A Colorful Spring Wedding at Instituto Allende in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

A palette of bright colors, amid cobblestone streets and beautiful architecture, infused Marian Chen (24 and a dental student) and Dillon McCarty’s (26 and a medical student) spring wedding in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, with vibrancy and old-world flair. The couple's first date was on Cinco de Mayo, and they felt the allure of Mexico’s rich cultural history and beautiful landscape. So Marian and Dillion knew that a south-of-the-border soiree was the way to go for their late-May nuptials. The three-day extravaganza kicked off with a welcome party at a private estate—complete with classic Mexican street foods and panama hats—and culminated with an unforgettable bash at Instituto Allende. The day of the wedding, Marian and Dillon gathered 200 of their closest friends and family members at Templo de la Inmaculada Concepcion for a traditional Catholic ceremony. Drawing inspiration from the church of Les Invalides in Paris, France, the Templo offered a breathtaking backdrop for the affair, with its gilded architectural details, originally brickwork and awe-inspiring chandeliers. To fit the locale, Marian and Dillon incorporated a traditional Mexican wedding custom into the proceedings, exchanging arras, or coins, as a symbol of the new home and life they will build together. After exchanging “I dos,” Marian and Dillion led their guests through the streets of San Miguel de Allende, in the fashion of a traditional callejoneada, to the Instituto Allende, where the rest of the evening’s festivities unfolded. From the vivid rose centerpieces to the canopy of silver lanterns and Mexican colonial architecture, the reception was a feast for the senses, especially sight. Guests enjoyed a four-course seated meal and dancing under the stars, followed by a midnight fireworks display that illuminated the sky with brilliant streaks of color. Local cigars and tequilas were abundant throughout the evening, and to keep the fiesta alive late into the wee hours, the newlyweds treated their families and friends to tacos al pastor. —Libby MacCarthy