In Mexican culture it is customary to go to the house of the bride and offer a basket of goodies to the family of the bride. If the family accepts, then they are giving their blessing for the marriage. Usually included in the basket are fruits, sweet bread, candy, liquor, etc. In the basket Carlos gave to his suegros, or in-laws, was bread that he made and bread that he got from the panaderia, chocolate, of course (he is a smart boy), tea, a cookbook about traditional Mexican cuisine, and jams.
Some of the pressure was off because Bri and Carlos had already told Bob and Barb that they were getting married a few weeks earlier at Xochitl restaurant in Philadelphia, where Bri and Carlos also had their first date. Barb was still happy to get the basket. Bob was also happy the next morning (we got in late). Xotchitl means "flower" in Nahuatl, the indigenous language of the Aztecs. This is one of the three languages Carlos speaks fluently.
