Going to the Chapel of Love: Meilani's First Wedding

On Saturday, June 16, our friend Mary Bybee married Antonio Andrade. The whole Gilmore family participated in this truly multicultural affair. As Mary put it, "This is the biggest, fattest Mexican wedding a white girl could ever have." The day came complete with a lasso, homemade Mexican birria, mariachis, melting cupcakes, dripless candles that dripped on the church carpet and even a SEMI-bilingual priest!

The ceremony itself was in a quaint, little Catholic church in Kingsburg. Mary was a little worried when she found out a different priest would be filling in but he proved to be a great addition to the fun of the day. He started his message by saying, "I don't know you..." followed by a long, awkward pause. Later, he said our other favorite line with the most earnest voice, "I don't know how Mary and Antonio plan to communicate." (Guess he didn't know Mary speaks Spanish.) But it was all worth it to see the tears in Antonio's eyes as he said his vows in Spanish and Mary answered in English.

After a little fiasco with supposedly dripless candles that dripped on the church carpet, the wedding party was whisked off to the reception hall in Riverdale. Even the 100-degree weather was not going to stop this bunch from partying down. We were greeted by the hippest mariachi band you've ever heard and we stuffed down an incredible meal made by Antonio's mom, including her own birria (shredded beef) with "spicy sauce," tortillas, rice & beans, nopales salad, and even homemade jamaica drink. The reception had all the perfect "Mary touches," including cute centerpieces made with coffee beans and candles in the signature pale blue and chocolate brown colors. Dessert was a fabulous Martha-Stewart-style Cupcake Wedding cake with brownies and cookies. Meilani loved the favors - a mini deck of cards with a picture of Mary & Antonio inside.

Dorina delivered her Matron of Honor toast in English and Spanish (Whew, that was nerve-wracking!) and we all danced to the live band called Flashback with a Mexican Elvis lead singer and a rocking Japanese sax player among others. Shawn Young cut a rug with Dorina, showing his funkiest moves. The affair kept on going but the Gilmores retired about 5 p.m. to go home and quickly pack for the trip to Virginia.