Our wedding was small, only 40 people. It was at a quaint, charming victorian house built in 1890, a bed and breakfast in Benicia. We got married in the garden. Our reception was on the premisis. We didn't have to decorate much since the place was beautiful already. The ceremony was 30 minutes. We did a handfasting. Since Craig is Ulster Scots, we incorporated this tradition into the ceremony. My mother tied chords of the color of the Philippine flag and Craig's mom tied the colors of the McKay family tartan around our hands while my Maid of Honor recited this blessing:
“These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever.
These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future.
These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other.
These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and as in today, tears of joy.
These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children, the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.
These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.
And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.”
We didn't have a traditional reception. No first dance, speeches, cheezy music, or doing the conga. Although we did hire an acoustic guitarist playing classical music in the ceremony (I marched down the aisle to Pachelbel's Canon in D) ; brazilian music and flamenco music during the reception. We just hung out together with family and friends like it was Thanksgiving. Food was cooked by the chef in the small kitchen and served buffet style 2 types of salads, sauteed green beans, garlic mashed potatoes, poached salmon, and prime rib. It was lovely and delicious. The cake was simple and elegant. It was round two tier with scottish heather piping and fresh florals of all shades of purple, white, and green on top. The flavor was an Irish cream cake, a white cake with Bailey’s Irish Cream and Mint-Milk Chocolate Mousse filling. The cake was delicious, moist and not sickenly sweet. Everyone took an extra piece home with them.
At the closing of the reception, my aunt arranged a traditional hula dancer and her husband singing and accompanying on the ukele. They came all the way from Hawaii. The dance and song piece was about a man and woman in a long distance relationship. After a long time separated from each other by the sea, they were reunited again.
Craig and I were pleased how our wedding turned out with only 2 weeks of planning. This is exactly the way we wanted it. Lowkey and no fanfare. Our day was perfect and we were so happy to share this special day with our family and friends.
Showing posts with label Wedding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wedding. Show all posts
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
My Mother Has Lung Cancer
The reason for my lack of posts. Been debating since April to post about my mother's diagnosis. She has Stage IV lung cancer. At first I was shocked and devastated. We didn't see it coming, it was like being hit with a mac truck. She never smoked in her entire life. She took good care of herself. Ate healthy, went to the gym. It was hard to comprehend and I was constantly asking the question, "Why her?".
So basically, if you have lungs, you can get lung cancer. And I hate the barrage of questions that people ask one of them being, "Did she smoke?". As if she deserved what was coming to her.
I am trying to be hopeful but reading the statistics don't help. In April, the doctor said without treatment she has 6 months to live, with treatment 14 months. I quit my job, I dropped out of school to spend the remaining time with my mother and to help her fight for her life. In a panic, I moved up my wedding from July 2012 to May 2011. I planned my wedding in 2 weeks. And I didn't care about matching napkins, or centerpieces, even my dress! I just wanted my mom to be there. Weddings are supposed to be the happiest day of your life marrying your best friend, but I wasn't the blissful bride knowing that this may be my last major life event my mom will attend. It was a bittersweet day but I'm glad my mom was well enough to participate and the look on her face while I was walking down the aisle was priceless. I'm glad I was able to give this gift to her. But the day was emotionally confusing for me.
She was in the hospital last week. It scared us. And the question in the back of my mind, will she come home? Luckily, she pulled through and did come home. We learned that her chemo is working and there is no progression of her cancer, just stable, no change. On the downside, the chemo is damaging her organs.
This is the thing about cancer. You are filled with uncertainty and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Hope for the best, expect the worst.
Cancer sucks. It has terrorized my family. My carefree, innocent days are over. I get to witness my mom in pain and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. I never thought it was humanly possible to produce so many tears. My life has changed forever.
So basically, if you have lungs, you can get lung cancer. And I hate the barrage of questions that people ask one of them being, "Did she smoke?". As if she deserved what was coming to her.
I am trying to be hopeful but reading the statistics don't help. In April, the doctor said without treatment she has 6 months to live, with treatment 14 months. I quit my job, I dropped out of school to spend the remaining time with my mother and to help her fight for her life. In a panic, I moved up my wedding from July 2012 to May 2011. I planned my wedding in 2 weeks. And I didn't care about matching napkins, or centerpieces, even my dress! I just wanted my mom to be there. Weddings are supposed to be the happiest day of your life marrying your best friend, but I wasn't the blissful bride knowing that this may be my last major life event my mom will attend. It was a bittersweet day but I'm glad my mom was well enough to participate and the look on her face while I was walking down the aisle was priceless. I'm glad I was able to give this gift to her. But the day was emotionally confusing for me.
She was in the hospital last week. It scared us. And the question in the back of my mind, will she come home? Luckily, she pulled through and did come home. We learned that her chemo is working and there is no progression of her cancer, just stable, no change. On the downside, the chemo is damaging her organs.
This is the thing about cancer. You are filled with uncertainty and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Hope for the best, expect the worst.
Cancer sucks. It has terrorized my family. My carefree, innocent days are over. I get to witness my mom in pain and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. I never thought it was humanly possible to produce so many tears. My life has changed forever.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Wedding Video Message
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Can You Guess Our Wedding Theme?
«No Cheating!!!»
The tango!
From the leg work in the pics, it's the Argentine tango
Accordian (bandeneon) (a key instrument in the Argentine tango)
Red (color of passion and the tango is a passionate dance)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
A Wedding in Cuba
Craig's brother and his fiancee called down to the house last night. This is the first time that I've seen them since last year. I find it strange that they don't visit more often because they only live a few streets away. It seems they only come to the house if they want something. Also, the fiancee keeps her future mom-in-law at arm's length and doesn't give her the respect she deserves. This pisses me off about her because the mom is awesome. I don't know what her deal is.
They are in the midst of planning a wedding in Cuba which I cannot go to because I'm American. After more than 40 years, the US still has an embargo on Cuba which I think is unnecessary. For those of you not up on your American history, the reason why the US imposed the embargo was because the Castro government expropriated the properties of US citizens and corporations, because of Cuba's alignment with Russia during the Cold War, and the US's paranoia with Communism. It doesn't make any sense how the US granted China "the most favored nation" status while continuing to impose a trade embargo on Cuba. Both are communist countries. Maybe it's because we owe China billions of dollars and they're practically running our country.
Back in 2000, I went to Cuba to expand the research I did when I was living in West Africa. I couldn't take a direct flight from the US obviously so I had to sneak in through Mexico. I requested that my flight itinerary not show Cuba on any of my documents and my passport not to be stamped by Cuban immigration. They stamped a post-it note, stuck it on to my passport, and retrieved the stamp when it was time for me to leave Cuba. When I returned back into the US, instead of showing immigration my passport, I showed them my birth certificate. This was before 9/11 where you didn't need a passport to travel from Canada and Mexico. Now a passport is required. It was a piece of cake. If I had gotten caught? A $250,000 fine and up to 10 years in jail! I'm actually jealous that she's having her wedding there. Cuba is beautiful, the music is awesome, the family I lived with was uber awesome, and I'd love to go back and visit them someday. Maybe that someday will be soon? I hear President Obama has plans on extending an olive branch to Cuba in hopes to lift the embargo and loosening travel restrictions. We'll see if he can pull this one off.
I asked "what's-her-face" where her wedding was going to be and she said, "Santiago de Cuba".
I said, "That's way down south, I never got to explore that area. I hear it's beautiful. Is it?".
"I don't know. I've never been to Cuba", says what's-her-face, "Have you?".
"Yes, I have a few years back. I stayed in Havana with a family and did research in Matanzas."
"Where's Havana?", the-bride-to-be asks.
"Um...it's the capitol city of Cuba." (you know the country where you're going to get married?)
She gives me a blank stare and says, "Oh, I didn't know that".
Ok? You're going to have a destination wedding in a country you know nothing about and have never been to before. In addition, you're going to make everyone spend a shitload of money to attend your wedding. Furthermore, have strict orders not to have anyone stay in the same hotel as you, and not see anyone after the wedding. So she expects guests are just going to attend her wedding for a day and leave the country after that? Bridezilla anyone?
Craig shook his head in disbelief, "What a numpty! Obviously, she was absent the day they handed out intelligent cards!".
They are in the midst of planning a wedding in Cuba which I cannot go to because I'm American. After more than 40 years, the US still has an embargo on Cuba which I think is unnecessary. For those of you not up on your American history, the reason why the US imposed the embargo was because the Castro government expropriated the properties of US citizens and corporations, because of Cuba's alignment with Russia during the Cold War, and the US's paranoia with Communism. It doesn't make any sense how the US granted China "the most favored nation" status while continuing to impose a trade embargo on Cuba. Both are communist countries. Maybe it's because we owe China billions of dollars and they're practically running our country.
Back in 2000, I went to Cuba to expand the research I did when I was living in West Africa. I couldn't take a direct flight from the US obviously so I had to sneak in through Mexico. I requested that my flight itinerary not show Cuba on any of my documents and my passport not to be stamped by Cuban immigration. They stamped a post-it note, stuck it on to my passport, and retrieved the stamp when it was time for me to leave Cuba. When I returned back into the US, instead of showing immigration my passport, I showed them my birth certificate. This was before 9/11 where you didn't need a passport to travel from Canada and Mexico. Now a passport is required. It was a piece of cake. If I had gotten caught? A $250,000 fine and up to 10 years in jail! I'm actually jealous that she's having her wedding there. Cuba is beautiful, the music is awesome, the family I lived with was uber awesome, and I'd love to go back and visit them someday. Maybe that someday will be soon? I hear President Obama has plans on extending an olive branch to Cuba in hopes to lift the embargo and loosening travel restrictions. We'll see if he can pull this one off.
I asked "what's-her-face" where her wedding was going to be and she said, "Santiago de Cuba".
I said, "That's way down south, I never got to explore that area. I hear it's beautiful. Is it?".
"I don't know. I've never been to Cuba", says what's-her-face, "Have you?".
"Yes, I have a few years back. I stayed in Havana with a family and did research in Matanzas."
"Where's Havana?", the-bride-to-be asks.
"Um...it's the capitol city of Cuba." (you know the country where you're going to get married?)
She gives me a blank stare and says, "Oh, I didn't know that".
Ok? You're going to have a destination wedding in a country you know nothing about and have never been to before. In addition, you're going to make everyone spend a shitload of money to attend your wedding. Furthermore, have strict orders not to have anyone stay in the same hotel as you, and not see anyone after the wedding. So she expects guests are just going to attend her wedding for a day and leave the country after that? Bridezilla anyone?
Craig shook his head in disbelief, "What a numpty! Obviously, she was absent the day they handed out intelligent cards!".
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