The other day I got a call from Patrick Milligan, owner of Dream Factory Productions, who does music and DJ's for wedding ceremonies and receptions. Patrick and I run into each other when we attend professional wedding events and he tells me he gets a kick out of my Face Book postings.  Anyway, he told me he had given out the last business card and he wanted me to give him some more!!  Well, of course I said Yes and when could I drop them off?  So I gathered 5 or 10 business cards and dropped them off at the office on Lomas, NE.  Patrick is a great guy and Dream Factory does a great job with its music.

This the retablo in the Hotel Albuquerque San Isidro Wedding Chapel where I had the great privilege to work with Carmela and Leroy on their Catholic wedding.  We worked up the full Catholic wedding (nuptial) Mass and this is the result!  I provided the crucifix and statues for the nichos, as well as the 2 foot high brass gothic candlesticks on the altar.   There is a wooden table provided by Hotel Albuquerque under the cloths and altar linens which I brought.  There was Holy Communion for all present as part of the Mass.  Carmela and LeRoy also had the Lazo (lasso) ceremony of the double rosary included.  After Communion they took flowers to the statue of Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe (in the left nicho) to ask her prayers for them as a newly married couple and family.  All this to the music of "Ave Maria."  It was a beautiful ceremony with a wonderful couple.  This wedding was unusual since it was the complete Mass, but as a priest I was fully capable of preparing and celebrating it.  Hotel Albuquerque's Wedding Concierge, Liana,  was great and fully supportive in everything and even got the maintenance guy to set up the high crucifix.  Guillermo of Natural Touch Photography was the photographer. There was also a full Mariachi band for some of the music!  They did a great job.

New Mexico Wedding Professionals Chair Karen Stallard of Celebrations! Events and Weddings, and me earlier in April at the monthly meeting held in downtown Albuquerque at the Hotel Andaluz.  It was a business meeting and there was a lot of good information passed among us.  Karen does a GREAT job as a wedding planner and I have had the privilege of working with her on many weddings.  She is on the ball with everything!

My Abundant Blessings Wedding Officiant booth at the Wicked Wedding Bridal Show, sponsored by the New Mexico Wedding Professionals group,  Linda, another officiant, and I did a mock wedding service for a "model bridal couple."  It was held on January 11th of this year at Sheraton Uptown.   It was great fun and obviously the color scheme was RED & BLACK.  How wicked!!

Carl Berg, the Wedding Guru, provided a seminar sponsored by Celebrations! for the New Mexico Wedding Professionals organization to which I belong.  Carl was great and gave us lots of ideas on how to better serve our bridal couples.  His advice to me as a wedding officiant was superb, and I am indebted to him for sharing his insight and awareness of weddings and bridal couples.  If anyone has an opportunity to attend Carl's seminars I firmly encourage you to do so.  It is money well spent, and you will come out of it better informed and better prepared to offer brides and grooms who come to you a wonderful service.  Thank you, Carl, for increasing my awareness in providing wedding services.

Me with Jim Gross of Carousel of Music.  Jim provided the guitar for Michelle and Nathan's wedding at Tamaya Resort.  He did a fantastic job with classical guitar and light jazz at the reception and refreshments.  I took off while Jim went in to set up for the dinner but I'm sure his music for the guests was just as fulfilling inside the banquet room.  It was a beautiful wedding and Jim even overcame the wind.

Michelle and Nathan (and me) on Saturday, March 30.  It all started as Michelle drove up in a horse-drawn carriage with her dad.  The wedding was at Tamaya Resort.  Kelli at Tamaya coordinated things at the site, Jim Gross of Carousel Music provided the live music, and Genie Castiglia Rossetti of Weddings by Genie was the wedding planner.  It was a great time.

The spectacular view from the Ampitheater at Tamaya Resort at Santa Ana Pueblo.  The chairs are set up for the wedding.  Kelli with Tamaya Resort did a great job at coordinating efforts for Michelle and Nathan this past weekend.

Last Wednesday, March 27, had a wonderful lunch at Four Hills Country Club, sponsored by the Professional Wedding Guide.  I renewed friendships and met new ones.  Best of all, there was a "bridal board" of soon-to-be brides (and some of soon-to-be grooms!) that told us of their likes and dislikes regarding wedding professionals.  At the end it was opened to us wedding professionals to get to ask questions.  One question I did not get a chance to ask: when I get a phone call or email contact how many times can I contact the bride-to-be (or the groom-to-be) in responding without getting them ticked off?  Other wedding professionals when I voiced this told me they can contact/call/email 12 times, or 10 times, or at least 7 times... and we have up to 2 months to contact the brides/grooms who contacted us.  We know all parties are busy and we respect that, but I don't want to come off creepy or demanding.  I also want my brides and grooms to know that I am not ignoring them.