Entries Tagged as 'vanessa'

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!

[Read more →]

Tags:·························

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.

[Read more →]

Tags:····································

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!

[Read more →]

Tags:······························

Sunset Views From the Penthouse Hot Tub

March 10th, 2012 · 1 Comment


Dallas


Views of Ixchel Beach Hotel


Views of Ixchel Beach Hotel


Vanessa, Damian, Dallas


View south. The couple on the upper right were doing some kind of photoshoot! Ew! Old leathery people.


Andy & Dallas


Beautiful sunset.


More views.

A few of our friends all went in together and stayed in one of the penthouses at Ixchel Beach Hotel. This room was much like our suite, but with a spiral staircase leading to a private roof garden with a jacuzzi overlooking the beach and the hotel grounds. There was also a hammock, marble bathroom, shower, chaise lounge chairs and cushy seating up there. Pretty nice! And nice to relax and take in the sunset and views after a long day.

[Read more →]

Tags:·········

Soggy Peso, Isla Mujeres

March 10th, 2012 · No Comments


Out front at the Soggy Peso


Out front at the Soggy Peso


Out back at the Soggy Peso


All of our friends at the Soggy Peso


Vanessa was quick to snag us some seats at the bar. The people on the right were from Green Bay.


Packers koozie and Superbowl belt.


Packers pennants, cheesehead and Wisconsin license plate.


Josh and Damian


Kelly feeding Damian ceviche.


Damian spitting out ceviche.


Kelly feeding Dallas ceviche.


Josh’s ceviche order.


Conch shell as a napkin holder.


They accept USD at a lower rate.

Our last stop on the golf cart tour of Isla Mujeres was the Soggy Peso. As I came to realize later on in the trip, the Soggy Peso, like many of the bars that are not downtown or on the main strip – Avenida Hidalgo, is a little B&B-style hotel. As with the others, it has like zero curb appeal. In fact, if I was staying here and the taxi pulled up, I’d be like “Nuh-uh, take me somewhere else!” But when you walk into the back it is so cute and quaint. This hotel aspect would also explain why the Soggy Peso bar appeared to have a swimming pool!

Soggy Peso has a little bit of outside seating and then a four-sided bar underneath a palapa. On the underside of the roof people from all over the world had hung things from home – school banners, caps, sporting team apparel, etc. I saw several examples of Packer’s gear, including pennants, a koozie, the Superbowl championship belt and a cheesehead. There was even a Wisconsin license plate. Oh, and there were a few people there visiting from Green Bay.

For some reason Kelly started feeding ceviche on tortilla chips to people. She would load up the chip way across the bar and then walk it over to each person. Funny thing is that Damian, who hates seafood, didn’t know what it was, so when Kelly shoved it in his mouth, he immediately took it out. And then someone else ate it! Josh ended up ordering his own ceviche. They have a medium and a large size. He got the medium and it was huge! I didn’t eat any because I ate at the last couple places, but everyone said it was delicious.

Couple other notes – While the last bar was using conch shells for faucets, the Soggy Peso was using them for napkin holders. I saw quite a few bars doing this throughout our trip. Makes me want to try it at home! Also, there were a lot of vendors in town selling conch shells, and seashells in general.

One other note – The conversion rate. Soggy Peso, and a few other places, would accept U.S. dollars, but at a conversion rate of 10:1. So, this makes things convenient if you’re running out of pesos, but is about 2% less than the going rate. Actually, Adam said he was paying with dollar for the whole trip, using a 10:1 rate. He was getting screwed a bit, but I guess it made things easier for him.

[Read more →]

Tags:··············