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Jennifer and Steven's Wedding
Jennifer Cruz and Steven Rea, married August 20, 2005. As a bonus, Jen is also 7.5 months pregnant.
(or for those of us high school friends... o_O)
Many of us hadn't seen Jen in years-- Diana and I included. More than a year or two... then we see her, and she's getting married! Unless we saw her at Berkeley, we probably hadn't seen her fiance, er, husband, either! And she's pregnant!
The wedding was at Newman Parish, very close to the UC Berkeley campus. The pastor was very animated, and very friendly at explaining the proceedings to those of us who are not Christian (or, particularly, Cathlolic). The ceremony was long (52 minutes, says the cameraman) but for all that, very well done! The only really different thing was the informal air of seating, which meant people were a little spread out given the small group of 80 attendees and the much larger capacity of the church.
The invitation to the wedding suggested "smart casual attire"; on second thought, ignoring that and coming in a suit probably would have been smarter, or at least warmer! The fog didn't burn off til past noon...
The reception itself was at HS Lordship's on the Berkeley Marina. Food was a buffet... lumpia, california rolls, and chicken breast strips (Filipino style?) for an appetizer. Pretty tasty. We got to see the adorable little cake while we waited in line, as well as the picture and frame of Jen and Steven that all the guests were being asked to sign. It was different than the red cloth everyone signs as I'm used to at Chinese weddings!
Food itself was pretty good, but that wasn't the point of the wedding. It was to be with Jen and Steven on their special day, and fun was had by all. Diana and I had an excellent vantage point for taking pictures, particularly for the cake cutting and the guest-initiated requests-for-kisses of the bride and groom.
The bouquet toss and garter throw were hampered by the low ceiling in the room. The crowd for both was surprisingly good, though, and they had energy! Some weddings, everyone runs away when it's tossed; that wasn't the case this time! Those who are curious: yes, Steven used his teeth to remove the garter.
The money dance was a little crazy. Instead of one or two songs, it went on for three or four. "Creative pinning" was the order of the day. *grins*
Speeches by the siblings of the bride and groom, as well as the best man and maid of honor, were emotional and a little sappy. This is among the first weddings for many of us, the first pregnancy among friends for even more, how could it be anything else?
The reception was pretty long, 12:30 to 4:00 and was still going when we left. A crowd filled the tiny dance floor, which was cute. =) Staying longer was tempting, but spending the whole day through the evening would have been a little difficult on such a short trip! Going to the bride and groom's evening dinner was a little tempting, though. Sadly... not enough time!
Other pictures from the weekend obviously aren't related. A shot of a taco salad from the overpriced airport Carl's Jr. (I was starving!), my mom unexpectedly washing her car before I borrowed it (my mom is cute and a little weird like that!), then pictures of the ridiculously large zucchini my parents are growing. Top it off... pictures of a rare Pearl sighting!
