Hmmm... I'm so relaxed. And refreshed. 11 days in sunny Mexico did the trick. We spent 7 of them in a very luxurious all inclusive resort. Now, Tom & I are not really into resorts, usually, but, I must admit that this time, it was exactly what we needed. This place rocked! The grounds were just beautiful; pools with swim up bars, miles of beach, flowers & palm trees everywhere. Our room had a very romantic mahogany canopy bed with a 4 person jacuzzi just steps away. Our balcony faced the lush gardens. There were lots of daily activities like cenote tours, sports, cooking & dance classes & my fav - the craft tent. We did make use of the spa by getting moonlight massages for two. OK, I did get a second massage while Tom was out scuba diving just to insure that all the wedding stress was gone for good. Now I must share with you the very best part of the El Dorado Royale resort - THE FOOD!!
You know that Tom & I are real foodies. We do tend to choose our vacation spots based on the culinary delights of the region. We were not disappointed in the Yucatan. We had 8 restaurants to choose from at the resort, plus room service & we tested them all out. Every night was something different & delicious. Asian with the freshest sushi & Peking duck; The Seafood Grille with yummy tartars, grilled tuna & Dorado; Fondue with Swiss, Monterey jack cheese, white wine & herbs accompanied by loads of seafood, veggies & garlic bread for dipping; Authentic Mexican with tradition lime soup, enhiladas & tacos. The breakfast buffet was almost overwhelming with all of it's choices. Even the Pizza Grille by the pool was high quality. Our favorite was their Italian restaurant. We were truly impressed with their homemade pastas, white truffle risotto, even their arugula salad was outstanding. And also up there was our 5 course lobster dinner on the beach. Each table was set into a private cabana & all aglow. It was very soothing to dine with the sound of the ocean off in the distance.
We did have dessert every single night!! Chocolate fondue, pistachio pie, frangelico mousse cake, creamy tarts, flan, you name - we tried it. And we each have the extra pounds to prove it (I've got 8 of them!). Oh, there was a health bar also that made fresh fruit smoothies & protein shakes. We did have them for breakfast a couple of mornings but, it didn't help curb the weight gain.
The remainder of our trip was spent in Playa DelCarmen, an up & coming area. It's on a beautiful beach & there's loads of shopping, bars, lounges, hotels, & restaurant all within walking distance. Again, we were absolutely delighted with all of the culinary choices offered. We honestly did not have even one mediocre meal. All were outstanding!! We ended all of our nights in Playa at the Tequila Barrel smoking Cubans & sipping high quality tequila. Well, Tom sipped the tequila. I'm not a fan unless it's in a mango or strawberry margarita. WHOOOO! By the way, although it seems as if all we did was eat on this trip (it was a big part), we did tour some Mayan ruins & visit an ecological park to swim with dolphins, and see some wonderful Mexican dance/music shows. We had a great time & guess what? We came back to gorgeous spring weather here in NYC!! What could be better than that? Asian Night
We leave in a few hours for our honeymoon. I can not even tell you how excited we are about it. We had so much fun at the reception. I was a dancing queen for most of the evening & even changed into a pretty teal dress so I could really boogie. Friends & family did not take many pics at the party, hopefully because they we having too great a time to remember.
The food was exceptionally good, or so I heard. I really didn't eat much at all. We had a cocktail & hors d'oeuvre hour. For dinner we had different stations like salad, turkey & trimmings, steamship round of beef & garlic mashed potatoes. The pasta station was definitely a big hit. In lu of a cake we had a dessert bar with everything from mousse, mud cake, mini pastries & an edible fruit basket that resembled a floral bouquet. You all know how I love my sweets, but all I had was one chocolate covered strawberry & a couple of bits of some amazing oreo cookie cake.
Here are some other highlights; -Kyle's (Tom's 16 yr old son) best man toast - it was so touching & eloquently written. Sometimes he's wise beyond his years. -Sharon's (Tom's mother) announcement about not clinging on glasses to get bride & groom to kiss. Instead we asked that guests grab the microphone from DJ & sing a chorus of a song with the word love in it. We were serenaded with everything from All You Need Is Love & That's Amore to the Theme From Love Boat -Giving bouquet to my grandmother. No tossing it to the single gals - a tradition I always found humiliating. Instead the DJ asked all married couples to dance & the one married the longest (my grandparents at 63 years) received not only the bouquet & the love & admiration of all, but even some fancy chocolate bars. -My dance with grandfather & 2 uncles. The men in my life who took over the role of father when mine cut out. We danced to Eva Cassidy's version of True Colors. It brought some family members & friends to tears. -Tom break dancing. Yup. My man can dance. James Brown splits, the worm, spinning on his back.... He really gets the crowd going. He actually told me that he was not going to bust a move like that at our wedding, but when Thriller came on he just couldn't help himself. Much to everyone's delight. -Feather Centerpieces. You all heard about them months ago. Well, they turned out just beautiful. And it was great to see friends dancing with the plumes between their teeth.
And everything that people told me about their wedding days were true.......It's over too fast, you will not remember every moment, you'll leave starving because you didn't eat, you'll forget about all the hassles, not really care anymore & just have an amazing time. OUR 1st DANCE
First, the boobs shrunk by Saturday & the dress fit!!! WHOO HOO!! I had to use Hollywood tape to keep it up. I did the usual - got my hair done professionally, Dillon (cousin's girlfriend) made me up beautifully. I was stressing a bit before I left for the ceremony because my sister & brother (who gave my away) were very late for the pictures. I was not nervous at all until I was standing at the top of the staircase in the mansion waiting to be married. It suddenly hit me! I was crying & freaking. My bro just told me that everything was going to be alright & than I heard the pianist playing my song.
I didn't even notice that my mom (maid of honor) & Kyle (best man) had not even walked down the aisle, yet. So I had to stand in the doorway for a bit, but Tom couldn't see me. Everything was fine as soon as I turned the corner & saw my husband to be. He was absolutely beaming with tears in his eyes. My fears melted away. I can not tell you what our Reverend Eric Wolffe said in his greeting. I was on cloud nine & couldn't focus. I came to when our readers took centerstage. Karen (Tom's sister) read Shakespeare's Sonnet #105 & Gina (also Tom's sis) read an excerpt from The Little Prince. They performed their pieces with so much heart & soul. We were so honored they put forth that kind of effort for us. Friend Paul Raff read a personal message that made our audience laugh & made them teary eyed as well.
Then we read our vows to each other. We each wrote about 4 lines & then recited vows that we had pieced together. Tom & I thought it was a funny coincidence that our personal vows, which we didn't share until that very moment, contained similar themes - passion, creativity & humor.
A special little moment in our ceremony came next. We asked Tom's stepfather Bill, to pass around our wedding bands (they were tied together) so that each guest could bless them by saying a wish, pray, thought, etc. God Only Knows by The Beach Boys was played during this. Then we placed the rings on each other's finger, but still were not pronounced man & wife. A Cliffhanger!! First, we lit the unity candle, which is a Catholic tradition. In a church ceremony once the unity candle is lit by the couple & the candles representing the bride & groom separately, are blown out. We added our own twist to that. We left all three candles lit because to us a marriage is a joining of 2 individuals and we never want to lose sight of our individual selves. Then finally we were pronounced husband & wife & got to kiss each other! Well worth the wait!!
I'm now a married woman. Yup, my big day did happen. I have so much to share with you all, but, I'm waiting for friends to forward me some pictures. I had my camera with me, but only took a couple of pics on my wedding day. So, for now I'll tell you about the night before the main event.
We threw a bowling/pizza party for family & friends. Tom was originally opposed to the idea. He thought it was a bit trailer park, but I persisted. A casual night of rock n' roll, bowling, beer, pizza & the best calzones in the state...... what could be better than that? It was a little chaotic at first, trying to break everyone up into teams & all of the introductions. By the end of the night both families were chatting & friends from RI & New York were like old pals. My husband to be admitted that he was wrong & I was right & that it was a great idea afterall. AHHHH......he was preparing for married life that very night.
Can you believe it? The big day is just a week away. I'll soon be a Mrs.... FREAKY!! Things are beginning to come together.
I picked up my wedding dress. There's a bit of drama with that, but, I will not stress about it. You see, without giving too much away, my dress is very fitted. This has been a major thorn in my seamstresses side because she's had to it adjust 6 times. I mean, if I lose 1/2 pound it's falling down. And I've not been trying to lose weight, but I guess all the running around & anxiety just made that happen. Ligia screamed at me & warned that since she doesn't live in RI, I'd better stay one weight/size because she will not be there to fix anything at the last minute. So, I've been very focused on that. At my fitting 1 & 1/2 weeks ago everything fit & she was finally able to work on the length & the train.
Today I picked it up & tried it on & guess what? It's too tight! It fits everywhere but in my boobs. And it's bursting at the seams there. Dangerous Liaisons, tight corset, bursting. Yes, it's that time of the month so the boobies have expanded. Much to Tom's delight & my horror. I never even noticed how voluptuous I get during my monthly visit, but today I did. I had a bit of a meltdown, but, my wedding day is still a week away. I'm staying away from any salt, sugar, carbs, anything else that adds to breast mass. If that doesn't work than I'll start taking those pills for bloating. And a few prays couldn't hurt. I want to look pretty & elegant walking down the aisle, not like a DEADWOOD Madame!
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Syndicate
Asian Night
Candlelight Beach Cabana
Carribean Lobster
Mayan Ruins - Tulum
Cenote
Night Cap
Mexican Critters
La Viva Loca
OUR 1st DANCE
CHILLIN'
THE WEDDING PARTY
MY WALK DOWN THE AISLE
EYE TO EYE
THE RINGS
THE KISS!!!
HUSBAND & WIFE!!
TOM & PAUL
A SPARE FOR DANIEL
KYLE & KAREN
TEAMMATES DOMENIC & STEVE
NON-BOWLERS MARYLOU & ME
GINA, AUNT LOIS & JACKSON
