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Nancy and I wanted everything to be original, not store bought. So we designed and made our invitations, reply cards and envelopes from scratch. I did the calligraphy and we even mailed them out with a wax stamped seal. The gold-leaf text on semi-transparent velum was fixed to reproductions of an original painting (which I painted for the occasion) by a small bow with a silk flower and a set of miniature gold rings. The glass on one of the rings is of sapphire blue representing the stone on Nancy's engagement ring. Neither Nancy or I are into diamonds. We prefer colored gems (although I'm not big on wearing jewelry). |
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I don't like surprises; I like to know what to expect at any event.
So we designed and created a bilingual wedding program as a memento for our guests. It is also a good way to give credit to those who
labored hard to make everything look easy. This is the program's cover with our initials. The 'amapola' (hibiscus) motif was a constant in all
our designs. The little frog at the end of the stem is a "coqui", a tiny and delicate but much beloved singing frog traditional to
Puerto Rico. |
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Why did I get married after vowing in my thirties not to do so ever again? Well, because when you turn 51 you think differently than when you are in your twenties, your thirties and your forties. But then, when I migrated to the United States I said that I wanted a chef and a chauffeur. Well, I got the chef -though her Jersey driving will be the end of me! And then, Nancy is a babe and quite special in so many ways. Still, it took her eleven years to get me to say -"Si, lo prometo" , "Yes, I do..." and I did! |
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Our wedding was bilingual. Father Michael performed the short ceremony with an Irish brogue, my good friend Dr. David Zeda from Florida interpreted his words into Spanish, my childhood friend Juan Garcia read the required scriptural verses in a Catholic ceremony in conversational Spanish, and my daughter Selina did the readings in modern English. This kept things interesting and everyone had a good time. Even Nancy surprised me by saying her vows in Spanish! Just to be sure, she made me say my vows in both languages. After waiting 46 years for this day, she wasn't taking any chances! |
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View of the main house of 'la hacienda Siesta Alegre' as seen from the front walkway. The reception took place at the main courtyard of the upper terrace. The structure has many covered decks with breathtaking views all around. Its bridal room was beautifully arranged with rose petals strewn across the bed. |
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My mother, Sra. Jesusa Resto, pins the boutonnière on my jacket. I get my visual flair from her and my sense of humor from my father. |
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The wedding was a small and intimate affair for about 60 guests. Three months before the
wedding, we traveled to Puerto Rico to make final arrangements with the caterer, the vendors and the hotel where our guests would be staying. I photographed
everything and took notes. Back home in Cleveland we created the table decor, including vases for the table centerpieces, the skirt for the wedding cake table and
the miller stone base for the cake, the programs, and also the podium and banner for the ceremony. Then we shipped everything to Puerto Rico.
Three weeks before the event, we were in the island, staying at my parent's place, where we completed the place-mats, and created all the decorations for the cake
to be ready for Chef Holtz upon his arrival. He then baked the cake at the caterer's kitchen and completed the decoration on the day of the wedding. Humidity was
the biggest problem to contend with, especially with the sugar flowers which tended to lose their shape. |
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Chef Dennis Holtz, Nancy's brother in law, puts the finishing touches on a spectacular wedding cake.
It resembled a wicker basket with marzipan fruits and sugar flowers over a miller's stone. Our goal was uniqueness, elegance and definitely non-traditional.
"Little Alex", Dennis' grandson looks on in fascination. |
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The guest tables were arranged around the courtyard's fountain. The bridal table was centred in the
background, and can be seen just above the fountain's flower-covered crown. Flowered shaped candles floated in the pool ready to be lit at dusk. |
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We had a buffet style dinner. Party favors, with a selection of candies inside boxes shaped like flowers,
were place with the wedding program on top of round battenburg lace placemats. The center pieces are made of beautiful tropical flower arrangements in bamboo vases tied with
raffia, surrounded by floating tea candles inside small glasses filled with blue-tinted water. Periwinkle cloth napkins were folded and placed within the water goblets. |
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A view of the flower covered loggia surrounding the courtyard. |
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That day, I had a lot on my mind -the weather, the decorations, the caterer, the florist, and the
musicians... the guests. What's more, I missed my long hair. I had bowed to pressure and cut it short just before arriving to Puerto Rico. It had nothing to do with looks;
long hair simply makes me feel comfortable. Throughout my life my hair length had fluctuated depending on my lifestyle at the time or my work needs.
But right there and then I felt like Samson with his locks sheared off. My timing felt odd. I've never
suffered stage fright, so that wasn't it. It was more like a feeling of temporary insecurity. But what did I have to worry about? Nancy so much as told me she would marry me
even in hurricane conditions! This is one tough and determined woman! Then I reminded myself that we had good people -handpicked people- in charge of things. It was time
to let go… It was time to have fun. Besides, my hair would grow back. |
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The place for the ceremony was set up at the hacienda's emerald lawn in the midst of the lush tropical rain forest. Baskets of 'rose-hybrid' poinsettias lined a curved pathway between two sections of white chairs. A portal decorated in flowers provided a focal point surrounding the podium. We were very fortunate to have several hours of pure afternoon sunshine in a place where it rains daily.
December is the end of the rainy season and for several weeks there was only sunshine. But then the weather turned wet for the week of the wedding. In fact, it rained so much in the morning that by noon the place looked like a lake. Decoration was delayed by several hours. Plan B was to use an alternate covered deck, but we were set on a lawn ceremony.
After some anxious moments of pondering, we decided to go for it. But then the hot sun came through, and the hacienda’s staff set to work with leaf blowers. By 2 pm the place was completely dry! The guests, who arrived by shuttle at
2:30 pm, never knew that the gorgeous lawn setting had been underwater just a few hours before. |
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Nancy's big brother, Bobby, escorts their mom, Mrs. Patricia Lewis, to the seating area. Nancy is the baby of the family. Bobby, Patty, Jimmy & Billy have seniority at the dinner table! |
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A shot of me informing the guests that the bride only had to put on her lipstick -"That would be another half hour wait, so... pass the appetizers and have some more punch!" Actually, the ceremony was scheduled for 3 pm and there was only about a half hour delay in our agenda due to early rain showers. But the guest didn't mind a bit. The setting was absolutely breathtaking! |
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My brother Ricky Nelson was the Best Man. Not only did he get a great tan from his stay in Puerto Rico,
he also managed to strike a great pose! I'm extremely fortunate to have a brother I can always depend on through good and bad. |
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The ceremony was about to begin. I relaxed by admiring the natural beauty of the place. I loved those
flowers arrangements on the portal! Notice the inscription on the podium's banner. It reads (in Spanish and English): "I have nothing more to give you but my
heart". The words come from the bride's wedding band, a 16th century Ulster museum replica of a Spanish ring found in Ireland when the Spanish Armada shipwrecked
on the Irish coast. The ring has that inscription and a hand holding a heart. In return for Nancy's Spanish wedding band, I got an Irish Claddagh ring and a companion band with
the inscription: "Siempre te amare" (I will always love you"). The thought was to honor both of our heritages. |
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The bride made a stunning appearance surrounded by the gorgeous sun-filled tropical setting. |
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As our wedding band, I contracted a group of young musicians from the Puerto Rico Institute of Music, directed by Dereck Hilberto Flores-Ortiz (he is the one holding a clarinet). They played traditional romantic songs and tropical jazz and did a fine job at that! My audition test was to have them play the Jose Feliciano version of the song 'In my life' by the Beatles. Nancy picked the song saying that the lyrics where made for me. I agree. The band played the song as our wedding march (with the Jose Feliciano instrumental and all) and then I took over with a beautiful and romantic bolero song to escort the bride. Later on, after a Mariachi played a serenade of songs, the wedding band played several more sets into the evening. |
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Nancy looked as glamorous and beautiful as a movie star. Her bridal bouquet, a mix of tropical flowers,
a lace fan and three types of orchids, was created by Nydia Casillas-Rosado, a local florist and an absolute find! I told Nydia what I wanted for the weddings floral decor and she
took off with it! She is truly an artist of the highest caliber. |
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The bride "glided" across the lawn as the band played 'In my life'. Then I sang to
her "Solamente una vez" (Only once in my life) as I escorted her the rest of the way to the altar. Few people know this, but my first venture into the arts was not
as a painter, but as a singer. Unfortunately I suffered from a kind of allergy in Puerto Rico that made me lose my voice at least once a month. When I moved to the States,
my allergy went away, but by then I had taken up the paintbrush. Still, I'm always singing and Nancy is my biggest fan. She insisted that I sing to her at the wedding and so I did. |
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Another shot of me doing the singing. A note to the guys, girls dig guys that sing! The tux helps too! |
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My favourite picture of Nancy, as I sing to her, with her eyes sparkling like saphires and a tropical breeze
caressing golden strands of her beautiful hair. |
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Father Michael Driscoll performed the ceremony in his beautiful Irish brogue. Father Driscoll, a family
friend of the Lewis-Sweeney clan, traveled from New Jersey to Puerto Rico for this special event. I am not Catholic; Nancy is. So it took a year of letter writing and much maneuvering
to get a dispensation to have the ceremony performed outside a church, for a mixed couple (that would be a Catholic and a heathen), and permission for a priest to do the rites
of matrimony outside his jurisdiction. Our thanks go to the diocese and parishes in Cleveland, San Juan, and Rio Grande (were the ceremony took place). |
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Sunlight was perfect! I had taken this into account during one of my ealier visits to the hacienda. I knew
then the place was ideal to shoot film and planed accordingly. In preparation, I met with John Ban in Cleveland and showed him a slide show with pictures and a good layout of
the place. Once on location, he was beside himself. There was not a bad spot to be seen. The place is a cinematographer's dream! |
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Exchanging rings and wedding vows. Considering the fact that the ceremony had to be performed in two
languages, and that we were by the rain forest at the mercy of sudden showers, we planned on a short ceremony. It turned out perfect! |
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The wedding kiss.... |
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We had just been declared -"El señor y la señora Rivera-Resto." In Spanish
tradition, the wife always keeps her maiden name and adds her husband's paternal surname to hers. That would make Nancy 'Mrs. Nancy A. Lewis of
Rivera-Resto" (or simply 'Nancy Lewis Rivera'). |
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No sooner had my brother Ricky introduced us as husband and wife, the mariachis exploded into song!
My father could barely contain his excitement. He absolutely loves them as much as my brother and I do. |
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A great shot of the Mariachi. The band's director, Sr. Jose Tafoya, plays the violin in the foreground. |
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This is a great shot that include many of our guests. Like all Latin families, I have hundreds of cousins!
But we wanted to keep things small and intimate. For my part, my list of guests included only immediate family, my great aunts and uncles and a few close friends and cousins.
I told them they would be my ambassadors to the rest of the family.
Nancy was ecstatic to have her family come to Puerto Rico, most for the first time. Complementing our
invitees, were a few friends from the states. All in all, we had a warm, down-to-earth and delightful group of happy people that meant a lot to us. |
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A very rare shot of me with a full smile. I was having a great time! |
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Being congratulated by our guests after a beautiful ceremony. To the right, wearing sunglasses, is my
good friend, author Mary Doria Russell, who flew from Cleveland with her husband Don for the occasion. Don took some terrific pictures of the wedding. |
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Being musically escorted from the wedding lawn to the reception courtyard. |
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Just married and about to open the reception at the gorgeous courtyard of the Hacienda Siesta Alegre.
This privately owned hacienda is a horse breeding farm. The manor house and verdant surroundings are rented for special occasions. George Clooney, Richard Gere and
Martha Stewart have all filmed in this place. Nancy fell in-love with it during an earlier visit to Puerto Rico and that was that. Next thing I knew, she went shopping for a
wedding dress! |
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My always entertaining and adorable son, "Alex" -John Alexander. I was so proud to have my
children celebrating with me on this very special moment. |
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My beautiful and enchanting daughter, Selina Marie. When her turn comes, I'll be her wedding planner! |
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The mariachi 'Son de Mexico' performed a selection of songs immediately after the ceremony. They
were absolutely sensational! This mariachi band is the real thing -pure Mexican! |
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We have many pictures of our guests, too many to post. This is just one example. All our lady
guests received a small Spanish fan inscribed with our names and the wedding date. Our wedding drink was Puerto Rico's national drink: 'Piña Colada'
(both alcoholic and virgin). |
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Another great night shot. We had no professional photographer. I wanted everything to look
spontaneous and natural, nothing staged. All our pictures were supplied by guests (we had disposable cameras at every table for them to use and return later). Instead
of a professional photographer, our good friend professor and cinematographer John Ban and his wife Leah traveled from Cleveland and filmed the wedding. With a pro
like John and three cameras capturing everything, we have something better than a traditional wedding album. Besides, I can always get stills from the film.
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Cutting the cake. It was a three layered cake with a pineapple-pistachio cream filling. We saved
the top layer and I got to eat most of it a couple of days later. I have a weakness for all kinds of cake. |
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After cutting the cake, rain poured. But this made the evening even more beautiful. |
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What does a medical doctor from Florida, a NASA technician from Cleveland, an international best-selling author, and a humble artist have in common? Short answer: swords! We were all member of 'The Bladerunners' Fencing Club in Cleveland, enjoying a happy reunion. We are now a little bit slower, but way sharper than before! |
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A family picture. Left to right: my father, don Johnny Rivera and my mother doña Jesusa Resto,
myself (very tired but happy), Nancy (still wired), Nancy's mom -Mrs. Patricia Lewis, Patty "Isabel" Holtz (Nancy's sister and our Matron of Honor), and my brother
Ricky, the Best Man. |
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Nancy, in her after-wedding outfit, ready for more celebration as Mrs. Rivera-Resto. She got her man! |
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