Inside Furman is published monthly during the school year by the Furman University Department of Marketing and Public Relations. For story ideas, e-mail John Roberts, editor.
A fairy tale wedding
It's certainly not uncommon for Furman faculty to be featured in academic journals, news magazines and newspapers.
This July, however, Angelica Lozano-Alonso, a professor in Modern Languages and Literatures, was the recipient of a different kind publicity. She and her new husband, Anthony Tiberia, graced the cover of the society section of the La Voz de Michoacan (The Voice of Michoacan), a large newspaper in Mexico.
Under the headline “They begin their conjugal life together,” the article gave a glowing review of the couple's fairy tale wedding, held July 17 in Morelia, a small city located about 100 miles west of Mexico City.
Furman faculty members Richard Letteri, Kristy Maher, Beth Pontari and Erik Ching were among the 250 guests attending the ceremony and reception.
“It was huge,” says Maher. “There were four days of events leading up the wedding.”
On Friday evening the Furman foursome attended the rehearsal dinner and wedding fashion show that featured a procession of wedding gowns [from native to a variety of Mexican cultures. Lozano-Alonso's cousins helped plan the elaborate production and served as models.
The wedding ceremony was performed at the Cathedral of Morelia, a beautiful 16th-century building and popular tourist attraction. The cathedral is constructed of pink stone surrounded by flowing aqueducts.
As the groom is Italian (the couple met while Lozano-Alonso was attending graduate school at Cornell), the Catholic mass was held in three different languages: Italian, Spanish and English.
While the wedding was all-inclusive, the 90-minute ceremony — and midday heat — did take a toll on the bride and groom.
“It was a little uncomfortable,” says Lozano-Alonso. “Our hands were really clammy.”
An elaborate reception followed. Three bands (string quartet, salsa and Mariachi) performed early into the next morning. Afterward the couple honeymooned in three different locations in Mexico.
Although the weekend was filled with special moments, Lozano-Alonso says she will always remember with special fondness her 10-minute walk from the convention center, where she prepared for the nuptials, to the cathedral.
With her bridal party in escort, traffic in the small town was halted as the bride made her way to the church. Pedestrians gave way and onlookers applauded.
After their whirlwind weeding and honeymoon, Lozano-Alonso and her husband have settled blissfully into a normal routine in Greenville, where Tiberia works as an engineer.
“We spent a year planning the wedding,” says Lozano-Alonso. “Thankfully we won't have to plan another one.”