Sunday, January 3, 2010

~WEDDING DAY...and excuses...~

Don't you hate excuses? Well...



...last night at 6pm, my Grandson, Alex, was married to the beautiful Natalia Arrango. He is the eldest son of my next to the youngest daughter, Mary and son in law, Brock.
Unfortunately, I forgot to check and make certain the camera was charged, thus after just a few pictures, my camera died. Needless to say, I was frusterated...but didn't go outside and scream and break the camera and act like an enraged fishwife! (I have never claimed to be the most mature woman on earth and this was a wee upsetting)..just a WEE!!!
No..I just calmly put the camera away and did without it. Thus very few photo's to share with you. Do I hear applause? No? Well, I should because I wanted do some damage to myself for being so...irresponsible! Or to put it in bj's words... "BWAAAAAAAA!"


I am using this photo I took of them on Christmas day the week before their wedding and hopefully I will have their wedding portrait to share when I can get one from Grandson, Frank, who was the photographer at the wedding....(and please don't hold your breath as he is family and we take our sweet time with things and he is a very busy young man. (to brag a bit, he is a graduate of NYU film school and quite the photographer!) :)

Alex and Natalia taken on Christmas day.
(Wasn't he just toddling around yesterday and got his zipper caught....?? Never mind!)

The wedding theme was black and white. My daughter in law Cheryl made the cake! I thought she did a lovely job!

If you enlarge the photo below you can see photo's of my great aunt and my grandmother in hats made by my Great grandmother on the far left. Late 1800's. The center photo is of me and three of my four children at that time. There are also photo's of Alex (groom) in childhood days. The mantel is full of my ancestors, my daughters little family and myself. I do love this fireplace mantel! It is handmade.
The ceremony took place in front of this fireplace and the entire room was lit only by candlelight. Our Minister, Andrew Short, performed the ceremony for us...and said something very profound.
He told us that our job in this union was not just to "attend the wedding", but to be there for this couple while they make their way through life. WE, he reminded us, are a support group. Every single person in the room was a close relative or very close friend.
The groom, busy doing something with ...the music? Anyway..you get an idea of the table set up. Please enlarge by clicking on the photo and remember...this is also an historic home. It once was the old polo club here in Riverside back in the 1800's.
This is Christina, the bride's mother and the bride, Natalia. I thought she was just beautiful.


This is the lovely bride, Natalia and myself. The wedding bouquet was made by my daughter Mary, so please enlarge to see the tiny details. All the decorating, flowers arrangements and decorations were done by my daughter, her sister did the meat and daughter in law did the wedding cake. The wedding was in Mary and Brocks home.. which many of you already know was the home of Emilie Barnes the famous writer of "IF TEACUPS COULD TALK" and many other books. What a lovely place to have a wedding!

This was not the a very good post of the beautiful wedding that took place last night and I regret I didn't do it justice.

Our family is beginning 2010 with a brand new baby, a new life for a happy couple, the opening of the other half of my son and DIL's bakery. I HOPE and PRAY that all of you out there will have wonderful new beginnings and a wonderful year!
Love and smiles,
Mona

51 comments:

  1. Congratulations to the happy couple. I know what you mean about the darn cameras! It looks like it was a lovely ceremony.

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  2. Oh Congratulations. Your pictures are just wonderful, and it does indeed look like a perfect wedding. I hope your new year continues to be filled with such wonderful joy. Hugs, Marty

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  3. Oh Mona...
    Sweetie congratulations to you all. You are all off to a good start. What a beautiful couple they make, and the cake, the flowers, the decorations, oh just everything was so beautiful. I am thrilled I was able to see a piece of it. You did a wonderful job representing the pics. The fireplace is just gorgeous, and I loved the picture of your grandmother and great grandmother in the hats. How sweet that was. Everyone was present for the wedding.

    Country hugs sweetie...Sherry

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  4. Happy New Years to you and the happy couple Mona...how special to have a wedding right at the first of the year....what a way to start it off right...Girl you are looking so good yourself seems you have some of your coloring back in your face again...Love the cake you do have alot of talent in your family....Now you know I was drooling over Mary Alice's wonderful home...one of these days I want to see and touch that place ha ha!! Many Blessings to you this coming year my dear friend...Hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

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  5. How absolutely lovely!!! Congratulations on this beautiful start to the new year for your whole family. What a blessing!
    Wylie

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  6. Mona,
    Congratulations to the happy couple. Everything was simple yet very elegant! Most of all You and the Natalia are such lovely ladies. I hope when I am your age I can look as lovely as you!

    Many blessings for a happy and prosperous New Year!!

    Blessings
    Jan

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  7. Congrats to the beautiful couple! It looks like it was a lovely wedding. The bride is very beautiful and the groom ever so handsome!
    Hugs,
    Penny

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  8. Oh girl...I've been there and done the same thing with my camera.

    Regardless...the pics you have are stunning. The bride is stunning...you are stunning...but then I already knew that!

    Love to you girly...thank you for sharing with us!

    Love, Rebecca

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  9. Thank you sharing a peek at a beautiful day and a very beautiful couple. What a grand way to start a new year and a new decade.
    Hugs, Sue
    P.S. BTW I love the bride's dress. So very elegant.

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  10. Congratulations to the newlyweds...they are a very happy looking couple. Can't wait to see the pictures your grandson, Frank, took. Tell him to hurry getting them to you, your cyber friends are an impatient bunch!

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  11. Best wishes to the happy couple. Thanks, Mona, for sharing your beautiful family with us.

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  12. Absolutely beautiful! I really enjoyed seeing your pictures. Thanks so much for sharing this experience with us. I love what the minister said.
    Hugs,
    Karen
    Ladybug Creek

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  13. What a wonderful way to start the new year! This looks like a picture perfect wedding in a picture perfect setting. Sounds like 2010 will be holding lot's of joys for your family.

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  14. You are very blessed to have such a warm family, as I can see from the photos, and the black and white theme was well done.
    That is good how you handled the camera malfunction, and a nice way to start the new year.

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  15. You did wonderful, Mona, without a camera. The beauty of the wedding came right through with your description. The bride and groom are lovely, and so are you! Excellent post!

    xoxo
    Janie

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  16. Oh, Mona! I sure do know what you mean about those darn cameras! What happened to you happened to me at my nieces wedding. I was so mad! But rather than focus on my being a dunderhead, I focused on the ceremony which was beautiful. I AM very proud of you for not throwing your camera or breaking anything.
    The wedding sounds like it was beauitful. Beauitful setting and BEAUTIFUL couple!! You have every right to be proud. I love the picture of the lovely bride and the lovely Mona. Even though there weren't a ton of pictures, this was a great post and I enjoyed it.
    Congratulations to the sweet couple!!!
    Patricia :o)

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  17. HI Mona !
    Boy, I have done that before with the camera - I know exactly how you feel....I even had a camera break the first day at Disneyland ...I hope you get some pictures shared with you ! I did enjoy the ones you did get and I bet the wedding was beautiful !
    Happy Healthy New Year !
    Kammy

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  18. Congratulations to you for gaining a member to your already lovely family, Mona! She looks like a keeper. Oh, I love the fact that it was candle light only during the wedding. They will remember the moment forever. Romantic... Lovely... Nostalgia filled wedding.

    Thank you for sharing this with all of us!
    Hugs
    Di

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  19. What a great start of the new year! Even if the camera decided not to participate for a longer time :-)

    A new little family member as well! Could things be any better!
    Have a great day now!
    Christer.

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  20. What a beautiful way to start the New Year! The pictures are lovely and I love the black and white theme. The bride is gorgeous as is her dress.

    My camera is good for about 3 pictures at all important times in my life and I never have extra batteries!!!!

    Hugs,
    Kay

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  21. It looks like a beautiful evening and union occured. I have attended one wedding by candle light in my lifetime, and it was by far the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen. God bless your family and watch over them all in 2010!

    Smiles, Nancy

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  22. Congratulations Mona and to the Happy Couple !
    What a grand way to start the New Year !
    Much love to you....you look fab !!!!
    Hope you are feeling better.....
    Talk to you soon !
    Love,
    Mary

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  23. Thanks for giving us another peek into your beautiful life.
    Balisha

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  24. New beginnings, what a grand way to begin the New Year!!! The lovely couple are just precious. Here's sendin' them a big old Ozarks CONGRATULATIONS and may all their troubles be 'little ones'. Heeeheehe!

    Great post! Have a wonderfully blessed day, dear Mona. :o)

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  25. Congratulations to the newlyweds starting the year off on the right foot!
    Joyce

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  26. Mona! Congratulations to the lovely couple.
    What a wonderful way to start the New Year, by witnessing the union of a new beginning in marriage.
    The wedding cake is stunning. what an elegant design. I could eat wedding cake everyday and not tire of it...although I'd be carrying a tire around my midriff, lol.

    Sweet wishes,
    Sara

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  27. Hi Mona, congratulations to the happy couple. Your pictures are wonderful and, darling lady, you look so good!!!! This makes me happy.

    May God richly bless them with many, many happy years together.

    Barb ♥

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  28. Hi Mona, Happy New Year! And congrats! The pictures are wonderful, such a lovely, happy couple! I pray God blesses them with joys, happiness and constant love!

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  29. Oh! Blessings to the new couple :o) Aw...sorry about your camera battery, but good to hear that you so sweetly set your camera aside and did not do any damage :o)

    The one you took of them on Christmas was sweet. He is very handsome (love his dimples) and she is very beautiful. and the wedding cake is wonderful.

    Oh and what a perfect setting for their wedding. (Is this Riverside, CA?)

    Your 2010 is starting out with lots of sweet beginnings!

    Blessings & Aloha, dear friend!

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  30. What a beautiful couple. I saw the address "Rumsey Dr." and wondered why I recognized that street. Then I read on in your post and realized it was because it was Emilie Barnes past home. I should've known.
    Blessings,
    Marcia

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  31. Mona, what a GORGEOUS wedding! You have one talented family, the cake, flowers and home are simply beautiful. You are one proud lady and you can see that through the photo. Happy, Happy New Year to you and yours. May this year trump last, may you have happiness, prosperity, love and perhaps most importantly, health. I am grateful to have met you and anxious to see where this year leads.

    Much love,
    Marcia

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  32. congrats!!!! lovely wedding photos that you shared....the zipper comment brought back a memory from my brother's history! lol.

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  33. Happy New Year Mona! Congrats to the happy couple!

    Hugs,
    Debbie

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  34. G'morning, sweet friend,
    O my...what a lovely wedding this must have been. I LOVE the black and white!!
    Your new granddaughter*in*law is just stunning and the grandson is movie star handsome!!
    Thanks for sharing this beloved time with all of us. Looking forward to seeing more photos of the wedding....
    hugs, bj

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  35. Hi Mona, your photos are wonderful. The cake is a work of art as well as the flowers. What talent you have in our family. congrats to the couple. You've had some wonderful highlights to start the year off with. You my friend are one beautiful woman.. thank you so much for your sweet comments. They touched my heart, put a smile on my face and mean the world..
    hugs ~lynne~

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  36. Hey Mona! Honestly I must watch Sense and Sensibility once a week. I love it!!!!! Also Pride and Prejudice. Do you like it?

    I'm freezing over here in my neck of the woods. Waiting for the snow to hit.

    Love ya!

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  37. Congrats to all of you Mona! What a gorgeous couple and beautiful cake.

    Blessings to you. ~Melissa :)

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  39. Oh, I know how you wanted that camera with you!!! Beautiful photos that you DID get, though. Can't wait to see the others...when you are able to get them. :-)

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  40. Oh my....what a simply stunning wedding. Wishing the happy couple a wonderful life together!

    Warm blessings,
    Spencer

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  41. Hi Mona,
    Happy New Year to you and your wonderful family.
    I have been catching up with your this evening and have enjoyed visting.
    What a beautiful wedding you can just see and feel all the love that went into this very special day.
    You look so lovely and so happy!.
    May all your dreams come true this year.
    Big hugs,
    Elizabeth

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  42. Hey my Sweet Mona...thank you so much for coming by girl...you know your my sunshine in blogland don't you...How are you feeling my friend...I think about you all the time I did email you last week and never got an answer back thought maybe you were sick girl....so not like you...May you have a great weekend my dear friend...Hugs and love to ya...Gl♥ria

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  43. Congratulations to the happy couple! How wonderful that the whole family was able to participate in the wedding by making the cake and flowers, etc. I think involving your loved ones makes it even more special. BTW, I love Eva Cassidy! Isn't her voice amazing?

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  44. What a wonderful way to begin the new year. Congratulations on your new family additions.

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  45. Oh Mona,
    This is just fabulous! I am sorry I am late getting over here too. The pics are good, you look beautiful, the bride looks beautiful and that fireplace, oh wow, I love it! Come by when you can, I have a give-away! Hugs, Cindy

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  46. Mona,
    I forgot, you know that Kenneth above who left a comment in Chinese or whatever. One of the other bloggers started translating these and their all porn. I was getting them too. Cindy

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  47. Good Morning my Dear Mona, Girl thanks for coming by...your always like a ray of sunshine to me when you do...and yes I'm very much into history of antiques and always have been...I just could't collect when my kids were little but said as soon as they were gone I was going to have a house full of them ha ha!! I hope all is well on your side of the mountain my friend...did you feel the earthquake...I didn't even know about it ha ha!! May you have a great week girl...I need to finish my cleaning this week the dust bunnies are here taking over...hey maybe I should just leave them out for Easter ha ha!! Hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

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  48. Congratulations Sweetie! I can't tell you how much I enjoyed looking at all your beautiful photos. The couple is just adorable and the decorations so lovely. You looked so beautiful as well. I loved it all! Many happy blessings to you all! Hugs, xoxo Paulette

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  49. What a beautiful wedding. What a beautiful family. What a beautiful home, to have a wedding in.

    And of course, what a beautiful you!

    Gentle hugs...

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  50. Oh and hooray!!! You don't make us do Word Verification here, to Comment!!! I'm so thrilled to find blogs, which don't make me do Word Verification. :-)

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  51. I had a wee computer issue today. I went in to change something in my blog profile and I ended up changing the wrong thing and I think I may have severed all connections I had - links and blog followers and that sort of thing. I still want to be your blog friend. If you still want to follow me, you may have to redo it. I learn everything on the computer through trial and error and this was one big error! Sorry about that.
    -Gayle (GardenofDaisies)

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