Down the Aisle - We Get Married!

And, now, for the main course: the ceremony!

After getting ready (and waiting for what seemed like forever), we separately made our way to the starting points for the walk down the aisle.

Anthony and his mom came over from the cottage to the main house.  They made their way towards the wedding arch.

(All pics from our photographer, Rodger Obley.)

After a short walk, he was there, waiting for me to make my entrance.

We made our way out of the farm house...

And down the aisle towards Anthony.

I made it! 

(without tripping over anything)

Hugs for my dad...

and my mom.

Then, the same for Anthony.

And, we begin the ceremony with a story of how we met.

Then, Anthony's niece did a reading:

Union by Robert Fulghum

Then, our vows and an exchange of rings.

Next, an exchange of 13 coins or las arras.

Then, my Aunt did another reading: 

Thoughts in a Garden by R. Gerhardt

Finally, our first kiss as Mr. & Mrs.

And, just like that, we were married.

Our whole ceremony took less than thirty minutes.  It was quick but so beautiful.  It had so much personal meaning.  Sandra from Weddings without Worries did an amazing job of integrating everything we'd asked for into it.  I've received many compliments on how unique and interesting it was; most people had never heard a ceremony that involved so much about the personal history of the couple getting married.  It was exactly what we'd hoped for.

Next up, we tramp around the land taking our formal pictures and cut into the cake!

A Break in the Action - The Details

After we got ready, we had a bit of time before the ceremony.  So did the photographers.  I think this is when most of the "detail" pics were taken.

And, as a bride who agonized and DIY-ed her butt off, these are some of my favorites.  They really capture all the work I put into the planning and I'm so happy that I'll be able to look back on these in the future.

All pics from our photographer, Rodger Obley.  In no particular order...

The Invite 

(which I never got around to actually showing in its final form)

The Cake Topper

Another of our Bird Theme Items

The Escort Cards

One of my very first DIY projects

My bouquet...

And Anthony's bout

A mix of clay flowers, sola flowers, feathers and ribbons

Our Card Box

Some Paper Parasols to shield guests from the sun

(too bad it was a rainy kind of day instead)

The Event Shelter with our Papel Picado, one of my main inspirations

Our Window Program...

And our Bar Menu, both recycled windows

The box that held our rings and 13 coins

A fan on each seat...  Even though it was rainy, it was warm

Our festive ceremony arch

Anthony's family made the traditional flowers for us

(you can see our ring box on the table there)

Our brightly colored sodas...  

So cheerful and a big hit with the younger guests

One of Anthony's big projects: two cornhole sets...

One set in Pittsburgh colors, one in Detroit's

The Big Day Begins - We Get Ready

So many people had told me I wouldn't be able to sleep the night before the wedding...  They were wrong.  After the rehearsal dinner and getting organized a bit, I took a shower and crashed.

Six thirty in the morning, my alarm went off.  I couldn't believe that I'd slept the whole night...  I mean, it was probably only about 6 hours total, but I slept really well.  I still think it was because I made a huge list of things I needed to do and take with me before I went to bed.

So, I got up, took another shower (trying to avoid getting my hair wet), and sat down to have a cup of coffee with my mom.  Soon after, we started packing the car.  Everything took a lot less time than I had expected.  We still had a bit of time before we had to leave for the salon.

Meanwhile, Anthony was waking up in a hotel room.  I never asked him how he was feeling but I'm pretty sure he was super nervous about his nine a.m. wave at Run for Your Lives.  I didn't hear anything from him that morning, but one of our friends did keep me updated on how the guys running the race were doing.

Around the same time Anthony's wave was beginning, my mom and I headed to Izzazu Salon in Wexford.  I'd purchased one of their bridal packages and was getting my hair and make-up done here for the wedding.

The photographers arrived a little bit after my make-up appointment began and snapped a few shots.
All pics are from our photographer, Rodger Obley

The final hair-do results... I loved it!

Getting my face on

Got an update that the guys had made it through the race w/o any serious injuries...  So relieved.

After the hair and make-up, my mom and I headed to the grocery to pick up some lunch.  Sushi and salads in hand, we drove to the venue.

And, on the way there, it was pouring!

My heart dropped a bit.  

My mom called to say it was only dust, not rain.

I drove on.

Once we arrived at Succop, it was clear, but it was easy to see the clouds moving in.

Surprisingly, I was kind of calm about the weather.  What could I do but go with it?

So, we ate lunch and wandered around a little bit.  Then, eventually, we started getting me into my bridal attire.

My dress!

The lace up back I really wanted...  Took awhile to get on though.

Almost in there.

Time for the finishing touches, like earrings...

And the mantilla veil I made.

Once I was dressed and accessorized, my dad came up to see me.  

This is one of my favorite pictures from that day.  

I was so excited for him to see me.  

He teared up a bit and I tried to make him laugh.

Next, I got a quick visit from my Aunt Susie, who was one of the readers at our wedding.

Then, a few more finishing touches and all there was to do was WAIT!

Teri, the wedding planner, kept updating me on what was going on outside and with the decorations.  They were waiting for the rain to stop for all of the final ceremony decorations to go up.  

Meanwhile, Anthony had arrived at the venue and was wondering around in his race t-shirt.  Eventually, he headed to the cottage to get dressed.

Anthony's suit jacket - on one of the matching hangers I made for us.

Seems like guys have it a lot easier when it comes to getting dressed.

His mom stopped by to help put on the bout.

That was it.  We were both ready.  All we had to do now was GET MARRIED!

Honeymoon - Climbing Down Waterfalls

I promise that this will be my last post before the actual wedding recaps start...  Photo CD's arrived about a week and a half ago and I'm ready to get that party started.

But, for now, I'll share a bit about my favorite day in Costa Rica and sum up my feelings about 1. taking a more adventurous honeymoon and 2. travelling to Costa Rica in rainy/green season.

Before any vacation, I spend a lot (A LOT!) of time on TripAdvisor.  Restaurants, activities, hotels...  I want to know what to expect and make my plans well before I arrive somewhere.  Spontaneity be damned!

So, when people asked where we were going for our honeymoon, I told them where and immediately followed up with the activity that topped my "must do while in Costa Rica" list: Canyoning.  Costa Canyoning to be more specific.

Our last full day in Uvita, we headed down the road a bit and met the guys from Costa Canyoning, Scotty and Bob.  Then, the fun began.

We jumped into the back of the truck and headed towards the waterfalls...  We stopped for a little bit in a bamboo forest because the waterproof adventure camera had accidentally been left back at the office:
(all pics from the CD that Costa Canyoning gave us at the end of our day)

Bamboo Forest

Soon after that, we were doing this:

We have pictures from all of the waterfalls...  but, I won't bore with you too many.  Even though the climbs got tougher, they all look kind of similar looking back.  I'll jump to the last waterfall, which was the highest.

So cool!  I will admit that we were both in a lot of pain the next day...  It's a good thing we waited till the end of our trip for this activity.  Our hands were covered with rope burns, our leg muscles ached and we both had huge bruises (one of us from falling onto a ledge on the last waterfall and scaring the heck out of their spouse...  it wasn't me).

Anyway, it was amazing and I can't imagine a better end to our honeymoon.

So, what was it like taking a non-all-inclusive, non-beach centric, non-nap filled (ok, there were totally naps) kind of honeymoon?  It was great.  Sure, I love all-inclusives with the fruity frozen drinks and amazing food, but I'm so glad we chose a different kind of honeymoon.  It was full of things that we will never forget.  It wasn't the typical romantic picture I have always imagined for a honeymoon, but it was fun and exciting and allowed us to spend a ton of memorable time together.  Plus, we have plans for a lot of future Sandals-esque with our friends.  Overall, I haven't regretted it for a second.

So, what about travelling to Costa Rica during rainy season?  Well, maybe we were lucky...  Or, maybe we're just used to a lot of rain because we live in Pittsburgh.  It was beautiful and sunny every morning and through most of the early afternoons.  Around four or five each day, it would start to rain.  And, usually, it would keep raining for most of the night.  It would go from pouring to sprinkles to sometimes no rain at all.  Our evenings were full of rain sounds mixing in with the rain forest sounds and I really enjoyed it.  

I don't feel like we missed out on anything because of the rain.  We got all our trips in during the sunny mornings and took it easy at night.  And, on every single tour we took, we were the only two people there.  On almost every beach, we were either the only people there or very close to it.  The parks were easy to navigate and there were few people around to frighten away the animals.  So, while I know we might have gotten luckier with the weather than is typical, I'm glad we went when we did.  I would definitely visit during rainy season again.