we did it! - newspaper clubassets.newspaperclub.com/.../document.pdf · e wedding ceremony music...
TRANSCRIPT
"We Did It!"August 11, 2012
Haydee and Adalberto listen as Fr. "Tes" talks about the holy sacrament of
marriage.
e happy couple walk out of Sacred Heart Church, Los Angeles, CA.
Haydee Laura Gomez Weds Adalberto Ramos Jr.
e Ceremony
Haydee Laura Gomez (27) and Adalber‐
to Ramos Jr. (28) Of Los Angeles, Cali‐
fornia, were married Saturday, August
11th, 2012 at four o’clock in the aer‐
noon at Sacred Heart Catholic Church,
Los Angeles, CA. e mass was officiat‐
ed by Father Tesfaldet (Tes) Asghedom.
e bride is the daughter of Ms. Julia
Gutierrez. e bridegroom is the son of
Mr. Jorge Arana and Mrs. Dora Arana.
e wedding ceremony music was per‐
formed by Susie Hansen. Ms. Hansen
played the violin and beautifully sang
songs such as the Ave Maria and a Celtic
rendition of the Alleluia. e couple’s
parents and bridal party advanced to
Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel.
e bride progressed to the traditional
Here comes the Bride by Wagner.
e bride’s mother was the %rst to walk
down the aisle accompanied by her son
Adam Gomez Jr. and his wife Griselda
Gomez. e groom’s parents, Jorge
Arana and Dora Arana followed.
Ruben Alfredo Ramos (26) was the best
man. Groomsmen were Jonathan
Michael Arana (21) and Christopher
Isaac Gomez (17). ey wore light tan
suites with ivory button down shirts and
pearl pink dupioni ties. eir bouton‐
nieres were composed of a single white
rose and petite pink roses.
Stacie Denise Cruz (24) was the maid of
honor. Bridesmaids were Margarita
Arana (20) and Sabrina Emily Gomez
(15). ey wore dupioni pearl pink
knee-length strapless dresses and carried
bouquets of white and pink roses.
Mercedes Kalei Verdugo (4), the &ower
girl and Xavier Jorge Castro (2), the ring
bearer walked in prior to the bride’s
grand entrance. e adorable &ower girl
carried white and pale pink roses and
wore a peal pink dupioni dress. e
handsome ring bearer dressed in an
ivory colored suit with an ivory button
down shirt and dupioni pearl pink bow
tie. He wore a tiny boutonniere of petite
white roses. e ring bearer carried a
small ivory pillow adorned with crystals.
e groom awaited his bride's arrival at
the altar wearing a light beige suit with
an ivory button down shirt and satin
ivory-colored tie. His boutonniere was a
pink peony wrapped in ivory satin rib‐
bon adorned with small crystals.
Although the teary eyed bride escorted
herself down the aisle, her mother lov‐
ingly awaited her grand arrival at the al‐
tar and gently handed her over to her
husband to be. e bride moved grace‐
fully in her ivory satin gown. e bride’s
gown was A-line with a sweetheart neck‐
line and corset closure. Ruching en‐
veloped the bodice and was adorned
with delicate placement
of Swarovski crystal beading. e gown
asymmetrically plummeted below the
waist while the train poured into a gor‐
geous balloon hem. e bride carried a
bouquet of over a dozen of pink and
white peonies.
e couple exchanged vows in a tradi‐
tional catholic mass that included gospel
readings in both English and Spanish.
Given the couple’s mutual Hispanic
background, several other components
to the ceremony were also included such
as when the couple presented the statue
of “La Virgen de Guadalupe” with a
modest bouquet of roses to show respect
a n d g r a t i t u d e . F u r t h e r m o r e , a
“lazo” (large crystal rosary) was placed
over both the bride and groom in order
to signify their eternal unity and com‐
mitment to one another and placed on
them by a married couple they perceived
as a good example of marriage (Adam
Gomez Jr.and Griselda Gomez). e
groom also presented the bride with “ar‐
ras” or small gold plated coins to signify
their %nancial commitment to one an‐
other.
e exchange of vows between the bride
and groom was the most intimate and
emotional part of the entire ceremony.
Both the bride and groom appeared to
speak from their hearts as they soly
looked into each others eyes and stated
their vows to one another:
"I Adalberto, take you Haydee to be my
wife. I promise to be true to you in good
times and in bad, in sickness and in
health. I will love you and honor you all
the days of my life."
"I Haydee, take you Adalberto to be my
husband. I promise to be true to you in
good times and in bad, in sickness and
in health. I will love you and honor you
2 A Dream Wedding Come True
e couple take a snapshot while relax‐
ing at thier Santa Baraba, CA Catholic
Engaged Encounter Retreat.
Haydee and Adalberto take on the "dif‐
#cult" task of cake testing at Portos
Bakery, Glendale, CA.
e groom nervously ties his shoes be‐
fore the ceremony.
"You may now kiss the bride."
e bride puts on the #nal touches be‐
fore her debut.
A moment of bliss is captured during a
visit to Solvang, CA prior to thier wed‐
ding retreat weekend.
all the days of my life."
e couple's eternal promise and love for
one another was later sealed with a lov‐
ing kiss.
Preparations
e beautiful wedding pictures do not
capture the long journey it took to get to
that %nal moment of happiness. Prepara‐
tions for the wedding began a year be‐
fore and consisted of numerous trips to
downtown Los Angeles, endless meet‐
ings with venue reps and vendors and
meticulous planning and completion of
never ending to-do lists. Haydee and
Adalberto took on the responsibility of
planning the wedding on their own but
the support and help of friends and fam‐
ily did not go unnoticed. From staying
up until sunrise gluing rhinestones on
menus and building boxes to hold gold‐
en Jordan almonds as favors, individuals
from both sides of their families helped
to make their dream wedding come true.
e preparation for the wedding was
also a bonding experience for the couple,
family and friends. For Haydee and
Adalberto, it was an experience that they
both knew in their hearts would lead to
the happiest day in their lives and there‐
fore feelings of love and appreciation for
one another grew. e couple spent end‐
less hours discussing budgets, music to
be played, colors and &owers and also
stressed about things such as meeting
with "the right priest" and deciding
where their guests would sit. e couple
kept their families and friends involved
in preparations by asking them to go
with them to important events such as
bridal dress %ttings and food tastings.
Family members and friends also bond‐
ed with the couple and with one another
at events such as the bridal shower, bach‐
elor day out and barbeque and the
church rehearsal and bowling night. e
bridal shower was hosted at the groom's
godmother's home in Norwalk, CA. Ms.
Hilda De Dios opened the doors to her
home to some of the most important
women in the brides life to celebrate her
upcoming nuptials. e women enjoyed
the company of one another, played nu‐
merous games to keep everyone enter‐
tained and on their toes and enjoyed de‐
licious ice cold pomegranate margaritas.
e bride wore a shirt that was created
for her by her future sister-in-law and
the rest of the bridal party also wore
shirts to represent their involvement in
the wedding. e youngest of the brides‐
maids, Sabrina Gomez was unable to at‐
tend however Haydee %lled her in on all
the details at a later time. Guests feasted
on chocolate covered strawberries, sushi
and sandwiches, all the bride's favorite.
e bride was observed to be blushing
but nonetheless smiling and laughing at
the various gis that were given to her
that night.
e groom chose an adventurous alter‐
native to a typical bachelor party. e
groom and several of his male friends
and family members went paint-ball
shooting at Hollywood Sports Park in
Bell&ower, CA. Guests were separated
into two teams and playfully yet skillfully
challenged each other in the game. De‐
spite the hot summer temperatures,
Adalberto wore denim pants, a long
sleeved shirt and a black hooded sweat‐
shirt with the word "Groom" in an effort
to avoid any visible bruising prior to the
wedding. Guests built up an appetite at
this event which later transitioned to a
barbeque at the groom's parent's house
in City Terrace, CA.
Part of the preparation for Haydee and
Adalberto also included a weekend re‐
treat getaway from May 18th through
May 20th 2012 at Saint Mary's Seminar
in Santa Barbara, CA. Given that the re‐
treat did not begin until Friday, May
18th in the evening, the couple decided
to make the best of their drive up north
and spent the day in Solvang, CA. is
experience gave the couple the rare op‐
portunity in the past weeks to spend
alone time with one another. e couple
enjoyed lunch, window shopping and
wine tasting and were then off to their
retreat. e retreat was an emotional ex‐
perience where they were able to spend
some time alone and together to re&ect
on and prepare themselves mentally and
spiritually for their upcoming commit‐
ment to one another. A recurring theme
in the talks that were presented and in
the re&ections was of how the couple
would involve God in their challenges
and obstacles to come as a married cou‐
ple. Haydee and Adalberto felt similarly
in many ways regarding their faith and
their future together but at times also
had to discuss uncomfortable topics that
outside of the safe setting may have been
difficult to bring up or process. Adalber‐
to and Haydee's weekend retreat le
them with a sense of mutual love and
understanding for one another and pre‐
pared to continue on their journey to
their wedding day and beyond.
Aside from the days reserved especially
for the bride and groom, other events led
up to the wedding that would bring the
family closer and more excited about the
upcoming nuptials. Shortly aer the ar‐
rival of a large group of family members
of the bride from Distrito Federal (D.F.),
Mexico, the couple hosted a karaoke
night in Little Toyko, Los Angeles, CA
and a seafood feast at Ports o' Call in San
Pedro, CA. On ursday, August 9th
2012, the entire wedding party and cou‐
ple attended a rehearsal at Sacred Heart
Church and then met up with other fam‐
ily members and loved ones for a night
of bowling at Jewel City Bowling, Glen‐
dale, CA.
e Big Day
e night before the wedding day, both
Adalberto and Haydee stayed at the
Hilton Los Angeles North in Glendale,
CA to await the big day. Haydee spent
the night with her maid of honor, brides‐
maid and their friend Carlos Campos.
Even Haydee and Adalberto's dog Pre‐
cious stayed the night! e group en‐
joyed each others company and helped
Haydee relax before her big day. e
morning of the wedding, Haydee and the
bridesmaids had their make-up and hair
done by a make-up artist and stylist
from Yana Skylar's company. e girls
nervously chatted and patiently waited as
the time got closer. ey enjoyed several
glasses of Dom Perignon champagne,
3A Dream Wedding Come True
e newlyweds pose for a picture with thier bridal party outside of the Hilton Los Angeles North Hotel.
Haydee and Adalberto sit at thier
sweetheart table to enjoy a brief but ro‐
mantic dinner together on thier wed‐
ding day.
e newlyweds enter the 1939 Chevy Master Deluxe that will drive them to thier
reception at the Hilton Los Angeles North.
e couple enjoys thier #rst dance as
husband and wife.
mimosas and chocolate covered straw‐
berries. Haydee was assisted in putting
on her gown and jewelry by an attendant
from Cruz's Bridal, Valencia, CA and by
her teary-eyed mother. Haydee wore a
white gold diamond bracelet given to her
on her college graduation day by her
mother ("something old"), a blue garter
with a miniature Hello Kitty pendant
("something blue") and a white gold
necklace with a diamond pendant and
matching earrings designed and pur‐
chased by her husband to be that per‐
fectly coordinated with her soon to be
wedding band ("something new").
e morning of the big day a was less re‐
laxing experience for the groom and his
groomsmen. Aer only several hours of
sleep, the young men awoke early on Sat‐
urday morning to pick up boutonnieres,
corsages and bouquets to be used for the
ceremony. Adalberto and the young men
began to dress and get ready for the big
day. Adalberto also wore a special gi
that was given to him by his bride-to-be,
a pair of white gold plated cufflinks en‐
graved with his initials AR and with a
small diamond on each one. Adalberto
and his groomsmen le the hotel early in
order to await the bride's arrival at the
church.
As the time got close to 4 o'clock in the
aernoon, Haydee's nerves began to in‐
crease but she knew that her arrival on
time at the church would ease her anxi‐
ety. Haydee was transported to the
church in an ivory colored 1939 Chevy
Master Deluxe, the same car that would
later take her and her future husband to
their reception. Haydee did arrive to the
church on time and anxiously waited
outside the church to make her grand
entrance and walk down the aisle.
e Reception
Aer the ceremony, guests were invited
to attend a reception at the Hilton Los
Angeles North Hotel, Glendale, CA.
Cocktail hour began at six o'clock in the
evening. Guests were served champagne
and hor d'oeurves including shrimp on
boursin, shrimp and scallop tartlets,
smoked salmon rose, Mikado style
chicken spring rolls and spinach and feta
spanakopita. e cocktail hour served as
a time for guests to intermingle with
each other prior to taking their seats at
their designated tables and also to allow
them time to view the couple's engage‐
ment pictures and sign the guest book
and picture frame.
While the guests feasted on the delicious
food that was served to them, the couple
and the bridal party took photographs
outside of the hotel where lovely trees
and greenery was their backdrop.
Once the wedding pictures were com‐
pleted, the couple and bridal party
walked inside the hotel and prepared to
make their entrance in the banquet hall.
Each guest of honor including the bride
and groom's parents and the bridal party
were introduced. Lastly, the bride and
groom were introduced to everyone as
Mr. and Mrs. Adalberto Ramos.
4 A Dream Wedding Come True
"Let them eat cake!" e bride and groom taste thier wedding cake.
e witty husband surpises his bride and guests with a faked accent to liven up his
toast.
"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.
Love never ends."
"It was absolutely beautiful! It was every‐
thing I had ever dreamed of. You walked
in the room and all you could smell was
the scent of roses. It was perfect"
says Haydee as she re&ects on the mo‐
ment she and her husband entered the
hall and saw the decorated room for the
%rst time.
Once they made their grand entrance,
Mr. and Mrs. Ramos had their %rst
dance as husband and wife. e couple
slow-danced to the song "Rest of my life"
by Bruno Mars. e song is telling of a
man's promise of eternal love for his
woman. e dance ended with a lovely
and gentle lowering down of the bride by
her husband and a romantic kiss.
e night continued to several toasts
from the groom, maid of honor, best
man, parents of the groom and mother
of the bride. e bride and groom
walked around to every table for pictures
with friends and loved ones and to per‐
sonally thank them for their presence on
their special day. Guest indulged in a
starter consisting of simple yet classic
salad with roasted garlic croutons, garlic
herb roasted tri-tip and sage subbed
chicken with seasonal vegetables, a load‐
ed baked potato and wild mushroom
cabernet sauce. Each table also had two
bottles of red table wine.
Aer the traditional wedding cake cut‐
ting and champagne toast between the
groom and bride, guests were served not
only a piece of wedding cake but also a
heart shaped white chocolate truffle with
a strawberry gelato center.
e night continued on with dancing to
music from the Susie Hansen and the
Latin Band. ey played classic rock
songs and ballads, salsa and cumbias.
e bride and groom also had a "money
dance" where guests were asked to line
up to dance with either the groom or
bride and pin money on the groom or
place money in the bride's ivory satin
"money bag." is money would later
come in handy to the couple during their
upcoming honeymoon.
e bride threw a bouquet of roses and
orchids during the time where single
ladies and women form around her in
hopes of catching the bouquet which ac‐
cording to tradition means that she who
catches it will soon be married. Leticia
Hinojos, D.F., Mexico enthusiastically
and swily caught the bouquet. e
groom then proceeded to get the garter
from underneath his wife's gown and
also threw it to all available bachelors at
the wedding. Ernesto Diaz Hinojos, D.F.,
Mexico caught the garter.
As the night came to an end, a DJ began
to play more mainstream and upbeat
music to continue the party. Everyone
seemed to be enjoying themselves. Popu‐
lar songs such as Party Rockers by LM‐
FAO and Please Don't Stop e Music
by Rihanna had the guests out of their
seats and dancing the night away.
Aer the reception was over, Mr. and
Mrs. Ramos went up to their honey‐
moon suit at the Hilton. It was their %rst
night together as newlyweds and they
could not wait to leave for thier honey‐
moon to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico the
very next day.
And they lived happily ever aer...