Emily & Mauricio’s Worldly Wedding

A Little History

Emily and Mauricio seemed meant to find each other across the miles. Emily is from Green Bay, but was born in Calcutta and adopted when she was five months old. Mauricio hails from Leon, Spain. The two crossed paths at the Ashwaubenon bowling alley at an international student outing. Emily always hung out with the international students in college.

After six years of dating and with Mauricio’s student visa about to expire, the two knew marriage was the next step. “We had been looking at rings, so I knew it was coming,” Emily says. Originally, Mauricio had planned to pop the question in Chicago one April weekend in 2017, but a huge snow storm derailed his plans.

The two rescheduled their trip to the Windy City, and when the proposal didn’t come at dinner, Emily thought it wasn’t coming at all that night. But after waiting in line for 45 minutes at the John Hancock building for after-dinner dessert, the waiter presented Emily with her favorite sweet, creme brulée, with the words “Will you marry me?” Her eyes welled up with tears.

The Planning 

Mauricio and Emily got married in May of 2018, then planned a big wedding with a vow renewal in May of 2019. The ceremony was held in the church Emily had attended since first grade, and the reception was at the Delta Hotel by Marriott Green Bay. “We saw the hotel from when it was bare with nothing in it to what it is today, which is so beautiful. The rooms were nice, the showers so relaxing, and the beds are also fantastic. Our meetings with our event coordinator, Janis, were wonderful.”

Emily found her Martina Liana bridal gown at White Dress Bridal Boutique. “I loved my experience at White Dress. I felt like they had a great selection of gowns. When I finally said yes to my dress, we got to celebrate with champagne! I felt so special.” As for the overall vibe of the wedding, Emily and Mauricio went for a modern look with some geometric and romantic elements.

The Ceremony

For their church ceremony, Emily’s pastor who she’s known for years and the church’s current pastor officiated. “It meant the world to us.” The bride and groom also included a Spanish wedding tradition: a coin ceremony. “The pastors bless the coins, which represent the 12 apostles and different values. Then the pastor hands them to the groom and then to the bride, to make sure the bride knows she will be taken care of the rest of her life.” Another favorite moment was the ring bearer handing out high-fives to Mauricio at the altar.

Photo Break 

Emily and Mauricio stopped at a bunch of landmarks for photos with their wedding party. They hit downtown Green Bay, Titletown Tap Room, the Cannery, and Lambeau, working with Heritage Limousine to get from place to place. “Our driver was so nice and always made sure he helped everyone get into the limo. Even when we sprung an extra stop on him, he was more than happy to do it. The limo was a great way to treat our bridal party so they didn’t have to worry about having to drive all over the city.” Mauricio particularly loved this part of the day and how the photographers and videographer had such great ideas. “We were able to have the modern look we were going for,” he says.

The Reception

It’s safe to say Mauricio and Emily had a blast at their reception. There was an open-air photo booth, an amazing dessert table with seven kinds of mini sweets, and the dance floor was packed all night. For Emily, a very memorable part was dancing with her grandmother to Josh Groban’s “To Where You Are” in memory of her grandfather. “I also loved the speeches by my Matrons of Honor — they both made me cry!”

Emily also loved Mauricio’s mother-son dance. “Even though he doesn’t like dancing that much, he decided to do a first dance with his mom,” Emily says. “They don’t really have that tradition in Spain, and I know he wasn’t thrilled with the idea at first, but he came around. It was so nice seeing his mother with the biggest and proudest smile on her face.”

To keep the 20 kids in attendance entertained, there were coloring books, glow sticks, and stickers to play with. “It was fun to see all the little ones grooving on the dance floor! Kids make it more fun.” The bride and groom also did a photo sprint, where they had two minutes to run around to snap a photo with each table while the theme from “Mission Impossible” played. “It was amazing to see how creative each table got for the picture!”

Guests From Around the Globe 

What made Emily and Mauricio’s wedding particularly special was the many guests who came to support them from across the country and the world. Mauricio’s family came from Spain, Emily’s best friend’s family came from Georgia, and there were other guests representing Ireland and Belarus. Some family came from Michigan, Chicago, and Minnesota. One groomsman traveled from Washington D.C., and the Matrons of Honor from Pennsylvania and Minnesota. “It was a magical day to be surrounded by people who love us.”

Tip: Hire a Decorator! 

Emily worked with 920 Events to decorate the reception space. “I was so happy I hired a decorator to take care of setting up and taking down. It’s worth every penny!

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