Music was an extremely important part of our wedding ceremony, and Mariachi Arcoiris set the stage for us on the most important day of our lives. I'd seen Mariachi Arcoiris on TV, and as soon as my husband and I got engaged, I knew I wanted to use them for our wedding. Having an all LGBTQ+ mariachi troupe was amazing, symbolically, but from listening to their music and seeing their performances on YouTube, we knew that they were immensely talented. Carlos Samaniego is their leader, and he's one of the first vendors I contacted - making it so easy from start to finish. We put down a very small deposit towards the final day, where we agreed to have their full 9-piece band play for our guests during the ceremony and cocktail hour. Over the coming months, we'd check in with Carlos on occasion, and he provided a list of the many songs that were part of their repertoire. For an additional fee, he told us that they could also learn / arrange any song that we had in mind. We listened to countless Mexican love songs, old-school songs that had a mariachi-vibe to them, and other classics and standards, and came up with a few very important ones for them to play at specific times during the day. After that, we left it up to them. The day of our wedding arrived, and the troupe settled in behind our ceremony site and serenaded our guests to "Cien Anos" by Pedro Infante as they trickled in. When it came time for us to walk down the aisle, they played another Pedro Infante classic "Que Bonita Amor", a beautiful start to our special day. Halfway through the ceremony, as we paused for our Lasso Ceremony, they played "Sabor a Mi" which was so beautiful and romantic. As the ceremony concluded and we walked back down the aisle, they played the fun and festive "La Fiesta del Mariachi" and then led our guests over to the cocktail reception. While we were busy taking photographs, they continued to play for our guests during cocktail hour. We missed most all of their performance after the ceremony, but so many people told us how much the loved the mariachi - how professional and talented they were. They took requests from our guests, and provided the perfect background music for not only our ceremony but also for the cocktail hour. Thank you, Carlos, and thank you to all the talented members of the Mariachi Arcoiris. You made our day unforgettable!
Photos by Mandee Johnson
Venue - The Lodge at Malibou Lake
Wedding Planning - Deanna Nash Events
Flowers - The Little Branch read more