Craig and Cristina of Oklahoma City, OK married at the Lake Hefner Lighthouse in Northwest Oklahoma City. Cristina is originally from Guatemala and recently moved to Enid, OK. Craig is originally from Fort Worth, TX and recently moved to Oklahoma City, OK for work. Their love story is one of modern ages as the couple met off of the Facebook dating app.

The couple had a long distance relationship for over eight months. Craig would travel over an hour to see his sweetheart on a consistent basis. Their love for one another flourished as time went by and Craig wasted no time in popping the question.

Craig is a romantic at heart and proposed to his sweetheart Cristina at the Reunion Tower Observation Deck in Dallas, TX overlooking the city. 

Shortly there after they got in touch with me that they wanted a bilingual wedding ceremony at the Lake Hefner Lighthouse. Craig's family traveled from Fort Worth, TX and Cristina's family traveled from Enid, OK to be at their wedding ceremony.

It was a perfect sunset wedding ceremony at the Lake Hefner Lighthouse!

After the wedding ceremony, my brother David and myself were invited to the reception that was held at Hefner Grill. At the reception, I bumped into a couple that I had married over six years ago and it turns out that it is one of Craig's closest friends! It's such a small world!

We had such a great time celebrating Craig & Cristina and meeting both sides of the family! 

Best wishes to Craig and Cristina!

Review from Craig's stepdad, "I didn't know what to expect but you did a great job. I am very impressed!"

Holden and Mellany of Lawton, Oklahoma married at the Will Rogers Gardens.

​Mellany is of Peruvian and Ecuadorian decent and Holden is originally from Pennsylvania. The lovely couple wanted a bilingual ceremony that united two cultures into one to symbolize their love for one another. As they said their vows, I paused to give Holden and Mellany a moment to gather themselves and there was literally not a dry eye insight. So many happy tears of joy for Holden and Mellany's love.

Family and friends traveled far and wide to be present for their nuptials. Especially, Holden's parents that traveled from Pennsylvania to be at their wedding ceremony.

The couple would have met 5 years ago as they had cross paths before. However, destiny has it's perfect timing and married today in Oklahoma City, OK at the Will Rogers Gardens as it is a favorite location for the couple.

The couple plan on relocating to New York soon to begin their new chapter together.

Best wishes to Holden and Mellany!

Review from mother of the bride: "My goodness you made me cry! You had everyone crying! I've never been to a wedding with so many people crying tears of joy. Thank you for everything that you do!"

Humberto and Janelly of Oklahoma City, OK married at Monterey Jack's Café Y Cantina in Midwest City, OK. Coming up on their 3 year anniversary, Janelly and Humberto decided to tie the knot at one of their favorite restaurants. The couple wanted a wedding ceremony that was laidback and family friendly. Humberto and Janelly chose Monterey Jack's for their family atmosphere, location, and the variety of food options. It was such a joyous occasion that the couple were able to fill up half the restaurant with family & friends. 

For their wedding ceremony, the couple chose to do a sand ceremony that included their 3 month old son. Their wedding guests were happy to see that they included their son for their special day. It was such a sweet and heartwarming gesture. After, the nuptials were said and done the couple invited me to stay for dinner. I wholeheartedly accepted and  enjoyed a shrimp cocktail along with chips and salsa. 

Best wishes to Humberto and Janelly!


Review from father of the bride: "We had so much trouble trying to figure out how to marry my daughter and son-in-law. Thank you for making the process so easy for us and going out of your way to perform this evening wedding. We are thankful for you accommodating with our schedule, we couldn't have done this without your services.  We will be recommending you to our family and friends. You're going to be our go to person for our wedding needs. Thank you again!"

My beautiful mom passed away on March 2nd, 2023. It's been an overwhelming experience that happened so quickly. I am left with an abundance of love and memories of my mom. She left us with many life lessons that she taught me and my brothers. My mom was everything to me. I felt privileged to be her daughter and to be able to experience her existence for as long as I did.

This wedding season will be different for me. She always helped me in any way she could before performing a wedding ceremony, during, or after. When I would perform a wedding ceremony she would sit in the back and watch me with a big smile on her face. After every wedding that I would perform, she would give me the biggest hug and tell me how proud she was of me. 

My mom inspired me to be the woman that I am today. As a little girl, I watched her countless times be a public speaker. She paved the way for me to be a strong, confident, and independent woman with a vision and purpose. I will always hold her memory close and make her proud even though she is not physically here; she is still with me in spirit.

My number one supporter that always wanted the best for me was my mom, Francisca Cardenas de Alvarado. 

Kiss Me Forever Weddings, was inspired by my mom's unconditional love and nonjudgmental attitude towards others. I am the way I am because of her and I miss her so deeply. I will continue to perform wedding ceremonies in her honor and cherish her memory for as long as I shall live.

My mom and dad met at a dance at the plaza of the town that they were both from. They danced the night away and three months later they got married on December 18, 1982. My dad was a farmer and my mom was the town's beauty queen. My mom was a kindergarten teacher, medical assistant, and did pageantry. She was known as, "la reina del pueblo" - "the town's queen."
They had an age gap of nineteen years between the two. My parents were married for thirty-three years when my dad passed away back in March 20th, 2016.

Since my mom was in pageantry, she knew all the designers in Juarez, Mexico. She had her wedding dress custom made by a designer and everything was handsewn down to the last white pearl. She mentioned that her dress was super heavy with all the beaded work on the dress. My dad was so in love with his beauty queen on the day of their wedding ceremony. 

Two years later, after they were married they relocated from El Paso, TX to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 
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I was raised on the Southside of Oklahoma City, OK in the Capitol Hill District.

My parents were immigrants from Mexico and strived daily for the American Dream. After many years of hard work and dedication to their future, they ended up in their dream home in the suburbs of Moore, OK. 

My parents believed that love was a choice and the actions taken determined the outcome. Therefore, they aimed for a harmonious marriage and set the example to my siblings and myself on what a healthy marriage looked like.

​When a couple decides to work on communication, trust, intimacy, and emotional security, they are making a choice to choose love regardless of the odds. Despite the chaos of life and the conflicts of what life may bring, love is not a temporary feeling, but a long term choice that one is making. That's something that I hold near and dear to my heart that my parents taught me.

Not only did they bring their customs and traditions from Mexico but they strived for the success of their three children to go above and beyond. Both of my parents were proud of what their sons and daughter had accomplished and how they are impacting their community. Even though they are both gone now, I am happy that they were able to experience our success and be a part of it as well.

My mom and dad both read the first reading and second reading every Sunday since I could remember. They were that couple that everyone knew who they were by their first names. When I did my first communion because of who my parents were at the church, I was automatically picked to do the first reading at mass for the day of my communion. I was eight years old when I first read in front of a large crowd and that was the beginning of my public speaking career. After, that I became an altar girl and served in mass every Sunday. I would be serving and at the same time I would be in awe as a little girl on the impact that my parents had speaking in front of so many people. 

My parents, especially my mom, planted the seed in me to be a public speaker. My mom instilled in me that your voice has power. The power to be heard and seen, to make a connection, and to make a difference within our community.

I wanted to be just like my mom when I grew up. I would always tell her that too. "Mom, I want to be just like you when I grow up." She would smile and say, "you are going to be so much more successful than me, mi hija."

I went from being an altar girl to being a regular Sunday speaker at the Church at fourteen years old. As I evolved in the church, I became the youth group leader of church youth group at sixteen years old.
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One day, my mom came into my room after work and said, "you're going to Rome, Italy and you're not going to argue with me why you don't want to go." I was sixteen years old at the time and all I wanted to do was play soccer, ride my bike, read my books, and listen to my music. 
I had three jobs at the time. I worked at a fast food restaurant, I cleaned offices on weekends, and I worked at an auto insurance place. 

I went to my local library and began researching what was in Rome, Italy. Later, I found out that as the leader of the church youth group, that I was going to have to read the first reading at mass in front of a huge international crowd. I had traveled around already throughout the states going from conference to conference public speaking at youth conferences. However, this time I was representing the church as a bilingual speaker in Rome, Italy. Back then, I didn't realize how big that was speaking on an international level and especially being so young at sixteen years old.

The date for me to travel to Italy comes around. I say my goodbyes to my parents and my brothers and they are excited for this adventure that I'm about to embark. I arrive to Italy and I'm already trying to figure out how to go home. I have my little savings and I've already plotted a way to leave from the hotel to the airport to come back home. Mind you, this is day two and I'm already done with Italy. I've seen what I needed to see and I am good to go.

I call my mom and she just knows what I'm wanting to do. Before I say anything, she says you're not coming home. I saw your maps and your plan before you left. My mom says, "I need you to have your own experiences. You need to see the world. I need you to have fun and experience life, mi hija." With a knot in my throat and holding back tears, I say, "okay, mom."

I hung up the phone and made the best of my two week trip in Italy. I listened to my mom and learned to be present and enjoy experiences. If it wasn't for her, I probably would have left and not experienced Italy as a sixteen year old with the world as her oyster.

On Wednesday, March, 1st, 2023, my mom gave me a whole list of things to do after she passed. She wanted me and my siblings to continue our family holiday traditions, not to forget to celebrate our dogs birthdays, to never forget her, and to not be mad at her for passing away. Who says that? My mom on her deathbed. 

I was trying to keep my cool and she says, "don't forget you have to go perform that Thursday morning wedding ceremony." I told her I could call the couple, explain the situation, and possibly change the date. My mom says, "absolutely not, you have not missed a wedding in fourteen years and your are not about to start now." Again, this is my mom on her deathbed.

​My mom is literally on her deathbed and is demanding that I go perform this wedding ceremony regardless of what is happening. 

I left the hospital around 2 am to go perform that Thursday morning ceremony at 10:00 am. I cried all the way home. I was overwhelmed with losing my mom and having to perform this wedding ceremony like I wasn't experiencing the worst thing ever.

​I did have a question for my mom on her deathbed. I asked her why did she call me Botón (button)? I sort of  knew but wasn't for sure. She's been calling me Botón since I can remember. My mom, called me Botón because she was calling me her rosebud. Her favorite flower was the red rose. "El Botón de la rosa." The rosebud of a red rose was Botón (button) for her.

She said, "I've called you Botón this whole time because one day I knew you would have to blossom without me."

I told my mom that I would blossom and continue to make her proud. That she didn't have to worry about me and that she was the greatest mom. I was lucky to be her daughter and that I would miss her forever. 

​My mom was an incredible woman with so much wisdom and love for her children. It's unreal that I experienced this in her last moments. She was teaching me all these lessons so I could do hard things without her one day. That was my mom, she was one of a kind.

After the wedding, I drove as quickly as possible back to the hospital. I was sick to my stomach. I knew what was coming and I was not ready to let my mom go. As soon as I got to the hospital, I ran as fast as I could to her bedside. When I got to her bedside I told her everything. That this was the first wedding without her and I knew what she was teaching me. She finally let go. My brother David told me she was just waiting for me to get to her bedside so she could say goodbye. That was my mom, I will love her forever and ever until my last days. My mom's time of death was at 3:47 pm on Thursday, March 2nd, 2023. 

My siblings and I had the tough conversations with my mom on what she wanted in case she was to pass. She wanted me to perform her memorial ceremony and my brother David to say some words. That's exactly what happened. When I saw my name as "Reverend Yareni Alvarado" for her celebration of life ceremony that was when I realized that she had prepared me for this moment and that I was more than capable of fulfilling her last wishes. 

My brothers and I plan on living the best way we know how by the teachings of our parents. They were the greatest mom and dad that we could have asked for.

My dad the farmer, taught us to be self-sufficient and humble. To live by the golden rule and be at peace with yourself because you have to be with yourself for a long time.

My mom the beauty queen, taught us to be well-mannered and made sure we had real life-skills for our success. She was a fashionista, she made sure we were fashion forward, and well-groomed.
My mom the kindergarten teacher, spoke life into the three of her children. She made sure we were loved and taken care of. Mom taught us about life and how to maneuver within the ups and downs of our journey. She taught us how to read and write in both English and Spanish. Along, with public speaking being a top skill we needed to master.
My mom the medical assistant, made all her kids go into the medical field to learn about the human body and how to take care of it.

My mom left a long list for us to do without her and we plan on accomplishing all of those things in her honor.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone that has been checking-in on my brothers and myself. We were very close to our mom and we miss her so much. The grieving process is painful but it's a little easier with the love and support from our family and friends.

2022 was a year full of love and light as a wedding officiant performing wedding ceremonies in Oklahoma.

This is the second year in a row that I hold the number two spot for the top wedding officiants in Oklahoma City, OK via Wedding Rule.

This year, I consistently performed large wedding ceremonies that accommodated guests in the 200 - 300 range of guests. All of these weddings were bilingual weddings that I had the honor to perform.

I also traveled more than any other year before to new up and coming wedding venues and familiar venues within the wedding industry. The wedding industry in Oklahoma is one of a kind and I've enjoyed being a part of it for the past 13 years.

The list of cities I visited:
Ardmore, OK,  Blanchard, OK,  Chickasha, OK, Edmond, OK, Yukon, OK,  Mustang, OK, El Reno, OK,  Muskogee, OK,  Norman, OK, Newcastle, OK, Tuttle, OK, Purcell, OK, Shawnee, OK, Tulsa, OK, and all over the Oklahoma City metroplex and downtown OKC is where I frequently marry couples.

I am proud to be a bilingual wedding officiant that serves my community in both English and Spanish in the OKC metro.

I’d like to thank family and friends for referring me to their newly engaged friends and for trusting me to be their wedding officiant for their special day.

Thank you to all my vendor friends within the Oklahoma City wedding industry that continue to refer me as well.

To my brother David, thank you for always being so supportive throughout every facet of life.

To my mom, I could not have made it this far without your love and support throughout my evolution and growth as a bilingual wedding officiant in Oklahoma. I owe all of my success to you, as you instilled in me self-discipline, self-love, self-care, and resilience in all chapters of life. That I should always do things from the heart and to always do my best.

You helped pave the way for me to believe in myself and use my abilities to help and serve others selflessly, while still going after my own goals and dreams. Thank you for believing in me. I love you mom, you are my shero.

Last but not least, I am repeatedly grateful to be booked a year ahead. I am looking forward to performing wedding ceremonies throughout Oklahoma in the year 2023.

With gratitude,
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Rev. Yareni Alvarado

​Sebastian and Erika of Austin, TX had their elopement in Oklahoma City, OK.

The young couple are high school sweethearts and wanted to get married on their anniversary.

Family and friends traveled with them from Austin, TX to Oklahoma City, OK to join them on their special day.

The young couple shared heartfelt vows and are excited to begin their new chapter.

Best wishes to the happy couple!

Review from mother of the groom:
“We looked everywhere for a wedding officiant and could not find what we were looking for until
when we found you on the internet. It was a no brainer that we wanted you to marry our son and daughter-in-law. May God bless you for all that you are doing within your community. You are highly gifted and talented with your work.”

Jorge Luis and Zaida of Yukon, OK had an intimate wedding ceremony at their home.

There is something so special about saying your "I Dos" in the comfort of your home, where special memories are yet to be made.

Wanting to make their day extra special, the couple had family members travel from Virginia to join as they became one.

Jorge Luis and Zaida's wedding ceremony was focused on love and the joining of two hearts.

Best wishes to the happy couple!

Review from the bride: "Thank you so much for our lovely wedding ceremony. Your love for what you do shines brightly."

Rafael and Livier of Moore, OK had a backyard wedding ceremony.

On a Sunday afternoon in Moore, OK, a beautiful backyard wedding was performed! Rafael and Livier exchanged wedding vows under a white canopy surrounded by fresh flowers. The couple requested a Spanish wedding ceremony that included vows spoken from the heart.

Family and friends streamed their wedding ceremony live on various social media outlets. Those in attendance cheered loudly once the couple sealed the deal with a kiss. Shortly, after the wedding ceremony ended, Rafael and Livier made a toast thanking everyone for joining them on their Sunday nuptials.

Best wishes to Rafael and Livier!
 
Review from the bride:

“Thank you for marrying us. It was a really nice wedding ceremony and we’re glad you made it all work out. Thanks again.”

Jose Luis and Mariela of Muskogee, OK married at Will Rogers Gardens in Oklahoma City, OK.

The couple are originally from Los Angeles, CA and recently relocated to Muskogee, OK. 

To begin their new life journey together; Jose and Mariela chose a meaningful day to get married in the great state of Oklahoma. Their family and friends traveled from out of state as well to be present for their nuptials. 

It was a beautiful day in Oklahoma City, OK to marry a young couple in love.

Best wishes to Jose Luis and Mariela!

Review from the bride: "You better believe that I am 100% going to be recommending you to all of my family and friends. Thank you for going above and beyond for us. None of this could have been possible without you. Thank you so much!"

Alex and Samantha of Oklahoma City, OK married at The Springs Event Venue in Blanchard, OK.

Alex and Samantha’s wedding ceremony was an event of a lifetime! The bride made a grand entrance as her mother and father walked her down the aisle. As her parents gave her away to their future son-in-law there was not a dry eye insight.

Family and friends made a guests list of over 300+ guests. It was pure harmony as their guests showed love and support all throughout their wedding ceremony. Alex and Samantha’s wedding ceremony was full of love and joy. It was a joyous occasion that included lots of laughter therefore giving a glimpse into their future of a long, loving, and lasting marriage.

Alex and Samantha’s wedding ceremony has been one of the most beautiful and heartwarming wedding ceremonies that I have been a part of. 

Once again, I am reminded of how fortunate I am to be a bilingual wedding officiant that performs wedding ceremonies in Oklahoma. It is always an honor to create and perform one of kind wedding ceremonies for couples exactly as they imagined.

Best wishes to Alex and Samantha!

Review from Father and Mother of the Bride:
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“This is exactly what we wanted for our daughter. Thank you for performing our daughter’s and son in law’s wedding ceremony. We are so grateful for you and your services.” 
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