It’s not surprising that people from the Southwest would prefer greener pastures.
Sheena and Luis, a Las Vegas couple, wanted to have a wedding in a green place away from neon lights & casinos. With its lush green hills and plenty of space for florals & greenery, Revere Golf Club was the perfect venue for this desert oasis.
Most of us are here for the puppy. Sheena and Luis adopted their pet just a week before their wedding and were able to introduce him to his new family. How cute is that! This adorable pup is included in the first-look portraits. We’re all a puddle with emotions.
Our Love Story
When I saw Luis for the first time, I was working in a store named Champion. At the time, he was with someone, and I was also with someone. We chatted here and there and got to know one another in a friendly way. Our coworkers didn’t go out until I quit retail to focus on nursing school. Luis and I both became single over the years. We began to hang out, eat dinner, and watch movies without our coworkers. The rest is history.
We were in his house a few weeks before the proposal, and he taught me to slow dance. He taught me to feel and listen to the music because I had a terrible sense of rhythm. When my cousin visited a few weeks later, and it was time for me to take her to the airport to say goodbye, she said, “your future looks very bright!”. I didn’t understand what she meant.
When I arrived home, Luis called and asked if I would like to go to dinner. He told me to put on something nice and let him know as soon as I was ready. He told me to meet him in the backyard of my parents. The backyard was decorated with rose petals and lit candles. He asked me to join him as music played in the background. We danced slowly as if the ground beneath us was gone and we were as happy as ever. It was as if the world had disappeared. I don’t remember any of the exchanged words. All I can remember is Luis asking me to stay with him forever.
Dress & Attire
I kept the color palette neutral with my bridal party. I knew I wanted the dresses to be mismatched and in various styles, with shades of gray or taupe. The groomsmen wore navy blue bowties, brown leather suspenders, and light gray pants. I wanted the men to match the suit of my groom, who wore a dark blue suit with a gray dove tie and brown leather shoes.
The Rosa Clara dress selected for the bride was a mermaid silhouette with long sleeves off the shoulder and a low back. Luis wore a dark navy blue, three-piece suit and brown leather dress boots. We wanted to let the groom shine and have the groomsmen accent him on the big day.
The Venue
Las Vegas is a desert city, so I wanted an outdoor and green wedding. When I first decided not to get married at a golf club, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Revere Golf Club had a special that included all-inclusive packages. We took a look. The course was full of lush green hills with views over Las Vegas. It didn’t feel like we were in a casino city.
The Puppy
We celebrated our wedding with our eight-week-old puppy, which we got a week before the event. We took wedding photos with him and brought him to the dancefloor to meet his extended family.
The Flowers
We chose white majolica Spray Roses, White Ranunculus, and White Eskimo roses to decorate around the Italian Ruskus Greenery and Seeded Eucalyptus Greenery.
Special Traditions
We performed the “veil-and-lasso” ritual during our wedding ceremony. The ceremony symbolizes Filipino and Hispanic culture; we thought it was an excellent way to involve our family, who helped with the wedding. Luis’s aunt and his uncle placed my veil over me and Luis, symbolizing our “everlasting marriage.” His close family members then set a cord with rosary beads around us, representing our “oneness.” Another of Luis’ aunt and uncle gave Luis a box of thirteen gold coins for the veil-and-lasso ceremony. It is called an “arras” and represents his willingness to help me. These items will later become family heirlooms.
To remember all that God has done for our lives, we also took part in communion during the ceremony, which included breaking bread and drinking red wine. I was thinking about everything that had led up to the day.
Favorite moments
The entire day was the best. It may sound cliche, but it is true. Even though there were some drawbacks, such as Luis’s voice being hoarse from being so sick, the wrong music playing, or a light, windy day, they were nothing compared to what a beautiful day we had.
Daniel Fernandez, our pastor and good friend, officiated at the ceremony. He translated half of the tradition into Spanish to show respect for Luis’ Spanish-speaking family. He shared funny memories and stories during our ceremony, which helped us to feel more comfortable.
Luis’ mother booked a Mexican group, so seeing our families come together and dance the entire night was great. We danced so much that my wedding gown even ripped.
I was so happy that Susie and Will was our photographer and was able to capture the moment when Luis was taken off-guard by his friends and family and was thrown into the air. We couldn’t help but laugh.
