The Ceremony - Church or No Church?

Verdict:  You CAN do your own thing!

We really wanted to have a ceremony in the church.  Scratch that. I really wanted a church ceremony.  (Call me crazy but I love the tradition!!!)  I love all the statues, candles and the smell of the wood pews.  AND (God forbid) if my daughter decides to elope like I did, I will have a memory of her walking down an aisle.  (Selfish, I KNOW!!)

We called our local parish and were informed "We don't do Quinceañeras".      

o_O -  Okayyyyy!  No biggie.  We will go some where else.

So I started calling around to all the churches in the area.  In a matter of weeks we knew we couldn't have the ceremony in the church. (Boo!!!)

Here was the problem:  We either (A) had to be member of their parish or (B) Olivia had to be in confirmation classes or at least registered for one.

It was suggested that I become a member of a church that I didn't attend simply for the quince.  Somehow this didn't sit right for me for multiple reasons which I won't go into here.

The other issue is that my parish doesn't allow you to register for confirmation classes until your child is a JUNIOR in high school.

We decided we didn't want to have to jump through hoops to have a simple ceremony and therefore decided to leave the Catholic church out of it.  Sorry, but they were making it just too darn difficult.  Olivia will have her ceremony at the hall with family and friends around.  We have decided to employ a clergy to do the blessing.  Right now I am searching through the yellow pages and interviewing people. . .stay tuned.

Update:  We hired a minister.  The cost was about $125 dollars. Part of the fee included meeting with us before the event and planning out the parts of the ceremony.  It was beautiful!

Los Mariachis

A quince just ain't a quince without mariachis!

A few years ago, for my mother's 60th birthday party we hired Mariachi Perla based out of San Jose.  They used to play at a restaurant in Union City/Fremont which has changed owners.  They were absolutely wonderful!

So logically, you would think that they would be the first choice for the quince.  Wrong!  Although they are the first one's we are considering, it has been several years since we have seen them perform.  Band members come and go so there is NO WAY to know if they still have their magic.

I admit I am super picky when it comes to mariachis.  I like to see at least two violins, two horns, strong harmonies and a great lead singer.  Also, the bigger the band, the harder it is to keep everything "tight".

Luckily, Mariachi Perla plays every week.  We are planning a visit to Fernando's in San Mateo next Sunday to listen to them. (Olivia has chosen not to be a part of the selection process and has left it up to my aunt and I.) 

We have already confirmed that they are available for our date (July 9) and have confirmed the rate of $475 an hour, with a minimum of two hours.  This will be one of the largest expenses for the party, but well worth it.

A great test of a mariachi band is to see how they play "El Toro Viejo"   If they can do this song well, they can do ANY song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K96O2UMCvkE

Here is a link to a brief history:  http://web.nmsu.edu/~lleeper/pages/Voice/marrujo/history.htm

First Video Post Intro

Discussing Flowers

Today, I am on a mission.  Unfortunately, my daughter, is not attending as she thinks a trip to the city is more apropos.

My good friend, Nelly, does floral arrangements.  In fact, she did the floral arrangements for my 10 year anniversary.  They were lovely, however, they were not free.

Luckily, another friend has stepped up to the plate and will be sponsoring the flowers.  Specifically, the bouquets of all the damas and the boutonnieres for the chambelans.  (I have to look up the spelling for that one!).  I am gathering up sponsors for the table centerpieces as well.  Those sponsors will be able to take the centerpieces home after the party if they wish. 

Below is a sample of the flower arrangements I had for my 10 year anniversary.