After we had been dating for some time, we took a trip to San Francisco, which is my second-favorite city (after Chicago). Julio was planning on proposing during our vacation, but just before the trip he actually came really close to losing the element of surprise. When he had purchased the ring, he gave the jewelers our house phone number. They called and left a message, and said "Julio, your piece is ready." Well, I heard that message and thought the "piece" might be a ring! Of course, he denied it, and my mom helped save the day. She lied and told me it was a White Sox watch that she had asked him to fix for her. It was a convincing story. By the time we went to San Francisco, I had forgotten all about the "piece," and so he managed to catch me off guard.

We had gone to see the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was closed to pedestrians by the time we arrived. So we were walking around and he kept trying to get us on the bridge. Finally, he said that he wanted to view it from a telescope, so we walked over to one. Julio asked me to find a quarter for the telescope, and while I was rummaging through my purse, he got down on his knees to propose. Such a special moment: there I was, stunned, looking at him, the ring, and the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge. It was truly a beautiful engagement.

I loved my experience with Bella. Our photographers were great — I couldn't have asked for a better team. They both felt like a real part of our day. Their enjoyment for the wedding was very genuine, and that's why the pictures look great.

Really, our wedding was absolutely perfect, and I cannot really think of anything that went wrong or I would have done differently. Everyone that was there — we wanted to be there. It was a special family affair, and I was delighted to see family and friends enjoying themselves. There was a genuine feeling of love, and everyone was so genuinely happy for the both of us.