessing for the 7 universal directions. Everybody moved together with the Shaman in the same direction: east, west, north, and south. Also up; (for cosmic energy), down (for mother earth), and the center, the bottom of the couple’s hearts.

After this, the Shaman took the offerings of the altar for the couple to exchange their vows.

During the ceremony we could feel the magic of the moment. We were surrounded by all our beloved, in front of the sacred sea, with a sunset light slowly changing to a gorgeous full moon and every word we were listening to was reminding us of the love we had for each other and the blessing of being together at the right time, in the right place, accompanied by the murmur of the sea and seashells instruments. I had tears of joy and happiness as the shaman asked us to look into each other eyes and feel the love…that was a precious moment that I can´t put into words. At the end of the ceremony we walked to the water and offered the seeds to the sea, at that moment I couldn’t be happier and I realized that from that moment our lives began as a blessed couple.

It was a very intimate and magical ceremony, not a religion, not a protocol, it is something that you truly want to do as a couple; you want to be blessed in a more profound way. That’s why the ceremony guides you to being grateful for the universe, and for every living creature. During the ritual you realize that all these elements were combined in a certain way to help you find your beloved one…beautiful life circumstances!

After the ceremony all of our family told us how wonderful and special the ceremony was, they had never experienced something like that before and they were very grateful to be a part of it. Besides it was a surprise for them because we invited them for a family dinner and never mentioned that we would have a Mayan ceremony. We ended the night by having an amazing dinner at Le Reve Hotel & Spa gardens right in front of the sea, enjoying the full moon and love from everyone. A very special night getting ready for our wedding the next day…..

Arlenis not only chose Le Reve as her wedding venue but she is also the Wedding Coordinator at this resort. To learn more, visit the Le Reve Sponsor Page on BDW.