The Wedding Report

[Soul Hunter]

Re: The Big Day!

A few minutes later, I witness first hand the effects of age on the body. Lil’ sis is absolutely bored out of her skull right now and is ready to do something/anything. She spots the kayaks down by the beach and begins looking for a volunteer to accompany her. Napi is knocked out, and besides, she has her hair appointment in about an hour. It’s now around noon, and the wedding is scheduled to kick off at 1630. I’m about to volunteer when Mr. G rises to the occasion and they set off for the kayaks – and I might add, rather spiritedly!

It was clear to me from the start that this had trouble written all over it! The first sign of things to come was their attempt to clear the beach and get out into open water. What did Stuart Scott say in that Bernie Mac baseball movie? “a lot of flailing around!. But they soldier on and before long, they’ve got the kayak moving away from the beach.

[Soul Hunter]

Re: The Big Day!

Things seem to be going well…


But then I look up and notice that Mr. G has stopped rowing!

[Soul Hunter]

Re: The Big Day!

As he gets going again, I’m thinking, ok – he was just repositioning himself…

[Soul Hunter]

Re: The Big Day!

But a few minutes later…

[Soul Hunter]

Re: The Big Day!

He shuffles position again, and as he digs back into it, I continue to admire the scenery.

[Soul Hunter]

Re: The Big Day!

[Soul Hunter]

Re: The Big Day!

[Soul Hunter]

Re: The Big Day!

Check back on Mr. G's status and he's laid out on his back! Mrs. G looks up at about the same time and exclaims, "What is he doing!? I suspect Lil' sis is asking the same at this point...

[Soul Hunter]

Re: The Big Day!

Lil’ sis soldiers on dutifully, but after a while she realizes she’s on a fast trip to nowhere, and now they are pretty much adrift in the ocean…

[Soul Hunter]

Re: The Big Day!

Lil' sis finally has enough, and they power back in...

[Soul Hunter]

Re: The Big Day!

I don't know which was worse - the going or coming...but you know you're in trouble when the kayak is facing the ocean, and you're actually trying to head for land...

[Laurel]

Re: The Big Day!

[img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]Soulie - You are a HOOT!!!!

Awesome quality photos!!! Your Gurls sure are PURTY!!!

[Seveen]

Re: The Big Day!

okay it's about noon on "the day" - wedding pictures soon come [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70371-jump.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70371-jump.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70371-jump.gif[/img]

how could y'all just relax like that - on your day, i was like - they are probably awake by now, must be getting ready for the wedding by now, they must be married by now - they must be asleep by now - no way did i think you would just be chilling on the beach [img]/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[Soul Hunter]

Re: The Big Day!

They make it back to the chairs, with Lil’ sis asking Mr. G what in the world happened to him, and Mr. G muttering something about a bad back and lack of back support… I feel you Mr. G, I feel you!

Mom calls right around then to say she’s arrived from Ochi and has Mr. & Mrs. G’s luggage out front, and Mr. G and I head up to the lobby to collect the bags. Napi has already left for her hair and nail appointment, and a look at the watch tells me it’s time! The only bit of drama with our wedding package itself begins to take shape as I meet moms, Cousin Kamla and a host of managers from the hotel, all well known to Aunt Metty and Kamla. I overhear Janice, the wedding coordinator, asking something about the menu for dinner. Napi and I had discussed the menu extensively with Aunt Metty the week before, and settled on the following: shrimp and lobster cocktail; lobster bisque; artichoke salad with island greens; grilled red snapper with some kind fancy sauce; followed by homemade-style cheesecake with a strawberry sauce topping… The cheesecake had been sort of up in the air and we had ultimately deferred to Aunt Metty on that choice, but the rest of the menu was set in stone, given Napi’s dietary restrictions (she does not eat meat, despite a recent craving for popeyes...) and the fact that the other fish choices were high in mercury and therefore not suitable for Peanut.

So as Janice is sounding off the menu to moms (who still has no idea about all the plans), I almost jump out of my skin when I hear that the entrée will be chicken and shrimp…”Chicken and Shrimp!?”, I exclaim, “Napi doesn’t eat chicken!” Then I see that look from Janice that confirms this wasn’t a slip of the tongue. It’s too late to change the menu now, so the only acceptable alternative is to dish out more shrimp to Napi as a substitute for the chicken.

Janice and I agree to meet in the lobby at 1600 and I head off to the room to get dressed. I’ll have the room to myself as Napi will be getting dressed in her parent’s room, and as the final minutes count down to the most important moment in my life…I’m smiling.

[Soul Hunter]

Let's Get Married!

A Word About Our Wedding Plan

Napi and I often differ on my level of "openness” on the Blog. She believes I tend to disclose too much personal information, and I counter with the fact that I’m not writing for the world, I’m writing for the baby! Realizing that there are probably guests visiting the board who are either planning to, or thinking about, getting married, I thought I’d share some details on the package we selected at the Wyndham Rose Hall. I should caution that we paid extra for certain things, substituted a few of the included options, and added touches not offered by the hotel, but all-in-all we were very happy with the end result. Let’s start with the package itself.

Rose Hall offers three wedding packages, and we selected the most expensive due to the list of features available. Don’t let the name “Platinum” fool you; the package itself runs about $1800 U.S. That’s not a bad price considering it includes:

Two Bottles of House Champagne; Single Tier Wedding Cake; Wedding keepsake memento (no idea what that was…); Bridal Bouquet and Groom’s Boutonniere (we went with a private florists so we didn’t see these either); Decorated Table for Signing of Wedding Documents; Wedding Ceremony performed at either our One-of-a-Kind Wedding Gazebo or on our Private Beach right on the Caribbean Sea; All License Fees and Ministers Fees; Application and Processing of Marriage License; Special Guestroom rates for your guests (we got an even better deal from a family friend at the hotel); Seating preference in our Dining Outlets including Fine Dining in Luna di Mare and Three Palms for Bridal Party on the night of your Wedding (we had them cater a special meal as outlined previously); Thirty-Six 5x7 professional photographs and the negatives (drama about the pictures, but more on that later…); 30 Minute Video Recording; Bridal Manicure, Pedicure, Shampoo, Condition and Basic Hairstyle (Napi was ok with them putting her hair in a bun, but that was about all she would let them do with it); 30 Minutes Body Massage for Bride and Groom (Napi went with a facial due to Peanut). That’s about all of it – and for the money, not a bad deal! We were pricing locations for the American ceremony, and people in the Lou are talking almost $5k in some places, just for the location/food!

To that we added:

Saxophonist to play during the ceremony; Extra time with the photographer and the video guy; A one-man band to play during the reception; A private room at the hotel for the reception; Special meal for the reception; And a room upgrade that landed us in one of the better suites I’ve ever lodged at on the island. I’m estimating the final cost at somewhere between $4-5k, with Aunt Metty working some deals that may have lowered it to the high $3k mark. Not bad, and again, we were pleased with the overall package and experience. I should also add that Rose Hall offers two other packages: the Ivory, at approx $800; and the Gold, at about $1200. Features obviously diminish with price.