When Shannon told us that her sister Jamie was getting married on a cruise, dad really wanted to be there to share in another important day for this family.  He felt very blessed when things worked out and he was able to join Jamie and Tommy and their close family and friends on a cruise to the Keys and Cozumel for the wedding!  Things were all set for the wedding day when the ship docked in the Keys, and then for more pictures the next day in Cozumel.  Then a week before the wedding, Jamie got the news that the ship was canceling the stop at Key West!  Mom says the email Jamie sent out says everything about what a wonderful couple Jamie and Tommy are.  They told everyone, “When life gives you lemons, add Tequila and head straight for Cozumel!”  Because everything was planned for that stop, Jamie and Tommy had to put everything together again for a wedding the following day at Cozumel.  It was wonderful to see how positive they were when many other couples would have let the stress bring them down.  Instead, Jamie, Tommy, and all of their guests squeezed those lemons and limes and it was Tequila time!

Shannon and Duane’s little girl has gotten so big!

Partying as the cruise begins:

The wedding day!

Jamie and Tommy walking around Cozumel with dad before the ceremony began:

The ceremony at a hotel in Cozumel:

Jamie had a nautical theme and the bridesmaids all carried beach balls instead of bouquets (much easier to get through customs than flowers!)

Khaki and navy are so pretty together.  The groomsmen wore navy shirts and khaki pants.

Enjoying the Mexican sun:

Jamie’s parents trying to get Tommy to behave himself during the garter removal:

Jamie and her dad taking a swim.  Mom thinks Jamie should have worn the flippers around the rest of the day!

Jamie and Tommy taking the plunge…literally!  Soon after this, almost everyone was in the water!

Mom’s favorite picture because she says it summarizes the day perfectly.  Beautiful and romantic, yet you can tell it was quite a party too!

Thank you so much to Jamie, Tommy, and their family and friends for having dad there to share in such an wonderful trip.  He had a blast and said everyone was terrific!  Congratulations newlyweds, and we hope your future holds all the happiness, beauty, love, and celebration that your wedding did!

Jason came down the aisle with a rose which he placed on an empty chair in remembrance of his mother.

A seashell held the bride and groom’s wedding rings.

Patty and Jason’s family and friends were a great group and dad enjoyed meeting them all.

The wedding party:

You can see how much they love each other when they look into each other’s eyes.

Mom saw this picture and thought dad posed the couple waving to be funny and cheesy.  She teased dad about it but he told her that really guests were at the end of the pier cheering for the bride and groom so Patty and Jason were waving at them.  As a candid moment, it is really sweet!  Look how happy the newlyweds are!

All of the stationary was beautiful!  The invitations, timeline, menus, table markers, and all the rest had the blue, red, and brown wedding colors in pretty patterns.  Mom loved it!

The cake topper was two birds in the wedding colors of blue and red.

Patty and Jason listening to the sentimental toasts given by their friends and family:

Time to party!

Patty changed into a cheongsam for part of the reception.  She looked gorgeous!

Before the reception ended, dad took Patty and Jason out for a few more pictures.

One of mom’s favorites:

What an awesome couple and an awesome wedding!  Dad truly had a wonderful time during the entire trip to Mexico and felt honored to be a part of the wedding.  Thank you so much Patty and Jason!  We know your life together is going to be filled with love, laughter, and romance.

Before leaving Mexico, dad picked up a few souvenirs to bring home.  When he saw this Mexican bride and groom he had to buy it and take some pictures in honor of Patty and Jason.

Patty and Jason had Tiffany from Sunhorse Weddings as their planner for their wedding at Zama Beach Club.  Patty started her day getting ready at her villa which she had reserved with the help of Lisa of The Lost Oasis.  Lisa also helped dad with his hotel reservations and helpful information about the island.

This might be one of mom’s favorite wedding hair accessories.

Red shoes!

The gifts to the groomsmen were chucks for them to wear on the wedding day.  The groom’s chucks had the wedding date personalized on it.

Patty gave Jason Superman cuff links as a wedding present.  It was a special gift to remind Jason that his mom who had passed was with him that day, and Jason’s reaction upon opening the cuff links was so sweet.

Patty is a designer and Jason gave her a wedding present in a frog box that she had designed for Hallmark.  How fun would it be to see one of your designs on the shelves at Hallmark!

Patty getting her hair done:

Dad loved the Chinese wedding traditions that were included in the day.  One of the main symbols of course being red as one of the wedding colors.  Another fun tradition that the couple had was for the groom to come to the bride’s house to get her.  According to custom, when he arrives he is met by the bride’s friends who will not let the bride go until the groom gives red packets of money and meets other requests.  Jason arrived to see a “No Boys Allowed” sign hanging on the door, but that didn’t stop him from trying to peek.  Patty’s bridesmaids and bridesman had Jason and his groomsmen dance as their task to see the bride.

Patty and Jason then had the Chinese Tea Ceremony where the couple serves the parents tea.  Patty wore the same outfit her mom wore which made it more meaningful.

After the Tea Ceremony, Patty went back to her room to put on her wedding dress.

Jason seeing Patty in her gown for the first time:

Before their ceremony, dad went around the island for pictures with the couple.  When Dad woke up that morning, he had noticed a dark, cloudy sky.  He was so worried!  The sky stayed cloudy and it was a very windy day but thankfully the rain held off.

Patty really wanted some pictures on the cliffs by the water so they went there for a few pictures and the couple braved the strong winds!

This was just the start to the couple’s wedding day!  Dad said the entire day was a lot of fun and filled with emotion.  We can’t wait to share more!

Patty and Jason are just an amazing couple.  Patty is a designer for Hallmark and Jason is an amazing artist.  We checked out his portfolio on his website and his talent is obvious.  Patty and Jason have been together for ten years and met, appropriately, working in an art store.  Mom loved their proposal story!  Jason knew the best way to surprise Patty was to propose in an everyday situation.  They were out walking their dog when Jason pulled out the ring and asked Patty to marry him, to which she replied “Yes, of course!” after her initial surprise about being proposed to while she held a bag of poop in her hand!  Mom couldn’t help but laugh at that story.

Here are a few pictures from the welcome dinner, and we will share images from the fantastic wedding very soon!

Jason greeting everyone and thanking them for coming:

Patty looking so happy and pretty!

The mother of the bride having a good time:

Patty and Jason gave out big sunglasses for fun.  Dad brought his home and was still wearing his until mom took them from him.

Pictures from the actual wedding day coming soon!

Dad stayed in Isle Mujeres, Mexico which is an island off the coast of Cancun.  He said it was a quiet island with really good people.  Kids ran through the streets laughing and everyone smiled at each other.  Though dad doesn’t know Spanish and many people didn’t speak English (except the people whose jobs have them working with tourists, like the cab drivers), everyone was willing to make the communication work and was very patient about it which dad said is much different than here in the US.  All around the town were religious symbols, even in random places.  Dad saw a crucifix by a water valve and statues of Mary all over.

There entire island was only around five miles long and dad rented a golf cart to explore.  The owner of the hotel where dad stayed told him that there wasn’t much to do on the island besides the beach and the bars, but dad had a great time driving around in the warm breeze and seeing all the sights.  We have so much to share from Patty and Jason’s rehearsal and wedding day, but to start off here are some pictures dad took around Isle Mujeres before he met up with the couple.

Dad’s hotel, Casa IxChel, had only ten suites and was set up to be a place of an “island sanctuary” for guests to relax while enjoying the “healing energy of the sun, the moon, the stars, and the waves.”  Dad was happy it still had wireless internet!  It didn’t even have televisions so it surprised dad when he was able to get online, but he was happy because it meant he could email us.  We missed him lots and made mom read his emails to us over and over.

Dad went snorkeling at Garrafon Natural Reef Park.  He enjoyed himself but said it wasn’t anything like snorkeling in the Bahamas for Jen and Julie’s wedding.  He did love going on the zip line at the park though!

Walking around the city dad saw this colorful cemetary.  The bright, bold colors on the graves were a gorgeous contrast to their function.

In the 19th century, a Spanish pirate named Mundaca built a plantation house on the island.  The story is that after years of a pirate’s life, he retired on the island.  The pirate fell in love with a native island girl much younger than him and he designed and built his grand mansion with her in mind.  The house with its land and gardens once covered 40% of the island, all to win his love.  She ended up marrying someone closer to her own age and they say the pirate, who lived the rest of his life as a recluse, slowly went insane and died.  This story is an important part of the island’s heritage.  Dad said that somehow they turned the story into something romantic and said that people married on the island will be graced with the love and passion the pirate felt for the one he loved.  Hacienda Mundaca now has some remaining gardens and a small zoo.

Dad climbed through a grassy field to get to these views from the cliffs:

Views of the city from a nearby lighthouse:

When mom saw this picture of dad’s hotel at night, she was so jealous.  She could just imagine laying on those beds on the balcony, listening to ocean and feeling the breeze while laying under the stars.

We have so much more from dad’s trip to share!  Next we’ll have pictures from Patty and Jason’s welcome dinner so check back soon!