Throughout the week prior to the wedding we were finishing the final aspects of the wedding planning, while Patricia's cousin (the wedding planner) was organizing the wedding. Two days before the wedding that tents that were set up outside where the wedding was going to take place had not been constructed, though they were supposed to be set up three days before. Marlene (Patricia’s mother) was so worried and, of course, she let the owners of the wedding place know about it. They still were promising her that everything would be set up on time, but she wanted results when they're supposed to occur.
Patricia and I went to the place for hours before the wedding, to give the table assignments to Patricia's cousin. The tents tankfully were in place, and the tables were set up. Hovere, nothing was on the tables, and the decorations weren't finished. I must say I was pretty concerned. When we got there about 30 minutes before the wedding was supposed to start, everything was organized and the final workers were leaving. I was so surprised. I was so sure that they would still be frantically trying to finish the preparations. In the end everything was very beautiful.
As a time arrived we all waited in a room downstairs for this final instructions from the ceremony planner. I first entered alone to my music, which was a piece, which accented the two trumpets in the band. The Dad and Patricia's mother entered with their music. Afterwards the madrinhas and padrinhos (like best men and bride’s maids) and the flower girl entered. Finally Patricia and her dad entered to the music “the wedding march”. Patricia and her dad took a while to enter, and I whispered to her cousin (one of the padrinhos) that she was taking forever to enter. He told me that he had to wait an hour and a half for his bride to come because she's hadn't even arrived at the church yet. I decided having to wait 10 minutes was not too bad.
When Patricia entered, they had closed the curtains prior. As she approached the curtains, the curtains were opened. That was supposed to be the first time I see her in her wedding dress. However, I didn't see her for another minute when she was already about 15 feet away because there is three cameramen and another person taking photos in front of her constantly taking pictures. At this point I led her to the altar where our branch president performed the ceremony. The ceremony was more like a talk on the responsibilities of husband and wife and mother and father. He did an excellent job, though he was very nervous.
We sat in front while he conducted the ceremony. My toes fell asleep because tux shoes are horribly uncomfortable. I fidgeted as little as possible, but I could not help moving a little to try to restore feeling to my toes.
After the ceremony we had the waltz. This was the worst part of the whole wedding because I did not want to dance. At the last reception that I was at a told on of my friends that there would be no dancing at my wedding. If anyone started to dance, they would be kicked out of the reception. Look how things changed, I danced the waltz at my own wedding ... in a tux no less. It went well I guess, though Emily said I looked quite nervous and uncomfortable. At least I did not step on her dress. I was sure that I would step on her dress, she would fall down and rip her dress, and I would have to live with for the rest of my life. Thank goodness that nightmare didn’t happen!
There were ~270 guests at our wedding, and we said hi, hugged and kissed them all, a process that took four hours. I was so tired by the end. It was good to meet her side of the family - people that I wouldn't have an opportunity to meet any other way. Then as people left, they felt it appropriate to come and say goodbye to us, which meant we had to hug kiss and say goodbye to 270 people again I've never hugged, kissed and greeted so many people in my life. But that is a Latin wedding and par for the course.
In the end it was an absolutely gorgeous wedding with absolutely gorgeous bride, a very happy mother-in-law, and many excellent memories.
(I don't have any pictures of the wedding of course because I did not have my camera, but everybody's seen pictures of the wedding already so it's okay)
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