How to plan a wedding in 42 days

I always preferred short engagements, but I never thought that I would be engaged for just 42 days...

Richie always said that he could plan a wedding in two or three weeks and, actually, since the proposal, we didn't make any arrangements until May 26th, when I bought my wedding dress in the first and only place I went to: Trudy's.

I tried three dresses, and one of them fit me perfectly, needing no alterations at all, except for the hemming. I ran home, grabbed the camera, went back to the store, had a picture taken, and two days later it was mine, after getting opinions from my mom and close friends.
On May 30th, I bought my shoes in DSW, beautiful and comfortable. Isabel did part of the work for me, because she sent me the link of the Comforter shoes that she liked, and they were right there, my size and the color I needed. I almost started dancing in the store, because that was the only thing I had in mind for both the dress and the shoes: dancing on my wedding day.

That's all I did for my wedding. The rest is all my husband's work and credit.

On June 1st, and after considering a few locations for the big day, I officially fell in love with Los Gatos History Club.
I just pictured our wedding there, and I felt that instant attraction that tells you when something is meant to be. We called them, and we found out that the place was already booked for that day; but the lady said that she would contact us if they canceled. What are the chances of someone canceling three weeks away from an event?
Two days later she called back and said that the event booked for June 26th was a fundraiser, and they might have to postpone it, but it wasn't confirmed yet. At that moment I had the feeling that the place would be ours. The following day she gave us the good news. That night I had a beautiful dream about the wedding by the purple flowers.


The rest happened really fast. My gorgeous maids of honor , Isabel and Maché, found their beautiful shiny charcoal dresses easily, and they looked great in them. I had my hair done at JoJo, a place I am recommending to all my friends. Heath is my stylist; he shows real passion for hair, and knows how to bring out the best of it, saying goodbye to the frizz. My adorable flower girls were, from older to younger: Amrita, Sanjeeta, Caterina and Alexandra. They walked down the aisle, carrying cute little ivory satin flower baskets, with beads handles, and throwing fresh pink and white rose petals from Citti's Florist. Each one of them was wearing a cute different dress, and they danced nonstop for two hours. I love my flower girls!!

Choosing the menu was the easiest thing of all. The moment Richie proposed to me, I knew that, for our wedding, I wanted the tasty Spanish paella that we ate at the Hotel Océano a few weeks ago. The chef and food artist who provided the delicious homemade paella, with saffron from Spain, and his unique cooking style is Richard Poncini, owner of Cooking for Friends. We are looking forward to having a big party to hire him again. He offers high quality food, and it's a pleasure to deal with him. Everybody loved the paella and many people went back for more. His catering service also included the bread and butter and two different kinds of salad: fresh fruit salad and mixed green salad. Yummy!!

Our guests were also delighted with the appetizers from San José Pizza, a different taste, blending the best crust with the flavor of Indian spices. We love their pizzas, and thought that our guests would love them too. We chose the Hawaiian Queen pizza and the popular Navratan veggie pizza. Many of our guests are still asking us about the place where they can buy such delicious pizzas. I cannot wait to go again.
Our good friend Sameer, who introduced us to this earthly pleasure, made sure that the delivery was just on time, and nothing could have gone more perfect.


But what is a wedding without a good wine?
Nobody can be better for that than our dear friends Chris and Maché; Yes, my maid of honor and her husband, who own the Delicatio Family Vineyards in Manteca (DFV Wines) and who recently purchased the beautiful Black Stallion Winery in Napa Valley. I am not a wine expert, but I can appreciate a good wine, and when I tasted their organic wine a while ago for the first time, I had the feeling that it would be hard to match. All of our guests enjoyed their selection of wines, and commented about its quality, aroma, and how it felt in the mouth. They also praised the champagne that Chris provided for our enjoyment during the toasts. There is nothing like a good wine to bring a smile to people's faces and lead them to the dance floor...

We had the privilege of having our friends Sam and Lucie, owners of LucieXYZ Photography, shoot the pictures of the wedding. They are amazing photographers with personal charm. I already knew the high quality of their work, because I have been to their studio. But it hasn't been until now that I have experienced the other side of their work, their cheerful demeanor, their kindness, energy, patience, sweetness and passion for what they do. The link above is a posting they did about our wedding, part of their web page (I love It!!) with their destination weddings all over the world, and their awesome pictures. Sam was born here, but he has European blood. Lucie came to this country from the Czech Republic about a decade ago, and she soon became one of the most recognized and popular professional photographers in California. Sam and Lucie captured the most important moments of our special day, and those moments will stay alive and will remain with us forever, because we'll have the best memories with their pictures.

We've been lucky in every possible way. I met our wedding officiant on June 16th, only ten days before the wedding, in a café near home. Richie knew him already, but Reverend Layne likes to meet with his clients and get an idea of their personalities, so they are comfortable during the ceremony and vice-versa. It was a nice meeting, and I had fun talking to him, telling him how we met and how he proposed to me. He also shared about his wife and showed us samples of his weddings. During the ceremony, I felt relaxed, and I knew that if at any moment I felt nervous, I just had to look at him to calm down and know that everything was fine. He showed his sense of humor, and kept the ceremony short and interesting. We all learned about the origin and symbolism of the wedding bands and other stuff. He let us read our own vows and was very flexible regarding the poems he read and the length of the ceremony. Is anybody renewing vows soon?

Our DJ was our friend Tony Rodgers, owner of Good Vibrations DJ & Karaoke Entertainment. He was also one of our guests, and a a good singer (I've heard him sing Elvis and he is great). If you looked at him during the open dance, you probably saw him enjoying the music with a smile, taking requests from the dancing crowd or even dancing with the bride. He announced the bridal party, and mentioned some of the guests names when he played their favorite songs. Tony's personality makes him a great DJ and a good friend.

Gigi Santa Inés was a guest who worked hard the day of our wedding, acting as the best wedding planner. She got there very early, and with her experience and skills helped decorate the whole reception room, quickly and efficiently. The tables looked great thanks to her, and everything was ready when the other guests arrived. By the end of the night everybody knew her, because her open personality and her Marilyn Monroe dress couldn't be unnoticed.

Last, but not least, I have to mention the person who made my bouquet. She has a talent for cooking, for making clothes and for many other things, but I had no idea that she could do such a beautiful bouquet. She is my mother, Loli, and she is learning English now, so this is probably too advanced for her, but I want to recognize her anyway. Thank you mami!! :) My father walked me down the aisle, and I felt so proud... Richie has an excellent relationship with my parents, and that makes me tremendously happy :)

I forgot to mention the cake. What a cake!!! I had tried it before at Sameer and Irma's house, and since the first time I tried it, I realized that I wouldn't want any other cake if I ever got married (and I'm not a cake lover). We ordered two cakes in the Pink Elephant Bakery on June 24th, just two days before the wedding. It was a delicious Tarta de Tres Leches, simple, but spongy, tasty and unique in flavor. Everybody loved it!! We bought the two little ducks on top in San Simeon, the day after Richie proposed to me.

I loved my wedding!!! For me it was just perfect, and the only thing I would change is to have been able to dance longer, and to have had some of my friends and family from Spain with me.This is our table with the best man and the two maids of honor, with their spouses. From left to right we have Chris and Maché, John and Isabel, bride and groom, and Robert and Cheryl, who helped so much before, during and after the reception. At the moment, I don't have a picture of Merissa Roffey, Robert & Cheryl's beautiful daughter, who did the makeup for me and my maids of honor, natural and enhancing. At her young age, she did a professional job that the pictures can prove. Thank you Merissa!!


This last picture was taken by Sam and Lucie, and it is one of my favorites :)

I cannot wait to renew our vows and dance some more...

Until next time!! xxx