In their 45 years of marriage,
Mauricio and Shirley Lopes have raised five children, traveled the
world, and made an indelible impression on the lives of their
family and friends. The primary purpose of my trip to Brazil this year
was to help the family celebrate their Sapphire Anniversary.
For several months behind the scenes, a secret ballet of organization was afoot. Four sisters and a brother who normally couldn't agree on pizza
toppings were now planning a church vows renewal ceremony and
reception. All of them were rewarded with seats at the kiddy tables
that were made ad-hoc when we ran out of regular tables. The honorees
were kept completely in the dark until one week beforehand to allow
them time to find outfits and resize a wedding band long-since banished
to a drawer.
The full-mass ceremony was held at the church near their home. Now January in Brazil is the equivalent to our July and this church had no air conditioning. I think people nealed down in places they weren;t supposed to in the service as an excuse to get closer to the cooler air by the floor. The ceremony (what I could understand of it anyway) was beautiful and a long-time friend of the family gave a speech that moved Cecilia to tears.
After the church, we moved on to the reception hall where the champagne was flowing and the happy couple greeted their guests. It was a wonderful night I even saw my father-in-law get misty once.
This page is dedicated to my in-laws, so I will not pollute it with my usual sarcastic wit. For that, you must continue on with the travelogue (albeit breif).
For several months behind the scenes, a secret ballet of organization was afoot. Four sisters and a brother who normally couldn't agree on pizza
toppings were now planning a church vows renewal ceremony and
reception. All of them were rewarded with seats at the kiddy tables
that were made ad-hoc when we ran out of regular tables. The honorees
were kept completely in the dark until one week beforehand to allow
them time to find outfits and resize a wedding band long-since banished
to a drawer.The full-mass ceremony was held at the church near their home. Now January in Brazil is the equivalent to our July and this church had no air conditioning. I think people nealed down in places they weren;t supposed to in the service as an excuse to get closer to the cooler air by the floor. The ceremony (what I could understand of it anyway) was beautiful and a long-time friend of the family gave a speech that moved Cecilia to tears.
After the church, we moved on to the reception hall where the champagne was flowing and the happy couple greeted their guests. It was a wonderful night I even saw my father-in-law get misty once.
This page is dedicated to my in-laws, so I will not pollute it with my usual sarcastic wit. For that, you must continue on with the travelogue (albeit breif).