"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...