The Wedding Report

[NapiHead327]

Re: Finally!

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The ladies Doing Their Thing...

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As you've probably guessed, MamaSoul is a woman of very few words. I think we had about 5 short conversations the entire time I was there:
1. centered around how big I was and how I must be carrying a boy
2. she was pizzed at me for spending $500JA on a cab ride into town
3. she questioned my eating habits and suggested I eat more ginger and less eggs
4. She griped about her mother and how she's so stubborn and never listens to anyone yet accuses everyone of trying to take advantage of her
5. She assured me that b/c of my build (big hips and all) I should have no problem pushing Soul's big-headed baby out. She said that at her hospital in Alaska, women have 10 lb babies w/no problem all the time and kind of suggested that she wasn't expecting too much drama from me during the birth.

When you get right down to it, she's a lovely woman. A few of my hugs and 'I love you's' and she's started to soften that hard exterior.

[NapiHead327]

Re: The Big Day!

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Peanut is Chillin’


Napi is Chillin’ – What More Can I Say, Top Billin’!

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I had to let Peanut get some sun, then I had to take Peanut for his/her first dip in the ocean. I think s/he liked it!

Now, I wish I had gotten at least 1 pic of me and Peanut in my bikini wo when Peanut grows up I can she him/her that Mommy was always fly! Even when she was big and preggo!

[NapiHead327]

Re: The Big Day!

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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...



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It's hard to watch your own personal Superman getting old and fragile. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[NapiHead327]

Re: Let's Get Married!

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Fortunately the guests all arrive (pretty much all family) and as we are all standing around shooting the breeze, while my man is doing his best to strangle that sax, out of the corner of my eye I spot Mr. G. I turn to the crowd and tell them “Here they come…” and turn back just in time to see Napi and Mr. G round the corner and instantly/instantly a weight is lifted from my shoulders and I know right then and there, I’m the luckiest man alive.



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Daddy was walking so fast like he couldn't wait to get to the gazebo and give me away. I had to remind him that not only was I moving w/the pregnancy wobble but I was wearing stilletoes and needed him to slow down!

[Soul Hunter]

Re: Let's Get Married!

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Fortunately the guests all arrive (pretty much all family) and as we are all standing around shooting the breeze, while my man is doing his best to strangle that sax, out of the corner of my eye I spot Mr. G. I turn to the crowd and tell them “Here they come…” and turn back just in time to see Napi and Mr. G round the corner and instantly/instantly a weight is lifted from my shoulders and I know right then and there, I’m the luckiest man alive.



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Daddy was walking so fast like he couldn't wait to get to the gazebo and give me away. I had to remind him that not only was I moving w/the pregnancy wobble but I was wearing stilletoes and needed him to slow down!

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That's cause she was late! Mr. G was just trying to get us back on schedule. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[NapiHead327]

Re: Let's Get Married!

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How beautiful is she!

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Let's discuss the hair. Days before the wedding and I had no clue how I was going to wear it. Since I've been natural I had a policy of never letting anyone else do my hair. So although a wash and style at the hotel salon came as a part of our package, I had already refused. I figured I needed to purchase a hair magazine and try to find a style that I could mimick. The day of the wedding I called down to the salon and told them my situation: "I have locks...never let anyone else do my hair...getting married...nervous about letting someone else in my hair...have a style picked out...please understand that I don't use synthetic products...nervous, nervous, nervous. I guess by that time the stylist was thinking, "Good God Almighty, is her hair spun of gold or something?"

I get to the salon and get my fingers and toes done first. The manicurist was too sweet. My mother had been in the salon earlier that day, so apparently all the ladies knew I was getting married, knew I was pregnant, and knew I had been experiencing some nausea. The manicurist had just had a baby boy about 2 months ago and so we had a good conversation about pregnancy and the first few months of baby's life. Not long into the pedicure, the day started to catch up w/me and I began to doze off. She would let me sleep for a few minutes, then when it was time to switch feet she'd tap my arm to wake me and she'd giggle. I feel bad that I was such a sleepy client.

When I first sat down, she'd noticed the hair magazine I carried in and we discussed the hairstyle I'd chosen. She asked the stylist if she was capable of duplicating the style. The stylist muttered something like, "I'll see what I can do." That scared me. The manicurist continued to flip through the magazine and said she'd never seen a hair magazine before. I said, "You mean ya'll don't get Black hair magazines here?"

"No," she said.

"Well you can keep that one," I said. This girl's face lit up like sunshine. She thanked me a few times and I'm coming back w/"Girl, no problem!" I'm thinking how is it that Black hair magazines don't reach the island? I made a mental note to add her and hair magazines to the running list of things to bring and people to bring things for. She goes right under Ms. Sonia and her church hats.

When the nails were done I sat in the stylists chair nervous about what was about to go down. There was the issue of her possibly messing up on the style, but the deeper issue was the spiritual dillema I was going through -- is it okay for strangers to touch my hair??? May not seem like a big deal to some people but, if you can, liken it to a devout Muslim woman unveiling in front of strangers. That's what it was like. She started out w/a deep breath and some hair grease. About 10 rubberbands and 200 hair pins later, she was done and it was lovely! She and the other ladies in the salon were a little disappointed that I'd decided not to wear a veil or tiara. I kept repeating, "That's just not me." I told them that I was thinking about taking some flowers from my bouquet and sticking them in my hair. (Keep in mind I had NO CLUE what my bouquet would look like at this point.) One of the ladies said, "I've got something." She left the stylist's booth and a minute later came back w/2 tiny flowers that the stylist secured to my updo w/hairpins. I think it was just the right touch - subtle, natural, elegant.

[NapiHead327]

Re: Let's Get Married!

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as Mr. Salter tries to comfort her, I'm wondering has she realized I'm a geek and decided to split! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70367-help.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/704555_dwl.gif[/img]

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It took me a minute to get myself together after this. Lil Sis had to run up and hand me a tissue (I forgot to pack my deceased aunt's handkerchiefs that were to serve as the 'something old'.) Tears were dripping from my chin, down my chest. All I could think was 'People are going to think I'm a goof!' and then I thought 'I hope my makeup isn't melting down my face.' The tears just began to flow and I couldn't catch my breath. I was going into that hiccup cry. My natural reaction would have been to bury my face in HoneyBunny's chest, but I didn't want to ruin his nice white shirt. A few hand squeezes and "It's okay's" from him and I was okay - okay enough to continue w/the ceremony. But for a minute there, I thought I'd have to take a break and head to the nearest restroom to pull myself together.

[NapiHead327]

Re: Let's Get Married!

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As we turn and face our families together, for the first time as husband and wife, it has completely slipped my mind that we went with the top wedding package. So I'm a little surprised when I see Janice walking up with a cage on a cart. She motions for us to step down into the grass and then opens the cage and instructs me to reach in and grab a dove!

I get myself together and pull my guy out of the cage (with Janice exclaiming, on tape no less, that I must have been raised in the country... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70390-shhh.gif[/img]) and wait for Napi to do the same.

Mr. Salter says a few more words - something along the lines of "...as these doves soar, so too shall your love..." and I'm praying they both don't just turn around in mid air and fly right back into their cage... He gives a countdown and we release them, with my bird taking off like a bat out of hell...


he's not even in the picture he shot out of there so fast!

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I took one look at that bird sitting in that basket and thought 'I know this succer had better not poop on my dress!' Me and that bird were gonna fight if that had happened.

[NapiHead327]

Re: Let's Get Married!

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With the first half of the wedding done, the photographer rounds us up for photographs. At this point I'm just relieved that the sweating has abated and I didn't screw things up! There's a bit of static going on, but I haven't quite figured it out yet. It seems the daughters sparred with Momma Napi just before the wedding started and so Lil' sis is being very quiet, while Momma Napi has that ungrateful pickney look that you sometimes see in old school Jamaicans. To their credit though, at no point did any static spill over into the ceremony or the reception and all were genuinely happy as the big day continues...


My mom seemed to be looking somewhere else in every pic!

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As we're walking the grounds taking pics, my heels keep getting stuck in the earth. After each shot, I have to be pulled out of the ground, for I was truly taking root! But what an appropriate metaphor - the day I marry my soulmate, I take root, becoming one w/the earth.

[NapiHead327]

Re: Let's Get Married!

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Bootimus, MAXIMUS! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/704555_dwl.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70409-waytogo.gif[/img]



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HoneyBunny had a handful!

[NapiHead327]

Re: Let's Get Married!

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We had to take an 'Homage to Peanut' shot!

[NapiHead327]

Re: Let's Get Married!

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I think I almost choked poor Napi!



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Whoo Goodness my stomach was huge! And by this time, I was more than ready to take off the corset.

[NapiHead327]

Re: Let's Get Married!

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The final toast was left to me, and I thanked everyone for having contributed to this wonderful day; thanked my mom for all she has and continues to do for me and reminded her that though we occasionally have our differences, there is never a doubt that we love each other dearly. We all then sat around and talked for some time, including a rehashing of the wonderful circumstances of our first meeting on jamaicans.com, and after asking that all our guests sign our bowl (Napi's wonderful idea!), the evening and wedding finally came to a close.


Inside the bowl were our wedding favors to our guests - a custom cd of American and Jamaican love songs, enclosed in a beautiful black envelope, and tied with ivory and black ribbon that matched our wedding colors perfectly.

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I got Pebeo glass paint pens from Michaels. They're non-toxic paint markers designed especially for glass and pottery that you plan to wash and eat on. When we got back to the states, I baked the bowl in the oven for about 45 min. to cure the paint and voila! It sits on our dining room table. I still haven't put fruit in it yet.

[NapiHead327]

Re: Let's Get Married!

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can you say Wide Load! Jeez.

[ColeS]

Re: Let's Get Married!

[img]/forums/images/graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img]
What a wonderful report!!! I just got to all of it and I have to say, it was worth waiting for. I wish you three the best in everything that you do! [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70459-hugs.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70459-hugs.gif[/img]

BTW - Napi - I agree with MamaSoul on the ginger. MrColeS and I used to make a big jug of ginger juice every week even before I was pregnant and we continued it througout the pregnancy, and I am happy to say that I do not know what it feels like to have morning sickness. I had a very easy pregnancy. No nausea, no sickness, active all throughout. Even partied a few times [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] I would bring ginger juice with me to work to have with lunch. It not only helps, but it is delicious. I am due to make a jug tonight infact!