Inside a Bride's Las Vegas Taco Bell Cantina Wedding: 'We Were Just Envisioning a Fun, Memorable Day' (Exclusive)
"They give you a bouquet of their hot sauces, which was so cute!" Christina Ortiz tells PEOPLE
On Dec. 16, Christina Ortiz and her husband, Yazen, tied the knot during a short and sweet Las Vegas wedding ceremony. But, unlike a typical Vegas wedding, the couple said "I do" at Taco Bell.
Speaking with PEOPLE, Ortiz says the idea sparked after she came across photos online of the Taco Bell Cantina wedding. According to the fast food chain's website, the Catina flagship restaurant in Las Vegas offers a marriage package complete with swag, a reception area and a Taco Bell sauce packet bouquet. The price of the package is $777.
"We were originally going to have a more formal wedding in our hometown and put a nonrefundable deposit on a venue and everything. But after seeing how much everything was going to cost —catering, florals, open bar, etc. — we decided, 'Why not do the Taco Bell Wedding?' " Ortiz, 27, says.
"As a food blogger myself, and a couple of foodies who appreciate everything from fine dining to fast food, it just seemed like a no-brainer once we thought about it," she adds.
When Ortiz and her now-husband first told their friends they were getting married at a Taco Bell they were perplexed.
"Our families were supportive but they definitely thought it was unconventional and were definitely trying to sway us in a different direction but we knew this was 100% what we wanted," she says. "After the fact, all of the family members actually loved it and realized that for us as a couple it was definitely our perfect wedding."
"We were just envisioning a fun, memorable day with a lot of love," she continues. "We had some close family members show up and we livestreamed it for the family and friends who were unable to make it. And it ended up being the perfect small intimate wedding."
Looking back on her special day the Orlando, Florida local recalls how she walked down the aisle to her family humming the "Wedding March." Ortiz says the venue doesn't play music during the ceremony in order to not disrupt the diners downstairs.
"You only have access to the chapel for the ceremony and reception for only 30 minutes but you are welcome to stay as long as you’d like," she shares.
Ortiz adds that her dress was from a boutique shop called Leggenda Bridal in Miami. She says as soon as she tried on the dress, she knew it was the one. "I thought it was so beautiful and just felt like the style of it would also go so well with the Vegas vibe," she offers.
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At the altar the couple exchanged Taco Bell-themed vows filled with puns provided by the Catina, which also had an officiant on site. (Ortiz, meanwhile, says the couple — who met in college — will exchange their real vows during their honeymoon to Iceland in the Spring.)
Then, they enjoyed a party pack of tacos, cute the cake, and even had a Baja Blast toast, which she says was "just so fun." Ortiz adds, "They give you a bouquet of their hot sauces, which was so cute!"
"Unfortunately, you don’t get to keep it though as it’s supposed to be your something borrowed," she notes.
"The Taco Bell wedding package also comes with a Cinnabon Delights cake and it was delicious," she says of the dessert offerings. "It was packed with a cream cheese frosting that was a similar flavor to the filling inside the Cinnabon Delights and the cake itself was topped with a Cinnabon Delight border so it was almost like two desserts in one!"
With their wedding now behind them, Ortiz and her husband are ready to spend the rest of their lives together. "We are just so excited to continue to go on adventures together and just live life knowing that we have our person in our corner every step of the way," she says.
"Throughout our relationship, we always knew it would be the two of us forever," Ortiz continues, adding, "We’re truly the best of friends first and foremost and the commitment of marriage just further solidified our commitment to not only being with each other but growing together and going through the different phases of life together and it’s such a comfort to have that person to just do life with."
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