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| A Wedding to Remember | |
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8/03/08 - San Diego, CA We travel to San Diego to attend friends Deanna & Ryan's wedding and for a little summer-time R&R |
(Shutterfly photo album - Deanna & Ryan's Wedding!) |
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After feverishly putting some
finishing touches on our Master Suite Remodel and preparing for
our big trip to Nigeria (for wedding #2), at the end of July we
hit the road in our trusty van, the Golden Gancho, San
Diego-bound. Our remodel proved to be a bigger and more
time-consuming job than originally anticipated and we spent the
better part of the summer working on it. We needed a
vacation...baaaad. So we left a few days early to enjoy
some sand and surf, before attending Deanna & Ryan's wedding on
August 2nd. We splurged on a room at the swanky Ivy Hotel,
where the wedding was taking place for 3 nights (Scott found an
irresistible 24-hour internet sale on our room), but decided to
save a little cash for the first two nights and ended up at the
funky Lafayette Hotel, which we booked through Hotwire.
Well, it was clearly quite a grand place...a long, long time
ago. A little run-down these days and in a slightly
unsavory neighborhood, it still had a sort of old-movie-star
glamour and charm about it, if you could ignore its desperate
need for a remodel. The hotel had a lovely (newly
remodeled) lobby and a very pleasant pool-side bar and we
managed to enjoy it for what it was, while appreciating all the
money we were saving, as funds are a little low these days. We spent the first few days of our trip shopping at Ikea (in order to finish the new laundry room), taking leisurely walks on various beaches, and eating good food for cheap at the more dive-y eateries in town. The prize for best food definitely goes to Ancira Tamales in Chula Vista. They were (almost) just like the ones we used to get in San Miguel down in Mexico and unlike any we've been able to find here in New Mexico. Sooooo delicious, we wanted to ship some home! We took them to go and ate them at a picnic table at the local beach, overlooking the Pacific...aaahhh, it doesn't get much better than that! We had another notable meal, later in the week, at the Gaslamp Quarter restaurant, Ostera, where we took advantage of the happy hour specials of lobster tacos, mini-sliders and raw oysters on the half shell. Once again, we were in (cheapskate) heaven! On Thursday, we checked into the super-swanky Ivy Hotel, where they greeted us by name as soon as we walked into the Lobby (conveyed by the valet who whisked the Ganch away to an undisclosed valet-only parking location for a mere $30/day) and immediately took us to our room, no check-in procedures necessary. Our hostess took us on a little tour of the property, including the gift shop, and upon depositing us in our room, alerted the butler that we would like our complimentary glasses of champagne, which we enjoyed while lounging on our comfy bed. On Friday afternoon, we decided to check out the rooftop pool and bar at the hotel. When we got there, the intimate pool area was a-buzz with youthful, partying sun-seekers in tiny swimsuits. Caroline wanted to hide! Upon taking it all in, we spied Ryan, the groom, enjoying some pre-rehearsal drinks with members of the wedding party in a luxurious, private pool-side cabana, that was part of one of his groomsman's suite! We stopped by to say hello and meet some of the wedding party before heading back to our room in preparation for our evening. Finally, it was late Saturday afternoon and time to make our way up to the rooftop deck, where the wedding ceremony was being held. The rooftop offered an elegant, airy venue of urban sophistication, with a beautiful panoramic view of San Diego's skyscrapers. No detail went untouched and it was a scene worthy of a hipper, urban Martha Stewart. The bride, Deanna, was a vision in a gorgeous, elegant, creamy satin, strapless, empire-waist, fitted gown, glowing with joy and anticipation as she was escorted down the aisle by her obviously proud father, Ric. After a brief, yet lovely and touching ceremony, the guests were directed downstairs for cocktails and passed hors d'oeuvres before dinner was served in the beautifully decorated ballroom. The meal, a scrumptious caprese salad followed by a divine surf and turf entree, was amazing and the drinks were free-flowing. The toasts were entertaining and heartfelt. The dance floor was always crowded and everyone seemed to be enjoying the evening to the fullest. We were seated at a table with the bride's father and stepmother, Carol, who live in Albuquerque, and Carol's mother, father, sister and brother-in-law, all of whom we know, as Carol is from the Detroit area and is Scott's Mom's best childhood friend. It was really wonderfully to have an opportunity to catch up with all of them. Once again, no detail was left unattended and it was a truly elegant affair - definitely a wedding to remember! After the reception ended, the party moved upstairs to the rooftop bar and private cabana, where Scott and Caroline proceeded to have one or two additional drinks too many. In the morning we awoke with massive hangovers, only to have to pack up and make the 12-hour drive back to Albuquerque to get ready for our Tuesday morning flight to Nigeria...ouch!
Scott takes Carol's Mom, Ginny for a spin around the dance floor
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Sandy, Ginny & Caroline enjoy the pre-ceremony surroundings
The Ceremony
Sandy, Carol's sister, admires the beautiful table settings in the Ivy Hotel
ballroom
Father-daughter dance |
