“I bet you could sometimes find all the mysteries
of the universe in someone's hand.”
― Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Time check. 5:45 AM.
I was gunning for 5:30 AM. But knowing that we still had to bring our daughter to the in-laws so they can bring her to school, it wasn't bad. But I knew we we were in trouble the moment the freeway started feeling like a huge parking lot. Not a car was moving. I never would've thought that it'll happen to me. But yeah, it just did. The wildfires that's been ravaging Southern California really hit home this time.
Time check. 6:15 AM. Ok, we might be late a couple of minutes for the preps. No biggie. I'll just text her. Google maps said ETA is 7:15 AM.
We decided to turn on and listen to the AM radio to see if we can get more information. You know that scene on one of the episodes of The Walking Dead? Where Rick is going through the highway on his horse? And then you see a stretch of cars for miles and miles not going anywhere? Yeah it sorta felt like that.
Time check. 7:15 AM. You lied to me Google.
You really know the shit has hit the fan when you see cars backing up, or busting hueys, or driving the opposite direction. I frantically text and apologize. I also got a call that all schools will be closed. And now my daughter started whining that she won't see her friends. Great!
Time check. 7:45 AM. Finally the cars have started crawling. Finally some movement. Which is good. But you know what's not good?
The CHP is just rerouting us. They closed the damn freeway. ETA? 8:48 AM. I have yet to text her something that didn't start with an apology. Her bridesmaid told us to just meet at the church. At this time I just decided to just accept our fate. We missed the preps. Now we just got to make it to the ceremony.
Time check. 8:05 AM. After driving through the canyons, we finally made it to my in-laws. Which was a relief. Because, I swear if I hear my daughter sing “the Presidents Song-George Washington to Donald Trump” in the car one more time….
When you think nothing else can go wrong, well it could. Another freeway was shut down. This time it's the 5 fwy. Yes that freeway that everyone and their mom uses. Yeah, that.
Time check. 8:30 AM. Google Maps is telling us to drive all the way to North Hollywood so we can take the 101 fwy.
But the estimated time of arrival per Google Maps? 9:30 AM. Might as well not show up to the wedding. So do I trust this web-based engine who has helped billions of people reach their destination? Any other time yes. But this time I had to sort of trust my initial instinct that the whole of 5 fwy can't be closed. I mean this damn thing runs from the Canada border all the way to the border of Mexico. Ain’t no way in hell Caltrans can put orange cones in every on-ramp. So I see the next closest one and decided to just take the leap of faith.
Time check. 8:54 AM. Made it to the church in the nick of time. With minutes to spare.
I cant ever recall a time where I was this stressed out. Even to the point where I was thinking that if this was a sign that the universe is telling me that I'm not meant to do this. But I love what I do. And the couples who hire me deserves to have their story documented, rain or shine. And what kept us going, and to make sure that we kick ass in this wedding is seeing Charity and Melvin. To be completely honest, I was expecting them to give us looks of disdain. And I wouldn’t even be mad if they did. But, fortunately, even with everything that was happening, they were a ray of light in this otherwise smokey, smoggy day. They smiled throughout the day and completely lived in the moment. Trust me when I say that I’ve seen couples who fall apart during their wedding just because the wind changed direction. Of course, that’s a hyperbole. But then there are those couples who are in it because they love the idea of getting married to each other and not just the idea of finally getting to marry someone. And Charity and Melvin are certainly the former, not the latter. Enjoy the photos!
VENDORS:
Ceremony: Iglesia ni Cristo, Los Angeles
Reception: Universal Hilton
Videographer: Cali Viewfinders
Florist: Maricar Reyes
Hair/Makeup: JV Samson
Cake: Carina’s
