Our Wedding Day

I feel it appropriate to share about the most meaningful day in our lives so far! 

We were officially married in the Orlando, FL LDS temple Friday, February 10th at 10 AM. It was a pretty calm morning in the hotel room, considering my mother and I did all the hair and makeup ourselves (Our good friend/ hair stylist/makeup artist was unable to attend at the last minute). Only after walking through the temple doors and finally having a moment to ourselves were Giuliano and I really able to ponder on the step we about to take in our lives. I cannot describe the peace and joy I felt waiting alongside Giuliano for all our guests to arrive. We had about an hour of uninterrupted quiet time to sit and enjoy each others company. My clearest memory is walking into our sealing room and seeing my best friend's face. Johanna has been a constant in my life since kindergarten and continues to be the sister I never had. I cannot imagine her not being there and am grateful she was able to postpone her move to NC to be present in the temple with me. She was my family :)

After pictures, pictures, and more pictures...
                                                                          My family

Giuliano's family

My brother and I, so happy he was there!

Giuliano and I were able to drive comfortably to the airport and fly down hassle free in time for our reception thanks to my amazing uncle! We enjoyed a nice lunch, boarded the plane, and landed 40 min later...only to find a water sodden Miami. I had about 3 missed calls from my reception site stating we were going to have to forego my previously arranged outdoor ring ceremony. The stress set in then as I struggled to figure out how I was going to get home in "rainy day traffic" in time to get dressed, hair and makeup redone AND now notify about 130 people of a location change. Oy Vey. Somehow (thanks to my amazing mother and patient husband) everything worked out and we were able to stay on schedule. I had one more surprise waiting for me outside:

My stepfather, Carlos, had rented a car to drive us to the reception, and it was beautiful. We really enjoyed our ride.

Even though I was already married, I wanted to share a part of my marriage ceremony with family who were not able to be present inside the temple, so we decided on a very simple ring ceremony. I was also able to broadcast the ceremony for my grandmother who, for health reasons, was unable to leave the house to attend. That was a big disappointment at first, because an event is not truly complete without Abuela, but I am glad Giuliano supported me in finding a way to include her.

My favorite part of my reception, hands down, was my father/daughter dance. We did a "rock the reception"  dance and my dad wowed everyone with his previously unknown of dance skills!

All in all, it was a wonderful day, and I am grateful to all those who helped make it happen. I am truly blessed with wonderful family and friends.