Music

I originally wanted mariachis for music, but when we heard this group perform, we both immediately hoped they would be able to play for the wedding. We saw them at a place called la Nueva Babel, one of our favorite Oaxaca nightspots. Despite the poor quality and low resolution (we took it on our digital camera) you might be able to see that the woman on the far right is holding a cow jaw, which she is using as a percussion instrument.

The group is called "Raices." They play traditional folk music from the Oaxaca and Veracruz regions of southern Mexico. We still have to email and see if they'll be available/interested, but they're located in Oaxaca, so we're hoping for the best.

They also have a myspace page here where you can see pictures, listen to tracks from their CD, and download some of their music.

Rehearsal Dinner

Everyone attending the wedding will be close friends and family, and almost everyone will be from out of town, so we plan to include all our guests in the rehearsal dinner festivities the night before the wedding.

Our friend Emiliana, who has two cafes in the historic center, recently held her wedding at the newer of the two, Cafe Orgasmico. She offered it up to us, and and it seemed like the perfect place for our rehearsal party. It is a combined cafe and art gallery in one of the nicest areas in the city just off the main walking street and around the corner from the Santo Domingo church. It has a beautiful open courtyard, a big kitchen, and a rooftop terrace. Most likely, we will have a casual buffet of traditional Oaxacan specialties, beer, mezcal, and tequila for those who want it, and live music.

A few pictures of the space:

Reception Site

We're very pleased about the potential rehearsal and receptions sites we've located. We found them both after our return from the beach, when it was beginning to feel like nothing was getting done. Then, as often happens, all at once, all sorts of options starting falling into our laps.

Los Pilares, the hotel/restaurant where we hope to hold the reception, is located in the neighborhood where we lived. One of the oldest neighborhoods in Oaxaca, it is home to charming narrow cobbled streets, a number of restaurants and hotels, and a beautiful little church. The hotel has just 15 beautiful rooms, a rooftop patio with a restaurant and small pool, and a nice ground floor patio with a cafe/bar. In addition, the hotel has good modern amenities like wireless internet, 24 hour medical support, and secure storage. Kids under 10 are free.

We took far too many pictures, but here they are:

The ground floor patio and cafe/bar area

The rooftop restaurant, patio, and pool area
The rooms

Welcome!

We're headed down to Oaxaca on a wedding planning mission, and we hope to have a wedding date by the time we get back! We will begin posting information about the city, travel, accommodations, and wedding events soon after that. In the meantime, renew your passport, mark January 2009 on your calendar, and brush up on your Spanish: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/!