We're getting married
La Capilla Golondrina, San Juan Capistrano, California
April 24, 2027
With the blessing of our families
Lucía's grandparents were married in a mission chapel in 1961, and her abuela still keeps the lace mantilla she wore, folded in tissue in a cedar drawer. This April Lucía will wear it down the aisle at La Capilla Golondrina, the week the swallows come back to the bell wall. Come to the Mass with us, stay for supper under the pepper trees, and dance with us in the courtyard until the candles are low.
162
days until April 24
Our story
2017
Mateo sang tenor in a small parish choir in Santa Ana; Lucía played the organ for the Christmas vigil because the usual organist had the flu. He turned the wrong page for her twice. She has never let him forget it.
2020
Through the long year everyone stayed home, we walked the Saturday farmers' market in masks and cooked for both families on Sundays, his mother's mole on one week, her father's caldo the next.
2025
On the evening of St. Joseph's Day, when the swallows are said to come back, Mateo asked in the mission garden. Lucía said yes before he had finished the question, and the bells rang for vespers a minute later. We still say they were for us.
2027
A nuptial Mass in the chapel where her grandparents married, our padrinos beside us, and everyone we love in the pews.
The day
2:30 pm
Through the carved doors
Come in through the front gate and along the arcade. Agua de jamaica and cold water wait in the shade; the chapel opens at a quarter to three.
3:00 pm
In the chapel
About an hour, in English and Spanish. Our padrinos will bring the arras and lay the lazo over our shoulders after the vows. The chapel is small and very old; please be seated by five to three.
4:30 pm
Under the bell wall
Small plates, horchata and something stronger, a trio playing boleros, and the best light of the day on the old stone arches.
6:30 pm
The garden, under the pepper trees
Long candlelit tables, a few short toasts, our first dance, then everyone on the tiles. The music ends at eleven; the last song is the one Lucía's grandparents danced to.
What to wear
Suits and long or tea-length dresses in soft, warm colours: whitewash, sand, clay, dusty rose, deep olive. Please keep shoulders covered in the chapel (a wrap is perfect, and you'll want it after dark). The courtyard is old clay tile; block heels are kinder than stilettos.
Pan dulce, chilaquiles and coffee at Lucía's parents' house from eleven. Come as you are.
Getting there
La Capilla Golondrina sits on a quiet lane at the edge of the old town, past the last of the El Camino Real bells. John Wayne Airport is twenty-five minutes away; Los Angeles is about an hour and a half without traffic, which is to say, leave early. The train stops in town, a ten-minute walk from the chapel. A shuttle runs from both hotels from 2:00 pm and back after the dancing. (La Capilla Golondrina is invented for this demo.)
Open in mapsWhere to stay
Mention our names when you book. Rooms are held until March 20.
Thirty rooms around a fountain courtyard, a short walk from the chapel. Wooden shutters, very good coffee, and the shuttle leaves from the gate.
Book a roomA quiet hotel by the creek with a pool for the Sunday after. Best for families, and for anyone who wants an early night.
Book a roomOur padrinos
In a Mexican Catholic wedding, padrinos are the couples who sponsor the sacrament and walk with us after it. Tía Rosa and Tío Arturo will bring the arras, thirteen gold coins blessed by the priest and passed from Mateo's hands to Lucía's: a promise to care for one another and for everything we will share. Lucía's godparents, Elena and Ramón, will lay the lazo, a corded rosary of pearls, over our shoulders in a figure eight while we kneel, so that we finish the Mass bound together. Our sponsors for the Bible, the rings and the cushions are named in the programme. To all of them: gracias, de todo corazón.
Good to know
About an hour. It's a full nuptial Mass, so there's a little standing and kneeling; follow the people around you and you'll be fine.
Of course. Everyone is welcome at the Mass. At Communion, guests who don't receive can stay seated or come forward with arms crossed for a blessing, whichever you prefer.
Yes, all day. There's a quiet room off the arcade for little ones during the Mass, and a sitter in the garden from supper onwards.
Not in the chapel, please; our photographer has the Father's permission and will share everything. In the courtyard and at supper, take as many as you like.
Late April here is warm and gold in the afternoon, around 72°F, and cool once the sun goes behind the bell wall. Bring a layer.
Registry
Being with us at the altar is the gift. If you'd still like to give something, here are two ideas.
RSVP
Please reply by March 1. One form per household, and do tell us about any dietary needs.
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