"Yours is the first face that I saw, I think I was blind before I met you"

Bess shares some of her thoughts.

"For those of you who know me, you know what a private/perfectionist/Type A/OCD person I am. It's not exactly easy for me to pour out my heart and not edit it extensively, but I'll do my best. For those of you who don't know me, it's nice to meet you! I'm Marcia's fiancé! We met at the University of Texas at Arlington in the Fall 2007 semester and have been together since January 2008.

(This is us at a friend's birthday party in January 2008.)

(One of many trips to Six Flags)

(Watching a Club America match at the Cowboys Stadium)

We got engaged less than two weeks ago, but so much has happened already. Marcia has already updated you on how we got engaged, her best man and maid of honor, and the likely location of our ceremony.

On Monday, we spent the better part of the afternoon at David's Bridal with Maggie and Kent.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Who is this Kent I speak of? Let me fill you in. I have decided to have two best men, instead of a best man and a maid of honor.

There are two men in my life that mean more than words can say.

The first is my brother- James Alvarez.

(This is me meeting my baby brother for the first time.)

(Being a good big sis)

(I have no idea what is going on in this picture.)



The second is my best friend and roommate- Kent Long.

(We have an interesting relationship dynamic to say the least.)

(An excellent photo-bomb, in my humble opinion)

(After a water and coke fight at a student leadership retreat)

I don't have the slightest idea how to do James and Kent justice in one mere blog post. An introduction will have to suffice presently.

But I digress... Monday afternoon was spent at David's Bridal.

I did not and do not want to see Marcia in her dress before the ceremony, but I very much wanted to be a part of the dress process. So I went with Kent and Maggie, and Marcia, of course, to observe.

Marcia tried on many different dresses (my count was at least eight- though the figure is still under some discussion), but somehow managed to narrow her choices to three. I'd be lying if I said that the dresses did not begin to blur together after a while.

I will, however, always remember the moment Marcia first emerged from the dressing room. Overcome with emotion, I began to cry. In that moment, she had never looked more beautiful."

Posted by Bess
January 18, 2010