Advertisement
Published: January 10th 2013
So getting back to our wedding here in Playa del Carmen (after the previous blog!) Yep we tied the old knot here in Playa on Jan. 10, 2008. I will say, it was by far one of THE best days of my life, next to meeting Al in the first place, and then when we found out we were expecting, to the births of each of our great gals,
Lara Raquel (13), Rory Charlotte (11) and Ava Carly (7). Because we waited so long to get married, we knew exactly what we wanted (small), and on a beach - HELLO Playa! We wanted to write our own wedding vows, and have the girls in the ceremony. Lara walked me down the beach, Rory was the flower girl, and Ava, the ring bearer(ess)! She was so cute and was throwing flowers everywhere!
And of course very important; the food! Those that know me at all, know that the food had to be fresh, delicious, fun and original. After the wedding ceremony, we had an open bar & warm appetizers served on the beach, with music filling the air courtesy of a Mariachi band. Not only did all those things come
together as we wanted on our wedding day, we were surrounded by (most) of our loved ones who made the trek to Mexico with us (we planned it rather last minute so not everyone could join us).
The finishing touches on the beach that day were the live guitarist and flutist who played the music we chose, and the beautiful prayers & Irish Blessings read by our loved ones including our daughter Lara. This was followed by a parade led by the band down 5th avenue with crowds of people cheering us on, to our wedding dinner/reception at the amazing AJUA MAYA restaurant where we enjoyed champagne toasts, appetizers (Caesar salad made at your table) then a flamb
éed dinner of steak & shrimp, an open bar, and dancing to a Latin jazz band all night. And many conga lines too, at the end of each line a Tequila toast!! Ahhhh, those memories just can't be beat with a stick.
In the end due to our careful choosing of AJUA MAYA (one of the best restaurants in Playa del Carmen), this Type A personality (me) was blown away how it all came together into one special day. I still
hear people tell us it was the best tropical wedding ever. I have to agree, if I say so myself...and you know I do! As the complimentary cookies we had left in our guests rooms that read, "Eat Drink & Be MARRIED", we tried to make sure our guests ate, drank and were merry & had the time of their lives.
The end of the night, my wonderful sister Cindy and her hubby Gord, snuck into our room, lit a trail of candles everywhere, had a warm bubble bath poured, with Champagne glasses filled and rose petals all over our bed. It was one of the most thoughtful gifts we've ever received. It was like a fairytale; the entire day, and yep, Al got himself a princess so it was really a fairytale! (smile...)
So tonight we are returning to the "scene of the crime" AJUA MAYA to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary dinner and bask in the warm memories of that day, and the somewhat melancholy bittersweet feeling that Bill (my brother) who was in our wedding, and LOVED Playa is no longer with us. We will raise a big margarita to you Bill and remember how
much fun and life you brought to our wedding day. And I do count my blessings that Bill was with us in Playa on our very special day.
On a happier note, Happy Anniversary Al...You are truly a prince among men, an amazing father, and my true-blue best friend - my kindred spirit.
You still make my heart beat fast (and NO, not because I just ran up the stairs too quickly), you get my jokes (well who wouldn't, they're usually pretty funny), you still think I'm beautiful (well again...who wouldn't? heh heh), you give me the best pedicures (oops, he'll tell me to take that part out), you know how to fix the thingy-ma-jiggy all the time, you put up endless H'ween and Christmas lights while I tell you to move the red light next to the green one, and you let me get the last word in (even though I hear you whisper the last word under your breath), you tolerate my friends you don't like (hahaha, just kidding he likes all of YOU!), you think I'm very smart (and I DO NOT cheat at Scrabble, because I am smart- cause you said so once in
an anniversary card), you think I'm a great driver (well after driving with Martha, everyone's a great driver (HEH HEH Marth!!!), you surprise me with fresh sheets on the bed & don't nag me when I throw all my books back on your freshly made bed!), and after all these years you still tolerate me trying to convince you how great seafood is (my common phrase, "C'mon Al just one bite of garlic shrimp, trust me you'll LOVE it"!), and well, most of all...drum roll, you let "me be me", warts and all (PS I do NOT have warts, it's just a sayin' OK folks!).
Ultimately you rock honey, (and I don't mean on your guitar that you play in the basement at night!). You are forever my soul mate (yes that means you are stuck for life; you are never getting paroled).
Love your wife, Sal...(hello? ME, the cute one sitting next to you on the lounger...to your right...duh).
So if any of you are interested, I attached the vows we said to each other on that day 5 years ago. They are laminated on a poster, where Al can read them every day so he
keep all his promises! It's good I make myself laugh...
Maybe we will find five minutes alone today to raise a margarita and re-say our vows to each other (while having a laugh & reminicing about that day 5 years ago.)
For those interested too, I included pics from our wedding day. I included all of this so when I do get these blogs made into books, the girls will have all of these details of our wedding day in one place. Hope you enjoy!
Allan, As I stand before you today, the vows I take will be forever…you are it for me! As I take your hand in mine, I’d like to thank you for the past 11 years where we have worked side by side together making a full and wonderful life by showing each other love, respect and comfort. We have been blessed to be given these 3 amazing daughters who I believe embody the best of both of us. There are a few things that I’d like to promise to you today. That is my unwavering faith in you, my daily support to see you reach all of your goals, a daily hug and kiss to always make you feel loved and a continued sense of humor to make you laugh every day especially when the road gets rocky.
To Lara, Rory and Ava, I will do my best to love your father unconditionally and in doing so provide you with a warm, happy and loving home that includes two parents who love each other deeply and fully. To our family and friends, I look forward to your continued love and support to make our union a lifelong one shared with all of you.
Allan, like the engraving on our wedding rings which reads ALWAYS, you have my love forever and always. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.” I love and adore you. Your wife, Sal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sally Ann Foran: I stand with you here today because you have won my heart through your wit, intelligence, strength, beauty and charm. You are my one true love, my faithful partner and constant friend. You are the one to whom I pledge my life and my love.
Kahlil Gibran in The Prophet speaks of love as a sea between the shores of two souls, and as we stand beside the ocean, may our love be as constant and unchanging as these never-ending waves, flowing endlessly from the depths of the sea. Just as there will never be a morning without the ocean's flow, so there will never be a day without my love for you, and as these waters nourish the earth and sustain life, may my constant devotion nourish and sustain you until the end of time. Sal, I promise to give you the best of myself and to ask of you no more than you can give. I promise to accept you the way you are. I fell in love with you for the qualities, abilities, and outlook on life that you have, and won't try to reshape you in a different image. I promise to respect you as a person with your own interests, desires, and needs, and to realize that those are sometimes different, but no less important than my own. I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you see through the window of my personal world into my innermost feelings, secrets and dreams. I will share in your dreams, and support you as you strive to achieve your goals. I will listen to you with compassion and understanding, and speak to you with encouragement.
I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face change as we both change in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting. And finally, I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all I feel inside in the only way I know how... completely and forever. "With this ring I pledge my love and commitment to you." Allan
Advertisement
Tot: 0.379s; Tpl: 0.016s; cc: 5; qc: 26; dbt: 0.2953s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Susan
non-member comment
Beautiful
Looks like you are having an awesome time. I enjoyed seeing the wedding photos again. The vows made me a little teary. Congratulations to one of my favourite couples! I love you guys. Happy Anniversary!