The Reception

The hotel

Through the entrance

Through the lobby

Up the stairs

Past the history wall

Through the foyer

To Never Neverland!

Brochure photo of the ballroom

Location: Marina Grand Ballroom at the Disneyland Hotel
Time: Lunch reception, Noon to 5:30pm
Guests: 243 guests counted by the hotel
Special: Katsu came from Japan and Grandpa flew in from Taiwan. My brother made it, too! Yay! Most of my family could not attend because they were with my grandma, who was very ill. We still have her corsage and miss her dearly.

MUSIC:
DJ: Sylvia (we liked having a Mexican female DJ)
Mariachis: By far the best we have ever heard. Mona did her research!
Special: Mariachis played "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and had us sing to it. "Besame Mucho" for Manny. The conga line weaved in and out of the ballroom with JP in front. The swing dancers also put on a show!

Mariachis excelentes

Reception songs can be pretty corny, but they're entertaining anyway:
COUPLE ENTRANCE: Trumpet Voluntary - Jeremiah Clarke
LUNCH: Mariachis and DJ's took any requests
BOUQUET TOSS: Someday My Prince Will Come - from Snow White
GARTER TOSS: Oh Yeah - Yello
CAKE CUTTING: Love & Marriage - Frank Sinatra
FIRST DANCE (WALTZ): True Love - Johnny Mathis/Henry Mancini
FATHER-DAUGHTER and MOTHER-SON DANCE: The Way You Look Tonight SWING: All the favorites - In the Mood, Stompin' at the Savoy, etc.
OPEN DANCE: Cumbia, Conga, Salsa, and lots of Oldies.

MENU: Chicken Piccata with special rice pilaf and chef's vegetables, Salad for all Seasons and fresh rolls. Separate menu for kids and vegetarians. Catered by their 5-star restaurant, even my very selective cousin Gil liked it.

Lunch

LION DANCE: L.A.'s Eastwind Lion Dancers, arranged by Manny's parents. The best part was when the performers were stacked one on top of another and the lions almost reached the ceiling!

Feeding lettuce to the lions

CAKE: Mickey and Minnie from Dolly up top. Three tiers with three heart-shaped cakes around it. White cake with layers of lemon or strawberry filling with buttercream frosting, sugar pearls and flowers. It was fresh, fluffy, and very light. The creator of this marvelous dessert, JoEllen Gallina, is a family friend with an amazing cake portfolio.

Manny's favorite photo

TRADITIONS: For poking fun at the garter toss, Manny came up with the idea of pulling various objects from my gown. They were actually up his sleeves. Dolly caught the bouquet after telling the other gals to back off. We did do a dollar dance - it is a given tradition in Manny's family.

Mona and Me

We truly thank our friends and family who selflessly helped set up, coordinate, and clean up (the hardest part!). Thanks to all who attended. Praise God!

2nd Celebration: The church surprised us by dedicating an after-service luncheon to our wedding with cake and photos. We wish we could have invited more friends from church, but it was great to have this opportunity to celebrate with them.