Entries Tagged as 'sara'

Brian and Sara’s Wedding Reception

March 18th, 2012 · No Comments


Mariachi played during the cocktail hour.


Cocktail hour aperitivo: Chips, salsa, and guacamole.


Adam and Andy


Brett and Kelly with coconut drinks.


Brett and her coconut!


Even Dallas had one.


I noticed that the wedding photographer was taking shots of the wedding party on the pier at sunset. Beautiful!


Trevor and all his friends! Just kidding! He stepped away to smoke and take in the sunset.


Soon, everyone joined to watch the sun set.


The dinner setting was gorgeous during the sunset.


Table #5, Couple #1: Kate and Trevor


Table #5, Couple #2: Mitch and Emily


Table #5, Couple #3: Dallas and Rachelle


Table #5, Couple #4: Damian and Vanessa


The photo slideshow that friends put together. The photo showing is of ziplining in Hawaii on our wedding trip!


Surprise! Guy on stilts with a live marionette puppet!


We followed them down to the beach.


Fire dance!


Brian and Sara’s first dance as a married couple.


Everyone rushing the dancefloor!


Brian busting out some Michael Jackson moves. He also did his signature move, the worm.


“…. now I had…. the time of my life… ” (Josh and Kelly)


“…. I put my hands up, they’re playing my song….. “


It’s a Party in the USA Mexico


Mike and Todd


Josh and Dallas (and their horrible dance moves).


Mike, Todd, Josh, Dallas


Kelly and Vanessa

After Brian and Sara’s wedding ceremony, we all went back up to the palapa where a mariachi band was playing. On the boat I said something like I’d hoped there would be mariachi, so I was extra excited about this! The band played for the cocktail hour, where we chowed on salsa, guacamole, chips, and many, many fruity drinks. On this trip the Miami Vice had been the most favorited fruity drink, but during the cocktail hour the favorite was definitely the drink in the freshly chopped coconut!

For dinner we headed up to the upper palapa. Dallas and I were at Table #5 with Damian, Vanessa, Trevor, Kate, Mitch and Emily. We had been hanging around with all these guys for the whole vacation, so it was a fun table to sit at. Adam gave a really nice (and funny) speech during dinner and Brian’s brother Mike poignantly stood up to say that he wished their mother could be there with them that day.

Next, some friends put together a surprise slide show with photos of Brian and Sara throughout the years. At first everyone paused dinner just to watch the show and take a trip down memory lane with Brian and Sara, but it soon became apparant that this thing would go on forever, so dinner resumed. (I helped edit a lot of the photos, so I know there were over 500, which would auto-play for something like 40 minutes.)

At the end of dinner everyone was surprised when an elaborately dressed guy on stilts came in and was controlling a life-sized, real-live-person marionette puppet. This grand entrance was punctuated by the two guys following, who were playing a slide trombone and a drum! They moved all around the dinner space and then all the guests followed them to the beach where they performed a fire dancing show. Extra impressive, since it was a very windy day!

Next up, Sara and Brian had their first dance. After that everyone basically rushed the dance floor and it was nonstop til the end of the night! People danced their butts off! Especially to Brian’s favorite Miley Cyrus song! :) What a fun wedding! Thanks to Brian and Sara for inviting us to be a part of it!

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Brian and Sara’s Wedding Ceremony

March 17th, 2012 · No Comments


Waiting for the boat at the Mocambo Restaurant.


Our ride, the Caribbean Princess.


View of isla from the ferry.


Larry, Josh, Brett, Todd and Marty boarding the boat.


Us.


“I’m on a boat!”


Andy couldn’t resist the pole!


Arriving at Zama.


The seating cards were inserted into limes. Neat idea!


The menu – Tixin-Xic Fish, Carne Asada, Potatoes au Gratin, Steamed Vegetables.


Emily & Mitch


Christine, me, Vanessa


Damian & Vanessa


Josh, Lynda, and Trevor getting drinks.


Kilmer & Jess were in our row for the ceremony.


Vanessa & Lynda were in front of us.


Us


Larry


Brian and Officiant Josh.


Todd, Danielle, Nate


Adam & Chloe


Mike & Carrie


Sara & her parents


Sara & her parents


Sara & her parents


Sara & her mom


Josh did a great time conducting the ceremony.


Danielle, Chloe, Carrie


The Rings


The Kiss


Married!

Sara and Brian were married at the Zama Beach Club, which is a gorgeous venue located on the shores of the secluded Sac Bajo area of Isla Mujeres. To get to Zama, all of the wedding guests took a short walk from our hotel, Ixchel Beach Hotel, to the Magana Dock, which is next to the Mocambo Restaurant. While many of the ladies preferred to be in the enclosed lower level of the boat so they didn’t mess their hair up, I thought the open upper deck was the place to be. The ride was really fun and very beautiful. Even if I did have to watch Andy pole dance (not so beautiful).

Upon arrival at Zama, we all walked down a long pier to get to the beach club. There was a big open palapa with a bar and a marble dance floor, a smaller palapa where we’d be having dinner, and seating set up on the beach for the ceremony. There was a bit of time (15 or 20 minutes) before the ceremony was to start, so of course, everyone got drinks… which we still had while being seated and watching the ceremony. If you know any of these people, this is not odd!

The guys were all dressed in casual suits with tropical flowers on their lapels and the girls all had gorgeous, long, plum-colored dresses. Sara looked beautiful, of course, in her long, strapless gown, carrying flowers whose colors coordinated with the girl’s dresses. Josh was the wedding officiant and conducted a very heartfelt ceremony that included both Mayan traditions and personal touches that you’d only know if you were friends with Brian and Sara. Very nice.

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Brian and Sara’s Welcome Party at the Beach

March 12th, 2012 · No Comments


Palapa at ixhel Beach Hotel


Josh & Lynda


Christine & Adam


Spontaneous dance?


Dallas doing his Angelina Jolie leg.


Brett & Trevor


The Girls


The Guys


Lifting Brian?


Brian’s Sermon?


Brothers: Adam, Todd, Mike


Larry & Dallas


Larry & Brett


Rachelle & Brett


Dallas, Mike & Brian


Rachelle & Mike


Chow time!


Brian thanked everyone for coming to Mexico for the wedding.


Adam said a few words.


Drunken sing-a-long to Chicago’s song “You’re the Inspiration”.

On Friday night, Brian and Sara had a welcome party on the beach under the palapa at the Ixchel Beach Hotel, where they and all their wedding guests were staying. Even though we’d been on Isla Mujeres for a few days and had seen a lot of friends and met some new ones, it was nice to get everyone all in one place for an informal party. Also, a lot of people were still flying in on Thursday and Friday so we finally got to see everyone that was there for the wedding.

We took many photos in front of the spectacular sunset and enjoyed some excellent authentic Mexican food. I don’t know where Sara and Brian found these ladies, but the food was like very homemade and delicious. We had tacos, tamales (cooked local-style in banana leaves), beans, and rice. Oh, and there was a huge container of margaritas and a lady passing out the best mini churros ever. I wish I could have seconds or thirds of those, but I guess everyone beat me to it!

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La Casa Del Tikin Xic, Isla Mujeres

March 9th, 2012 · No Comments


La Casa Del Tikin Xic


La Casa Del Tikin Xic


Dallas, Larry, Josh, Sara, Brian, Lynda


Vanessa and Damian visiting with Carrie and her husband?/boyfriend?


Getting an autograph from the great Eva Mendes

Our third stop, La Casa Del Tikin Xic, was a bit hard to find. In fact, I’m not even sure it was our intended destination, because some of our group never made it there. Or maybe they just couldn’t find it. Who knows. Things were getting a little jumbled by this point in the island golf tour! Also, the last photo is Josh getting an autograph from the great Eva Mendes to make the people who never made it here jealous! Kelly took one look later on and said “What? That’s Lynda!” … think whatever you want, Kelly!

I couldn’t find much online about La Casa Del Tikin Xic, but did see that it used to be called Playa Lancheros (Boatmans Beach?). Googling Playa Lanchero will bring up many more results and that’s where I found out that tikin xic (pronounced “teekeen sheek”) is a famous dish on Isla Mujeres. It is a dish made of white fish, usually grouper or drum or a local variety, that is prepared whole and marinated with adobo de achiote and sour oranges. It is then wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked. This would have been good to know beforehand. Instead I ordered chicken quesadillas and they had bones in them! Ew. But I did share a big mound of guacamole with Vanessa and Damian and it was SO GOOD.

La Casa Del Tikin Xic is right on the beach. There’s a big pavilion with a ton of seating , which is connected to a bar and what looked to be a dance floor? In the bar there was a jukebox that Josh commandeered and started annoyingly (to the people already there) and amusingly (to the workers) playing American dance songs, including Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA.” I think we weren’t drunk enough to dance to that yet, even though it is Brian’s absolute favorite.

Outside there was a lot of chairs and tables set up and even some chaise lounge chairs. Some people were swimming. One area even had a long and skinny palapa with seating underneath. I loved sitting outside. So nice and relaxing.

Out on the pier there was a guy in a fenced in area who, for a few pesos, would let you get in the water with him and hold his pet shark. Before you freak out, it’s not like this was a Great White. It was a Nurse Shark, which is a bottom feeder that is generally not a threat to humans. Vanessa and I walked down the pier to take a look but it was so unimpressive that I completely forgot to even take a photo!

Aside from the chicken bones and the unimpressive shark, I really liked this place. You could probably spend a whole day here, eating and swimming and relaxing and having drinks. Oh, and who doesn’t love a sink like this?

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Garrafon de Castilla Hotel y Club de Playa, Isla Mujeres

March 8th, 2012 · No Comments


Brett and Trevor going into Garrafon de Castilla. Like Dallas’s beach bag?


Admission was $50 pesos (about $3.90 USD)


Brett braided my hair. What a relief to have it up for the beach and golf cart ride.


Larry


Looking down at the beach.


Lynda, Jess, Dallas, Josh, Mike, Todd


Feeding the fish


Feeding the fish


Just part of our crew!

Our first stop on our tour of Isla Mujeres on golf carts. Garrafon de Castilla is a beach club on the south end of Isla Mujeres. For $50 pesos (roughly $3.90 USD), you get access to their private, white sand beach, snorkeling, a bar and restaurant, beach chairs, dressing rooms, showers, restrooms, and staff that waits on you. This was our first stop on our golf cart tour of Isla Mujeres.

One thing I didn’t really think about before arriving on Isla is the water. It is so clear and beautiful. A bright turquoise color. I made a comment right away saying it reminded me of the Caribbean (from when I visited St. Thomas many years ago), and of course…. duh. It is the Caribbean! Isla Mujeres is the Eastern-most part of Mexico and is essentially in the Caribbean. Another thing really liked liked about hte beaches around Isla was that there were no rocks. It was smooth, fine sand all the way out. And the sand really is so soft, not course like the Hawaiian sand we’re used to. Many of the beaches were shallow for a long way. You could walk and walk and still be only waist deep.

Anyway………. for a few pesos, you can rent snorkel gear to go snorkeling at Garrafon de Castilla, but here’s the thing: When you step into the water you are immediately surrounded by fish! And the water is so clear, you can see them all. Some of the girls were freaked out by all of the fish, but that doesn’t really get to me. Kelly decided not to snorkel because of it, so I took advantage and used her gear to go out a little bit farther. Tons of fish to look at. If you wanted, you could get a little container of food to feed the fish. I didn’t do it, but one woman did and the fish were surrounding her! I wonder if this is why the fish are so “friendly” in this area – they’re used to getting hand outs! Kind of like the pigeons in NYC or something.

The bar and restaurant were under a palapa. You walked down some stairs to get to the beach level. The beach was abundant with some groovy wavy chairs and you could rent towels for $25 pesos (about $1.90 USD). Visitors go up the palapa to order or there is wait staff who will come down to the beach to take and deliver orders. I had an order of fish tacos that was pretty good. And again, glass bottles on the sand and in the water? No problemo! I don’t know how the ocean is not filled with glass. I guess drunk people are more responsible than I would believe. Also, early one morning I saw people hand-raking the beach at our hotel with what looked like garden rakes. Maybe this gets most of the debris out before people arrive.

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