St. Valentine's Wedding Day

Being VERY excited, I woke up at about 5:00 a.m. wanting to see what kind of day Andy had ordered for the wedding... a GREAT one it turns out!

Stretching at Sunrise

Definitely NOT me!

The birds liked the sunrise too!

"Here comes the Sun..."

The Sandos Caracol Resort looks like it is ready for this VERY special day.

Spaniards

In my travels in Europe I have found Spaniards to be very fun loving people who will leap at any chance to sing and dance.  Exhibit "A" are these youngsters who are finishing an all-nighter at 6:30 a.m. in one of the Sandos Caracol's 24 hour bars.

Michael Contreras, a.k.a., "The Best Man"

Passionate about calcio/soccer he wanted to wear his Forza Catania kit to the wedding... cooler heads prevailed.

At breakfast, filling up one last time before the 11:00 a.m. wedding ceremony on the sands of the Caribbean Sea.

Jenn's sister, Amy on the left, with Andy and Jenn's close friend Rhonda who origiunally introduced them.

Rhonda's three daughters from shortest to tallest, Chloe, Sierra and Bailey.

The aisle of their open air wedding.

Hard to beat these three Queens!

Laurie in the front, with Koreen FitzGerald and Vanessa Perez, Mike's fiancee, on the right.

The sand and the water looked PERFECT just minutes before the start of the ceremony!

The weather was fabulous with temperatures at about 30 degrees Celsius which equates to 86 degrees Fahrenheit.  A gentle sea breeze made it quite comfortable.

Brothers Andy and Mike Contreras

Damn!  Maybe Mike should have gone with his calcio/soccer kit.

Jenn's Bouquet

HERE COMES THE BRIDE!

Jenn's father, Joe, escorting her down the aisle.

While most of us opted for casual footwear, Jenn decided to go formal.

The view from the Caribbean Sea side of the Wedding Arch.

The "I do's"

"Seal it with a kiss"

I have now officially earned a new title, "Father-in-Law"!

Mr. and Mrs. Andy and Jenn Contreras

Mike offering a very sweet Wedding Toast.

Cupid?

Well it WAS Valentine's Day after all!

They were just checking to be sure that the arrow scars were healing properly.

Meet the Parents

Joe and Susan Gross, Jenn and Andy Contreras, Laurie and George Contreras

The Wedding Party

The Matron-of-Honor was Jenn's sister Amy and Mike was the Best Man.

 

Two VERY proud, VERY happy and, at least on my part, VERY emotional parents!

The Contreras Clan plus Vanessa Perez whose application for membership is still being studied by Contreras family elders. 

Early reports are positive about her inclusion.  The final word should come down from on high sometime this August.

The FitzGeralds

Brian and Koreen are easily are best friends in the Western Hemisphere.  I can not begin to tell you how much it meant to Laurie and me to have them come down to the Playa del Carmen area of Quintana Roo, Mexico to share this very special moment.  THANKS!!!

Group Photo

Seen here are all of the family and friends who made the trip to Mexico. 

A Moment of Solitude

Table for 22 please.

The usually shy Chloe taking center stage.

Andy with his new niece, Sasha.

Cutting the Wedding Cake

Kind of a tiramasu filling and DELICIOUS!

They were nice to each other.

At night, the Wedding Aisle was turned into a tribute to Mt. Etna.

Bottom line...

This was TRULY a great day!  Laurie and I are both so very happy for Andy and Jenn.