The Best Bridal Party Ever

I am happy to announce that I have asked 7 lovely women and 1 man to stand by my side on our wedding day! And the bridal party is...

Anabel Cuenco, Matron of Honor
Anabel and I have known each other since our days of lagging in the back of our P.E. class when we ran the mile once a week. We went on to high school together where we both were in music, Spanish and English classes together. From there we ventured together to San Diego State University where she received her degree in Child and Family Development and eventually received her multi-subject teaching credential.

After having her son, Ferdinand Junior, she decided to leave teaching and raise her baby boy. She now spends her days working on various dot coms while taking care of her family. Her DIY talent, amazing cooking skills, military wife knowledge (her husband is Navy, too!), and super mom powers will help her to develop her someday Food Network TV show or TLC show, "Dishing with Anabel!" It WILL happen! She's intelligent and talented and I'm blessed to have her as a friend and matron of honor.




Genesis Velarde, Man of Honor
Yes, you read that right. Genesis will be my Man of Honor. There was never in doubt in mine or Nick's mind that Gen would be right by my side on our wedding day. I first met him through his sister, Rachel. (See below.) We used to have sleep overs at her house, and Gen would be right there gabbing with us and watching movies. I remember him asking me one day, "Do you know the musical Rent? I have the soundtrack!" And so set the tone for our friendship.

We eventually went to the same high school together. He used to hug me and brag to his friends that he knew upper classmen. Typical Genesis! Our friendship grew through our high school days and then college days at San Diego State. He once even asked me to be his confirmation Godmother. Today he lives the fab life in Los Angeles where he often runs into the A-List crowd, and some B and C listers, too. He also works in advertising for an agency that caters to minority populations and charitable organizations. Holla.

Lisa Rockefeller, Bridesmaid
My beautiful cousin who is the closest person I will ever have to a sister. When we were kids I used to follow her around and wanted to be just like her, giant NKOTB buttons and all. I may not follow her around anymore, but she is still a big inspiration in my life. From writing to activism- I get it from her, who got it from our grandpa Segundo Gonzalez Sanson. And I am not the only person she motivates. She also inspires plenty of people everyday as a High School English Teacher. Not only does she inspire them to be amazing and talented writers, but she also inspires them to fight for social justice throgh The Sojourn Project. She wll be taking her students on the Soujourn trip for the second year this year.

Addedly, she is expecting her first baby this July! Hopefully he will be walking down the aisle at our wedding as a coin bearer. And even if he can't walk down that aisle- someone wil be carrying him!

Krista Giammarco, Bridesmaid
Krista is Nick's little cousin who he loves like a little sister. I even think she looks like she could be his younger sister. He often recalls the days when they were younger and she would jump on his back and demand piggy back rides.

Now that she is all grown up, she is contemplating pursuing a career in dermatology or in the lush spa industry. She very recently completed Aesthetics school, and aspires to someday do FX make up. She is a true artist by nature and has a strong passion for photography. She currently resides in the deserts of Vegas, but like the rest of the bridal party she is a true California girl at heart.









Janel Maylas, Bridesmaid
I first met Janel when we were doing roommate assignments for our 8th grade trip to the East Coast. We clicked in an instant and have been friends ever since. From there we spent most of our school days right next to each other gabbing about boys, cotillions and dances. We once spent an entire summer with each other taking Chemistry classes just to get ahead in the following school year. She did the math, I mixed the chemicals and studied the reactions. We were the perfect pair!

We stayed in touch through college when she jetted off to California State University Long Beach. There she received her degree in nutrition and was a founding mother for her sorority Delta Zeta Kappa. She visited often and is probably the only person I know who can make it to Long Beach to San Diego in no time. In addition to driving fast she also runs fast. She is currently training to run in the San Diego Rock n' Roll Marathon in May as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. She is raising money for LLS research and will take all the help she can get! (Hint: Click on the link to donate!)

Jennifer Bucu, Bridesmaid
My beautiful friend who lives a very parallel life to me. No wonder I love her so much! But in all seriousness, Jen is one of my dearest friends. We used to spend our days lounging at my condo in San Diego, or venturing around downtown or my old stomping grounds of Mission Valley. She even briefly contemplated moving to Washington when we were in college.

We've been through it all together and then some. She's been with me through every one of Nick's deployments and was standing on the pier with me when he came home. It's only fitting she be there next to me when I marry him.
Luckily Jen works in the flower business, which will make her a great help through all the wedding planning craziness. And when she's not flowering it up, she is working on her degree in Psychology at UCSD.



Rachel Velarde, Bridesmaid
One day this little loud girl passed by me at school and said, "Hey Kristine!" and I shouted back, "Hey!" All of a sudden we were talking like we've known each other all our lives. Which is fitting because I feel like I have known this girl forever. We've known each other since before we could drive or even take driver's ed classes. We have definitely grown together and seen each other through it all.

Rachel is another person that I take a lot of inspiration from. She recently committed her life and health to Muay Thai and has gone through a major life and soul transformation. Her feisty attitude and strong spirit makes her the perfect fit for the boxing martial art of Muay Thai. And now Rachel PMT (Post Muay Thai) is an amazing, motivating and energizing lifeforce to be around. Just what a bride on a diet needs! And when Rachel isn't fighting or shopping for Chanel, she works in a research lab utilizing her knowledge gained from her Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry/Biochemistry from the University of California at San Diego.

Quyen Lam, Bridesmaid
When we turned 18 we wanted to do something only the 18 and older crowd could do. Our adult outing? Playing the slots at the Indian Casino. She pulled down the handle and the screen said, "Please see attendant." Being the novice gamblers that we were, we thought the machine was broken and were about to walk away. Little did we know we just won $2,000!!! We started screaming and jumping for joy- I'm pretty sure the whole casino was looking at us...in envy that is!

But the money went towards our books for the fall semester at San Diego State. There we took Psychology classes and hung out in East Commons together. She eventually received her degree in Education and Music, as well as her teaching credential. Now she spends her days with a bunch of small people teaching the 4th grade for the San Marcos school district.

Quyen is also in full on wedding mode. Not because of our wedding, but because of her own! She and her fiance Jeff are engaged to be married in June 2010. Thankfully I have Quyen to go through all the Asian wedding hoo-ha with.



I love these ladies and gen so much! Thank you all for being you, and thank you for being by my side through this journey and on our wedding day, God Willing. I love you all from the bottom of my heart!