Big Fat Puerto Rican Wedding- The Aftermath! [Archive]

Amanda&Hugo

08-01-2006, 02:50 PM

Hi everyone!! :)

My name is Amanda and two weeks ago I got married!!!!! I would love to share the wedding story, pictures, and experience with everyone who's interested. If you were ever on UW, you may have seen my "Big Fat Puerto Rican Wedding" journal there- if not, here is the result of the year of anguish and planning!

My husband (oooh!! how cool to say this!!) is Hugo, and of course I am going to say he's the most fantastic person I've ever met and the most drop dead gorgeous man I've ever seen and all that... though I know this is just my opinion but to be fair, I hope that everyone on here feels the same way about the wonderful person you are going to spend your life with. :D

We dated for over 4 years before finally getting married, although I was ready to marry him by the second month of our relationship!! He actually asked me to marry him the first Christmas we were together, but we didn't make any formal plans until last summer. This past year was my last year in grad school so we talked about having the wedding this summer after graduation. Last August he proposed with personalized M&Ms and my grandmother's vintage engagement ring that she wore over 50 years. With grad school to get through, and with the way wedding dates book up fast in our area, wedding plans were already underway!!

I got my dress last August (gosh, I can't believe it's been almost a year ago now!!) at a little salon in our area. It's called Alfred Sung Pure- I was NOT going to get a strapless dress, and I didn't even like this one on the rack, but once I put it on... forget it. My mom bought it and the cathedral veil, which has pearls and crystals down the edges.

You'll see some others full-length of me but for now here's a bridal portrait:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/aphardie/portrait-1.jpg

countrygirl

08-01-2006, 03:04 PM

WhiskeyGirl

08-01-2006, 03:07 PM

I can't wait to see more of your photos!! :D

Amanda&Hugo

08-01-2006, 03:09 PM

About Us

Hugo and I met in college- he was in his last class before graduation actually, and I was taking a summer class I had heard was an easy "A." The class was "Jazz Appreciation". Something neither of us was that into nor would we ever take again :bblol: . I was actually seeing 3 guys (casually) at that time! Still I was hoping there would be a hottie in the class, which I doubted since our school historically was a womens' college... but, what do you know, there was ONE hot guy in the class- and it was my now husband!!!!! I wasn't shy and neither was he but it took a week for me to get up the nerve to even talk to him! Finally it was the day before our first test and we sort of caught up with each other as we were leaving class. I will never forget him holding the door for me as we walked out. I said something like, "Are you ready for the test?" and the next instant he was asking me out to breakfast! So I went out to breakfast with the hot guy, flirted heavily and found out he was single- and it has literally been all downhill from there!! We have literally been inseperable since!!

Here's our engagement photo, taken last August:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/aphardie/engagementphoto.jpg

We didn't really technically move in together but have always spent a lot of time at one person's apartment or another. Then last September for his birthday we closed on a townhome at a local golf course. When we met, Hugo was an assistant pro at another of the major golf courses in our area. He gave up that career path for a government job, which is what he really went to school for, but living on the golf course is his happy medium. ;) Here is one of our famous "Arm-length" pictures from our backyard on the 12th fairway!
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/aphardie/scan0009.jpg

Amanda&Hugo

08-01-2006, 03:10 PM

Thank you Shawna and Heather!! :) :D

Amanda&Hugo

08-01-2006, 03:23 PM

More about us...

First, a little about my wonderful Tuddlebunny (oops, am I allowed to say Tuddlebunny on here?! :bbredface: ) If you are wondering about the Big Fat PR concept, well it's because Hugo (if the name didn't tip you off) is Puerto Rican, and well, has a big fat family!! (Not literally fat, of course!) I also have a big family, and together we all have a lot of friends who all wanted to come and be part of the wedding. We knew from the beginning we would have to have an all-or-nothing wedding... either go to Vegas or have a guest list over 300! So, me being the only girl, and my mom being a wedding director for others, and then Hugo being the youngest and last in his family to marry... you guessed it- we did not get to go to Vegas!

There are 2 members of our family that did not get invited to the wedding though... unfortunately the Catholic Church does not allow beagles in the ceremony. :( Our 2 furry kids Duke and Salli had to stay at the pet resort for the weekend b/c everyone who normally watches them was coming to the wedding!! We missed them a whole lot on our big day!! We missed them on our honeymoon too! Sniff- oh well, we are home with them now and they are as spoiled as ever!

Here they are in the "dog room"-
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/aphardie/2bloopsbed.jpg

Before you say, oh how horrible, these people worship their dogs, may I say these two little pups are both rescues from two local shelters and they are very special to us. Hugo had been wanting a dog since he had a poodle growing up and we had been dog shopping for a while when right in time for Hugo's birthday 2 years ago we were at the shelter and saw Duke. Then after Duke had several playdates with other doggies we could tell he would really love to have another one, and we would too! So we got Salli in another county where I was interning, after a wrong turn (and fate I guess!) took me past the shelter and I went in on the chance they might have a young female beagle. I knew it was her when I saw her! We brought her home last Thanksgiving and it's been crazy and wonderful ever since!

Amanda&Hugo

08-01-2006, 03:49 PM

And now... The Wedding!

Before I start I have to apologize that there may be some backtracking with things, since I just got back from the honeymoon and don't have all the pictures organized and scanned in! I will start with some of the wedding day, and I'll have to fill in the rehearsal and the "Bridesmaids' Brunch and Morning of Beauty" later. And the honeymoon- we actually had 2! The Outer Banks and Disney World... I will get to those later though!

Let me start with some great pics of our church where we got married, Our Lady of Grace. We have been going there for 4 years (our whole relationship really), and Hugo's a member and I am a convert and soon-to-be member this year. Hugo also plays on the OLG men's softball team, which has already had one season this year and is starting another. I'd say we are fairly active in the church. Anyway, the wedding pics!! These were taken by my friend Kathleen who was gracious enough to share them online!

http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2030/3/58/5/47/40/5/540470558305_0_ALB.jpg

Above the main entrance:
http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2030/3/58/5/68/31/2/231680558305_0_ALB.jpg

Front door (where I came in!):
http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2030/3/58/5/68/61/4/461680558305_0_ALB.jpg

The side chapel entrance (where late guests were sent, lol):
http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2030/3/58/5/47/60/7/760470558305_0_ALB.jpg

Amanda&Hugo

08-01-2006, 03:58 PM

Wedding Stationery stuff...

I don't have the pic right now but I had two girls handing out the programs at the door, who are both 14 now but I used to babysit both of them ages ago! The programs turned out gorgeous and I wish I had a better pic- I got them with the bows tied and everything from www.custom-programs.com (http://www.custom-programs.com), who also did the "magic wands" for the kids that you will see later. I was so happy with these programs- it was really hard fitting all the info on them, and we had to go with a booklet but they were able to custom tie these to look like our invitations! That is a picture of the church on the front, if you can't really tell.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/aphardie/program.jpg

Here were the invitations- it was a pain tying the 200 ribbons let me tell you! I was glad the programs were already tied!! They are from Rexcraft. This is the picture from the website, but ours had a white ribbon and the initial "A" in black script:

http://www.rexcraft.com/pics/EasiestWeddingPics/Rexcraft/A0774lr.jpg

AngelinLove

08-01-2006, 04:00 PM

Everything looks beautiful and don't worry we have alot of furbaby loving people around here!!!!

Amanda&Hugo

08-01-2006, 04:13 PM

The Wedding Processional!

The wedding was at 2:00 PM. During the prelude we had organ music and three vocalists singing at different times as well as just instrumental organ. We had "Panis Angelicus," "How Beautiful," and a duet called "Together" sung at that time.

Just to give you a visual of the aisle and all before guests came, here's how the church looks empty on a regular day... I still have to get one of the wedding day with the pew bows and altar flowers, sorry!
http://www.olgchurch.org/rotate/olg_interior6.jpg

Then as the mothers were seated our friend Diana sang "Ave Maria"... it was so touching and beautiful!! Though Hugo's dad lightened the mood considerably by doing the "Pope wave" as he escorted Hugo's mom down during this song! I don't have a pic of that right now but I will add one when I get it. A lot of people told us after the wedding it was so funny and everyone got a good chuckle.

Now here is the bridal party in procession! My favorite color is rose pink so of course I had to pick these pink satin dresses!! (bridesmaid's classic nightmare, right!) First, here is Abby, my jr. bridesmaid, whose family I was a nanny for during 3 years in high school. I remember her as a 3-year-old- now she is 12!! Escorting her is Hugo's friend Gryder, a groomsman.
http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2030/3/58/5/68/91/4/491680558305_0_ALB.jpg

Abby was so happy- she never had even been to a wedding much less been in one! Seeing her getting all dressed up and doing this was one of the most fun parts of the day!!

WhiskeyGirl

08-01-2006, 04:17 PM

Uh oh! SOme of your pictures aren't coming through. are you using photobucket?

AngelinLove

08-01-2006, 04:22 PM

I can see all of the pics!!!

Amanda&Hugo

08-01-2006, 04:26 PM

Processional Continued!!

Next came my old roommate Ottilia, who is from Zimbabwe and married her husband in Zimbabwe 3 years ago and he just now arrived here last November! Talk about a long distance relationship!! I always told her he would be here for my wedding though- I won that bet!! She's escorted by Hugo's golf buddy Tom, who is this close to being a pro on TV with Tiger Woods (not kidding!!). Oh, and I didn't mention, the music they walked down the aisle to was "Canon in D" on the organ.

http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2030/3/58/5/68/2/4/402680558305_0_ALB.jpg

Next was my friend Liz from the college dorm. We stayed in the "nerd dorm", where there was literally a Star Trek fan club with a room dedicated to that purpose and it was 23 hours quiet and no alcohol (ha! not in Liz's room!). She kept an inflatable pool in her room so we could lay it out in the lawn... those were the days!! With her is Hugo's long long longtime roommate Carl. They had been together so long I almost felt bad not to give him the guest room at our new house (almost!). He is so great, and I am waiting for him to marry his girlfriend who I love but neither of them is into commitment... sigh. Anyway, here are Liz and Carl!

http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2030/3/58/5/99/19/8/819990558305_0_ALB.jpg

WhiskeyGirl

08-01-2006, 04:30 PM

I can see all of the pics!!!

Hmmm I wonder why I can only see a few but not all of them! .....

Amanda&Hugo

08-01-2006, 04:37 PM

The Processional Ends...

Here is my Maid of Honor. I didn't want a huge wedding party, so just kept it to these really meaningful people. The Best Man, Chops, Hugo's longtime college friend, is with Hugo at the altar. He will have a pic later, I think!

The MOH was Dao. We didn't meet til our senior year of college but she is just the sweetest person on the face of the earth. We took all the classes we could together so we could do projects together and skip class for lunch or shopping. After college she went into real estate for a while, didn't like it, then went for esthetician license, and loves it, but now she works A LOT. I mean we rarely even see each other anymore. But hopefully we will be able to find some times now that I'm out of school and more settled in... anyway, here she is. You can't see but her bouquet had Swarovski crystals in it.

http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2030/3/58/5/99/29/7/729990558305_0_ALB.jpg

Ohh, by the way, the jewelry (necklaces and earrings) on all the bridesmaids were made by Liz!

Last came Hannah, the flower girl. Since our church is so big and has so many services every day (up to 3 weddings!!) there are a lot of restrictions- one is no rose petals due to the cleanup factor. So we had to figure out something else for the flower girl, and what she did was hand a rose to each of our moms at the end of the aisle. The two white ones were the ones she handed, the other ones were wired in so they wouldn't fall out. I loved our creative florist!! Oh, her sash was made from the bridesmaids' dress material too, so it would match! You see it better in other pics though.

http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2030/3/58/5/99/49/5/549990558305_0_ALB.jpg

Amanda&Hugo

08-01-2006, 04:39 PM

Uh oh, someone can't see the pics?? :( Which ones appear and which ones don't?? Please let me know, and I will see if I can do anything to fix it. Yes, I'm using Photobucket for some and Kodak gallery for others. And websites. I am all over the place... told you this would be disorganized!!

Thanks for stopping in though!! :D

Amanda&Hugo

08-01-2006, 04:44 PM

:bbeek: Aaahhh!! I've got to get off this thing!! Hugo will be home shortly and I haven't even showered or done much of anything that I was supposed to!! This is the beauty of being in school social work though... 2 months off of work!!

I guess I will finalize for today with the pics of me coming down the aisle. Why not! Then when I get off I am going to use one of our wedding gifts, probably my favorite one... a big big ice cream maker! YAY!! I told D & S we would have vanilla ice cream today so I have to get started!

WhiskeyGirl

08-01-2006, 04:45 PM

I cannot see pictures in posts # 7, bottom photo in #10, #13, #15.

I wonder why that is....

Amanda&Hugo

08-01-2006, 04:58 PM

Before and After!

Okay, here I am coming in... this moment was not at all how I thought it would be. I thought it would be so emotional and everything- well, probably owing to the fact that both Hugo and I were SICK that weekend (yeah! the luck huh!!) and I got less than 3 hours of sleep the night before and was high on DayQuil (I will go back and tell the story, believe me!), it was like, "Huh? Is this really it?" I knew it was really it though, so I had to go ahead and try to be as alert as I could b/c I kept reading that other brides said to be in the moment because it will pass you by.

The main thing I was paying attention to at first was the music. For walking down the aisle, I had my friend Meghan sing "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring " (if you haven't heard it, it's beautiful!!). Well at the rehearsal the mic upstairs wasn't working and I couldn't hear her sing it on the practice walk! And I wanted that music sung dangit! Once I heard her sing I could breathe. Then I had to get my dad going slow enough so she could finish out the song by the time we got to the altar... THEN I looked up and saw all the people around me and I swear it was like heaven. I really felt like I had died and this was heaven (maybe it was the DayQuil, lol!) I saw EVERYONE and their mother. I remember seeing dad's cousins I never see, my old supervisor, Liz's old roommate, and a baby girl from my mom's church waving at me. THEN I looked forward and saw this beautiful man in a tuxedo, awash in light like an angel stood over him... it was Hugo. I didn't cry, just watched him like I could never take my eyes off him. Finally we got up there and I was scared my dad was going to cry like he did at the rehearsal- I mean he bawled and would not let me go! He didn't though- but I did have to pry my arm away from him!

Here's when we came in:
http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2030/3/58/5/99/69/1/169990558305_0_ALB.jpg

http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2030/3/58/5/99/69/6/669990558305_0_ALB.jpg

Now, the "After" of "Before and After", since I don't have all my pics yet and I can show you how I looked right after we were married!!
http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2030/3/58/5/99/79/4/479990558305_0_ALB.jpg
Heehee, I'm pretty happy!

Amanda&Hugo

08-01-2006, 05:01 PM

I am so sorry! I hope you can see the last ones!

I don't know what to do... those are the ones on Kodak Gallery. I have never used that before, so I don't know what to do. I could eventually scan my hard copies of those and upload them to Photobucket, I guess?

Probably by the time I do that though I might have the other better ones! None of these are the pro ones- just ones a friend took for now. Hopefully I will have more soon!!

MOB Karen

08-01-2006, 10:54 PM

Welcome to Onewed!!! :D I wish I could have seen more of your pics. :(

mariaandmanish

08-01-2006, 11:12 PM

Welcome to OneWed and Congratulations on your wedding! Your pictures are absolutely beautiful! You look so incredibly happy! I can't wait to see more!

WhiskeyGirl

08-02-2006, 01:13 PM

Welcome to Onewed!!! :D I wish I could have seen more of your pics. :(

Yeah...I only saw the first page and that was it! :(

Amanda&Hugo

08-02-2006, 09:11 PM

I am so sorry ladies. :bbcry: It must be something with Kodak Gallery. I will get some other ones on here through Photobucket as soon as I can, I promise!
Thanks for stopping by though!!

Deidre98

08-02-2006, 11:50 PM

Amanda, I am so glad you are on here! I was so bummed when UW went down and thougt I would never get to see how the wedding turned out. It's great to see you!

rbloom

08-03-2006, 04:15 PM

I just found you thanks to Deidre and came right over to find you! I was so heartbroken when the site went down and I had no way to contact you!! Going to read the story now and cry I am sure! :D

rbloom

08-03-2006, 04:20 PM

I can not see the pictures here at work either :bbcry: I will check at home and see otherwise I will wait for the pro pictrures. I will be sure to come back to see you! Reading the story was great though and can not wait to see some pics!

Amanda&Hugo

08-04-2006, 09:45 AM

Deidre and Rebecca!!! Wow!! I am so glad to see you!! :D I thought everyone was lost forever from UW!! I'm glad you are here!!!!!

Everyone else, I am so glad you are here too and I'm really happy that you stopped in. I apologize again about the pics that didn't show up, but I have good news- I got the proof book yesterday. Actually, proof bookS! There were so many pics we had to get two. I am actually a little annoyed with all these pics- they seem to be coming from everywhere, and I have tons of them and I always said I didn't want to be one of those brides who has 5 wedding albums :rolleyes:- well, dangit, I have become one and not even meant to!!

But that is good for you all b/c now I will scan some in and use Photobucket. Please let me know if any don't show up... and bear with me b/c this is a long process! It will take a while probably for me to get everything up for you but I'll start now. Thanks again for reading my wedding story!!! :D

Amanda&Hugo

08-04-2006, 10:01 AM

Amanda & Hugo's Rehearsal Day!

So, I will start by telling you about the day before the wedding... actually, I'll back up for a minute to the day before. The day before (the 13th) was stressful b/c H's parents were coming in and H and his dad were going to play golf and I was too busy to entertain his mom during that time. I felt bad about that, but what could I do about it? In fact I had arranged to go have a massage, which I really needed b/c I felt a sinus infection coming on not to mention the stress. I hoped that arranging a dinner for both our parents that night would be entertainment enough from my end.

The dinner was a bit stressful b/c in the 4 years we have been together, our parents have only met once which was at my grandfather's funeral and not the best circumstances. So we were both worried about how it would go with my introverted dad, frantic mom, and Hugo's loud quasi-alcoholic parents. We were so happily surprised when the dinner went perfectly!!!! :D We ate at Ciao Pizza, our local Italian place. The only thing was, Hugo looked like he was wilting the whole night, and he barely spoke, which is a rare occurrence for him (my little motormouth- he never meets a stranger). It was an omen of things to come!

But everything else went so well that before we knew it it was getting late and we had to get home and sleep for Friday, the rehearsal! The one thing I regret here is I wanted to watch "Father of the Bride" with my dad. I know it sounds silly but I thought he would like that movie- he hasn't seen it. We ran out of time... oh well.

The next day Mom and I went to get nails done, then I had to pick up my bridesmaid and she went to get the dress and check into the hotel. Also, she dropped the gifts off at the rehearsal dinner b/c we didn't want the ones that had chocolate to melt during the rehearsal. Here is a pic of the bridesmaid gifts... personalized tote bags, with dark chocolate truffles and beaded sandals inside.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/aphardie/BMgifts.jpg

The groomsmen got Zippo lighters, and the flower girl got something really cute... I'll post it coming up! Also the moms got an embroidered bag and the dads got tie clips, the ushers got funny t-shirts and our niece (who wasn't doing anything but we thought she would like something to open) got a wedding storybook. Oh, the readers got Yankee candles. We didn't want those to melt either.

Amanda&Hugo

08-04-2006, 10:19 AM

The Rehearsal

Well, once my mom and I split up on the rehearsal day, I went to pick up Liz from the college where she was in a photo shoot for a dance book. It was weird seeing her back on the campus again- whoa- it made me feel like college was a lifetime ago! We went to our old favorite restaurant El Carreton for booze and food. I was starting to feel really cruddy by then. I was coughing and sneezing and blowing my nose- in the middle of July, I couldn't believe it!- and when I got my food I didn't even want it. Liz made me eat most of it though. I wanted to slam back the chardonnay and then maybe another one but I figured that wouldn't be a great idea before going into the church :rolleyes:, so I refrained. We had just enough time to go to Liz's old workplace, a bead studio, to get different backs for the earrings she made the bridesmaids, before having to get over to the hotel and get ready.

I was shocked when we got to the hotel to go down to Hugo's parents' suite and see ALL his relatives from out of town, out of state and Puerto Rico crammed in there getting ready for the rehearsal dinner!!! I actually started crying when I saw everyone!! I was so happy they came, even his aunt Lourdes who had RSVPd "no" had come! I was a big mess, and then I had to hustle to get ready! The clock said 3:45 and we had to leave at the church around 4:20! We ended up being late, but then it "really" didn't start until 5:00- we had just said 4:45 for the stragglers, which ended up being me!

The best best part of our wedding though, as weird as it sounds, was this rehearsal. By the time I got there, probably 5 til 5 PM, everyone was already there and waiting for us. It was the weirdest most perfect feeling, seeing all of these super important people sitting there just for us in our beautiful beautiful church. I will never forget that.

Amanda&Hugo

08-04-2006, 10:27 AM

Here we are...

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/aphardie/rehearse.jpg

We had never met this priest before, since he is brand new to the church b/c the priest we had been working with was sent back to school the week before our wedding! I can't help it but he reminds me kinda of that guy from "Seinfeld". LOL. You can see in the other pics too.

Another thing I will never forget is once we walked down the aisle the first time for practice, the organ music was going and everything, and someone said to my dad, "Hand Hugo her arm and this is where you can kiss her goodbye." WHOA- he started bawling!!!!!! He had seemed fine the whole time we were walking and bam! He went to kiss me and just fell to pieces crying!! I couldn't believe it- I didn't know what to do! I think I hugged him and said, "Don't do this tomorrow!" :bbredface: It was so sweet though. He didn't do it on the real day (thankfully) but the videographer got the rehearsal on tape!!

Amanda&Hugo

08-04-2006, 10:35 AM

That is the only pic I have of the rehearsal itself right now, but I will probably have others later. There were 2 other things I wanted to share about the rehearsal... one was the drama. We had the church-provided wedding director, who was the director from you-know-where evidently. I didn't personally witness much of the drama with her but I heard all about it from everyone else!! The first thing that went awry was at the rehearsal when two or three people watching said the BM and GM looked way off kilter. Part of it is our church is set up for musicians and altar servers on one side and deacons on the other, so the seating is different on each side, but the mom of the jr. BM in particular I guess wanted her child to be seen and wanted things to be reworked.

Well, at this point I was getting so sick I was losing my voice! I tried to call up to the director that we needed to rework the places so everyone could be seen. She didn't want to do it, you could tell, but she begrudgingly took time after dismissing everyone to try to get them in some sort of better order. (And she better have b/c we had to pay her $200!!) Fortunately, it did help and I think it did make a difference in seeing everyone!!

The one other memorable thing, which was wonderful, was after we got down the aisle after practicing, Hugo said, "You look HOT!!" and kissed me! That was the best!!

countrygirl

08-04-2006, 10:37 AM

The one other memorable thing, which was wonderful, was after we got down the aisle after practicing, Hugo said, "You look HOT!!" and kissed me! That was the best!!

That is so cool. You two are adorable, and I am totally happy for you!!!!

Amanda&Hugo

08-04-2006, 10:49 AM

The Rehearsal Dinner!!

Right after the rehearsal we all headed down the road to a catering facility where we were having the dinner. It is very pretty- looks like a greenhouse sort of on the outside with lots of glass. I so did not expect what we saw when we got there though- a LINE to get in the door! It was a mob- all the people from the rehearsal, which I didn't think was all that many, maybe around 30 people, but then all of those family members from the hotel and out of town guests. My word- from then on I felt like I would've been happy with that as the reception!

Here's a picture of the side of the room- there were 3 rows of tables like this, I guess 3 rows of 3 times 8 per table. That's like 70 people! That is enough for a wedding right there! I really would've been happy with this.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/aphardie/scan0002.jpg

Here is a good pic of just me and my brother there:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/aphardie/CTamanda.jpg

Amanda&Hugo

08-04-2006, 11:13 AM

The Food!

Thank you Heather, for stopping by and for your compliments!! :D

Obviously there was food at our rehearsal dinner- though honestly I have to think about what it was to be able to tell you, since I didn't eat any of it!!

The menu was something like barbecue pork, grilled chicken breast, grilled vegetables, and sides like potato salad (which I don't eat) and some kind of beans of different types. And salad, rolls, etc. It LOOKED good. But once I sat down to eat it I had a taste of the BBQ, which I couldn't even taste at that point with my nose so clogged and throat burning, I wasn't even hungry. And the flower girl kept coming over to hug me. So I said I was full and offered the rest to the groomsmen! Then I had to track down the waitress to show her which person was the MOH b/c it was her birthday that day and I had arranged for them to bring out a slice of cheesecake to her. She mentioned that she might have to leave early to celebrate with her family (and it was 8:00 PM by then, and with our hair appt. the next day at 9 AM, I didn't blame her for needing to go), but I had to hustle to make sure we got to do it before she had to leave.

Here she is with her cheesecake- left to right it's BM Ottilia, the waitress, MOH Dao and BM Liz.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/aphardie/daobday.jpg

Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and then "Feliz en tu Dia"! Then I brought her out a gift. Dao was so surprised! She started crying!!

Amanda&Hugo

08-04-2006, 11:25 AM

Presentation of Gifts

At that point dessert was served to everyone by the staff, which was a wonderful triple chocolate layer cake (which I also got one forkful of!!) and it seemed like the natural time to give out the rest of the gifts. We started with the readers and worked up to the bridal party. We said something about everyone as we handed them out.

Here's the Jr. BM Abby opening her gift. She loved it!! She tried to share the truffles with Hugo and me. We made her keep them for herself! Hers also had a makeup kit in it, rather than the sandals.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/aphardie/abbygift.jpg

I had been telling Hannah (FG) all night that I might have a surprise for her. She thought the surprise was the chocolate cake and forgot about it I guess! When I got to her gift I looked around the room and said, "Is there anyone here who might be expecting a surprise??" and I pulled out the HUGE box. It was like a giant coat box and I had it all wrapped in pink heart paper with a big fluffy pink bow. She was so happy when she opened it!!

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/aphardie/scan0003.jpg

Amanda&Hugo

08-04-2006, 11:36 AM

It was a doll I kind of made over this past year... it is a lot like the My Twinn doll (but without the $$ price lol!!). I bought a satin flower girl dress from a doll clothes maker on Ebay, then got ribbon at Michael's to go with Hannah's real life sash and hairbow, plus the tights and shoes. Finding the actual doll was the pain b/c I went to many different toy and craft stores and megastores and online before I could find the right one!! It is very hard to find a white doll w/ brown hair (they are all blond! grr!!), and even harder to find one with blue eyes too. I finally found this one at a new Target. It was the only one too!! I grabbed it! Duke and Salli wanted it soooo bad... they kept seeing it and barking at it. I had to take it away and put it at my mom's til the wedding, lol.

Also the dress was a toss-up b/c we had a lot of drama over Hannah's dress and she didn't get it until the last minute- luckily the doll dress and real dress matched pretty well, down to the beading at the top and bottom!! Here is the final result that I am going to get framed for her!!

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/aphardie/Hannahdoll.jpg

Amanda&Hugo

08-04-2006, 11:52 AM

Last one for today!!

I hope these pictures have shown up and I really hope that you all like them. I am a little longwinded with my stories, sorry! I hope it will be entertaining/inspiring/something for all of you brides-to-be out there!

I have two more pictures to post. The first is us with our parents- we were so happy they got along! We had been picturing a bloody "Meet the Fockers/Big Fat Greek Wedding" meeting all along, and it came out so much better than we even hoped! I don't think they will be the best of friends from now on or anything, but they have a good acquaintance now and hopefully there will be no blood feuds when we have kids or anything!

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/aphardie/families.jpg

Last here is my after party... this is the wedding suite and I told my brother to take this pic of me and Liz "cuddling"- really I was so sick I didn't know what to do. Liz and I rode with Hugo's parents back to the hotel and I was coughing all the way and felt like I was going to throw up. We stopped at CVS- while his parents got more mixers (for the gallons of rum they brought!!) I had to get NyQuil, decaf tea and cough drops. Ughhhh... Liz made me gargle with salt water when I got back. My voice was almost gone from shouting out those gifts at the RD, and my head was pounding and I just felt sick- like flu sick like I could crawl into bed for 24 hours! You can see how good I look here! (That's me in the strawberry pants and mushy socks... yuck.)

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f10/aphardie/lizamanda.jpg

When I get another chance I will continue with pics of the wedding and honeymoon!! :) Thanks for coming by!

Deidre98

08-04-2006, 08:35 PM

It looks like it was an adventure so far!!! I am sorry you were sick. That wasn't nice of the wedding gods! I love the FG with her doll. That was sweet of you!!

Amanda&Hugo

08-07-2006, 02:37 PM

Hi Deidre!! Yes, you are right- it was awful being sick that day. All that planning then wham, we both get sick. Just our luck. We still got through the day but there is a major difference between getting through it and being able to savor and enjoy the experience!!! I just wish I could've experienced the little things- tasting the food, smelling the flowers and perfume, having a voice to sing the Alleluia, etc. Little things you take for granted until you can't do them!! :bbcry: At least this weekend I will get the DVD and I will be able to watch it and kind of relive it without the medicine buzz and sleep deprivation. :bbconfused: C'est la vie I guess!

I had to come on here and update- for those of you who knew me on UW, you know I had the most horrible experience ever with Belk bridal registry! :censored: Belk!! Well, I wanted to let you know what has come of it. I just finished a 4 1/2 page letter to Tim Belk, chairman of Belk stores. I am putting it in the mail today- just need to figure out how many stamps it'll need, lol! The latest with Belk is we got another gift in the mail last week that was a duplicate, and we went to exchange it, and also to ask about the "free chip and dip plate" we were supposed to get for registering there- it's not like we need the freaking plate, but it's just the principle! Anyway, the item we took back was a $25 Calphalon pan, and they only gave us $16 credit for us! Then turned around and charged us the full price on another pan! :censored: You can be sure that made it into the letter along with everything else- the discontinuation of our stuff (and failure to let us know), the failure to get our china in stock before our showers, the refusal to let us have promotions, the rude customer service every time, the loss of my whole registry file, etc. etc. I will be sure to let you know what comes of this letter if anything!!

They should give us a big fat gift card for all we have been through, don't you think???

Deidre98

08-07-2006, 08:39 PM

I am so glad we don't have Belk's out here. I hope you get some sort of compensation out of this and if you don't, never go there again and deter everyone you know. Well, I would do that no matter what, but that is just me!

Amanda&Hugo

08-17-2006, 03:40 PM

I am back!

I have been gone forever, it seems like. I've been so busy changing my name at my job, the banks, etc. and I am not even done with all of that. Also I have been putting up gifts, writing thank you notes and just unwinding a bit before I have to go back to work- Monday!

I can't believe it but it's been a month since the wedding and already life seems totally different. The wedding seems so far away now, and almost insignificant compared to what is ahead! You won't believe it but Hugo has started talking about having a baby!!! :o This is unbelievable considering I have been the one wanting a baby all along, and just the past week, out of nowhere, he has really gotten into talking about it.

Also, we were planning to get his new car this fall, and we test-drove one Saturday!! What an experience!! The car he wants is not your average car- it is something from a street-racing magazine. It's a Mitsubishi Evo VIII- a rare car to begin with, but there are very specific things he wants, and it will probably take a road trip out of state and possibly cross-country to get it! Here's a picture:
http://www.evolutionm.net/registry/garage/11714/images/lg_blue_evo_3-l.jpg

Of course it's not exactly what you'd call practical, but it is his dream car and I know how happy it will make him, so I don't want him to settle for anything else. Up until this point he's only had secondhand cars that he really didn't like (currently he has his dad's 1989 Blazer with peeling paint and 210,000 miles!!), so he definitely deserves to finally have a nice car.

The one we test drove was the wrong color and didn't have the features he wanted although it was essentially the same car- but it's so rare this is the only one that's been in the area this year. And let me tell you, the test drive was an experience!! We are still high from it almost a week later! This is a super fast car- I don't know how to explain the horsepower and all that (Hugo does, he could rattle it all off in his sleep!), but I will tell you it accelerates from nothing to FAST in about two seconds. If it had been the right color it would have been sold before we could get out of it. You should have seen the look on his face while he was driving it. It was priceless. So I really can't wait until we can find the right one and go get it!

The only thing is, my car has started to have problems (a 1997 Mercury that has been in good shape) and he's worried about me driving it- I have to drive a fair amount for my job, and he doesn't, so he is starting to think I need to replace mine first. We are having it checked out, and if the cost of repairs is as much as the trade-in value, we may just want to trade it in. Then he has been talking about getting a loan for two cars and us both getting one at once. But we still have a couple of small things to pay off this fall, and I would rather wait until we are all clear to get even one car, much less two.

So things are changing rapidly and it seems like so much to rush into right after getting married... new cars, and have to find a lady dr. for me asap, although with all the car purchasing going on I really don't think this year would be the best time for a baby. All these weighty discussions... this is why I haven't been on OneWed for a while!!

Amanda&Hugo

08-17-2006, 04:33 PM

Baby and other things...

Another significant thing I didn't mention was that I was trying to decide whether or not to keep my part-time job as a habilitation technician, and I finally decided not to and wrote the resignation letter and called them today. I hate to lose one client in particular, whose parents came to my wedding, but I also hate for the company to keep me on payroll just for her because I cannot do most of the other hours they have been asking me to. So, with mixed feelings, I'm quitting and moving on. At least they will stop calling me to ask me to work when I can't!

The most bewildering thing though is the sudden talk about a baby!!!!!! :o Can you believe that?! Now I know a lot of couples plan on honeymoon babies, but we were NOT one of them. Because of this special car we're planning to get, plus our plans to go and enjoy ourselves in Europe next summer (partaking of good wines, Amsterdam delicacies, etc. that would not be good for baby :bbredface: ), we have a good excuse to wait til next fall. Plus, EVERYONE is telling us "You should wait a few years, You need time to yourselves, etc. etc." And Hugo always said he didn't want one any time soon.

Well, it's not that I don't appreciate what others are saying and all, it's that as crazy as this sounds, I have been seriously wanting a baby since I was 19. I've always wanted children, but at 19 (I know that's early) my maternal urges kicked into high gear!! Then I met Hugo at 20 and now I'm 24- so we HAVE had time together, just not "married," but 4 years of lots of fun and a lot of sharing expenses before this. So considering how long I have been wanting a baby, now that we're officially married with a house and good jobs, I definitely do.

cowboysbride

08-17-2006, 04:47 PM

Baby and other things...
The most bewildering thing though is the sudden talk about a baby!!!!!! :o Can you believe that?! ------------ So considering how long I have been wanting a baby, now that we're officially married with a house and good jobs, I definitely do.

Eric and I got married on 7/29 and we are trying! I went to the doctor on the 15th (Tuesday) for my pre-pregnancy exam! I say go for it, you sound like us, ready and willing! Have fun trying keep me posted, I would love to have some TTC talk with you....YIPPIE!!!!!!!!!

Amanda&Hugo

08-17-2006, 04:56 PM

So, Hugo is the one that brought all of this up about a baby the other day, and it was such a shocker (in a good way though!). I think it is because his coworker, a guy that's maybe a couple of years older than Hugo, had to go to the hospital the other day with his wife b/c she was having early contractions. And that was what he talked about all day... their baby, hoping it was going to be ok, etc. etc. It was really sweet- and unexpected! He's always been saying "Not for another 10 years- at least!" when anyone asks us about kids!

I don't know how it really came up but it was in conversation since we test drove the car last weekend, which had a nice little harness for a baby seat in the back and I was so happy about that! Then we visited his parents and saw that his mom had a HUGE picture of SILs baby for the wall, and it's way bigger than any other pictures in the house. Considering that she doesn't have even one of our wedding pics up, plus has already wiped out all the pics of us to display grandbaby pics, I was a bit disgusted to say the least. But Hugo got really ticked. Totally unprompted by me, he said, "Mom, you better have a picture just as big of our baby on the wall too!" Then he went on... "And you better be as crazy about our baby or we will never forgive you!" And on and on. (Good for him!!!)

Then the other night I don't remember what happened, I think I was asking about his coworker's baby, and suddenly we got to talking about what if we had one now. Not like a horrified, pregnancy test, "oh no what if we're gonne have one now!" moment (we have been through those- believe me!), but a nice, "Why don't we have one?" type of conversation.... and oh my goodness you have no idea how excited I was (and am!!!) to hear us actually having that conversation!! I always said late spring of 2008 would be the date, since I am on the school system's calendar with my job and would be able to enjoy all the summer months at home with the baby after my leave time if I had him right then. So we were planning on TTC around his b-day next September. Well, more like I was planning. He never was 100% on board with it... til now! I don't know what changed, but maybe it's having more $ in the house now that I'm out of school or just seeing our peer group having kids (most people we're friends with are 25-30ish). Whatever it was, I am glad!!!

So I asked him if he wanted me to stop taking the pill, b/c if I did it would work out to be the perfect time for next year... we would have to forego our trip but I would in a heartbeat! (Basically it was just a bribe for me to NOT get pregnant this year!) I don't think I will though, just with all of the car needs that we need to take care of within the year- plus, thinking about it with a level head, this is my first year at this job and I want it to go smoothly without any sickness or leave that I can help, and I want to focus on it and be sure I like it before I plan to stay in it indefinitely.

But it's in the cards now and I am SOOOO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D The only thing between now and then will be picking a name if it's a girl... a boy will be easy b/c I want him to be Hugo III, but a girl would be a whole different story! (We are battling it out over Anastasia vs. Alyssa... and very likely will be until next year!)

Amanda&Hugo

08-17-2006, 04:59 PM

Ellen, that is so great!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D How exciting for you to have a "pre-pregnancy" exam!! I so would love to be in your shoes- we will have to see what happens. Hugo and I are religious, so we are praying about the decision. I really want to TTC now, but at any rate, if we don't, I will love TTC talking with you!!!!

LaceyinPgh

08-17-2006, 05:18 PM

Amanda, this is my advice. You are young. Get settled in a career. Work for a few years to build a solid relationship with your husband. Travel and partake in all the fun that different cultures bring. Get some adventure in your life. Then in 5-10 years worry about a baby.

Amanda&Hugo

08-17-2006, 05:34 PM

I appreciate your advice!! I know I am young... I just feel like I am satisfied with the amount of adventure I've already had prior to getting married. I've lived in France and learned French, backpacked alone thru most of Europe, taken classes in Morocco, and here in the US I've been able to live with and meet all sorts of people, as well as finished grad school... so unlike a lot of people my age I guess I am actually feeling ready to settle down a bit. The next time I go on fancy trips and everything- call me crazy but I want to take the baby along, to meet our friends in other countries. I feel like I want to take all I've lived so far and pour it into our little child and share the experiences with them... it may make no sense to you or a lot of people... but I hear what you are saying, definitely... it is what most people say!! :D That and the fact that once you have one you can't give it back!! :bblol: