A Lifetime of Love

By
February 2022 View more

By Lisa Arnett

In 2009, Angelita Gomez and Jose De La Rosa met as teens working at a Woodridge movie theater. “We were polar opposites,” says De La Rosa, now 29 and a retail store manager for T-Mobile in Joliet. “I’m really reserved,” says Gomez, 30, who works for Duly as a certified medical assistant. “He was always friendly and outgoing and that’s what attracted me to him.” They started dating a few months later and have been together ever since. 

In 2012, they welcomed their daughter, Alexa, into their lives. Six months later for Valentine’s Day, De La Rosa enlisted baby Alexa to be a part of his surprise proposal. “Jose likes to bust my chops,” Gomez says. “So she had a little box from Zales in her lap and I got excited, thinking it was a ring. I opened it and it was earrings … so I guess I felt a little disappointed! But when I turned around, he was on his knee.”

As their engagement went on, they put off wedding plans to buy their first home in Plainfield. “We just kept letting time go by,” Gomez says. In 2020, they decided to kick wedding planning into gear and fell in love with the rustic style of the Farmhouse in Plainfield. They were married there by a friend of the groom in August 2021. Alexa, now 9 years old, played a special part in the celebration; she wore an ivory lace dress that complemented Gomez’s bridal gown and did a father-daughter “first look” reveal with De La Rosa before the ceremony. Instead of lighting a unity candle, the couple performed a wine ceremony, blending two wines together in a wooden cask to age until their first anniversary. “We said we were mixing both sides of the family into one,” Gomez says.

For the reception, the bride and groom challenged their bridal party to come up with the most creative entrance during introductions—and they delivered with everything from costumes to confetti cannons. Gomez and De La Rosa made their own rocking entrance to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” complete with a wig and guitars. As a nod to the couple’s Mexican heritage, a mariachi band played during dinner.

Guests also commemorated the occasion with a cigar bar.  “It’s a tradition: Every time a family member has a kid—when my daughter was born—there were cigars,” De La Rosa says. “It’s something that was passed down, one of those things we do to celebrate together.” 

Vendors

Venue
The Farmhouse, Plainfield

Bride’s attire
Madison James gown from Bri’Zan Couture, Naperville

Bride’s accessories
Betsey Johnson x DB heels from David’s Bridal, Naperville; jewelry from amazon.com

Bridesmaids’ attire
Dresses from birdygrey.com

Hair and makeup
Makeup by Keyla, Chicago

Groom’s and groomsmen’s attire
Target and Old Navy, Joliet

Invitations
Truly Engaging by magnetstreet.com

Flowers
Blush Blooms & Co., Shorewood

Catering
Mission BBQ, Naperville

Cake
Walmart, Plainfield

Rings
Hers from Kay Jewelers,
Joliet; his from Yorks Jewelry Design, etsy.com

Entertainment
DJ Frausto, Chicago

Photography
Eight Hands Photography