To Craig and Ana: The Arboleda and Hartman Wedding

Ok, so I am going to start by saying that this was an absolutely fabulous event. Exactly one week ago, on May 31, 2008 my brother Craig married his high school sweetheart Ana Arboleda. They had been dating since their junior year in high school and living together since they graduated in 2001. Craig is totally 100% committed to Ana and Matthew and has been for a long time. It was so great to see them tie the knot.

The rehearsal dinner was at a restaurant called Bucca di Beppo’s in Mira Mesa. We packed in with 50 or so people into one of the biggest rooms they have there. There was the bridal party and lots of family. It was so fun! Now, as some of you may know, my mom’s side of the family (the Riel’s) are an interesting bunch… some would say that is an understatement if you know anything about our New Years Day celebration. But anyways, my Uncle Bob and Aunt Listy like to write songs for major occasions… like Grandma and Grandpa’s 60’th wedding anniversary and now for us kids when we get married. These songs are usually to the tune of a well know song but with the lyrics changed up a bit. The song that they wrote for Craig and Ana was to the tune of “Yo Ho, Yo Ho a Pirate’s life for Me”. We wore pirate eye patches and sang along. (See below). It was so clever and everyone was laughing and singing along. So now, Craig and Ana officially have their own custom-made song!



Well on Saturday, the wedding went off without a hitch. It was a beautiful day. The ceremony was in the garden of the Marston House in Balboa Park. http://www.balboapark.org/in-the-park/detail.php?OrgID=9 It was a quiet area with a really amazing garden. My Uncle Bob did the ceremony and it was just the right amount of heartfelt sentiment and laughter. It really was great. Ana had her two sisters and a law school friend as her bridesmaids. Craig had Matthew as the best man and some other friends as his groomsmen. And everyone who loves them came!








The reception was in the Spanish Village in Balboa Park http://www.spanishvillageart.com/ This is where we literally danced the night away. It was a really nice night. Not too hot or too cold. If you weren’t dancing, then it might have been chilly, but everyone was dancing so it was a non-issue. Like I had said, Matthew was the best man. He had a speech and everything... for a 9 year-old, that's pretty impressive. He said that his dad is his best friend and that he can’t wait to have more brothers and sisters. I think almost everyone was a little teary. Even Craig and Ana’s first dance ended up with him in it… it was so awesome! I can’t wait to watch their family grow! Ana is my first sister!! So that is exciting on so many levels. Now all Ana has to do is take the bar exam (she graduated law school about 2 weeks before the wedding) and then they are off on their honeymoon. Which I believe includes Greece. Lucky them! Here’s some more pictures: