I forgot to finish up my weekend in the Bay! I'll "try" and keep it brief...some people are tellin' me that my blogs are too damn long (boo on you guys!)...hey man, it's my website and I'll make it as long as I want! Anyways... =)

SEPT 12- da wedding
Got up early to run some last minute errands before the wedding. The weather was exceptionally perfect- not a cloud in the sky! Had to drop hubby off downtown at the hotel so the groomsmen could get ready. Felt pressed for time 'cuz the wedding was for 5pm...on a Friday...at St. Mary's Cathedral...during rush hour! Good Lord! Who has weddings at this time of the week?! LOL! Apparently, those who'd like to punish their guests and force them to take half days off from work, that's who! I'm playin! Well here's another smart move by the bride and groom...on the invitations, they put the wedding at 5pm...turns out the ceremony doesn't begin until 5:30pm! Ah hah...they did that whole accomodating thing for late comers and Filipino-time arrivals...good thinking! The wedding party arrived in style in their H2 stretch limo...hubby says as spacious as it was, twas cramped 'cuz of the bridesmaids....hahaha, ya'll know how much room women need! The ceremony itself was beautiful. They had a white runner strewn with rose petals...SILK petals! LOL! You know how many people bent down and picked them up only to drop 'em back when the realized they were fake? People, I'm not hatin'...I was one of them folks! LOL! Seriously, it looked elegant. What made it even more beautiful was the cathedral choir...their voices and harmony just added even more. The bridesmaids wore red, red, red dresses with matching red, red, red shoes. Personally, I'd never be bold enough to choose that color, but wow, it looked so nice! The groomsmen, esp my baby, looked real sharp in their tuxes. Aileen wore a strapless gown that really made her look beautiful. While they said (or actually, read) their vows, Aileen got all choked up and started crying. Dang, if ya'll know how I get during Hallmark commercials, you KNOW that I got choked up, too! With the exception of the bride's train coming off, the rest of the ceremony seemed perfect.

The reception was held at the Palace Hotel(check out the link, and take a virtual tour of the Garden Court). When you walk in, the first thing that hits you is, "WOW!" First of all, this being a 4 Star luxury hotel, it just blows your mind! The place was lit up by candles galore, giving that romantic feel to the room. Since Aileen and Ed wanted to do something unique, their reception was casino-style, complete with blackjack, craps, and roulette tables spread out throughout the room. They had both a live band and a dj, too. At the door, we were all given chips for drinks (open bar, WORD!) and a card worth 250 gambling chips. Whoever had the most chips at the end of the night would win a prize. Seeing that hubby was groomsman and best bud of the groom, Ran seemed to have all these "extra" chips that night. Let me tell you this- HELLA drinks were consumed that night! With this being one of the last times hubby would get to hang out with his former co-workers,etc, I already knew that he'd be drinkin' up. (Btw: after all these years, this was the FIRST time I actually met his co-workers! Here they were thinking that Rando's wife was "Snufalufagus!" LOL! Lil' side joke there...Got to meet Calvin, (Kiki's hubby), JP and wife Kim, etc.) The ladies at our table drank up, too! Maria, Sharon, and I hung out most of the evening...Sharon with her unlimited refills of red wine...that girl, yes, Mrs. Sharon, was BUZZED! LOL! Me, I was enjoying the champagne, Ran's, Sharon's, and mine! Like I said, it was open bar...you gotta take advantage of that, eh?! So while our husbands were either dancing, drinking, or talking computers (yah, all three of them!), us ladies went to the bar to have ourselves Kamikaze shots! Man, they were huge AND strong as hell! Aren't they supposed to water down these drinks at weddings?! LOL! Anyways, Maria and I did our thang, but Sharon chickened out. But nonetheless, it was fun and cool to hang out and drink up with my homegirls! =) As always, there was a question as to who would take the center piece...(Sharon took it!)...but we both took candles, too! According to Sharon, they were Crate and Barrel candles...now, they're nice accessories to my bathroom! LOL! Gotta say though, that was one of the funnest and best weddings I've ever been to.

One last thing: the matron of honor's speech was tight. She did the whole reminiscing thang and how the couple met,etc. One part stood out and I'd like to share that here: "One piece of advice. Never lie, steal, or cheat. But if you lie, lie in each other's arms. If you steal, steal kisses. And if you cheat, cheat death together." Much love and congrats go out to Ed and Aileen Fernandez...