A Wedding To Remember

Saturday, my weekend in Boston continued with Cristina and Chris’ wedding. One of the best I’ve ever attended, the 130-person event was truly an affair to remember.

Happily Ever After: Cristina and Chris on their wedding day (photo courtesy: Michelle Abril)

Following a nuptial mass at Cathedral of the Holy Cross, the festivities continued at Boston’s Omni Parker House – America’s longest continuously- run hotel, located next to Beacon Hill.

During the cocktail hour, I chatted with Cristina’s sweet twin brother and Man of Honor Robert. We shared a laugh when he quipped that he refrained from adjusting the bride’s train for fear that traditionally female gesture might end up on YouTube.

I also caught up with my former work husband and good friend Morty. Morty filled me in on phD application overload (he’s applying to 15 psychology programs), and we debated the subtle yet important distinction between desire and need when it comes to the object of one’s affections.

Eventually, everyone made their way upstairs to the ballroom, elegant with its dark, wood paneling and decorated with a Christmas tree and Baby’s Breath centerpieces. A snowflake ornament adorning each place setting completed the festive holiday theme.

All Smiles: the beautiful bride and me

After the Best Man said a few words, Chris spoke from the heart with gratitude for his parents and in-laws – and abiding love for his beautiful bride. Recalling the day he met Cristina six years ago, Chris said he knew then it was forever.

“You are the love of my life,” he said. “You’re the only person I’ve ever loved.”

Wow.

Speaking of wow, the DJ impressed with a perfect mix of dinner-appropriate tunes (including Sinatra in heavy rotation) and lively dance songs. Knowing my affection for Ricky Martin, Cristina had him kick off the booty shaking with “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”

Not only did I shake, as Morty put it, all three of my moneymakers but I managed to forget about my injured leg. One of the bride’s relatives later told me--

“You should be on Broadway!”

Along with everyone else, I also got my groove on to such crowd pleasers as “All The Single Ladies,” “Disco Inferno,” “Don’t Stop The Music” and “I Gotta Feeling.”

What a celebration. When a couple is so perfect for each other like Cristina and Chris, you can’t help but be overjoyed to watch them embark on happily ever after – and feel hopeful all over again in finding it yourself.

A Visit To The Isle Of Enchantment

Greetings from Puerto Rico, where I’m enjoying a visit to my new client, the Wyndham Rio Mar.

An oceanfront resort nestled at the base of El Yunque rainforest, Rio Mar is as charming as I expected it be -- especially the warm and gracious staff. Upon arriving yesterday, I was welcomed with a scrumptious fruit and cheese platter and handwritten note from the resort’s PR coordinator Veronica. As Veronica showed me and my boss around, we got caught in a brief downpour that produced this stunning rainbow.

A surprise rainbow lights up the skies over Rio Mar

Like my first visit to the Isle of Enchantment back in ‘07 (to see Ricky Martin in concert twice), this one will be brief. I’m looking forward to returning again someday and exploring where my beloved grandmother grew up and, yes, maybe even catching another Ricky performance here.

In the meantime, I’m thankful all over again to have a job that offers such great perks. I can’t wait for tomorrow’s pre-departure spa treatment!

Flying Solo For A Night

For as much as I love an evening out with friends, sometimes it’s fun to fly solo and see where the night takes you. Last night, it took me down to NYC’s hip Meatpacking District.

After a quick bite at Chelsea Market, a vibrant arcade of food, wine and dessert shops, I went next door to Buddakan, the dazzling restaurant that hosted Carrie & Big’s rehearsal dinner in “Sex And The City.”

Carrie and Big: Like me, SATC’s star-crossed couple enjoyed a night out at Buddakan

As I sipped on a perfect cosmo at the bar, I found myself sitting next to a cute but frazzled-looking derivatives trader. He was anxiously checking his Blackberry and when seven of his clients appeared a few minutes later, I understood why. In this economy, if you’re lucky enough to have a job, it’s even more important to bring your A-game to it.

From Buddakan, I jumped on the subway and headed up to Midtown, where I strolled past a few women camped out (literally – with tents) in front of Barnes & Noble, hoping to secure admission to a Miley Cyrus book signing the following day. More power to them in this nippy weather. I would do the same to see my beloved Ricky Martin, though the longest I’ve lined up for him so far is 5 hours.

At home, following a 30-minute chat with the Match.com guy du jour, I continued watching the SATC movie with commentary from writer and exec producer Michael Patrick King. I smiled when the DVD cued up to none other than the aforementioned scenes at Buddakan. Filming for SATC 2 is scheduled to begin this fall – let the groupie activity begin!

Coming up…co-hosting happy hour at a hot Lower East Side nightspot and celebrating a friend’s birthday with a spa-dinner-karaoke trifecta.

A Musical Birthday Celebration

Wednesday night, I enjoyed a low-key birthday celebration at home with Morty, one of my best friends, and my dear cousin Alexandra.

In addition to being two of my favorite people on Planet Earth, Morty and Alexandra have something else in common – they’re both talented singers. Alexandra is classically trained with a background in opera, while Morty is a songwriter/guitarist with a flare for contemporary tunes.

After making me smile with a makeshift “cake” of ice cream sandwiches arranged to form an M, they indulged my request for a duet, delivering pitch perfect renditions of songs by Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill and, of course, my beloved Ricky Martin.

Eventually, I joined in, belting out Whitney Houston’s ’92 power ballad “I Have Nothing” with Morty and Alexandra at the top of my lungs (and, with apologies to my neighbors, accompanied by the CD blaring from my stereo). Despite lingering jetlag from my Australia trip, I felt energized – and thankful to be sharing my 35th with two of my nearest and dearest.

The celebrating continues tomorrow, with dinner at NYC’s Il Cantinori – the restaurant where Carrie Bradshaw ended up alone on her 35th in "Sex And The City." My friends have assured me they’ll be more reliable than Carrie’s inner circle. I can’t wait to connect with my inner party girl. After all, 35 is the new 25, right?

By The Numbers: Front Row Edition

Imagine attending more than 700 concerts in your lifetime. Earlier this week, I learned that’s what my friend Cindy’s boyfriend Jason has done (733, to be exact) – which got me to thinking about my own love affair with live music.

Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing more than 50 concerts, a dozen of which have been my beloved Ricky Martin. Here are some of my most memorable live music moments, enjoyed with and without the opposite sex, By The Numbers:

Number of concerts attended with significant others: 4
Number of Maroon 5 concerts that figured prominently in reconciling with an ex: 1
Number of ‘farewell’ concerts attended of performers who later toured again: 2
Number of times I ended up within the first 20 rows despite having a nosebleed section ticket: 1 (Tina Turner, June 2000)
Number of times I saw Ricky Martin during his 2007 Black and White tour: 4
Number of miles flown to see Ricky perform in Puerto Rico: 3,206

Worth The Trip: Ricky Martin sizzles during his Black and White tour, San Juan, August 2007

I’ve been fortunate enough to see Ricky and some of my other favorite performers (e.g. Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band and Tina Turner) multiple times. The band I most want to see but haven't yet -- U2.

Jason has seen U2 five times. I look forward to catching up with him on that front – and, of course, to whenever Ricky hits the concert circuit again.

The Perks of A Celebrity Crush

About nine years ago, I attended my first Ricky Martin concert, at Madison Square Garden. At one point during the show, Ricky turned his attention toward the mezzanine section where I was sitting with my aunt and cousin. I was so mesmerized that after the concert, my aunt said,

"You should have seen your face, you lit up like a Christmas tree."

And so, my celebrity crush began--a crush that has taken me to Miami, San Juan and many a long (long) line to see Ricky perform or, on five glorious occasions, meet him face to face. The last up close encounter happened in December of '06 at NYC's Roseland, where I managed to sneak into the VIP area. All of a sudden, I looked up and there Ricky was, flashing me his megawatt smile. "Hey Baby, how are you? It's always great to see you," he said, punctuating his friendly greeting with a hug and quick kiss on the cheek before disappearing into a sea of other fans.

Heaven.

At a fan club meet and greet, New York, October 2005

The only thing better than seeing your celebrity crush in the flesh is sharing it with someone who feels exactly the same way. I've had that pleasure several times with fellow Ricky fan club member and New Jersey native Jenn. We bonded at one of Ricky's TODAY Show performances back in '05, becoming fast friends.

Since then, we've attended a private meet and greet with Ricky at the Time Warner Center here, flown to Miami to attend the dress rehearsal for his MTV Unplugged performance, and jetted off to San Juan last summer for two concerts back to back during Ricky's electrifying "Black and White" tour.

Seeing Ricky in Puerto Rico is what I would imagine seeing Elvis at Graceland must have been like. From billboards everywhere to front page newspaper coverage and regular TV spots, PR welcomed its favorite musical son with open arms. Jenn and I had fifth row center seats both nights. Our double dose of Ricky left us wanting more, so we got tickets for his concert at the Garden on the tail end of his tour.

That was in October, so Jenn and I had lots of catching up to do when we met up for dinner tonight. Over a handful of tapas at Cafe Ronda on the Upper West Side, we gushed about our recent experiences as first-time cruisers on Royal Caribbean, reminisced about the sweet sounds of Puerto Rico's native little frog, the coqui, and griped about the only downside of being a Ricky fan--having to answer that same question over and over again (no, we don't know if he is, and no, we don't care one way or the other).

One of the many upsides--connecting with a great friend who is as ready to pack her bags as I am next time Ricky hits the road.

Bon Jovi Rocks The Big Apple

For as long as I can remember, I've always loved going to concerts. The transporting experience of live music, of being literally and lyrically taken away from the outside world, is something I've been fortunate to enjoy many, many times. Ray Charles, Billy Joel, The Police, my beloved Ricky Martin...the 50+ concerts I've attended over the years have featured some of the greatest performers of our time. Last night's Bon Jovi concert at Madison Square Garden was no exception.

Having gone to my very first Bon Jovi show in October during the initial leg of their "Lost Highway" tour, I had every expectation of being dazzled all over again. The veteran rockers did not disappoint, delivering a high-octane three-hour concert that proved why they're still selling out arenas 25 years after first arriving on the scene.

From classics like "Bad Medicine" and "Livin' On A Prayer" to such recent charttoppers as "Who Says You Can't Go Home" and "(You Want To) Make a Memory," the band took all of us in the audience on an exhilarating journey through their entire catalog of hits. The on-stage camaraderie between Jon, Ritchie Sambora and the rest of the band was palpable--the kind of connection that can only come from more than two decades of performing together.

Between songs, Jon did some reminiscing. He mentioned writing "Wanted: Dead or Alive" way back when with Ritchie on the washing machine at Ritchie's house. He laughed about coming to MSG as a kid and sitting in the nosebleed section, and said this week marks the 25th anniversary of Bon Jovi's first performance here.

"For 25 years, we've been saying we're not going anywhere," he told the crowd. "We're just getting started."

Thunderous applause and screams indicated all of us in the audience couldn't agree more.

By the time Bon Jovi took their final bow, my voice was happily hoarse. As everyone filed out, the sounds of Sinatra singing "New York, New York" filled the emptying arena. All of us sang right along with Old Blue Eyes. I smiled, thinking immediately of my mother. "New York, New York" was one of her favorites. She adored this city with every part of her, a love I will be forever grateful to have inherited. After all, this is a city where even the biggest of dreams can come true.

Just ask Bon Jovi.