(Photography by Apollo Fotografie)

Wedding Inspiration: A Mexican-Meets-Jewish Bash in San Rafael

Oct 19, 2018

From smashing the glass to smashing a piñata, this couple did it all for their Jewish-meets-Mexican celebration a the Peacock Gap Golf Club in San Rafael.

But long before they tied the knot, Dianna Caracoza gave Josh Jacobs a fake phone number. Then there was Facebook stalking, and a cross-country pen-pal affair—she was in California, he lived in Florida at the time. Finally at Disney World, Jacobs asked Caracoza to be his girlfriend and said he'd move to California. He later proposed at Chichen-Itzá in Mexico.

"He said he wanted to do it somewhere special and somewhere that was a reflection of my culture and heritage," she says. He gave her an engagement ring that was custom-made through a family member; engraved on it were the words that had been printed on their Disney World tickets: "Let the memories begin."

In planning the big day, Caracoza knew she wanted a rustic vibe melded with the customs of their Mexican and Jewish cultures to honor both sides of the family. A priest and a rabbi co-officiated the ceremony, and the programs printed onto fans held explanations of each tradition. They had a small non-religious reading by her brother, drank wine out of the kiddish cup, had a lasso uniting them, the men wore yamakas, signed a ketubah, passed their rings around to be blessed, and he broke the glass. There's nothing these two didn't include! At the end of the ceremony, she walked down the aisle to an instrumental version of Elvis's "Can't Help Falling in Love."

Caracoza had her gown and veil custom made by one of her bridesmaids, a wedding dress designer. "I had a big princess puffy dress for my quinceañera and wanted to go for a more couture look this time." The bridesmaids picked their own dresses, adding a pop of lavender to an otherwise snowy palette.

A combination of short and tall centerpieces embellished the tables, and the rest involved a bit of DIY. Caracoza and her mother bought all the flower stands and wooden boxes and painted them before taking them to her florist. The two also cut the table runners themselves.

In line with their color palette, they served a signature lavender Champagne when guests arrived. And then they partied: This fete included a photo booth, lawn games, and a piñata!