Honeymoon Photos!

Just days after our wedding, Aaron and I spent an amazing week touring Honolulu (and Oahu), and Kauai.  Neither of us had been to Hawaii before, so this warm, tropical paradise was a great kick-off to our married life.  Here are some photos!

Wedding Pictures!

A HUGE thank you for everyone who came to our wedding! I can honestly say that I had an absolutely wonderful time, and Aaron and I feel very blessed to have such amazing family and friends who also know how to get down on the dance floor!

Our photographer posted our ceremony and reception pictures along with photo shoots of my in my dress in the bosque, and our wedding party in Old Town. Please view them at:  www.pictage.com/619611  (there are over 1,000 pictures!). 

Also, watch for me in an upcoming SAGE magazine article (one of the Albuquerque Journal’s special publications).  The issue is dedicated to Albuquerque weddings!

Getting to the Reception

We are going to make everyone go on an Albuquerque adventure! Our ceremony location is in one part of town, and our reception is clear across on the other! While I wish we could magically transport everyone from one venue to another, I figure providing directions might be the next best thing!

GETTING TO THE HYATT: The Hyatt Regency Downtown is at 330 Tijeras NW, which is two blocks north of Central (by way of 3rd street).  The hotel can also be accessed by I-25 by taking the Central/Martin Luther King exit, turning west on Martin Luther King and driving straight to 3rd street and turn south.  The hotel is directly across the street from Civic Plaza.

View Larger Map

PARKING: please park in the parking garage off Copper (between 3rd and 4th street) which is directly under the hotel.  All parking tickets will be validated at the reception. 

Our reception will be in the Grand Pavilion Ballroom which is on the 2nd floor of the hotel.  Cocktail hour will start at 5:00pm, and dinner will start at 6:00pm.  We will have a kid’s activity table to keep all of the children from complaining about how bored they are (I used to be one of them!).  We will also have a dance starting about 8:00pm and lasting until we can’t dance anymore!

Engagement Photos

So, we’ve been engaged for a very long time.  Almost a year actually.  So it should come as no suprise to anyone that we took our engagement photos a few weeks ago, dangerously close to the point at which we are no longer engaged. But, better late than never!  Aaron and I opted to take our pictures in downtown Albuquerque in front of some quirky scenes.  You can check out Aaron’s and my photo shoot at:

www.pictage.com/619611
 

You will have to create a free account to view them, but once you do, you can let us know which ones are your favorites!

Getting to the Ceremony

Aaron and I are getting married at Our Lady of the Annunciation Church, where my family has attended since I was about 2 years old, which is located at 2621 Vermont St. Northeast. The ceremony will be a liturgical service, and our wedding will be the first ever performed by Fr. Joel who was ordained only a few months ago. 

DIRECTIONS: The church is smack in the middle of a residential area in between Wyoming and Pennsylvania (east/west), and Candelaria and Menaul (north/south).  Vermont can be accessed from either Menaul or Candelaria.  There are two other churches right across the street from Annunciation, and the catholic school on the south end of the property.  I recommend taking Wyoming to Candelaria, turning west (away from the mountains) on Candelaria, and turning south onto Vermont (about 3 residential streets west of the Wyoming/Candelaria intersection).  The church is past the first stop sign on Vermont.

View Larger Map

PARKING: There is ample parking in the fenced-in lot right in front of the church, and overflow parking across the street in a dirt lot should Aaron and I be more popular than we think!

OTHER INFORMATION: Please remember that photo taking in church is not allowed.  We will have a professional photographer capturing the whole ceremony, and we will be sure to send out the link to everyone!

For A More Detailed Account

This blog was started primarily as an information resource for our wedding guests in lieu of a traditional cookie cutter type wedding website that makes you fill in all the blanks or have a big empty space.

Then I realized that I had a lot to say about weddings and wedding planning and my experiences in a town that has limited wedding resources.  I figured this site wasn’t the most appropriate place to blog about all this, especially if someone is simply trying to figure out where the hotel information is, so I started a new blog specifically to talk all things wedding.

You can find me at www.albuquerquebride.wordpress.com which was named such not only because I am a bride in Albuquerque (WOW), but also because I’m finding my challenges and experiences to be very specific to my geographical location in the world. 

Check it out if you get a chance!

The Best Part is, You Can Shorten It and Wear it Again!

Once upon a time, brides-to-be got kidnapped.  A lot, apparently.  So much so, that the practice of including decoys at the alter became common in order to  confuse the would-be kidnappers while the bride would hopefully get  married in peace. I can only imagine what fate await the decoy who got kidnapped.

Today’s bridesmaid and her purpose hardly seems to resemble her origin.  While she might have to wear an ugly dress, stand in heels for the entire ceremony, and put up with bridezilla, she probably won’t have to endure a violent abduction, and her life can return to normal by Sunday afternoon.

I consider myself lucky to have 5 fabulous girls who are  willing to get stolen for me and I am VERY grateful to each and every one of them. So far they have not only arranged for wonderful bridal shower surprises and dealt with my inability to decide on their bridesmaid dresses, and who knows what they will put up with in coming months. 

Cheryl and Renee: When I was almost 7, I watched these two come into the world kicking and screaming and I went from being an only child to sharing attention (and funds) with TWINS.  Many years later, I’ve come to realize that they aren’t so bad . These days the brat children are freshmen in college and they get stuck with more of the actual bridesmaid duties because, no matter how demanding I get, they still have to love me.

Kay and Rebecca: I met these girls when we were in 6th grade at Madison Middle School. Back then, Clueless was pretty cool, and our JNCO jeans were as wide as we could get them.  Several proms, choir trips, cars, and boyfriends later through middle school, high school, and college, these girls are still a couple of my best friends and did a steller job helping with my bridal shower!

Kaitlin: Kaitlin and I met in the Program Board office at St. Mary’s College of California. I have been on so many crazy adventures with this girl.  She kept me from doing anything too stupid, and kept me company at 1am after a Starbucks run when watching Pride and Prejudice was more fun than doing homework.  Kaitlin’s sister is getting married a month before I am (and she’s the maid of honor), so I am doing my best to keep her bridesmaid duties as limited as possible!

These are my girls, and not only will they make for some pretty awesome wedding pictures, but they are such an amazing group by my side as I get married…and hopefully none of us will be kidnapped!

* As a sidenote, Aaron and I are rebelling against the “maid of honor” and “best man” tradition because each person in our party is special to us!

The Bridal Shower

One of the perks of being a bride is getting a fabulous party thrown for me without having to turn a year older or having to graduate from something. Being surrounded by a wonderful and supportive group of ladies helping me celebrate my upcoming wedding made for a very delightful afternoon. 

The theme revolved around my favorite movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s which embodies all the charm, elegance, and glamour of mid-century Hollywood, while featuring Audrey Hepburn in her most iconic role.  My mom in her typical fashion went crazy with the theme, and created an AWESOME atmosphere complete with Tiffany blue decorations, diamond confetti, and “Breakfast” items on the menu. 

Rebecca, one of my fabulous bridesmaids, even arranged for Aaron to make a (pretaped) appearance in a game show style ”20 Questions”  before he and 2 of his groomsmen made a live appearance toward the end of the shower to help open presents and eat leftover pastries.

Incidentally, I gave the camera to my sister, and ended up with a ton of pictures of….her.  Luckily, she also got a lot of great pictures of the decorations!     

Let Them Eat Cake

Less than 4 months away from the wedding!

Two of my favorite things are weddings and event planning.  Who knew that when it came to planning my own, that I would be so behind schedule and indecisive. I am rapidly becoming the unfortunate bride on Whose Wedding Is It Anyway who has the planner speechless in disgust over how little she has accomplished.  Luckily, we are finally making progress in the decision making process.  Last week we settled on our ever-important wedding cake!

Ace of Cakes on the Food Network is one of my favorite shows.  Duff, Jeff, and Mary Alice are my heroes.  Anyone who can spectacularly recreate volcanoes, pinball machines, and Hogwarts out of cake deserves my utmost respect. Despite my love of the staff at Charm City Cakes, ( www.charmcitycakes.com ) this show has completely blown my cake expectations out of proportion.   Finding a cake decorator who shared my need for perfection while still making something unique enough to be remembered seemed like it would be an impossible task in Albuquerque, a city whose wedding vendors still remain limited.

Then I discovered a little bakery on the westside of town.  Birdie Mathis, the incredibly talented owner and decorator of Say It With Cake ( www.sayitwithcake.net ), was not only extremely helpful, but it turns out she has been involved with an MDA fundraiser! The cake tasting was very yummy, and I think we made some great flavor/filling choices that will have everyone asking for seconds!  I’m keeping the design of the cake a surprise, but I’m very excited to see the cake transform from a pencil sketch to a tasty and beautiful creation!

Dancing Down the Aisle

For those of  you that haven’t seen this, I absolutely had to share! This video took storm this week, and the couple was actually featured on the Today Show this morning. While I am still debating whether I am gutsy enough to pull something like this off (and whether or not our bridal party would agree to it), I have complete respect for couples who decide to shake things up and let their personalities shine during their wedding!