PA for Brandi and Caleb’s wedding
Check out our July PA trip pictures.
Entries Categorized as 'Weddings'
PA July 2017
December 30, 2017
October 2011
November 23, 2011
October was a beautiful month here so we spent a lot of time at the park. Gabe loves walking to the park but Zara would prefer to be carried!
We enjoyed a beautiful weekend at Fort Worden state park on the Olympic peninsula where we celebrated Willow and Jonathan’s wedding. Their wedding was on a former military base where the former military housing can be rented out. While the houses have not been updated for quite some time, they are large fully furnished and a great value. Our unit was a 4 bedroom portion of a house that was bigger than our own house. The wedding was very nice and Gabe & Zara did their best to be quiet (they weren’t very successful!).
Gabe continues to be very shy around strangers. His latest thing is to cover one eye when a stranger looks at or speaks to him. Zara could care less about strangers!
We also attended Croatiafest, a local festival to celebrate the Croatian culture. Gabe and Zara wore their Murter tee shirts to show their Murter pride.
The kiddos have started trying to repeat words we say. They love hiding their face and saying “boo.” They also love blowing kisses and have even started giving kisses. When they hit you or give you a boo boo you can expect a big wet kiss with sound effects (mwah!). One night Z heard the kids talking after we put them down for bed. After a while he heard Gabe say “Za-Za”, no response from Zara then “Zaaaa-Za.” It cracked us up so from time to time we call Zara Za-Za.
This year we dressed up as the 3 little pigs and the big bad wolf. We didn’t really trick or treat but it gives us a reason to stop and meet our neighbors once a year.
View our October 2011 photos.
Lukas and Amanda’s wedding
September 19, 2011
Lukas and Amanda’s wedding
It’s hard to believe that the little boy I used to babysit got married. I watched Lukas and Morris over the summers growing up and I’ll be honest, they drove me nuts. They were constantly fighting, always into something and in general pretty ornery little boys. (I think they prepared me well for my own ornery little boy!) I’m so proud of them and love them very much. Lukas and Amanda’s wedding was beautiful and a lot of fun. It was fun to spend time with my siblings and have a date night with my hubby! Thanks Rita for watching the kiddos!
View photos of Lukas and Amanda’s wedding .
Eric & Sujeeta’s wedding
November 10, 2009
We recently went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to celebrate our friends Sujeeta and Eric (Needy)’s wedding. We had planned the trip before we learned we were pregnant but the timing worked out great and we were able to celebrate the wedding and enjoy a bit of a “baby-moon” at the same time. This was our last real vacation before the babies arrive.
We had an amazing time and enjoyed catching up with old friends from the DC area and soaking in the sun. The 90 degree Mexico sun was a welcome change from our chilly and dreary fall/winter weather.
We went swimming in the ocean with wild dolphins – this has to be one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my life. You dive under the water and the dolphins swim within a few feet of you. They’re just as curious about you as you are about them. I highly recommend a dive with un-caged dolphins if you ever have the chance. It’s well worth the money!
View our Mexico photos .
India – Ajay and Anusha’s wedding
June 22, 2007
Zvonimir and I became friends with Ajay at Wharton. When Ajay invited us to his wedding in Chennai, India I was very excited. I had always wanted to visit India and was even more excited to attend a traditional Indian wedding!
Anusha and Ajay arranged a guest house in Chennai and driver for us. Our experience was fabulous! We stayed in a 3 bedroom apartment with a chef, two waiters and a director. Each day the director would ask each of us what we wanted to eat for each meal. The staff would then shop for and prepare each dish we had requested. The food and service were exceptional at the guest house!
We attended the henna ceremony at Anusha’s family house. This is traditionally for the women of the family, however, the invitation was extended to the men as well since there were so many out of town guests. Anusha sat for hours while her legs and feet, arms and hands were temporarily tattooed with the henna pain. Andrada, Lyndi and I also got the henna done on our hands.
Three women worked in unison applying the henna designs without templates. The paint is applied using a tool resembling a cake icing tool. Once the black henna dries, it flakes off and a orange colored stain is left on your hands for around 3 weeks. It was incredible to see how the three women worked in unison to create a beautiful and unique design for each person.
The engagement ceremony was held in a large, open air wedding hall. Trumpets and horns played loudly from behind us. Anusha and Ajay sat on a stage and were presented with traditional Indian clothing gifts for the ceremony. After the ceremony we had a large feast in the wedding hall. The meal was served on a banana leaf.
A well orchestrated staff quickly filled your banana leaf with dollops of a variety of traditional southern Indian vegetarian cuising – idlis with sambar (a pancake like bread with a soup-like lentil mixture), beans with coconut, mangos, lentils and more. The following day, the wedding ceremony began at 6am.
Anusha and Ajay gave us traditional saris for us to wear to the ceremony and we hired two ladies to help us get ready – thank goodness – there’s no way I could’ve figured it out on my own! The sari is 6 yards of fabric wrapped and tucked. Since we were new at this we were given safety pins to keep everything in place!
The ceremony begins with the tradition of the groom walking towards the Himalayas until the brides father begs him to stay and offers his daughters hand in marriage. After the groom accepts the offer the bride emerges in a beautiful sari. She is adorned with henna on her hand and feet, exquisite bangles on her wrists, and a jasmine necklace. Anusha was absolutely beautiful!
The multiple day ceremony was long and steeped with tradition! At the end of each day the family and friends met in the dining hall for a meal on banana leaves.
