Trip Down Memory Lane

4 years ago today, the hubs and I became officially husband and wife. We said our “I do’s” in front of our closest family and friends in beautiful Hawaii. On Oahu. At Lanikuhonua. It was definitely one of the best days ever. I know it sounds a bit cliche, but I had the best time the entire day. Getting ready, taking pictures…just enjoying this special day with all the important people in my life. It was just awesome.

I’m going to refrain from writing too much in this post. I don’t wanna bore you with words. So I’m just gonna show you some pictures.

I apologize if the quality of some of the pics aren’t that great. The blurry ones were taken on old skool cell phones and/or scanned and cropped from actual photo prints. But anyway, hubs and I go way back to 2001. That very first pic? We were dating for about 2 months. We went up to Big Bear to go sledding. My very first time sledding. It wasn’t that bad…until we slammed into a tree. Let me rephrase that. I hit a tree. That’s what I get for trying to sled down the hill with 2 other people on a 2-person sled. My college roomie sat in the front, me in the middle, and hubs in the back. Yup. And I was the only one that hit the tree. No big injuries. Just a bruised up leg.

Okay, okay…  I’ll try to keep the anecdotes to a minimum.

On to the wedding pics!!!

The Guys

The Girls

Showtime!!!

All The Wedding Details…

And there ya have it! An awesome day, right? Hope you enjoyed taking this trip down memory lane with me. It was fun. Hope you liked it!!!

A Beautiful Summer Wedding

Last week was probably the most hectic crazy week I’ve had in a long time. Work almost kicked my booty. Almost. So glad I was able to end the week on a positive note. A dear friend of mine married her high school sweetheart on Saturday. At a place called Crestmore Manor in Riverside.

It was a gorgeous day…no smog, thank God. Any smog-free day in Southern California makes for a gorgeous day in my book. Especially out here in the Inland Empire. Although the sun was freakishly hot, it wasn’t too bad standing in the shade. So yes, it was a beautiful day to have a wedding.

 

 

History recap: Nina and I used to work together at GapKids/BabyGap @ Victoria Gardens back in the day. Back in 2004. We don’t go waaay back…but we’ve known each other awhile. We’ve kept in touch over the years. And it was indeed an honor to have received an invite to such a joyous occasion.

I absolutely love weddings. And I love the little details that make the event that much more special.

 

Wedding colors: a deep royal purple, black, and white. So elegant. So regal.

Perfection.

 

 

The fans weren’t just for looks. I used mine to shield myself from the sun during the ceremony.

😉

 

 

And these tissues came in handy, especially during the exchange of vows.

I’m a sucker for these things.

Don’t judge me.

Anyway… wedding time!!!

Here’s Michael patiently waiting…

Here comes the beautiful bride….

The ‘I do’s’…

Officially Mr. & Mrs. Michael and Nina Antuna!!!

The reception was held in a small intimate area out back.

Lots of food…

Good music…

Great company…

Here’s one of my buddies… meet Kalaya.

Her mommy Raquael used to work with Nina and I at Gap, too.

Kalaya’s such a sweetheart and stayed by my side the entire night.

…yeah we even had a brief photo sesh on my phone.

We enjoyed ourselves. And like I said, it was a great way to end my very hectic week.

Congratulations to Nina & Michael!!!

🙂

My Sissy’s Big Day

My sister could not have picked a more perfect day to have a wedding. After having slept only 6 hours the night before, we woke up to the most beautiful view. I’m talkin’ clear skies, beautiful blue waters, the smell of love in the air! Perfect, perfect, PERFECT!!!!

We spent the night in the soon-to-be newlyweds’ suite at the JW Marriot Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko’olina, one of the most luxurious hotels on the island.

That morning, my sister and I stood on the balcony enjoying a little sister time. We looked over to see if we could see the ceremony site from the balcony and lo and behold what do we see? The chairs had already been set up for the ceremony!

That did it. That made it real. That totally triggered the excitement of the day.

Can you tell? She’s practically glowing! Yeah and that’s how I look without make-up. Pay no attention to me. 😛

After checking out the view, this was delivered to our room. Thank God for groomsmen! Bronson Chun (my partner in this wedding) was nice enough to bring us some coffee!!!

The calm and quiet morning ended at 9:30a. The wedding planner arrived to check up on us and fill us in on what was going on. Shortly after, my sister’s hairdresser May Ramilo arrived to do our hair and make-up.

My sister amazed me. She was completely calm and composed throughout the entire process. No sign of Bridezilla anywhere. She did a great job putting together a team of vendors that worked well together to make this such a successful event. And not to mention the awesome bridal party! Her bridesmaids (myself included) did everything they could to keep my sister from stressing and worrying about all the things that could go wrong.

After we were all dolled up, it was time for pictures!  Here’s just one pic of us girls.

The special moments from this day were captured by the great photographers of Renai Photography (http://www.renaiphoto.com/).

And then it was SHOW TIME! Okay, so I don’t have a lot of pictures of the ceremony itself because I was IN the wedding. But here is what I was able to gather from people I know sittin’ in the audience.

Besides witnessing the lifelong commitment made between 2 special people in my life, I would have to say the best part about this whole wedding, was being part of the wedding party. I had THE best time hangin’ out with the girls. I’ve never actually hung out with them because they are my sister’s friends. But after only a couple of days with them, they’ve become like sisters to me. I’m so glad my sister has them in her life. And the guys are such sweethearts, too! True gentlemen AND funny! Yes, indeed, we had a blast.

Wedding Rehearsal

It was one of the most beautiful weddings ever. At least of all the ones I’ve ever attended. I loved being a part of it. I was honored to have been one of the 3 lucky women to stand beside my sister on such a special day. And yes there were times where I wanted to bawl because I realized my sister was all grown up. I almost lost it when I helped her put on her wedding dress. I thought I was going to ruin my make-up. And let’s not forget about the speeches! I cried…and made others cry, too. Never fails. What can I say? I love my sister. 🙂

Anyway, I will leave you with these pictures and a same-day edit of the ceremony which, by the way, I can’t get enough of. Enjoy!!!

And here it is…

the same day edit

By 10th Letter Media

i heart weddings

If you know anything about me, you’d know how much I LOVE weddings.

I love everything about weddings.

From the venue, to the decor, to the dresses, to the entertainment…

and to the FOOD!!! Oh-em-gee I love food. 😛

I love ’em all.

If I could afford to throw myself a wedding every year, I sooo would.

I’m soooo not kidding at all.

*sigh*

I can dream, can’t I?

🙂

Okay, so this past Sunday we went to a wedding. The first wedding of the year. And trust me, there’s a handful of them coming up and I am looking forward to every single one of them.

Who got married: Hub’s cousin Christine Olivares to Stuart Bullard

When: Sunday, March 25, 2012

Where: Del Mar Room in Belmont Shore, CA

For some odd reason, I thought it was going to be on the Queen Mary, but I was wrong (and disappointed).

So yeah. For those that follow me on Twitter…sorry. I totally lied about the location.

😉

The day started off very nice and sunny.

I was able to get some gym time in: 30 min HIIT on the treadmill, which actually put me just over a 5k.

Not bad.

Ran to Target really quick to get a last minute gift.

Hey, don’t judge. I was sick all week remember?

By the time we were all ready to go, the sky had turned an ugly shade of gray.

On the drive out there, it poured.

No sweat though. I was able to keep myself amused….

CHEESEBALL STATUS

I even dragged the hubs into it…

Backseat Photo Booth Op lol

After all that nonsense, we finally made it to the venue. I got so caught up saying hello to everyone that I didn’t really get a chance to take many pictures. And the few pictures I did take…well the quality wasn’t the best.

Just know this. The wedding was simple, elegant, and very intimate.

And we had a FABULOUS time.

🙂

Christine looked absolutely gorgeous in her wedding gown.

making her way to the alter

the vows

Presenting Mr. & Mrs. Stuart Bullard!

Congratulations to the happy couple!!!

Remember how I said I love food? Yeah, well I was really looking forward to seeing (and tasting) what was on the menu.

Cocktail hour: Full open bar. Helped myself to a margarita and some wine. Yum.

Appetizers served: bruschetta, bacon wrapped scallops, and chicken kabobs.
Wasn’t a big fan of the bacon wrapped scallops or chicken kabobs. Just my opinion.

And next up: Dinner!

All I have to say is…I should have ate more appetizers.

Dinner was steak, shrimp, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. It looked delicious.

Not gonna gross you out with the details, but let’s just say I don’t eat raw meat.

Yeah. So hubs gave me his shrimp and I just stuck to that and the veggies.

The best thing I ate all night?

This.

red velvet cupcake

Yummy friggin’ cupcakes galore!!!

Mmm, mmm good.

🙂

Again, I apologize for the crappy photo quality.

And for the lack of photos taken.

I’ll do better next time.

I promise.

 Here’s one more for the road…

"Prom Picture"

🙂

something to look forward to

Got this in the mail today…

It’s the invite to my seester’s wedding!

IN HAWAII!!!

Yeah, can you tell I’m excited?

Isn’t this wedding invite fab? I absolutely LOVE the color scheme.

Pink and Green.

So modern. So hip. Soooo my sister. 🙂

The bridesmaids will be wearing dresses from David’s Bridal in the pink color – more specifically, watermelon.

Yeah, we’re gonna be hot. 😉

I went in to try on and order my dress last week.

It’s supposed to be in around April 6th. Will definitely be sharing pics when I get it.

Anyway, needless to say…

I’m uber excited for my sissy… she’s going to be beautiful on her special day and I am so happy she’s giving me the honor to stand beside her when she says ‘I Do’ to love of her life.

🙂

I heart weddings, don’t you?