Argentinian Wedding

Are you planning to travel to Argentina to tie the knot there? It is a perfect wedding destination, complete with beaches, clubhouses, and residences. Beautiful sunsets, excellent waterfalls, and delicious cuisine make Argentina one of the most preferred places to wed.

However, there’s a raft of preparations and legal requirements that you have to know and observe. We have done all the homework for you. This is a guideline for a typical Argentinian wedding. It is complete with the traditions, observances, and culture of getting married in the South American country.

It is very important to take as much rest before your wedding as you can. This is because of all the action, dance, and activities that characterize weddings here. There is a delicate mixture of culture, modernity, syncretism and some really bizarre undertakings. Note that weddings in Argentina are observed more strictly than in the United States, United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe. Expect your Argentinian family, friends, and guests to really throw a serious party.

Legal Requirements as you Prepare for the Wedding

Before the wedding in the church, you will be required to take part in a Civil Registry ceremony at the province you want to get married. The ceremony is presided over by a registry official. The bride and groom must each bring a witness who is at least 18 years of age. You can bring several other members of your family to the ceremony.

You have to notify the civil registry of your intentions to wed in that province some 30-45 days in advance of your wedding date. Submit a copy of a divorce certificate or death certificate of a previous spouse if you were previously married.

Besides, the registry will require a blood test done on the bride and groom. Go to a hospital of your liking at least seven days before the date of your wedding. This legal requirement can cost you anything between $40 and $60 depending on the province. All church ministers will require you to present them with the official marriage certificate signed at the government registry.

Wedding Culture and Proceedings

Traditional Argentinian weddings feature a pre-marriage session called the Despedida De Soltero. This is their version of the American and English Bachelorette and Bachelor parties. These are organized by close friends of the bride and groom. People wear extremely sexy clothes and engage in drinking games.

The pre-wedding bash takes place a couple of days before the official church wedding. The couple is taken to public places such as parks or rented grounds. There is a strip dance where people get drunk and play loud music to signify their joy and anticipation of the wedding. People contribute money for catering while others bring their specially designed food from home.

Most weddings in Argentina take place in a Catholic church, as the country is very religious. A church faithful decorates it with ribbons and flowers a day prior to the wedding. The bride should choose a white flowing gown while the groom goes with a dark suit, white shirt, and necktie. Family and friends also choose similar outfits.

A Catholic priest presides over the wedding, which starts with a Holy Mass. At the tail end, the bride and groom exchange vows and wedding rings upon which the minister pronounces them married. The couple greets guests as choir songs blare from giant speakers. A few photos are taken just outside the church, with more reserved for the wedding reception.

Reception and Wedding Cuisine

Argentinians love beef. It is present in almost all of their dishes. The main courses at your wedding reception should have lots of grilled sirloin and fried beef. The country is a well-known breeder and exporter of high-quality meat products. Even so, the cost of catering at an Argentina wedding is somewhat lower than in the US and UK.

Similarly, great wine comes from Argentina, and lots of it will be expected at your wedding. Ensure lots of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc. Argentines love their breakfast. This is a light meal that features pastry, coffee, and toast. Ensure that this is available at the wedding reception.

Lunch is usually served at around 3.00 pm. It features a heavy barbeque cuisine. Some people love the entire calf or goat to be roasted and placed at a center table at the reception. All the while, wines of various varieties flows freely. It is then time for cutting the wedding cake. Argentines expect a remarkable cake, just as they anticipate a fabulous reception. It is the tradition here to serve alcoholic cakes and pastries.

Music, Entertainment and Dancing

Argentinians are perhaps the best when it comes to entertainment during wedding receptions. The procedure starts with a very somber moment where slideshows of the couple’s past lives are shown to the guests. After that, they get onto their feet, dancing to the first waltz of the night. They are then joined by close family members, friends, and colleagues.

Dancing can last the whole night where the party drinks beer while playing musical instruments. These are accompanied by live shows such as the famous Batucada, a Brazilian type of drum music. Folklore music and Arabian dances often feature heavily in these weddings.

As the groom dances, he passes a garter from the left leg of his newly acquired wife to the leg of one of her friends. Examples of popular Argentinian music played at weddings include the following.

• Al Compás del Corazón” by Miguel Caló
• “Scent of a Woman”
• “Por una cabeza” by Hugo Díaz.
• Esta Noche de Luna” by José García.
• “Poema” by Francisco Canaro.

Conclusion

Remember to book venues for your wedding in advance. Most establishments in Buenos Aires will accept international credit cards, so that is not a cause for alarm. You can also exchange your American dollars for Argentinian pesos. Each dollar exchanges for about five pesos.

Observe the culture and legal requirements while infusing a little English and American practices to make it special and surreal. You can easily learn the dance moves as more than one person will be willing and ready to teach you.