The morning of the wedding my sister's friends kept asking her, "So what are you doing today? And G would laugh and say, "Oh, yeah. I'm getting MARRIED today!" lol!
Everyone woke up early to shower and get ready for our hair & make-up appointments. The day was finally here! We were all pretty excited. That morning Carol showed up with a cooler full of pastries, yogurt, and champagne to take to the hair salon. My sister's friends, Carol & Geraldine are so thoughtful.
It wasn't even 9am and my sister was already receiving phone calls and text messages and she started to get a little stressed out. So Carol & I decided to take her phone away. We refused to let anyone talk to her. It was the best thing we did epecially when the wedding coordinator called to say one of the engraved champagne glasses was broken. My sister didn't need to hear this news so between all the bridesmaids we tried our best to handle any situation that came up. We wanted G to savor this day and be able to enjoy every moment without any worries.
We arrived at the hair salon pretty early. Since the salon hadn't open yet we went to a coffee shop across the street & the girls grabbed some coffee and we ordered some breakfast to go. It was nice to sit and relax a bit.
I love the following photo. It reminds me of "Sex & the City" when Carrie & her friends would get together for breakfast.

The salon we went to in L.A. was pretty edgy and cool. I liked it straight away. G's friend Erin, from Philly was already at the salon getting her hair done when we arrived. It was great seeing Erin; I've known her for a few years. G & her studied abroad together. Everytime my sister has come to see me on the East Coast Erin has always managed to visit us. So it was nice to catch up with her.
Geraldine & my sister were the first to get their hair done and once the make-up artist arrived she started to do my make-up. Initially, I wasn't going to have my make-up done but I'm so glad I did. I absolutely loved what she did. Now, I just wish I could do my own make-up like the way the artist did it! It really helped to bring photos from magazine so she could see the look I was going for. After Geraldine was done, I got my hair done. Loved the way it came out too. It felt wonderful to be pampered; I enjoyed every minute of it. Imagine this is what celebrities go through all the time.
We were at the salon for about three hours. Giselle's hair and make-up came out absolutely beautiful!
Once everyone was all done up we left to go back to the hotel. When we arrived the photographer was already there waiting for us. So us girls quickly got dressed and started to help G with her dress.
Giselle looked absolutely gorgeous. Her wedding gown was so beautiful and completely her. I loved the ruffles and flowers on the side of her gown. It reminded me a bit of a flamenco dress. And the sweetheart neckline was so flattering. I've included some black & white photos courtesy of the wedding photographer, Jason Q Tran.


Before we got into the limo Jason took some photos of my sister on the streets of Los Angeles. They were really cool shots. Just seeing G all dressed up I got a bit emotional.
The hotel was really close to the LA River Center so we were there in no time. Shortly after we arrived, my parents, grandmother, and Lil' C got to the venue. I had planned to bring a blow dryer to the room so I could style C's hair but I completely forgot. And when I saw him his hair was an absolute mess. ;( I tried wetting it and styling it as best as I could with some hair spray but it still looked pretty crazy. There is a picture the photographer took of my sister putting on Lil' C's bow tie and his hair looks so wild I cringe when I see it. Total bed head.
Since Giselle & Ted wanted to spend as much time with their guests as possible they decided to take photos before the ceremony. It turned out to be a great day for photos. It wasn't super sunny or hot which was perfect.
I handed my camera to my Dad & one of T's friends and told them to go crazy. For some reason I think people feel intimidated by SLR cameras. At the end of the day I was a bit saddened that I didn't have many photos. Not one photo of me & C together or one of my sister & I. ;( I know the photographer took photos but he didn't really take any with C & I. In between the major events of the evening I could have taken more photos as well but I wanted to really experience the day instead of seeing it behind my lens which happens so often.
Anyway... where was I. All the tables looked really beautiful and they were each named after a place my sister & the Gypsy have vacationed. I loved the idea.
The ceremony was beautiful. And just like at my wedding my Dad sounded really cute when he gave his rehearsed response about who gives the bride away.
It was also really funny because normally the groom's parents sit on the opposite side of the brides. T's parents wanted to sit with my parents but there wasn't enough room so everyone was getting up and trying to figure out where they were going to sit. It was like musical chairs. lol! Everyone was just waiting for them to get themselves seated. So there was really no where for C to sit since he didn't want to sit on the opposite side which was absolutely empty. So he stayed with me throughout the entire ceremony. The whole scene was pretty funny.
Throughout the ceremony there were some really special moments. Like when one of Ted's family members read a poem she had written and the lovely song a woman from G's work sang while her husband played the guitar.
Instead of doing a unity candle, my sister & T poured sand into a glass container. The idea being that once the sand is poured there is nothing that can separate them. Love the idea. And what's great is that you can use this decoration in your home as a constant reminder of your special day. I loved the idea so much I want to do it with S and Lil' C.
Now there were some funny moments too like towards the end of the ceremony the minister got a bit frazzeled and said my sister's name incorrectly. He said, "Gazelle" instead of "Giselle". So my sister corrected him. A few seconds later he did it a second time. Once again my sister corrected him and he apologized. And then he said it wrong a THIRD time and when this happened everyone at the wedding yelled out my sister's name. It was pretty funny and everyone laughed including my sister.
After the ceremony I knew the toughest part of the day was approaching for me... the speech. The appetizers were amazing and the open bar was fantastic. I had the best mojitos all night long! And the bartender was so awesome to Lil' C. He kept making him these delicious lemonades and when C wanted something a bit different he mixed up a yummy cranberry concoction.
Once everyone was seated they introduced the wedding party and the new Mr. & Mrs. E. My sister chose this totally upbeat Brazilian song to walk to. It was very unique.
Soon after they announced it was speech time and T's brother & I walked up to the dancing area. I was up first. As I walked to the area the DJ started to play, "We are Family" by Sister Sledge. My sister knows how much I love that song. I made it through the first sentence of my speech fine but by the end of the third sentence I started to lose it. And of course it didn't help when I looked out into the audience and saw everyone looking at me. I got so nervous and for a second I thought, "Oh, my god.. I'm not going to be able to pull this off." But there was no way I couldn't say my entire speech. So I took a deep breathe and a very long pause and finished it. There were parts of my speech that were funny and everyone including me started to laugh which helped me get through it. Here is what I said:
"For those of you who don't know me my name is T and I'm Giselle's sister. I have to say I'm so excited to be part of this day. I love seeing two people that truly love each other come together and share their happiness with close friends and family. But this wedding means so much more because it's my sister's special day.
Before Giselle met Ted we would have those late night girl talks and discuss the qualities she was looking for in "the one". You know that one person you want to share your life with. For many women that list may include qualities like having a great sense of humor, intelligent, or being good looking. Now these things are important to Giselle too but the two things that were at the top of her list was that this person speak Spanish and of course dance Salsa. Because you know my sister LOVES salsa! Now I have to tell you my family and I weren't sure if a person with this mix of qualities actually existed. But now I see he does and his name is Ted. Giselle, I'm so incredibly happy that you've found "the one". The one you can share your life with.
Now Ted I'm not sure what was on your list but what I can tell you is that I think you're a perfect match for my sister. I have never seen Giselle happier. So today I'd like to officially welcome you into our family. I'd also like to thank your wonderful family for being so loving and kind. Not only am I gaining a brother-in-law but a second family as well. I wish you & Giselle a world of happiness."
Now I thought the Gypsy's brother's speech was pretty funny. It was a list of things Ted should know about married life. But what made the speech really funny was when Ted's brother said something about him not being the best person to give advice considering he was going through his 2nd divorce and how he's a single Dad now.

After the speeches, G & T had their first dance. They chose a beautiful song by Alex Cuba. It was so perfect too because towards the end of the song it became a slow salsa.
Once the 1st dance ended Cory, the best man & Carol gave their speeches. Carol's speech was so touching. She talked about meeting G in college and how they bonded due to their love of dancing salsa and traveling the world. She spoke about seeing G transition from single life to married life. It was a beautiful speech... one that really brought tears to my eyes.
Now Cory's speech was totally funny. It was this really great poem. It had everyone laughing. Loved every word but what was really funny was towards the end when he said my sister was now a full fledge Gypsy. lol!
After all the speeches it was time to eat and have fun. The dinner was fabulous. And because the whole wedding party along with their dates/spouses were all seating together on one long table it made for great dinner conversation.
The wedding cake was absolutely delicious too. My sister's not a big sweet tooth but the girl LOVES "Tres Leches" cake. It was perfectly done... moist and just the right touch of sweetness.
One of the best parts of being the bride's sister is that you can pretty much walk up to anyone at the wedding and start up a conversation with, "Hi, I'm G's sister." lol! I met so many wonderful people that night. I had a great time! I even invited a few to come and visit us in Belgium! I especially loved two of the Gypsy's friends, Cory and his wife Tif. She & I hit it off straight away at the rehearsal dinner. Love her! I also loved T's friend Daniel who happens to be an artist from Mexico along with his wife who is so warm and friendly. G & T have some of Daniel's work in their house and I've fallen in love with one piece in particular. At the wedding they shared with me that they were giving G & T one of his 1st pieces from his newest collection.
Now the dancing part of the evening was super fun! Great music! And Lil' C turned into quite the dancer that night. In fact, he was on the dance floor almost the entire evening. He had anywhere from 2 to 5 girls dancing with him at once. It was so freakin' cute! He was breaking out moves I have never seen before. All night everyone kept commenting about what a great dancer he was and how he was utterly charming.
The day turned out wonderfully. I'm so happy C & I had the opportunity to be a part of my sister's wedding and to share in their love & happiness. It will be a day I will always remember.
Here is a photo of Lil C and M that I just love. So happy Brandon was able to capture this moment.
If you'd like to see more photos check out Jason Q's blog along with Brandon Wong who helped Jason photograph the event.