
1. Make the 6 boutonieres for the groom and his men
2. Make two more bouquets, one for the flower girls (my three-year-old granddaughter Makayla) and one for the junior bridesmaid (Miguel's' nine-year-old niece Brisa)
3. Go to the Wickenburg Country club and set up the centerpieces on the tables
4. Add extra flowers to each of the 54 centerpieces
5. Set up the table numbers
6. Make sure the center pieces for the 12 patio tables - mason jars full of green aqua beads lit up by little submersible LED lights stuck inside the beads - were ready to be set up.
7. Make sure everything that needed to be at the country club for the reception was there.
8. Get the flowers and boutonnieres over to the church.
9. Have a lunch for the bridal party and a few others (about 20 people) set up in the lobby of the hotel by 11:30
10. Take down the lunch and clean up the lobby area by 1:00.
11. Take the left-overs from lunch to Miguel's mom's house for later consumption.
13. Walk Claire down the aisle with Tom
14. "Lasso" Claire and Miguel together with a long crystal rosary during the wedding ceremony, a Mexican tradition.
15. Take as many pictures as possible
But, as always, I got by with a little help from my friends and, of course, family.
A couple of the country club staffers artfully folding the napkin. My sister-in-law, Louise, running around behind the table. Lolita, Dulce and Miguel's brother Victor standing in the background working on the wedding cake.
While I made the boutonnieres my sister Romaine made the two bouquets and Louise , my mom and Romaine (after she finished the bouquets) touched up the centerpieces. Dulce set up the table numbers and set up the seating charts and the table numbers.


My mom, at 93 years old still always ready to jump in and do whatever needs to be done

Miguel checking to make sure it's centered.

After we finished at the country club my brother Mike with his wife Louise, my sister Romaine and my mother (also Romaine!) took all the bouquets and boutonnieres over to the church while I drove back to the hotel to meet Tom and set up the pre-wedding lunch for the bridal party and some friends and family.



Then finally after all the racing around we were there in the church for one final quiet moment...

A couple of Mexican traditions were incorporated into the wedding Mass.
Romaine brought up the arras, or gold coins, in a small box. Miguel and Claire took the coins from the box and shared them with each other, symbolizing that from now on they will share with each other everything they acquire in life.

Claire, Miguel, the witnesses and the priest also signed all the marriage documents at the altar during the ceremony.



The Reception






It was a beautiful day and a beautiful night.