The Life of Nizzy: Destination Wedding: Days 6-7

Friday, June 5, 2009

Destination Wedding: Days 6-7

Tuesday, May 26 - Day 6

This was another day of arrivals. Cliff's parents and kids arrived around noon, Stacy, Jeanne, and Dan arrived in the late afternoon, and my brother arrived in the evening. I squeezed in some pool time with everyone before my afternoon at the spa. Cliff and I had a free (meaning it was included in the wedding package) body exfoliation at the spa at 3:30, and I had a practice hairstyle session at 4:00. The body exfoliation was a little weird. We wore our undies (so tops and bottoms for me) and then put these scrubs over them. The body exfoliation part was okay, but then we had to shower. Showering is next to impossible when you're trying not to get your underwear wet! So I was left with a bunch of soap stuff on my back. The hairstyle went well. I had no clue what to choose when she gave me a whole bunch of books to look through. I had imagined my hair down, but then I realized with the wind and humidity, an up-do would probably be more practical. There were two girls getting their nails done, so I had them give me some reassurance once I made my selection. In the evening, everyone met at the patio bar for a two-hour (maybe this was a little too long?) happy hour. Then we went to the Japanese restaurant for dinner. The food was good, and the sake was even better :)

My Mom and Me (with my sweet pink "Mrs Willingham" wifebeater)

My Dad and Me

Another Day at the Pool

Me, Jeanne, and Stacy

Forcing Kate to do the Horned Frogs Sign:

A Little Fun behind the Bar

The Family Before Dinner

Trouble

Wednesday, May 27 - Day 7 - Wedding Day!
Jeanne, Stacy, and I did a 30-minute ocean swim in the morning. It was a great way to start the day, and also it helped my stay hydrated (because I would have sweated a ton at the gym, and I was worried about fainting during the wedding). We grabbed some breakfast with everyone, and then I headed up to the room for a little nap. I had hair, makeup, and nail appointments from 12-4, so that was the bulk of my afternoon. The girls came over to our room to finish getting ready, and we managed to figure out the dress :) The wedding was absolutely perfect. The minister had an awesome little speech at the beginning (actually I have been meaning to contact the Riu to see if I can get a transcript, because I was too cheap to pay $500 to have the ceremony videotaped), the vows were good (and I snuck in an "always and forever"), the weather was beautiful, and we were right by the water. The whole ceremony lasted about 15 minutes. I did tear up a bit while Cliff was saying his vows, but then I forced myself to space out for a second to stop crying. After the ceremony, we took about a million (well, more like 190) photos and then met up with everyone at the patio bar. The ceremony was at 6:00 and the dinner reservations at the Brazilian restaurant were at 8:30, so we had a little photo/drinking break in between. The dinner was really yummy. Cliff and I had eaten there twice before (on a previous trip) and I remember having stomach problems, but I was fine this time around. There was a salad bar, and then the waiter came around with skewers of meat (kind of like Texas de Brazil only without my favorite meat, filet). They also served our wedding cake for dessert. After dinner, the "kids" went to the entertainment bar and then to the disco (Pacha). Cliff hadn't been feeling well (congestion, cough, etc.), so I hungout with everyone for an hour or two and then went back to the room. Actually it worked out pretty well because I was overheating in my dress at Pacha. It took Cliff and I FOREVER to get (or, rather, peel) it off. I had an absolutely fantastic wedding day. The ceremony was perfect, and I got to spend the day celebrating with our friends and family.

Hair