The Next Chapter: Day 445 - Mr & Mrs on 11.1.11

Today was the big day! And what a day it was! Kim was up early to meet with Jose & find flowers. I knew I should have gone, as when it came time to pick them, guess who got sent out to find ‘this’ flower & ‘that’ leaf somewhere on several acres of greenery? Yup. Yours truly. At least I was outside & getting some vitamin D & plenty of exercise!

I managed to sneak to the beach for one hour, where I visited with Jenn, before I had to race back & drag a bunch of heavy tables around a room where we would have the reception later on. Then it was flower/greenery time, which took a long time, as I couldn’t find what Kim was looking for. I had to leave her high & dry on the boutonnière’s. I had forewarned her last night that I would not be able to help with them. She asked me again today, but I regretfully declined. I had to get ready! (Thankfully!) Not before making 4 trips to/from the gazebo to make sure the curtains were just right.

I was worried that I might feel a bit awkward, being the only person at the wedding who didn’t know the Bride & Groom well, but Cat & Darren both made me feel welcome. I felt even more ‘privileged’ when I was able to lend Cat earrings & lipgloss she could wear on her special day. Yeah, it’s the small things, I know.

I quickly ate, showered, & threw on my best wig. I told Cat I wouldn’t be the random bald chick in the background.

Darren looked handsome in his tailored suit & Cat looked like a supermodel/angel in her wispy, romantic gown. Wow. She’s a knockout!

The ceremony was simple & short & there weren’t many, if any, dry eyes around! Love, commitment, devotion, what makes the moment so special? Maybe it’s all of the above.

After the ceremony, Mr & Mrs were whisked away with Jose & Joel to a nearby town to do a photo shoot. Kim & I frantically set up the reception tables so they would be ready for photos as soon as the party returned. I must say, it looked phenomenal. I believe Joy Thigpen was the Stylist, although she couldn’t make the trip to Cuba. I know Cat had messaged her a photo of the bouquet earlier on to see if that was what she had in mind. The wonders of modern technology!

The plates were gorgeous! I’m not a big ‘plate’ person, but these were awesome! The Cat & Darren cigar papers, the Cuban dominos & the explanation of how to play the game, the napkins, the vases, the cigar table… It all came together perfectly!

The couple returned & we had a wonderful dinner – I think that was the biggest lobster tail I have EVER eaten. Wow. It was 4x the size of any other lobster tail I’ve ever seen! I enjoyed sitting next to Jose & did my best not to pester him with too many questions. I didn’t want to be THAT person! I enjoyed his answer to one of my questions about what inspires him. He told me he likes beautiful things – beautiful light, beautiful people, beauty all around. Hmm. Makes sense. No wonder he is such an amazing Photographer. He FINDS beauty everywhere he looks. If you don’t already stalk his blog – start here & now. And of course, you’ll have to check out Joel’s videos too! Have fun!

With the reception over fairly early, Kim & I found ourselves in the nightclub watching the dancers. She didn’t really want to go, I was keyed up to check them out. Of course, we ended up in the front & felt committed to stay – it would have been rude to jump up half way through the show. I can’t remember the name of tonight’s performance, but it was all 80’s & 90’s love ballads. I’ve never seen so much spandex & cheesy love songs in one place. However, once you looked past the gent’s white spandex unitard (um, yeah), they were really amazing dancers! They performed some crazy lifts & had incredible athletic talents! It’s a pity they are stuck performing at the resort & not elsewhere in the world!

Which brings me to my next ‘thing’. The female dancers wore little spandex ‘panties’ under their skirts. Generally the undies match the outfit, but these girls didn’t have that luxury. They had pink dresses & red undies. I knew their costumes were a little dated & they could definitely use a facelift. The part that frustrated me the most was that I actually had a pile of those spandex panties at home that I was about to give away to the Mustard Seed. Why did I have them, you ask? Well, one contract on the ship, some of the dancers were getting rid of a bunch of stuff & I thought it might be kind of cool to have ‘dancing’ shoes. They gave me heels (think Fandango) & the sneakers they always wear – can’t think of the name at the moment. They also had fishnet stockings, nylons & all these colourful undies. I’ve never worn any of them. When I cleaned out my boxes this winter, I had a huge box of stuff to give away. I had contemplated bringing a suitcase to Cuba, but decided against it. I didn’t want to insult anyone with my hand me downs & used stuff, so I didn’t bring anything. I’ve been kicking myself all week, but after the mismatched undies saga, I’m really bummed I didn’t bring anything! Argh!

So, after a grand finale of Celine Dion, Kim & I retired for the night. We had an early morning tomorrow. We were headed back to Havana with the wedding party to do a shoot on the streets of Havana. Yay!

xxxx Maria