Our Second Anniversary

"El Amor es la fuerza que transforma y mejora el Alma del Mundo." -Paulo Coelho, El Alquimista

I've had THE TIME OF MY LIFE since meeting you five years ago Gabriel and Thanks be to God, today we are celebrating our two year civil wedding anniversary! You're everything I had dreamed of AND MORE. You make my mind, soul and heart complete. Thank you for loving me unconditionally and showing me what true love really is. I'm looking forward to an eternity with you, Feliz Aniversario!

Wedding Wednesday: Our First Dance, King Tonight to Carolina

Gabriel and I wanted our first dance as husband and wife to be something special and memorable. We chose a song that when we danced together, people would be able see and feel how much LOVE we have not only for each other, but for all of those around us.

We wanted a song that would be timeless, romantic and groovy. We also wanted something original and one of a kind. So it was a pretty obvious thatwe were going to be dancing to one of our songs, King Tonight to Carolina.

A little bit about King Tonight to Carolina:
King Tonight to Carolina, is one of the first songs that Gabriel wrote for me. And it's the first song off our band, egolies debut cd A Luz in Nation. Lights and Revelations. It was also the first time that many of our family and friends were going to hear our song, King Tonight to Carolina, so it was really a special moment in our lives.

If you want to hear a preview of King Tonight to Carolina, click here. Other exciting news, is that we will be releasing the video to our single, King Tonight to Carolina next month!! :) Can't wait to share it with you! Please subscribe to egolies Youtube channel here! 

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Wedding Wednesday: My Wedding Dress + His Suit

The hunt for my wedding dress was quick and easy! I found this gem on day two of my wedding dress search. My mom actually picked it out, and I really loved how it had a vintage, yet modern flare. When I put it on and got zipped in, I knew it was coming home with me. 

I liked that it was flattering to my shape and that it fit PERFECTLY!! I didn't have to hem the bottom or do any other alterations, phew! I also loved the peek-a-boo lace at the bottom and the subtle embellishment at the bust and torso. The train was just the perfect length, too! 

Now the only mission I had was to not gain or loose weight, hehehe. Which I failed, but managed to fix 2 months before my wedding ahahaha. Read the confession here.

Gabriel decided he was going to wear a grey suit and white Nike Blazers. He actually bought the whole outfit two days before our wedding, hehehe. Doesn't he look cute? :)

I'd love to hear what your wedding dress looks like!

Wedding Wednesday: The Cake and Pies

[Above: Gabriel and I cutting into our wedding cake.]

It's been a year, two months and 5 days since we got married. Yes, I still have some Wedding Wednesday posts up my sleeve, hehehe I want it to last forever. 

For our wedding, Gabriel and I didn't want to have a huge fancy cake. We wanted to have something that people would actually eat, and different flavours. And since the feel for our wedding was vintage, we thought it would be great to have some homemade pies! :) The flavours were peach, pecan, banana and lemon, and they were a hit! Oh, we also decided to throw in a couple of cheese cakes in the mix, also a hit!

Gabriel and I did have a cute little cake just for the two of us. It was pretty romantic...

How do yo picture your wedding cake or dessert table? Or what did it look like for those of you who are married?

Wedding Wednesday: Handmade Signs

While I was flipping through the pages of my civil ceremony (wedding) photos, last night, I got inspired to post an easy do it yourself project, that will add a very personal touch to any event.

For our civil ceremony last year, Gabriel and I made a couple of signs that would adorn the cliff we would be exchanging vows on. Since we were keeping things simple and modest, we decided this would add a very personal (and romantic) touch to the atmosphere.

click here for more photos of our civil ceremony.

We had found the scraps of wood in my parents garage, they were doing renovations! Hehehe, and the next day we hauled them with us to the island. Night fell and there we were in bed, painting our cute little signs for our wedding the next day. 

Supplies for 2 signs:
1. 2 long thin pieces of wood
2. 2 rectangle pieces of wood
3. 4 nails
4. Hammer
5. Paint and brushes

Steps:
1. Hammer nail into top and bottom of square piece (onto long piece)
2. Apply paint (word/drawing)
3. Dry 

These handmade signs are great for any occasion being held outdoors; weddings, birthdays, even baby showers!

Wedding Wednesday: Love is Sweet, Have some treats from our candy bar

Gabriel has a very sweet tooth, and since we've been together, I've gotten very used to having something dulce everyday. So we decided that it was necessary for us to have a candy bar at our wedding, make that a sweet and spicy one! Hehehe.

A day before our wedding, Magi (one of my sister in laws) and I went to el mercado de dulce to pick out some mouth watering candy for the candy bar. We thought it would be a good idea to get some traditional Mexican candies, since my family and friends were coming from Canada, Honduras and USA, and had probably never tried them candy before! I also picked up some of Gabriel's favorite candies from childhood. Oh yeah, I also grabbed some cute little marshmallow cones that looked like ice cream...

The majority of the candies came individually wrapped, so we didn't have to do anything to those since they were going to be placed into large glass vases on the candy bar. Oh, and the lollipops, were just placed into oval tin cans with shredded tissue paper.

The treats that weren't wrapped individually, we packaged ourselves and put them into two large wicker baskets.

Oh yes, we also had some "rines" (ree-nez) de harina that we packed into little cellophane bags. They are like a type of chip, but made of flour, and they are so tasty with chile y limon! Yes, we did have the hot sauce ready for'em! Hehehe.

Our candy bar was a total hit with our National and International guests! :) Here is the list of dulces that we used for our candy bar...

1.  Obleas (Las Sevillanas): Candy wafers
2. Rokaleta: 4 layers of spicy and salty lollipop
3. Pelon Pelo Rico, Tama-Roca, Pulparindo, Rebanaditas: Variety of tamarind/chile candy
4. Rines: Flour chips
5. Banderitas de Coco: Coconut candy
6. Chicle de bolita: Gumballs
7. Miguelito: Liquid chamoy
8. Mazapan (de la Rosa): Peanut candy
9. Paletas de Colores: Swirl lollipops
10.  Chocoretas: Mini chocolate balls.

Wedding Wednesday: La Mesa de Novios and Centerpieces

It's wedding season, so I figured I'd continue where I left off with my Wedding Wednesday posts! 

A few days before our wedding, Gabriel and I decided that we wouldn't have the traditional head table at our reception. We wanted to be seated alone, just the two of us! Hehehe. Luckily, at la Hacienda, they had a media luna mesa (half moon table?), that was perfect for what we wanted! 

At our venue, we had candles, like the ones pictured above, all along the paths that led you from one place to another in la Hacienda. So, it was only fitting that we have a romantic candle set up behind our head table!

As you can see, our center pieces were simple: A glass vase, with some white sand at the bottom, and some dyed..I don't know what that's called..grass? Help? Hahahaha.  Oh yeah, and the center piece at our table was a subtly different, our vase was long, thin and circular, while the other ones were shorter, wider and rectangular. Also, our had two white pin wheels placed on the top! 

I actually didn't even know what our center pieces were going to be three days before the wedding. AND I actually didn't pick or decide how our center pieces would look like, SERIOUSLY! Hahaha, my father in law was in charge of picking/assembling the center pieces and he did it all two days before the wedding. Yeah, I was a pretty relaxed bride to be :)

Oh yeah, our table was also situated right by the dance floor, not in front of it because we didn't want to have our back to anyone, but on the left hand side!

Did you have a head table at your wedding? Who was sitting at it?
 or 
Who do yo picture sitting at your head table? Bridesmaids, groomsmen, parents, the whole sha-bang, or just the two love birds? 

Our One Year Anniversary Intimate Boho Civil Ceremony

Today is our one year anniversary of having tied the knot in an intimate bohemian civil ceremony. The ceremony took place on a cliff that overlooked the Pacific Ocean, as ferries cruised by, and birds flew around us while saying our vows. Everything was perfect.

My husband, Gabriel, and I decided that we would celebrate both wedding  anniversaries, since they are both symbolic of our love; who we are, who we aspire to be, united as one. 

Our civil and religious ceremonies are five months apart, and took place in different countries. Also, our civil ceremony was very intimate and bohemian, while our religious ceremony in Mexico, was big and vintage!

Feliz Anniversario Amor, our love is the best gift God has blessed me with!

Wedding Wednesday: Religious Traditions

The Lazo (above)

The tradition of the Lazo or wedding Rosary is prominent in the Hispanic culture. This wedding rosary is used to symbolize the unification of the couple through prayer. The traditional belief is if the couple prays the rosary together every night their marriage will endure. 

The wedding rosary is actually two individual and complete rosaries which meet and become one before the crucifix. It is placed by the priest over the couple after they have exchanged vows usually as they kneel to receive communion.

Las Arras (above)

The Arras (The Coins) is a small box that contains thirteen gold or silver coins, which represent Christ and His twelve Apostles. The groom gives the Arras to the bride after the vows have been exchanged as a symbol of his readiness to provide financial support in their married life. When the bride recieves them, she promises to use them wisely.

 Devotion to The Blessed Virgin Mary

Mary, the mother of Jesus is the ultimate role model for the Catholic bride, as she will strive to mirror Mary's perfect love for God and devotion to her family. Brides often wish to seek the guidance and blessings of The Lord, through a ceremony that requests the intercession ( to request on your behalf ) of the Blessed Virgin Mary, through prayer and the laying of flowers.

Wedding Wednesday: The Shoes

I wore two different pairs of shoes for our wedding.  Originally, I had bought the ones on the left, (Jeffrey Campbell wedge booties) first without trying them on with my dress, silly idea. When I tried the JC shoes and dress on together, I realized the shoes were too high for the dress...I should have known that, considering my dress fit perfectly, I didn't get any alterations. So there I was, two days before our big day, shopping for another pair of wedding shoes! Hahaha, believe it or not, I was no stressed! :) Anyways, it took me about 7 stores, and two hours later, to finally find the perfect LOW HEELED pair! It is so hard to find white shoes that are CUTE and 3inches or lower, seriously! 

So, on my wedding day, I wore the cute, 3inch heels, on the left, for our photo session and to our religious ceremony. At our reception, I changed into the JC booties, which meant that my dress wasn't touching the floor, and getting really dirty, jejeje.

Wedding Wednesday: My Hair Style

Wednesday, is by far my favorite day of the week, not only because it's "Wedding Wednesday" here on Nina on the Moon, but it's also my day off! :) Today is all about my wedding day hair style!

When I was first thinking of what to do with my hair a few months in advance, I had thought of doing something   vintage and edgy, like the beehive, not so much  a la Amy Winehouse, but more like, the classic 50's way. I had even thought of dying my hair a totally different color, to mark the end and beginning of a chapter in this journey; life. But, then I decided that was to crazy; I realized that I wanted to look back at pictures and see me! So, months went by, I didn't dye my hair and I didn't have a hair do...

 Anyways, before I knew it, it was my wedding day! My amazing makeup/hair stylist, Lucky, came over to the hotel and had asked me what I wanted to do with my hair....tick,tock, tick, tock, time is ticking! Hmm I visualized the ways I usually wear my hair: 1)high ponytail, 2)high bun, 3)down, and 4)braid. I knew I wanted to do something  that was totally my style, nothing fancy or over the top; something elegant and simple ;) It was settled, my classic high bun!

I also had this beautiful floral headband, that I had bought a few days in advance, to add the vintage touch to my hair style! You definitely don't need to spend a lot of money on your hair accessories, or anything else for that matter. You can find beautiful things on a budget! This headband was  $10 at Claire's, what a steal, right?!

Wedding Wednesday: My Bridal Shower

                           If I remember correctly, my bridal shower was on October 15th, 2011.

It was organized by my amazing mother and God-sister. This event, was a memorable one, as they made sure everyone was having an out of this world good time; eating, drinking, dancing and playing games.

They had all of my favorite foods; an assortment of vegetarian sushi, my madrina's famous empanadas de camaron y carne molida, my moms famous taquitos con salsa verde, her delicious spinach dip, fruit, veggie and meat platters, and of course wings! There was also a surplus of alcohol; wine, sangria, tequila, beer, vodka and tequila strawberry jello shots! Oh, the jello shots were so delicious, I had totally forgotten how good they were...

My god sister decorated the space so nicely, with balloons, pinwheels, and some rather sexy things, which I got to keep! Hehehe. She also made me a personalized guestbook/scrapbook, which was so sweet. Guests passed the book from one to another during the evening/night/madrugada and wrote their sweet messages to me! There was a lot of thoughtful advice and tips  for a "healthy, happy, and long lasting marriage" in the guestbook, probably since the majority of the woman have been married for 15+ years.

The games were so much fun to play. There was a memorization game, which was hilarious, but that's all I can say about that one, hahaha. We also played "hot potato," but replaced the potato with something else..take a wild guess, ahaha. There was also "pin the macho on the man..." Mhmmm. Oh, we also played "ring toss." And the best activity of the night, in my opinion, was the pee-knee-ah-ta (pi~ata). It was awesome, I hadn't hit a pi~ata in ages, probably since I was twelve, so it was incredible to do something that I always did (and loved) during my childhood. Memories!!! :)

I couldn't have asked for a better bridal shower, it was incredbile! Thanks Ines, and mom for making my bridal shower such a memorable one! And a huge thank you to everyone who attended, for showering me with all your positive vibes and love...and gifts.

Wedding Wednesday: My Makeup

I didn't have a makeup trial, but was confident that my makeup artist, Lucky would do a great job. She is the makeup artist for Mexican singer, Belinda and did Katy Perry's makeup for the MTV Latino Awards when they were in Guadalajara a few years ago.

When Lucky arrived, she asked me if I had any specific instructions for her. Yes, I did! I wanted my look to be natural, with a vintage, rock n roll flare! I also told her that I usually rock light gold shimmery eye shadow, thick black cat-eye liner and mascara.

Lucky applied the base stuff, I'm thinking primer, concealer and foundation? I don't wear those products because I really don't know how to apply them, eek, embarrassing, I know! I just moisturize..lol. Anyways, she did a great job matching everything to my skin tone. She also covered a  heat rash I had on my cheek, brilliantly, it didn't show up in pictures, phew!

Lucky picked some gold shimmery eye shadows and asked which I preferred, they ranged from light to dark gold. She recommended that I wear a dark gold, to pop! I went for it! Oh yeah, I was also looking forward to wearing fake eye lashes for the fourth time in my life. Yeah, I should wear them more often, they are so much fun and glamorous. 

She applied the eye liner, asked me to look in the mirror to see if I like it. It was nice, but not thick enough, and not as exaggerated as I would have liked it, so I informed her and she applied it again! I told her that I usually do mine like Amy Winehouse, but a little tamer, hehehe.She filled in my eye brows, just how I like them! Oh, and my lips got to rock MAC's Wonder Woman "red" lipstick, to top off my vintage inspired look.

Don't be afraid to tell your MUA your vision or any inspiration for your makeup, it is YOUR WEDDING! ;)

Wedding Wednesday: The Flowers

It is that day of the week again, Wedding Wednesday! 

I am having so much fun posting photos and writing about our wedding, and the  planning that came with it! Especially because I get to remember all the fun my husband and I had during the whole process. A big thank you to our family, who also helped a lot in bringing this memorable event together.

Today, is all about the flowers! 

Two days before the wedding, I'm for real, my husband went to a flower market in Guadalajara and ordered 8 bouquets for the bridesmaids, 1 for the Virgen de Guadalupe, and 1 bouquet for me, the bride! A friend of ours picked up the bouquets the morning of our wedding. 

The bridesmaid bouquets, were white roses with "nubes." I don't know what nubes (means clouds in Spanish) are called in English, but they are the tiny white flowers surrounding the roses. Check them out in the picture above, and if you know what they are called, please let me know! Greatly appreciated.

My second bouquet for La Virgen de Guadalupe, was made up of light peach roses. In Catholic ceremonies, the bride offers one of her bouquets to the Virgen, asking for her to bless the new family with happiness and fulfillment.

During the ceremony, this bouquet is held by one of the bridesmaids and at the end of the wedding ceremony is given to the bride, so she and her husband can offer it to the Virgen. In our case, I asked my mother if she would do us the honour.

My bouquet, was beautiful; simple and elegant. It was made up of lillies and orchid 

The day we were deciding on the flowers, Magii, my sister in law, showed me a picture of one of the bouquets that Jacky Bracamontes used for her wedding. We decided that a much simpler version would be perfect for me, and voila, it was! Gracias Magi, por la inspiracion y ayuda! 

The flowers that decorated the interior of the church were provided and arranged by the church. It was included in the fee we paid for the service, very convenient and VERY affordable!  Yeah, I was pretty happy they matched my bouquet, everything worked out perfectly.

Besos, bendiciones y buenas vibras!

What's your favorite kind of flowers?

Wedding Wednesday: La Degustacion. Food Tasting

 One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well. -V.Woolf

On Friday, November 5th, 2011, my husband and I arrived at Hacienda Herradero Viejo for our dinner sampling! We were going to decide on an appetizer, soup, and entree. Going into the tasting, all we  knew is that we wanted the entree to be chicken. 

Appetizers

The first option for the appetizer was a creamy seafood mix on top of a flaky, baked, type of pastry bread. I didn't like this one, but my husband did.

The second was a spinach crepe. I forget what type of sauce it was drenched in, but I do remember it being too salty for my liking. My husband did like it, but agreed that it was too salty. This was a maybe, if the salt was adjusted.

The third option, were mini empanadas. There were five different kinds of filling; mushroom, broccoli, cauliflower, potato and a mixed one. They were topped off a delicious chipotle sauce. These were our favourite! Sooo yummy!

Crema: Cream based soups

 I absolutely loved the presentation of the soups! It's perfect, a soup in a round bun! Get to dip the top, and work your way down.

There were three options for la cream; cream of broccoli, cream of mushroom, and cream of cilantro. Each soup had a different type of cheese in it too. But, the only one I can remember is the cream of cilantro with panel cheese. I loved the cream of broccoli, my husband was very fond of the cream of cilantro with panela.

 Entree

 There were two choices of meat for the main dish; chicken or pork. As I mentioned before, we knew we wanted chicken. We tried the pork, it was good, but too dry. Even the delicious chipotle sauce couldn't rescue it. We did not want to take that risk of presenting a dry meal to our guests.

Chicken entree, was presented in two ways: (1) Drenched with delicious pistachio olive oil and nuts, and dried fruits inside. (2) Drenched in a savoury cream, which at this time, can't recall! Hahaha, but it was good!

The next part of the main dish had to be decided, the accompanying side. There were four options;(1) Kebab of seasonal veggies, (2) Warm fruit puree on top of a baked apple slice, (3) Baked potato, or (4) Baked spinach roll topped with sesame seeds.

The Meal

We decided on the vegetable empanadas for the appetizer, cilantro and panela for the cream based soup, and both ways of preparing the chicken, with the fruit puree and spinach roll. 

The food was a hit at our reception. Everyone kept on complimenting our food choices and how everything tasted to amazing!!!!! Yay! :)

besos, bendiciones y buenas vibras.