Anniversary Week {Playa del Carmen}

If you are ever planning at trip to Mexico, please go to Playa del Carmen. My brother John sold us on the location for our honeymoon, and we seriously can't wait to get back there! It is on the Carribean side of Mexico and only a short ferry ride from Cozumel (where there is some of the best snorkeling/scuba diving in the world). We stayed at the best resort: Playacar Palace Resort. It was all inclusive, beautiful, and right on the beach. We got there in the afternoon on a Monday and stayed until the afternoon of the following Sunday.

 We always ate out on the patio by the pool. More often then not, our choice of dinner was tacos. So delicious. When we went to the other Palace resorts (like Moon Palace), they only had American food...like burgers and hot dogs. Who wants burgers and hot dogs when you're in Mexico?! Not us! Tacos and guacamole galore at our resort made us the happiest people.

Getting ready to hit the beach for the day. They had these awesome chaise lounges and waiters came constantly to ask if you needed anything. My response: "Why yes, yes I do....more guacamole and a nice cold drink!"

View from our window. Paradise. 

Our special anniversary dinner at the Italian restaurant.

Our server, Anthony, who ended up being super cool. 

One of the days, we took a trip to Tulum to see the Mayan ruins. It was really interesting! It was especially cool since "the world was going to end" that December. Our tour guide was Mayan, and he explained why people thought that...silly people.

I see a tropical storm a'brewin. 

More tacos and guacamole.

Another special dinner. 

 On one of our last days, we took a day trip to Cozumel. We just hopped on the ferry for a short 30 minute ride and spent the day on the island. We rented a jeep and got to go on a little adventure around the island, ending with some great snorkeling where we spotted a yellow eel!

Waiting for our ferry. 

The view of our resort as we made our way to Cozumel.

There are no rules in Mexico...so you can do crazy things like stand up and take photos of your husband while the car is moving...and no one cares. You're not even a rebel. 

 Even though Cozumel was great, we were super happy to get back to our little home at Playacar.

 On our last day, we took a nice long walk on the beach and soaked in all the last moments.

How handsome is my husband? Really,  now!

On our arrival home, Danny did the proper thing and carried me across the threshold! 

And just for kicks, a picture of us at our first dinner (as a married couple) ever in our house. Those plates on the wall our some of our favorite treasures from our little Mexican honeymoon!

I still can't believe a year has gone by! We are going to celebrate all weekend long, since our anniversary isn't actually until Sunday. We'll start tonight with a fancy dinner, head to a resort on Saturday, and finish with a nice, relaxing Sunday together! Here's to many, many more years as blissful as the first! 

One Year of Wedded Bliss {Party Time}

To say our reception was fun is a huge understatement! It was a blast! Even that doesn't begin to describe it. From the cocktail hour (which we caught the tail end of) all the way to the send-off, it was a serious party. The venue was amazing, the food was delicious, and the DJ was awesome. Most importantly, we were surrounded by and celebrating with those who we loved and who loved us! I am just going to let the pictures speak for themselves.

This frame hangs in our house now! I made it into a chalkboard sign. 

Some nice refreshing Pellegrino that doubled as a seating chart! 

Everyone raved about our appetizers, but unfortunately we didn't get to try most of them. This stuffed brie cheese was a hit though! 

We made our guest book out of our engagement photos using Shutterfly. And that wine-box in the background is full of delicious homemade truffles made by my college roommate, Maureen. She flew them (and herself!) all the way from Chicago!  

We spent many nights making those lace-covered tin cans. A nice cheap way to get some center pieces!

Our first dance to Matt Maher's "My Only Love" kicked off the dinner part of the reception.

                                  Our families just enjoying getting to know one another :)

The toasts were all amazing! We had two maids of honor, one best man, each of our dads gave a toast, and then Danny toasted his bride (that's me!) and the great families we came from!

And then it was onto cutting the cake! My good friend Morgan, whose blog you can peruse here, made our wedding cake. Unfortunately, I literally got one bite of the cake (the one Danny dropped into my mouth), but it was the best bite of cake I have ever eaten. The cake was definitely a hit!

I made all the sweet little details, bought the lace, and gave them all to Morgan to work her magic! 

The wonder-woman herself!  

We decided to skip the whole throwing cake in each other's faces thing.

We moved straight from the cake cutting into the father-daughter, mother-son dances. My dance with my dad was one of the most special moments of the night. We danced to Ella Fitzgerald's "Everytime We Say Goodbye." It was the best.song.ever. for my dad and me. He had me searching for some songs (since he isn't the most musical man) and I would have to pass them by him to determine whether the song was the song. And this one was! To say I was a little emotional probably doesn't do it justice, but we'll leave it at that. Danny and his mom danced to Beach Boys, "Nobody Knows" (that might not actually be the title). It totally suited them and their sweet relationship. I am lucky to be married to a man that loves and honors his mother!

See...a little emotional. 

And then...it was time to bust some serious moves. (Get ready for about 30 photos...sorry!)

Norah crowd surfing with the help of Uncle Matt. 

Based on Lisa's hand gesture and Maeve's summer obsession with this song, my guess is we are singing "Call me Maybe" 

Clearly, I was very into this. 

Two of my faves: Joe, my brother, and Valjean, a second mom. 

Please notice my brother Mike in the background! 

First time I threw the bouquet...it hit one of the wires from the lantern...and this was my reaction. Suuuper flattering and hilarious! 

And our sweet farewell...

The next morning, Danny and I decided to swing by the reception site before heading to my parents' house for a brunch. It was so weird to see it all cleaned up like nothing had ever happened. I am so glad we have all these photos to help us savor the sweet memories!