Archive for the 'Engagement/Wedding' Category

Thankfully, I had had about 15 glasses of champagne at this point in the wedding, because as you can see from my expression in the following photo, I was more than a bit nervous when Julie announced that it was time for the garter toss.

Being the extraordinary wedding planner/Matron of Honor that she was, Julie quickly filled up my champagne glass before forcing me to sit in a chair in the middle of the dance floor and showing more skin than I was comfortable revealing (especially in front of my Dad).

Most of the men at our wedding were not single and the ones that were definitely had had their fair share of alcohol (ie: my brother).

Which is why he did not think twice before he jumped for the garter.

How priceless is his face when he realized what he had just caught?

Then it was time for the bouquet toss.  I love how competitive women get during this moment and my wedding was no exception.

In Argentina, most weddings do not end until sunrise, so even though it was pushing 2AM the music started up again.

It is nearly impossible to find the right words upon which to end this post.  Thus, I think I will simply say: fairytales do come true.

End note: My wedding posts have sadly come to an end.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your love-filled comments over the last 17 posts — they will remain in my thoughts forever.  I cannot even begin to describe how much joy I had reliving this special day in my life and I hope in the future to show these posts to my children.  I will be taking a short break over the coming weeks from this series to blog about “Romantic Southern Getaways,” and once I have finished I will return to this series to finish blogging about our 2 week honeymoon throughout Brasil.

Make sure to keep yours eyes open for cheap business cards online, because there are definitely deals to be found.

Everyone knows that the best part of a wedding (well, in most cases) is the cake.  And ours definitely did not disappoint!  Faena Hotel + Universe baked us the most spectacular cake ever: a double layered dulce de leche and milk chocolate torta with white chocolate icing on the sides.

I begged Lucas to eschew the tradition of shoving the first bite of cake into each others faces and thankfully he obliged.  While we were feeding each other, my friend, Apphia, whom had flown all the way from China, sang “Unforgettable”  to us on a whim.  It was absolutely breathtaking!

Once she was finished, the band began to play again.  They played a mix of popular jazz and bossa nova songs.

Of course, everyone loved the slow music, but the party did not officially begin until the dance music started.  The star of the show was definitely Lucas’ Dad.  I guess I know where my husband got his smooth moves from?

I must have been inspired by his Dad in the following photo?

I refused to have any cheesy songs played during the reception, such as “YMCA,” however I did not protest when the conga line was started to a Black Eyed Peas song.

I then paused for a quick champagne break, as I knew I would need some liquid courage for what was coming up next, while Lucas took my Mom for a spin on the dance floor.

What is your favorite photo?

Then it was time for the Father-Daughter dance.  Thankfully, I was not nervous about dancing with my Dad, like I was dancing with Lucas, as my Dad and I have been dancing together since I had learned how to walk.  He introduced me to all of the jazz greats, our favorite being Frank Sinatra, thus there was no other artist I would even consider dancing to other than Ol’ Blue Eyes.  Together, we chose the song, “The Way You Look Tonight.”

Oh, how I never wanted the song to end!  I think my Dad felt the same way?

When you have three brothers and you are the only girl in the family, you are destined to be “Daddy’s little girl.”  And even though I am now married — that does not change a thing — I will forever be his princess.

About halfway through the song, I felt a tap on my shoulder.  Alex, my brother/Man of Honor, had cut in and asked my Dad’s permission to finish dancing the song with me.

No one in this world makes me laugh harder or fills my heart with more joy than my baby brother.

After the song finished, it was time for one of the highlight’s of the evening: my dear friend, Nathan Leigh Jones, performed his song, “Beautiful You.”  If you do not know the endearing story behind our friendship, you can read it here.

I am certain that you can tell from the expression on my face in the following picture just how deeply I was moved by his performance.  It is not only my favorite song of his, but the fact that he flew all the way from Australia to Argentina to sing it on my wedding day is something I will never forget!

After the song I could not resist running over to Nathan and giving him a gigantic hug of gratitude.

Once I returned to my seat, Lucas came over to me to let me know that it was time for everyone’s favorite part of the night. . .

 Even though I love Buenos Aires, New York City will forever be my favorite city in the world.  Even though it is quite expensive, affordable New York accommodation can be found.

When Lucas and I walked into the ballroom where our reception was being held both of our hearts skipped a beat.  The room had been transformed, with the help of Julie and Faena Hotel + Universe, into an absolute masterpiece before our eyes!

We immediately went to the dance floor for our first dance, which was to the song Besame Mucho.  I was incredibly nervous, as we had not had the opportunity to practice even once.  However, I should have known there was no reason to be nervous, because Lucas is Latin and we all know that Latins are born with the innate ability to shake their hips.

Once our dance was over, we returned to our seats for dinner. . .and for some more kisses!  Besame mucho, remember?

A while later, my Dad (with my brother as his Spanish translator) gave the father of the bride speech.  It is quite long, but I have decided to share it regardless, as it is deeply touching — both endearing and funny at the same time — just take a look at the expressions captured on everyone’s faces as he delivered it:

My name is Rafael Francisco Josephe Perullo, the father of Andrea Maria.  I would like to start by thanking all of the guests for sharing this day with Andrea and Lucas, especially those that have traveled great distances to attend.

One of my concerns before coming to Argentina was trying to remember names.  I quickly realized that with the women, Italians and Argentinians have a very common trait: most women have a Maria in their name.  Andi, my wife, my mother in law, my niece, my sister, Lucas’ mother, and I am confident that a number of other family members have it included in their name as well.  So, if I forget a woman’s name, I will just use Maria and there is a good chance I will be right!

The more I thought about today, the more of Andi’s life came flashing into my head, and the reality that she has grown up and is now taking the biggest step of her life hits me.  These two, Andi and Alex, are my daughter and son, but where in the world did the little children vanish to?

To say that Andi has led an interesting and amazing life at such an early age, and led it to the fullest, is an understatement.  My wife, Margit, and I should have seen it coming when she was a child.  Margit probably saw it, while I was a father and totally missed it.

I could spend hours telling “Andi stories”.  Although, I will not, since Andi compares my talking to that of Fidel Castro, since I can just go on forever.  However, I encourage each of you to ask her questions throughout the celebration.  I can promise there are great stories behind each of them.

Here are some of my favorite moments:

• At 12, Andi believed she was a very good swimmer.  She went to a swim club that a neighbor and friend of Andi’s, Kristen, who is here today, belonged to in order to be evaluated.  She was placed at the lowest possible entry level and stormed out of the swim club furious and in tears.  She was determined to show them.  A year later, at 13 and not yet in high school, she won the State 50 meter freestyle championship defeating 17 year olds.  She did not lose a race the next 2 years.
• Andi walked miles from the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island into Nassau, the Bahamas when she was 14 to get a tattoo of a daisy on her ankle.  She hid it the entire vacation and told her mother and I while on the plane returning home.
• Andi called me from Bolivia to inform me that she had broken her ankle the day before in Peru.
• Andi called me from Mexico asking me to help her leave the country, as she had sneaked into Cuba, and her flight back to Mexico had been delayed, thus she missed her connecting flight back to the States.  I told her that she had been in Cuba illegally, and that I was not a diplomat nor in the State Department, so there was nothing I could do.  She figured out a way to get home.  She always did.  With all of her travels around the world, every time I see a movie about the CIA, I am convinced that my daughter is a member of the organization
• When she entered college, I told her to enjoy the experience and take her time.  She double majored and finished in 3 years
• Andi called me from Spain to let me know that she had everything stolen and could not leave the country.  Notice how she always called me and not her mother?

Andi knows how much her mother and I love and care about her and how very proud of her we are.  I am lost for words in any attempt to describe my daughter’s beauty and how gorgeous she looks in her wedding gown.  I want to thank everyone who made the wedding ceremony a success, especially Julie Watson Gomez.  It would have been impossible without her help and patience.

I met Lucas five years earlier.  I did not speak Spanish.  At the time Lucas spoke very little English.  We smiled and nodded a lot.  Now he speaks English better than most Americans.  Me, well, I still do not speak Spanish.  My first impression of Lucas was that he was a handsome, respectful, and fine young man.  I wished that he did not live so far away.  What has happened over the last six years proves that love has no boundaries.  Their commitment reminds me of a quote from a novel I read, “You know you are really in love when you cannot fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams.”

To Maria and Jose, my promise is that our home is Lucas’ home.  Margit and I will love and respect him as if he was our own child.  Today is a day of great joy of celebration and happiness.  Today the Ledesma and Perullo families are joined together forever.

I believe there are two lasting bequests we can give our children, one is roots and the other is wings.  Ladies and Gentlemen, raise your glasses, and join me in welcoming the bride and groom: Mrs. and Mr. Lucas Perullo de Ledesma!

This year you should add Hawaii holidays to your Bucket List.  It is only a quick plane ride away to tropical Paradise!

In a prior post, I shared all of the details of my ceremony.  For as much thought as I put into it, I put just as much, if not more, into my reception.  I am not a big DIY kinda gal, however Julie, my wedding planner extraordinaire/Matron of Honor, is.  Thus, anything I could dream of, she could turn into a reality — we made for the perfect team!

The centerpieces did not turn out exactly as we had hoped (warning: NEVER use La Mejor Flor as florists in Buenos Aires, Argentina).  Thankfully though, moments before the wedding, Julie ran around from table to table working her magic.  We had floating red and pink roses in varying sized vases on each of the tables.  Along with the centerpieces, she sprinkled rose petals and butterfly and airplane vintage map confetti.

Lighting was essential to me.  We had floating candles in the centerpieces, candelabras on several of the tables, and we made use of the ballroom’s chandeliers; all working together to create the most romantic ambiance possible.

Perhaps, the detail that I am most proud of was our creative way of both displaying our seating chart and how we distinguished each table from the next.  Inside of a vintage suitcase that Julie found in a market, we placed the name cards.  On the back of the name cards were pictures of iconic Argentine symbols.

Each table had a long stem rose and attached to the stem was a postcard with the symbol.  There were seven postcards in total: Evita, a couple dancing the tango, Maradona, el Obelisco, la Boca, la Puente de la Mujer, and Che Guevara.

One of the main reasons why I chose Faena Hotel + Universe as our wedding venue, besides being one of the leading hotels in the world and drop dead gorgeous, was because they would provide a 9-course meal to my guests.  Yes, you read that correctly, 9 unbelievably delicious courses.  Plus, there was an open champagne and wine bar.  Each table had a menu with all of the courses listed.

And while the food was amongst some of the best I have ever had the pleasure of tasting, nothing compared to our dulce de leche and chocolate wedding cake.  I found the cake toppers on Etsy and had them made to match the exact color and font on our wedding invitations.

While our guests ate, drank, and danced the night away, there was a photo montage of Lucas and I from the last six years on display on a large screen in between the tables.

Of course my guests did not go home empty handed.  Inside their gift bag, which had a thank you gift tag with all seven of the iconic Argentine symbols that we had used on it, was a CD with all of the wedding music on it (handmade by Julie), gourmet chocolate in the shape of hearts, and a wine stopper.

If you should find yourself in Europe, make sure to experience one of the many amazing Europe tours.  You will see and do much more than if you were to explore on your own.

La Puente de la Mujer, or the Woman’s Bridge, is where we chose to take our wedding photos.  The iconic bridge, in the heart of Puerto Madero, is shaped to look like a woman who is being dipped while dancing the tango — so very, very Argentine.   It was one of the first landmarks I visited on my inaugural trip to Buenos Aires.  I cannot tell you how many times Lucas and I strolled across the bridge over the last six years, hand in hand, dreaming about our future together.

Now we were on the bridge yet again, except this time we no longer needed to dream, as our dream had become our reality.

One day while browsing Etsy for wedding ideas, I came across a shop that sold handmade signs and thought they would make for an excellent wedding prop.  We ended up using the following photo for the front of our “thank you” notes.

On our way back to the reception at Faena Hotel + Universe, Kyle, our wedding photographer, spotted something and told the taxi driver that he had to turn around.  She caught sight of a “LOVE” sign, which just so happened to be designed by Faena.  It could not be more perfect, right?

And, although I am totally biased, this is my favorite wedding photo Kyle has ever taken.

Before returning to our reception, we sneaked upstairs into our room for a couple of more shots.  We took the sweet photos on the bridge, thus it was time for some sexy ones!

What is your favorite photo?

Buenos Aires is a lovely city to vacation in, but a but a city break in a Paris apartment can be as equally fabulous and romantic.  Think about renting an apartment while there, to really feel like you are a Parisian!

Then it was time for the requisite family photos.  Faena Hotel + Universe at dusk made for the perfect backdrop.  Who do you think I look more like: my Mom or my Dad?

No one thinks my younger brother and I look anything alike, but I definitely see a resemblance.  Can you believe there is a 10 year age difference?

My one regret regarding my wedding photography was not taking more photos with Julie, my wedding planner/Matron of Honor.  She was such an important part of our special day, in fact there would not have been a special day without her.

I think my husband looks just like his Mom, what about you?

I have always been surrounded by men and love their protective energy.  Now I have a husband, two more brothers, and a second father.  I think I never have to worry about anything ever again!

Once the family photos were finished, Lucas and I sneaked off with our wedding photographers and Julie.

A gringa riding around the city of Buenos Aires in her wedding dress is certainly not a common sight and I do not think I have ever been stared at more in my life.

We finally arrived at our destination.  I had spent a year deciding where would be the perfect place for Lucas and I to take our wedding photos.  I wanted it to be iconic, as well as a place that also had a special meaning for us, not just for Porteños.  Thankfully, the place ended up being just minutes away from Faena by taxi.

Do you have any guesses where we were?

Argentina is an extraordinary country, however another one of my favorite countries is Spain.  I highly recommend that you rent holiday apartments in Barcelona, so that you can actually feel like you are a local rather than a tourist.

Finally, after 6 years of an incredibly long-distance romance, Karen and Seba made the pronouncement that we were officially married,

Lucas and Andrea, by the great love that has brought you here today and by the vows you have exchanged in the company of family and friends, it is my honor and absolute delight, that I now pronounce you husband and wife.  You may kiss to seal the commitment you have just made.

It was the best kiss of my life.

Halfway through our recession down the aisle, with Sous Le Dome Epais playing in the background and rose petals being thrown in the air, my husband stopped and gave me yet another kiss.  In case you were wondering, my breath was completely taken away in that moment.

We headed to a private room in Faena Hotel + Universe to get ready for our first champagne toast as a married couple.  I love the photos that Kyle captured of us when we had no idea that the camera was even on us.

We kept repeating to each other, “Ay Dios mio, we are married!”  And while we truly enjoyed those five blissful minutes to ourselves, we were also ready to get the party started with some bubbly.

I, of course, had to take a quick second to show off the rings.

After countless hugs and kisses, it was time for the toast.  Our guests looked absolutely gorgeous, did they not?

Which is your favorite photo?

Up until the reading of the vows, I had not yet shed a tear.  My voice started to shake a little as I read my vows to Lucas, but as soon as I heard him recite his, the tears started to flow.  He was really nervous about expressing his love to me in the written word, but I do not think he could have said anything more perfect.

*Click the image to enlarge the print in order to read his vows

Then it was time for the exchange of rings.  I adore the story behind our rings, which you can read here.  My brother, who was our ring bearer, brought the rings over to us.

And before he left to return to his spot next to Julie, I gave him the world’s biggest hug.

Our Dad was clearly moved during this moment.

Lucas was the first to place one of the ring’s on my finger and proclaim,

With this ring, I thee wed, as a symbol of my love, I give to you all that is mine, all the days of my life.

It was then my turn to say the same thing.  I repeated the above line in Spanish and just as I was about to say it in English, our band began to sing “Ave Maria.”  My heart stopped, as I was unable to put the ring on Lucas’ finger.  Lucas had warned me the day before that there was going to be at least one moment during the wedding where something went wrong, but that instead of viewing it as a negative thing that we should view it a funny story to tell.  With terror in my eyes, I looked at him smiling and then our guests began to laugh as well once they realized what had happened.

I decided in that moment that he was right, this was definitely going to be a funny story to tell, thus I started to laugh as well.

The band stopped, let me finish, and then at the right time began to play again.  All that was left now was the kiss to seal the deal.

Lucas and I were not supposed to join hands until Karen and Seba told us to later on in the ceremony.  However, the second we were next to each we could not help but want to touch each other in some way, even if that meant messing up the ceremony a tiny bit.  I vividly remember looking into his eyes and thinking there is no other place in this world I would rather be in this moment.

Karen and Seba formally welcomed our guests and thanked them for traveling all over the world to be with us on our special day.  I had guests from as far as China and Australia!  Then my parents stood up and gave us their blessing.

I loved our ‘officiant’s message’:

Today, we celebrate the love that Lucas and Andrea discovered 6 years ago here in Buenos Aires, which has brought them to this day.  With love that deepens even more through the years, may they become one in sharing themselves with each other and yet remain truly two in their own uniqueness.  From this day forward they are connected and they will walk this walk called life, hand in hand, committed as husband and wife eternally.

And then it was time for us to exchange our vows.  We decided early on in the wedding planning process that it was important to both of us to write our own vows and that we would not share them with each other until the ceremony.  I decided to say my vows in Spanish first, because I knew that once I said them in English I would begin to cry and there was no way I would be able to get through reading them in a foreign language.

*Click the image to enlarge the print in order to read my vows

Once I was finished, I breathed the hugest sigh of relief — I had been nervous about saying my vows in front of everyone for a year!  Now I could not wait to listen to Lucas’.