#TwinBlanco: Maricela's Wedding Day!

I went to LA two weekends ago to attend Maricela and Peruvian's wedding! (Sure, I got to do a few other things while I was there, but the real reason for the trip was to be part of their big day.) Maricela was my supervisor at my internship when I first moved out here to DC four years ago. When I was hired full-time, she was no longer my supervisor and instead, she became my friend. We shared an office -- just the two of us -- for two whole years, and I couldn't have found a better officemate, if I'd handpicked her myself!

Every Monday, we'd sit in the back, in a total lack of productivity for at least the first hour (shhh! don't tell!) and recount our weekend adventures. And then I'd go through my Facebook, and I'd show her photos of all the new babies and all the newly engaged couples in my feed. Lol. I still remember when she started dating Peruvian. They met at a bar when a buddy of his spilled beer on her (whoops!). I remember when she dropped him (ouch!), and I remember when he made his way back. And of course, who could forget this momentous occasion, when the commitment-phobe, single-summer-lovin' Maricela made the relationship "Facebook official." (gasp!)



It's been quite the journey watching these two lovebirds, but I love them both and was truly happy to be a part of their wedding day.

Maricela and I worked a lot of events together back in the day. Events are Maricela's "thing." She's good at them, and she enjoys them. Me, on the other hand, I can totally do events. I just don't love them. (ha ha) BUT for Maricela, I made an exception. We made a deal, you see. I stage managed her wedding (meaning she planned all of it, and I executed the day of), and the hope is that someday (hopefully in the not too terribly distant future?), she'll do mine. ;) Honestly, though, she did such an INCREDIBLE job planning her beautiful wedding, there really wasn't much for me to do on the actual wedding day. She was probably THE calmest bride I've ever seen, and next time I see her, I plan to grill her on HOW she did it!

It was really fun to spend the night before the wedding with Maricela's family and to spend the morning with her while she got ready.



It was even more fun to help her put on her dress and to watch her family's reactions as they saw her for the first time! :)

Oh, and it was pretty cool to sneak her into the church without anyone noticing. Heh heh!

Sidenote: I tried gel nail polish for the first time on this trip, and I really liked it! It lasted much longer, AND I did it myself!

They used the hashtag #TwinBlanco (Maricela is a twin, and Jose(aka "Peruvian")'s last name is Blanco), but for the ceremony (at St. Joachim's Church in Costa Mesa, CA), they asked everyone to "unplug." Call me a rebel, but I couldn't help sneaking a rogue shot of the wedding. I mean, come ON! I was sitting on the first row, and I KNOW the photographer didn't get this angle! Unfortunately, because I was trying to be sneaky, I snapped the shot without looking or aiming. :-/



After the ceremony, we headed to Newport Beach's Balboa Pier for some incredible photos. The Twin and I sacrificed our hair to the humidity, but the shots they got were amazing, so it was worth it!



The reception was literally right across the street from the pier, at the Harborside Restaurant. This was the view:



It occurs to me now that the busiest part of the day for me was actually during the wedding, so I don't have a lot of photos from the reception. Plus, most of the photos I took at the party were on Maricela's phone (I was the official bridal purse holder). I even left her a surprise selfie for when she looked through. ;) Heh heh.

My friend Garrett (the one I stayed with) met me at the party, buuuut we didn't take any pictures together. I know. Fail... So I'll leave you with a photo of me and the happy couple.



Felicidades, Maricela and Peruvian!! I love you and wish you ALL the best!! xoxoxo