Hessenius

CJ and Andrea's wedding was absolutely beautiful! The ceremony was presided over by Father Iriarte and blended Andrea's Spanish heritage into the Catholic ceremony perfectly. They did a few Spanish traditions, starting with giving each other coins, followed by a lasso tradition, and finally offering a bouquet to the Virgin Mary. Their readings and musical selections were well-chosen and fit the two of them beautifully. Their programs contained the readings in English and in Spanish which I thought was wonderful. The bridesmaids and flower girls had on beautiful taffeta dresses. And the groomsmen wore long-tailed tuxes. Andrea looked stunning in her wedding gown which was very demure and fitted her perfectly.

The reception took place at The Dorrance in Providence, literally right down the road from The Biltmore! The inside of the space is stunning, with large stained-glass windows bearing different coats of arms. The cocktail space was rather small, but once they opened up the dining area, it got much better. They had delicious food and an open bar with a wonderful cake for dessert! Matt got the rack of lamb and I had the fish, both of which were delicious! It was served a little late in the evening and most people had been drinking quite a bit already, but it was still great. We sat with other PC alums in the balcony area and had a wonderful time! And for our favors we got adorable little bottles of olive oil!

I'm including a few pictures, but to see more click here. And to see more about the programs and menu click here.

St. Dominic Chapel

The organ in the chapel

CJ and Andrea exchanging vows

Exchanging rings

Matt and I at the reception

Bride and groom's first dance

Father-daughter dance

Mother-son dance

Jim's speech

Matt and I with the bride and groom

The Beginning

We've hit that age: the age when all of your friends get engaged and you spend large amounts of money on gifts, hotels, clothing, and parties. Don't get me wrong, though, I'm wicked excited to attend these weddings and witness the beginning of the next stage of our friends' lives especially after own wedding in June of 2012. That's the "looking glass" part of my blog; seeing a wedding from the observational side rather than being one of the main participants.

So far we have three weddings this year, possibly four. In addition, we have a wedding in 2014 with the potential of another. So I'll start with the engagements:
  -My friend from college, Caitlin, and her boyfriend, Anthony, got engaged in July of 2011. Their wedding will be held in New York on June 8 of this year.
  -My cousin, Kevin, and his girlfriend of 8 years, Kristen, got engaged in February of last year. They have planned their wedding for June 1 this year in Connecticut.
  -One of Matt's friends from college, CJ, proposed to his girlfriend of about 3 years, Andrea, only a few months after catching the garter at my wedding! Their wedding will take place here in Providence, Rhode Island on April 6. Their ceremony will be held at St. Dominic Chapel on the Providence College campus; the same place Matt and I had ours!
  -Another of my friends from College, Emily, and her boyfriend of about 5 years, Jeremy, got engaged in July of last year. Their wedding is planned for October 26 of this year in New York.
  -My friend that I used to dance with, Margaret, and her boyfriend, Chris, got engaged in November of last year.
  -Matt's friend, Erik, (an usher in our wedding) and his girlfriend, Sophie, got engaged in early December of last year. Their wedding is set for June 7 of 2014 in Newport, Rhode Island.