Amanda's Day:

Somehow I did not sleep too well the previous night. Probably the tension of wondering what the next day was going to bring. By around 9 a.m., I had a pretty bad headache... The last minute touches of cleaning the house and setting out the dress, checking for creases, etc. were all done. My mom was busy in the kitchen making lunch for the relatives who would be coming over for lunch that day before leaving for church. My sisters, brother-in-law, Ralph, and others were busy doing the last minute decorations.

I decided it was time to lie down for a while since stress and my headache had contributed to making me pretty tired and the wedding had not yet started!The hairdresser was supposed to come by 12:30 p.m., that meant I had a couple of hours to rest...so, in between visits from arriving aunts and cousins, I managed to rest for about an hour and half... At 11 p.m., I had a quick lunch and was talking to some cousins when I got a call from Angelo... He was calling to tell me when the car would arrive to pick me up and find out how I was doing.

At 12:30, Gabriella, the hairdresser had arrived. It was a really hot and humid day (Thank God for air conditioners!)It took quite awhile - almost and hour and half - to get my hair done and then my make up put on. But I am really glad I got it professionally done. I almost never use any cosmetics, besides a lipstick, and this was not the day to go solo even if I had practised! I was pretty much all done by the time the photographer & videographer got to my place and it was time for the pre-ceremony pictures.

After the solo pictures, it was time for the blessings. This is a Goan wedding custom. The family members and friends come forward to bless and wish the bride. The car arrived by 3 p.m. and we left for the chapel. The drive is around 45 minutes but because of the decorations on the car, we couldn't go too fast. Yes... we were late arriving at the chapel... but just by a little bit.

Angelo's Day:

....(He still has to put in his day)...

The wedding mass was really nice. Fr. Ivan did a really good job. The ceremony took under an hour and his sermon was really simple but meaningful. The choir was lovely and I finally breathed a sigh of relief...Half the day was over and the half remained...

After mass, it was over to Angelo's home for prayers. This is another Goan wedding custom. The bride and groom enter the grooms house led in by the grooms parents. They then have to kneel down as prayers are sung in Latin. After the prayers are over, the groom's mother places a gold chain on the bride's neck. After that ceremony, we had a few snacks and left for the reception.

We reached the Reception Hall at exactly 7 p.m.. we were all ready to enter the hall when the M.C. told us that there weren't a lot of people in the hall...We waited for fifteen minutes for more guests to arrive and entered the hall at 7:30 p.m.The reception went pretty well... it was really hot that day but we danced every set... The food was pretty good, though I can honestly say I can not remember what I ate!

At 11 p.m. the band stopped playing. It was time to close down. Everyone was pretty tired... We left for the hotel at around 12 a.m....