My Best Friend's Wedding in Punta Cana (Part III) and last part.

Hi Loves,

Happy Tuesday! Today I want to share the last post on this wedding series.

Check out Part I and Part II if you missed them.

I did mention in my first post that I had tons of photos and I may have to split this up. Well, that's exactly what happened. This will be a great way for me to "record" the memories of that special vacation and have something to look back to years from now.

And here we go...

Pre-wedding photos (on our way to the ceremony):

Funny story (funny now): So, we forgot our invitation (with very detailed instructions) in our room (yes, all 3 of us did). And so, we walked around the resort for nearly 40 minutes trying to find the location of the actual wedding. Thankfully one of the workers of the resort knew where the wedding was but for some reason she made us walk the entire resort (in our heels!). It was crazy. What was even crazier is that once we finally made it, we thought we were in the wrong wedding. All I could do was laugh hysterically until we finally saw the groom for a distance and let out a sigh of relieve. 

The set up:

Maid of honor, groom, and best man:

The bride and her mom (who walked her down the aisle <3):

She said yes! - actually, she said "all right" when the priest asked whether she would "marry this man". Gotta love her:

Some post-wedding photos:

Anesia and I:

This was set up at the entrance of the reception:

Cake!! (so delicious):

Gorgeous arrangement:

Bride & Groom first dance:

Food time (my favorite time):

Delicious Avocado-shrimp salad:

Tortilla soup:

Dessert (this was one good pie. And yes, I still ate some birthday cake shortly thereafter):

Cake cutting time:

Some of the girls:

Picture with the love birds:

So, after the wedding some of us decided to go hit the dance floor at the resort's club. The bride and groom were supposed to join us but I am sure they had better things to do :)-

And that's all folks! Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed this 3 part series of my best friend's wedding. Until next time!

Love,

Mabelle

My Best Friend's Wedding in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (Part I)

disclaimer to my best friends: God blessed me with more than one best friend so if you are not Lejla, just know that you are loved just as much. You know who you all are. ;)

So I finally got some of the pictures from the trip in to my computer. Please pardon this delay as I am still sorting through a bunch. I have the feeling I may have to split this experience in to a few blog posts.

What happened to the days when all we had was either our disposable cameras or regular cameras and as soon as the film finished that was it?! Being able to take a gazillion photos (literally) can be a blessing and a curse but we live in such incredible times that I'll take it as a blessing </vent over>.

Anyways, with that said, I'll leave you with some beach photos to start with. These pictures were taken the day prior to the wedding. A day when I made desperate attempts to get a tan (i.e.: walked around the beach, sat under the sun for hours, and the list goes on). Lets just say the attempts resulted in me getting extremely red and then my body proceeded to peel from head to toe for several days thereafter. So I pretty much went from redness to peeling (mission accomplished).

Resort where we stayed at the first night (it was okay. The second one definitely took the cake though):



One of my roommates during the trip (Aneisia) such an amazing girl. Loved making new friends:

Tried to control myself as much as I could as am not a big drinker. However, definitely took advantage of the all inclusive food and drinks. Including this deliciousness:

Quality time chatting it up:

Was able to enjoy this gorgeous sky for about 4 days:

Happy Feet in the Caribbean sand:

The bride also enjoying some quality time and a delicious coconut drink:

Had to take some "spontaneous" pictures by the beach:

...And pretend that this photo was taken without my consent:

Sometimes, thanks to a gorgeous sunny day, all you could see was my silhouette in certain photos- but that's okay.

A few more by the beach:

A picture of some of us girls on our way to the rehearsal dinner:

...to be continued.

And that is all for today. I'll bring you part II and maybe even Part II in the next few days as time permits.

Tell me, when was the last time you enjoyed a nice vacation by the beach?

Thanks for reading!

Love,
Mabelle

Fortunate Fridays {Short and Sweet Recap edition}

Hello my loves,

I am back from the Dominican Republic! My flight got in at around 7:00 pm last night. I had the most phenomenal vacation I've had in such a long time. I forgot how amazing all inclusive resorts are. Specially when you are surrounded with good friends and people that enjoy having a good time. The hotel was truly beautiful and I cannot wait to give you all a recap of everything.

I wanted to submit this short and sweet post since I am back but I'll provide you guys with a more elaborate post regarding my vacation and my friend's wedding probably by this weekend. So, please stay tuned for that.

Without further 'ado, here is what I feel fortunate for this week:

1. The amazing Delta employee in the re-booking kiosk whom helped me out and was able to get me in to the plane I almost missed: lets just say that thanks to a crazy accident on my way to JFK I almost missed my flight on my way to DR. Thankfully, things worked out and so thankful for my dad whom took the time out of his day to drive me to the airport.

2. A smooth flight going to DR and back: As much as I love traveling, I am always scared of planes but all I do is pray and let go of any fears. Thank God the flights were great aside from very minimal turbelance.

3. Meeting new people and hitting it off right away: For the wedding I stayed with two ladies I didn't know very well (friends with the girl whom was getting married). However, we hung out like we've known each other for years and got along incredibly well. I can honestly say I made some cool new friends.

4. Being able to enjoy delicious foods and drinks for 4 full days: not one dollar came out of my pocket.

5. Seeing one of my best friends get married to the love of her life: that was truly priceless and a blessing to be there to witness it all.

This past week was so great that I could probably go on and on with this list but I'll stop right here. Also, I don't want to give everything away just yet :). Anyways, now I am back to reality but truly refreshed and energized. I have tons of work to do but I am not complaining one bit. Looking forward to it. That's what happens when you have a nice break.

How was your week? What is one thing that happened you feel grateful for?

Love,
Mabelle

My Friend's Destination Wedding (pre-wedding post)

Hello my dear friends,

Good morning! And happy Monday. I am actually publishing this post from the airport as I am on my way to my best friend's destination wedding in the Dominican Republic.

Lejla and I met in 2001 when we got hired for the same exact company after we graduated college.

Us in 2008 during a trip to the Bahamas with a group of friends.

Although our lives and careers eventually took separate paths, we remain extremely good friends with an incredible bond. We live miles and miles away from each other but we've been lucky enough to see each other once a year during the past few years (trust me, that's a lot considering the distance).

Selfie during an outing when I went to visit her in Albany years ago!

However, regardless of the distance and the lack of ongoing communication, I still consider her one of my best friends and I know she feels exactly the same.

During a visit to her gorgeous lake house in Syracuse, NY last summer. 

During our 'single days' we did so much stuff together from visiting each other's apartments (in completely different cities) and spending weekends with each other wherever we lived at the time, to going shopping, to trips to New Orleans, The Bahamas, Miami, and the list goes on. We've experienced so much together and I am just glad our bond simply gets stronger over the years.

I am so happy that she found love in a person whom I see as her perfect partner. Dave is a wonderful guy who I know makes her very happy and I am so excited to be present as they unite their lives forever.

With that said, I will be away from the blog for the next 3 days as I plan to take a bit of a break from blogging to fully enjoy the trip and all the activities that are planned for the guest. Plus, not sure how good free the internet connection will be from the resort :)......I cant wait to tell you all about it upon my return.

Have a wonderful week.

Tell me, have you ever attended a destination wedding? where? how was it?

Love,
Mabel