Mexican weddings are a time of great celebration for the bride and groom and their families. During the wedding reception, a number of traditional Mexican dishes are served in order to make the day even more special.

Savory dishes made from chicken or beef are served to the guests at a Mexican wedding reception. The meat is often marinated for hours before it is cooked, and can be served with seasonings like cilantro or lime. The main course can be offered to the wedding guests using the buffet or family style method, but some Mexican couples choose to have waiters or waitresses serve the food.

In addition to the beef or chicken, warm tortillas are also served to wrap the meat in, although some Mexican families choose to make enchiladas as the feature dish. Rice that is enhanced with peppers, tomatoes and saffron is also a common side dish, and frijoles, or beans, are served along with the rice.

These desserts are commonly served at the wedding reception or as an edible wedding favor; the cookies are also sold in the United States, and are often given out during Christmas to share with friends and family. The cookies are not extremely sweet, but have a nutty flavor to them, due to the almonds or walnuts that are added to the dough.

There is more than one cake to choose from when Mexican couples select a cake for their reception. The tres leches cake is eaten at weddings, and is a rich white cake with three types of milk--whole milk, evaporated milk and condensed milk. Fruit toppings are often prepared for the tres leches cake as well. Reception guests can also enjoy Rosca, which represents the crowns of the three kings; the cake is shaped similar to a bundt cake and has a citrus flavor and almond topping.

Traditional Mexican wedding receptions are not complete without serving sangria. Sangria is a sweet, wine-based drink that also contains fruit juice, brandy and soda water. Some sangria mixtures also contain bits of fresh berries or citrus fruits. Guests usually enjoy sangria while listening to the mariachi band, a group of musicians that play Mexican ranch music during the reception.