Bio

Daisypath Ticker

On June 9, 2007, I married the love of my life and my best friend, Anthony. I woke up that morning completely calm, as if it were just going to be another normal day, at peace and perfectly content. Immediately I ran to the balcony, and after a full week of straight rain, the sky was beautifully blue without a single rain cloud marring the horizon. Slowly, my dearest friends began to arrive. I began to prepare, and even though I knew that I should be nervous, it felt impossible that I could feel anything but bliss. I spent the whole morning trying to grab each moment as it passed me by, trying to record the smiles, the jokes, the laughter for keeping with the most precious of my memories. Everything was beautiful, simply because it had to be. Finally, when I was dressed in my wedding gown, my father told me I looked more beautiful than he had ever seen me, and I never believed him more. The drive to the church took 2 minutes. I still couldn't feel any nerves bouncing in my stomach so I took a deep breath and thanked the Lord for allowing me to soak in every moment. The wait for the walk was eternal. The music seemed to be playing over and over and I suddenly felt the pinch of butterflies in my throat, so stark that I had to stifle a sob. My father clutched my hand, whispered how much he loved me. I linked my arm with his and the silence was so deafening, it felt like everything went dark. When the doors opened, it was as if all of the light in the world had accumulated in the sanctuary. The tears were falling so quickly down my cheeks that I could barely see the faces of each guest as I passed them by. I didn't see my husband's face until I had nearly made it to the altar. My husband's face, ever kind and reassuring was brighter than anyone's and at once the nerves that had so suddenly surprised me, were gone. My father kissed my forehead, and my husband took my arm, and it felt as if the moment would overpower me. I don't remember a word the pastor said. I can only remember my husband's handsome face, his hands wiping tears from my eyes, and the moment we walked out of the church, looked at each other, and realized that we were married at last. And that there was a party waiting for us in Miami Beach!!

The wedding was just spectacular. Neither of us will ever forget just how much of a blast we had, and how perfect everything was. It truly was the best day of my life.

Here are my beautiful pro- pics - If you use any of them PLEASE PLEASE credit me and my FABULOUS photographer Maja Miller of Richard Miller Photography -
CLICK HERE!

My earrings, necklace and bracelets

The shoes I never wore. The best decision I made all day was to wear the comfy white flats I had purchased.

I got my garter custom made with our monogram, in our wedding colors, at www.thegartermaker.net

My bouquet had peonies, freesia, sweet pea and ranunculus - It smelled like heaven

My FG was sooo excited to wear lipgloss!!

She's heavier than she looks!

I had my BM's dresses custom made which was a nightmare. But oh well, they looked beautiful :)

My MOH's hand, saving you from some serious over-exposure

It took 4 people to get me into my giant dress!!!

Yay, it's on!! Now just time to lace that baby up..

Almost ready! Only 2324324235 laces to go!

There are about 14 different pictures of people trying to put my earrings on me

So I did it myself.. lol

My beautiful, amazing, wonderful mother

Isn't she radiant? And people say I look like her...

A great shot of my pretty sparklies :o)

Putting on the shoes I never wore -HA!

And now, a series of bridal portraits...

My daddy - isn't he adorable?!!

We took lots of shots around the Biltmore, which is were I stayed and got ready - GORGEOUS hotel

One HOT bridal party!!! tee hee hee

My adorable girls, Natasha and Natalie. I was in love with Natasha's pomander, but when I asked her if she would trade she said NO.

My handsome hubby, waiting for me at the church

Our ringbearer, Jacob.. He hates cameras

This pic of my BIl and DH is just so "them"

Pew decorations

The unity candle I slaved over and burned all my fingers for.. but hey it looks great!!

our DIY programs

Jacob, carrying the awesome ring pillow I scored on Miracle Mile

And Natalie, expertly scattering petals from the flower basket I handmade

I was crying so hard in this picture - but it was one of those crying/laughing feelings that just can't be duplicated - Amazing.

I have no idea what I was laughing at, but it must have been good!

We did it!!!

Pictures like these just can't be staged...

At one point, one of DH's GM decided to jump on another GM and it turned into this picture... Notice my little brother on the floor - everyone soon followed, LOL!!

NO this picture is NOT photoshopped! The sky really was that beautiful..

As we found out, the GM were hiding mini bottles of whiskey in their tux-pockets... LMAO

Our pre-set ceviche martinis

The beautiful ballroom

The DIY menus, along with the favors and a glimpse of the picture table frames

My DIY favor boxes - there were flamingo and palm tree cookies inside

the centerpieces that I so loved

The cake. My father is a baker and he made my cake, which turned out as beautifully as I knew it would. He is so talented it amazes me

The cocktail hour CPs

The wishing tree - we had some HILARIOUS wishes on the tree like "Merry Christmas" and "Remember me when you're buying stuff in Italy." Reading them when we got home from the HM was a total blast..

My DIY CD favors

My DIY placecards. Each one had a famous couple pictured inside, along with the table name that corresponded to a picture frame in the ballroom

Our SW table

A great shot of the Mr. and Mrs. letters that I decided on doing the week before the wedding..

My candy buffet - Sadly, no one got a shot of it before it was delapidated... I am so sad about this, since I saw it and it looked fantastic and the letters were in place, but oh well. There are worse things..

DH and I danced to "Just like Heaven" by Katie Melua, which is a slower cover of the Cure version .. We both LOVE the Cure, and have loved this song for a very long time, so we decided it was perfect for us

My father and I danced to "Always be your baby" by Natalie Grant

DH and his mom danced to "My wish" by the Rascal Flatts

My MOH's speech had me crying in a minute flat..

Our lovely Vera Wang toasting set, a gift from my aunt :)

And the best part of the wedding, the Polynesian show!! What a BLAST!

They pulled up Aunt Mary and Rosita for some hula lessons.. this was priceless laughter..

Our guests' crazy drunkeness starts to become evident in these pictures..

All the women, laughing, and more importantly, taking pictures..

FIL starring in "Blackmail forever"

Sooooo "Us" :)

The lady on the left is my SEVETYFIVE year old Grandmother. I did not believe it until I saw this picture

EL NUDO 4 LIFE!!

Since my dad owns a Cuban bakery and we are, of course, Cuban, we decided that in celebration of my heritage we would give out boxes with cuban pastries for the guests to take home after the wedding

Here are a few of my fave non-professional pictures :)

MY BM Heidi and I

My hair stylist, Tania, putting the final touches on my do

A great shot of my BM Natalie's hair and of my mom trying very hard to stop crying

Getting the dress on!

Note My BM Carrie is a photographer's assistant and she took the following spectacular pictures...

My GORGEOUS Bouquet and Jr BM's Pomander

A round of champagne for my lovely ladies :)

And at last, putting on my veil

Gangster bride and MOH

Here we are, in the brides room at the church - Ready to go!!!

I distinctly remember that in this picture I was demanding that my BMs stop crying as I had been EXTREMELY calm all day and only started to tear up when my BMs started!!!

Anthony and his absolutely beautiful mother..

My gorgeous MOM and FIL

I kept tearing up during the ceremony, Anthony had to keep wiping the tears off my face!!

Married at last!!!!

I was so happy I didn't know where to look!!

A great shot of the backs of my BMs' dresses

Knottie Mrs.JosenAdri signing a star for my wishing tree

We had an engagement picture framed for display at the cocktail hour

My card ball

The placecard table.. The CP was one of our table centerpieces

Our Candy buffet sign with Legs, the Flamingo

Knottie Mrs.Nadi215 loading up on the candy buffet..

The knottie table :)

Introduced as Mr. and Mrs.

I was crying soooooo much during the dance with my dad

Our BP, watching us during our first dance

I have no idea what we were laughing at

Love this shot :)

You may recognize the three gentleman to the left as Mr.Claudia01, Mr.JosenAdri and Mr.03m&m07!!!!

Exhausted, I chilled out on the floor with my kiddies

El NUDO!!!!

I love my knotties!! Thank you so much for being there with me, Mrs.JosenAdri, Mrs.Nadi215, 03m&m07, zerogrl311, Claudia01, and JenR1107 - I love you all dearly!!!

And at last, the night is over - our guests sent us off with sparklers :) What fun!!

THAS IT!! Pro pictures to come!!

Crazy things that happened at my wedding that I had no idea about until afterwards

1. DH’s GMs had a private stock of mini-whiskey bottles in their tuxes, which probably explains their outrageous yet fun behavior for most of the night. Just wait till we get the Pro Pics back.
2. One of my guests fainted during the father-daughter dance and Parrot Jungle had to call Fire Rescue. Apparently she was extremely overcome with emotion and just passed out. I did not even have a clue.
3. One of my tables caught on fire. A menu card was too close to one of the votives around my CP and just lit up.
4. We had two wedding crashers. The next day during brunch at the Biltmore, both of our families asked each other who that lady in the teal and her escort was and nobody knew.
5. I had absolutely no idea how DRUNK my BMs were!! Apparently Parrot Jungle did an excellent job on my signature drinks, as some of my EXTREMELY reserved Bms were having WAY too much fun!!

And of course, here are my vendor reviews... I was VERY honest, and remember that I could only grade each vendor based on how they acted for MY wedding. I can't complain as most of my vendors went above and beyond to make my day unforgettable..

My wonderful Groom and DH - A times infiniti
My husband is the most amazing man I have ever met. I am so blessed to have him in my life, I spent most of the beginning our HM crying into his shoulder (all the tears I held in during the wedding) just thinking about all of the joy and beauty he brings into my life. Thank GOD I found him, I simply cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with him, to have kids with him, to grow old with him.. My Groom gets an A++++++++ times infiniti!!!!

Venue
Parrot Jungle Island - A+++++++++++++++++++
I cannot say enough nice things about Parrot Jungle. Everyone on their staff is consistently attentive, the room was perfect, the drinks and food were superb, and they did everything I asked of them and more. My catering manager was Mercy Acosta, and she was just an absolute joy. Every time I called to ask a question, she patiently answered and explained any necessary details, and every time I called to make sure we were on the same page, she always was. They took care of all the materials for my signature drinks, they accommodated all of my requests, and they made sure my room looked beautiful. When I couldn’t get in touch with one of my vendors, Mercy personally called and sorted out details for me. If you are looking for a place that is reasonably priced at a beautiful location with wonderful service, I highly recommend Parrot Jungle Island.

Granada Presbyterian Church - B+
The church itself is beautiful and all of the staff is incredibly nice, but a bit irresponsible. Every time I called to check up on things, they had usually completely forgotten our last conversation, but the reason I gave them a high score is because they always did their best to catch up and make amends. I was also a bit upset about not being informed that my wedding coordinator at the church had been switched the week of the wedding, but fortunately I KNEW the coordinator that they replaced her with and she was very sweet and detailed. Also, they started the prelude music super late and messed up the processional music, which kinda peeved me, but it was not that big of a deal. Out pastor, Pastor Phil Binnie, is one of the nicest men I have ever met. He conducted our pre-marital courses, which were VERY helpful and I think My DH and I both gained a lot from them.

Richard Miller Photography, Maja Miller - A++++++++++++++++++++++ (If I could fill up a whole page with pluses, I would. )
I will preface this review with a very important fact - We have not received our wedding photos yet. But I am grading Maja on her absolutely wonderful demeanor and of course on the amazing engagement pictures she took of us. She was so easy to get along with and is so incredibly professional. DH and I had a BLAST with her and her staff, who were all cracking jokes and they made us feel completely comfortable. When Maja arrived at the hotel and started my bridal shoot, she whispered to me “ I can tell this is going to be one of the weddings where we take over a thousand pictures - there are just so many wonderful things to photograph!” And boy did she hold up to her side of the bargain. The woman did not stop shooting for one second!! She kept showing us the pictures while she was taking them, and my mouth dropped every time. I am so incredibly excited to see them.
Update - I got my wedding photos back and I am THRILLED. I knew they would be beautiful but she surpassed my expectations. I stand by my grade!

Dreammaker video - A+, pending receipt of video
Rob is a professional. He was always on time, he was always very detailed, HE sent ME follow up emails, and although he did not personally shoot my wedding ( I was told that his wife went into labor the previous night), he sent Adam and I swear I didn’t even realize he was there half the time. He was always out of the way and he was very polite. They were great.
Update - I got my video and I couldn't be happier with it. I stand by my grade

Live Band
Continental Brass - C
I was very disappointed with my band. They kept taking long breaks in between songs, they never appeared like they had it together, and both Jesus (the band leader) AND his son (the assistant band leader) disappeared ten minutes into the reception. Their DJ, DJ Billy kept mixing up songs, and the singing was not that great. I have been to several weddings where they’ve played and they were MUCH better, so I was definitely let down. Don’t get me wrong, there were people on the dance floor and everyone had a great time, but I can’t whole-heartedly recommend them.

Polynesian Show - A+
Marcee Rodriguez
What a blast! I think that the Hawaiian show was the highlight of the party - it was so much fun! Marcee put on such a great show, and the fire dancer just WOWed everyone! What was great is that they brought everyone up to learn how to hula, and the hunky fire dancer individually brought up some older ladies and taught them how to dance which was HILARIOUS. I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in my life. I HIGHLY recommend them, you will NOT regret hiring them!

Petunia Flowers - A++++++++++++++++++++++++
Eduardo did a fantastic job on my flowers. I almost cried when I saw my bouquet and the reception room. The centerpieces were beautiful, the bouquets and boutonnieres were perfect, and even though he called to tell me that most of the ranunculus we had planned on using had died, he saved 8 of them for my bouquet and threw in a box of peonies for my centerpieces. On top of being extremely meticulous about my flowers, Eduardo is one of the most wonderful people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I loved him the moment I met him, and knew I HAD to have him as my florist no matter what!! HIGHLY recommend!!!

Meilan Limousine - A+
They were responsible, on time, and the car was perfect. The AC was great, the car was beautiful. The driver was very polite and sweet, and personally made sure that no one saw me before the ceremony. He even told Anthony that he’d married “the prettiest of them all” in Spanish though, so I had to translate. LOL, it kind of lost the magic, but oh well! Highly recommend.

AB Cover Designers - D+/C
I am very upset with AB Covers. Every time I tried to get a hold of Ana I was put on hold and told she’d call me back. My mother and I must have called 20 times and we never got one single call back. The day before the wedding I had no idea whether I was going to get draping behind my sweetheart table. If my DOC and Mercy hadn’t called her to hound her about the draping, I WOULDN’T have gotten draping, although I had been personally reminding her about it at every one of the three meetings I had with Ana. What’s worse is that she had no recollection of me ever wanting draping behind the sweetheart table. On top of that mess, I paid almost $800 for draping, which included draping the entire air wall which separates the ball rooms. When I got to my reception, the HUGE air wall, which is maybe 300 feet long was not draped. Instead, they had draped behind the band, which was maybe a quarter of the size. I did not pay $800 for draping behind the band. Needless to say, I will be getting in contact with them about that. The only reason they did not get an F- is because the draping behind my SW table was gorgeous and everything else was perfect and in place. So, I only recommend them if you are willing to go through hell and back to get beautiful linens, and even then, still risk them fugging up what you want. Revision - When I got back from my HM, my mom told me that she had called Ana to complain about what happened and that she had apologized profusely and refunded a portion of the draping cost. I upgraded her to a C for her behavior AFTER the fact, but I stand by my D+ for prior to the wedding.

Invitations
Smashing Cards - A++++
I emailed Ashley from Smashing Cards the same day I came across their webpage. OMG. My invites were to die for. I got SO many compliments on them, I even had friends and family calling me and asking me to send another for their albums and scrapbooks.. It really was incredible. Cake, Favors, take home pastry boxes - A+++++++ times infiniti
Delicioso Bakery
My dad made my wedding cake. I almost cried when I saw it. Although the table they put it on was a little crooked, the cake was so beautiful that it took my breath away. It was EXACTLY what I wanted, I could tell my dad had broken his back to get it just perfect. It was six layers and DELISH. Thank you Daddy!! Oh and he also made my cookie favors, which unfortunately must have melted a bit during the transportation process, but they were still pretty!

Biltmore Hotel A+
Bridal prep, night of the wedding hotel, and day after brunch
WOW, is all I can say. We got the HM suite which was sooooooo awesome!! Anthony almost died when he saw our room and ginormous balcony. The bed and pillows were like cotton covered marshmallows. The service was impeccable and the hotel is gorgeous. We took many pictures around the hotel, and I can’t wait to see how they come out. Highly Recommend.

Seamstress for Bridesmaids gown - Sylvia - F-------
She made my life a living hell two weeks before my wedding date. Thank GOD I told her my wedding date was two weeks before the actual date, or some of my BMS would have gotten their dresses on the actual day of the wedding. The dresses were gorgeous, but I seriously think any seamstress could have made the dresses I picked out with the material I also picked out and went to BFE to buy just as nice or better. Several of my BMs had to get their dresses altered because they had problems with they way they fit. She was so incredibly rude to me and my BMs that I felt bad about even asking them to come for their final fittings. She dumped my FG dresses on another seamstress the “week of the wedding” who tried to charge me more than double than the price I had agreed on with Sylvia. Seriously, this was where Bridezilla Eli came out. If you’re going to have your dresses made FIND a RESPONSIBLE seamstress!!!

Rosa Fabrics - Material for BM dresses A
When I went to Ultra Fabrics on Bird Road they were selling the same green material I chose for my BM dresses for almost $8 a yard. I got it for $3 a yard at Rosa Fabrics and it was JUST AS NICE!!! Although it is in a kind of scary neighborhood if you go at the wrong time of day (My mom and I literally saw a lady getting mugged on our first trip there - although her posse chased down the mugger and beat him down with their own purses) it is still worth it to get such a great price on material. The service is great and HAGGLE with them. They will lower their price, especially if you are buying a lot.

My dress
Bridal City- A+
The women there were an absolute joy. They were so nice and helpful, every time I came they just gushed over me and went out of their way to make sure I felt comfortable in my dress. Although Anthony broke my bustle as we were walking into the reception, I kind of knew that was going to happen and just danced the night away holding my dress. I hear they are closing their location, but if they ever open up somewhere else, I highly recommend them.

Hair
Tania Fiandor - A+
Tania has been doing my hair since I was 13 years old. She is no longer just my regular hair stylist, but a very close friend of my family. She did FOUR trials to make sure my hair came out the way I wanted it. Although my waves did eventually fall out towards the end of the night, my hair was beautiful and she really did a wonderful job throughout the wh0ole process. I was very happy with her.

Makeup
Anna Noriega A+
She did a GREAT job on my makeup, JUST what I wanted!! It looked soo natural and pretty, and she was so nice and easy to get a long with. She also was willing to work with me until I was satisfied which was very important to me.

Gms and Anthony’s tuxes
Ace Tuxedos - B+
They were wonderful and the tuxedos were perfect and gorgeous, but they lost Anthony’s measurements and we didn’t find out until two days before the wedding. We had to rush over there to make sure they had the tux he had ordered in his size, which thankfully, they did. Other than that, the service was great and I recommend them.

Day of coordinator
Carmen Becerra - A++++
I hired Carmen two weeks before my wedding Day. Thank GOD I did. She was wonderful, professional, and knew I was a control freak so she cleared EVERYTHING with me first. I could not be more happy with her service. Alessandra recommended her to me after she had rented a seating chart from her. I needed an easel for the large engagement picture I had ordered, and so I met Carmen and hired her on the spot. She took EVERYTHING to Parrot Jungle for me and set up everything just the way I wanted. My candy buffet was soooo cute!! Carmen had made sure it came out like I had set it up in my brain, and she did a perfect job. I HIGHLY recommend her.

My faaaabulous RD bouquet, made by MOH :)

We are READY to go!!!!

I adore my FIL :)

We went to Paris, Barcelona, and all over Italy. We had SUCH a great time! I wish we could've stayed forever!!

Tour Eiffel :)

Notre Dame

On the tour bus!!

At Cafe de la Paix by the Opera

The largest baguette EVER!!! LOL!!!

mmm Crepes!!

A stunning bird's eye view of Barcelona

The best Sangria we have EVER had!!!

Along with the BEST paella!!

Inside the gorgeous cathedral in Barcelona

The center of the cathedral

mmmm Gelato!!

the view from the balcony of our cruise suite

Beautiful Nice

Playing mini golf - fun times!!

Leaning tower of Pisa

Another gorgeous cathedral in Florence, made entirely of marble - it was breathtaking

Captain's night

At the Collisseum in Rome

The ceiling inside the Vatican Museum

Pompeii

I had some boudoir shots taken after the wedding to surprise DH for his birthday. I'm posting some tame ones to convince you to do it if you have not already. Take the plunge! The results will soooo be worth it! These pictures are by Richard Miller photography..

Pre-wedding

Our fabulous invitations from smashing cards

Here is a picture of the ring and band together

and here is a picture of FI's wedding band

Feel free to use any of these photos, but please credit Richard Miller Photography and my knottie name :)

Bachelorette Party

Bridal Shower Pictures

My shower was on 4/15 at the Dadeland Marriott, and my mom did an absolutely wonderful job of putting everything together. She went above and beyond, like always. I had a GREAT Time!

FI and I in front of our BEAUTIFUL cake, made by my very talented father :)

The table centerpieces. Our fingers are still bleeding from rose thorn pricks. Note to self, invest in gardening gloves..

Another CP shot

All 8 of my lovely bridesmaids.. They have been spectacular throughout this whole process.

My lovely cake :)

My mom had balloons set up to cover the ceiling at the entrance room

The guests wore little heart pins that said "Elizabeth's bridal shower" on monogram labels

My mom made a shutterfly guest book with pictures of me growing up and of course with FI for the guests to sign.

With the invitations, my mom included a recipe card, so all of the guests brought recipes for me to try out!

Another shot of the centerpieces

No bridal shower is complete without the toiler paper bride. My BMs Natalie and Carrie insisted that they were making BM Lina a "couture TP gown" all the while boasting, "Vera Wang, eat your heart out..."

Blissfully happy :)

and of course, her lovely train

This is my favorite person in the world, (besides FI), my AMAZING mother. Unfortunately there were like 13534 cameras going off so we didn't get a single one looking in the same direction...

There are Waaayyy too many empty mimosa glasses on this table...

With my BMs and FI, otherwise known as Major Ham.

With BM Lina and her Mom

There was an entire table set up with bakery goodies that my dad had made, petit fours, chocolate covered strawberries, mini sandwiches, mousses, cookies... my dad OUTDID himself...

With my lovely MOH preparing for the Newlywed game... My BM has yet to send me pics of this game but it was truly HILARIOUS!!

I like to call this pic "Senior class portrait" :)

Oooohhh pretty plates!!!

Opening more gifts :)

more to come!!

Starbucks GTG, April 2007

Lovely knotties!!

Mel and her boudoir shots!! LOL

Gangsters - Monica, Me, and Nadi

LOL!! Crazies :)

From left, Mr.andMrs.Smith, cosita, futuremrs.aleman, and latinbride08

03m&m07 and BFLBride - Lovelies!!

Me with the SWEETEST woman ever!!!

My Gangsta boo..Hisonly!! ::throws up gang signs for Justine::

Me and Mrs.JosenAdri, looooove you Adri!!

Last but not least, my dear dear dear friend and favorite preggie, Mrs.Nadi215- I LOVE YOU!!!

Martini GTG at Claudia01's house
March 23, 2007

From left, Jenr1107, Claudia01, 03m&m07, Marisol&Ellier, Stephe623, laurencane, Mrsshazadeh, MrsJosenAdri, Elistar(me), and Ale&carli

obligatory ring shot

Big time blingin!!

"Knotsies!!" Lovely knotties under Nadi215's Christmas tree - From top left, clockwise - Ale&Carli, Me (EliStar), 03m&m07, Shazadeh_Bride, JosenAdri, Nadi215, and zerogrl311

Our yummy cookies (and my empty glass of wine)

Stolen from Nadi -- Silly Knotties..

Knottie GTG, 12/3/06 - the infamous e-ring picture!

Beautiful knotties, (top from left) - zerogrl311, Ale&Carli, Claudia01, 03m&m07, Me (EliStar), Cosita, AnaMark and JosenAdri, (bottom from left) Nadi215 and Shazadeh Bride

My amazing friend Monica! (03m&m07)

the lovely Shazadeh (Tammy) and Me :)

Nadi (who is quickly disappearing) and Me

Ale, my brain twin!

Beautiful Adri and Ana - Thanks Adri, for organizing the GTG!

knottie GTG, from bottom - nadia215,BFLbride, MrsTurtlebride, ME, KatyandAlex, 03m&m07, Claudia01, josenadri, JenR1107, and Shazadeh_bride

The infamous e-ring pic... lol

We had an italian mob theme... It was so much fun! FI's parents hosted the event at their home, and everything was black, white, silver, and so Italian. One of FI's GM's family owns an Italian retaurant so they catered, we ordered Canolis and my mom made her famous Key Lime Pie (Not Italian, but yummy!) I made a mix of Italian music that played throughout the evening, and bought mobster hats for the guys and big feather boas for the girls to wear. It was a Bella Notte :)

This was my look pre-party. I look so silly with my serious face.. lol

Rocco and Raffi, with their best mobster faces..

Two of my BEST friends (MOH and BM)!!

Outside, eating Italian food...

My awesome mom and dad.. (I <3 my parents, lol)

My little brother and his girlfriend, Lina. He's one of FI's GM as well.

So much love!!! (and heat!)

MOH and Adri, so pretty!

My Mom and FMIL.. I love them both so much!

More mobsters!! lol!

Me and FMIL.. She's the best!

Anthony and his Dad

It was such a fun night! We had a blast with our families and everyone in our bridal party...

Helpful Information

My Vendors so far...
Ceremony: Granada Presbyterian Church
Reception: Parrot Jungle Island
Photo: Richard Miller Photography
Video: DreamMaker Video
Flowers: Petunia
STDs: DIY with cardstock from Office Max
Band: Continental Brass - Page me for contact info
Transportation: Meilan limousine
Makeup: Mayra from Mayra's Art and Spa
Hair: Tania - Page me for contact info
Hair piece and BM hair pieces : The Sheraton Mart
Shoes: Bakers
Dress: Bridal City on Miracle Mile
BM dresses: Sylvia - Page me for contact info
Groom and GM Tuxedos: Ace Tuxedos on Miracle Mile
FG Basket: Materials from Michaels
Invitations: Smashingcards
Calligraphy: Carmella -Page me for contact info
Cake for BS, RD, and Wedding: Delicioso Bakery - Page me for info
Cookie favors: Delicioso Bakery
Linens and Draping: AB Covers
Paper for Menus, Unity Candle and Programs: www.paperandmore.com
Envelopes: LCI paper
Blank paperboard CD covers: BlissWeddingMarket.com
CD blank full face labels: Office Depot
11' by 14' Cardstock for programs: Staples
Boxes for favors: Paper mart
Candy Buffet Jars: Silk Flowers, Candles, and Holder for DIY Unity Candle: Michaels
Hawaiian Dancer: Marcee - Page me for contact info
Travel Agent: Yasmin from AAA
Wedding Day Hotel: The Biltmore Hotel

DIY Projects - in progress or complete
Instructions coming soon!
STDs
Unity Candle
Flower Girl Pillow
Church door wreath
Place cards
Table Frames
Programs
Menus
Favor Box decorations/Tags
CD favors
Candy Buffet decoration
BS invitations
Card Holder
Wishing Tree and Wishing cards

Favorite knottie bios (National)
DRZbride
squashedrice
tossedrice
MrsRobsButton
srpro
younglove
Mrslemonpie

Ceremony and Reception Music (work in progress)

Ceremony
Prelude
Bach - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Bamburg Philharmonic Orchestra - Air from Water Music
Enio Morricone - Gabriel's Oboe
Andrea Boccelli - Con te Partiro

Processional
Grandmothers and Mothers' Entrance: Somewhere over the Rainbow (instrumental)
Bridal Party Entrance : Canon in D
Bride's Entrance : Richard Wagner - Bridal Chorus
Special Prayer Music: Andrea Bocelli - Ave Maria

Recessional
Mendelsson's Wedding March Recessional

Cocktail Hour:
A pianist will be playing jazz standards

Reception
Bridal Party and Parents' entrance : Pointer Sisters - Jump
Bride and Groom Entrance : Spencer Davis Group - Gimme some Lovin
First Dance : Just Like Heaven by Katie Melua
Father-Daughter Dance : Natalie Grant - Always be your baby
Mother/Son Dance : The Rascal Flatts - My wish

Cake Cutting Song
The Temptations : Sugar Pie Honey Bunch (or if at the last moment I decide this is too cheesy, I will play Louis Armstrong - Make someone happy)

Bouquet Toss
Ani DiFranco : Wishin and Hopin

Dinner/Cocktail Music:
Glenn Miller - In the Mood
Bobby Darin - Beyond the Sea
Michael Buble - Sway
Norah Jones - The nearness of you
Van Morrison - Someone like you
Julie London - Fly me to the Moon
Magnet - Lay lady Lay
Billy Joel - She's always a woman to me
Louis Armstrong - Make someone happy
Dean Martin - Ain't that a kick in the head
Harry Conick JR - A wink and a smile
Frank Sinatra - The way you look tonight
Louis Armstrong - A kiss to build a dream on
Natalie Cole - Orange Colored Sky
Tony Bennett - The best is yet to come

Absolute MUST plays (non-Spanish)
At the request of my FFIL, at least one booty song must be played at our wedding - Please page me if you have any suggestions as I am not a big booty fan!
The Temptations - Ain't no mountain high enough
Aretha Franklin - I will survive
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Donna Summer - Bad girls
Fergie - Fergalicious
James Brown - Get up offa that thing
DJ Casper - Cha Cha Slide ( I know you may think this song is on the wrong list - but my family is a big fan of group dances and I am not going to stiff them!!)
Barry White - You're the first, my last, my everything
The Gyspy Kings - Bamboleo
Earth, Wind and Fire - September
Stevie Wonder - Signed, Sealed, Delivered
The Gap Band - You dropped a bomb on me
Lionel Richie - Hello (This song is an inside joke between FI and my Dad - FI is going to introduce the song and dedicate it to my dad, and he is going to FREAK OUT laughing, lol!!!)
Plus I'll be telling my DJ to play a bunch of Hip Hop and Pop - whatever is popular in June.

and of course, I am having a salsa band, so there will be tons of that
Must play Salsa songs
Brujeria
Que le Den Candela
El Africano
Con los anos que me quedan
La Billirubina
Mister don't touch the banana
Le Negra tiene tumbao
Asi es la vida
una aventura
Mi Tierra

DJ or Band will be shot if they play:
Any Reggaeton
Macarena

Last Song
Turn Me on - Norah Jones

DIY INSTRUCTIONS

Unity Candle

What you'll need:
One tall pillar candle
Two thin candelabra candles
Clear Vellum paper
Ribbon in color of your choice
Embellishment of your choice - swavorski crystals, fabric, artificial flowers

Directions
1. Pick out a design or monogram to go on your vellum. Print it out on the vellum. This may take a few tries to make sure it fits perfectly on the candle. Leave at least two inches from the top and bottom of the candle for the ribbon. Cut it to make sure that the vellum will only overlap one inch when it is wrapped around the candle.
2. Take a glue stick and draw a line of glue on the long end of the vellum. Wrap the vellum around the candle and overlap the vellum on the end that has the glue.
3. Once the vellum is secured to the candle, take your choice of ribbon and cut two equal pieces so that they fit snugly around the candle. Wrap them around the candle and glue the ends of each piece together with a drop of glue gun.
4. Add your embellishments to the candle as you wish.

Favor Boxes

What you'll need
Any size tuck top boxes in color of your choice - I ordered mine from www.papermart.com
Raffia - I ordered mine from www.bagsandbowsonline.com
Thick paper for tags

Directions
1. Choose a monogram or design for your tags. Copy and paste the design on any design software until you have 5 small designs going down the center and the left side of the sheet.
2. Cut out the rows with a paper slicer and cut after the design in the center so that when you fold each column in half, you have 5 tags that just need to be cut individually.
3. Punch holes in each of your tags.
4. Fill your favor boxes and tie raffia around each box.
5. Cut small pieces of raffia and loop them through each hole you punched in each tag, and tie them to the raffia you tied around the box.

Menus

What you'll need
Vellum in a light color
Metallic paper in a light color
Dotto glue dots dispenser
Ribbon
Directions
1. Decide what size you want your menus to be.
2. Set the specifications on whatever design program you are using so that you will only design our menu within that space - I advise designing an inch less than where your borders are.
3. Decide what format you are going to use for your menu. I used a first course, salad course, main course and dessert course, and added a line about the signature drinks. I also added our monogram to the top.
4. Print out the menus on vellum. Cut them out to 1/2 an inch less than your specified menu size.
5. Cut out metallic text paper in a light color to the size you decided on.
6. Paste the vellum menu on the metallic paper so that it is centered in the middle, using a dotto glue dots dispenser
7. Tie a ribbon around the middle of the menu

Beware of!!!!