Did I tell you that our daughter was married last week? This momentuous event took place at the end of an “L” shaped dock, decorated with palm fronds and conch shells. The dock jutted out into the waters of a Caribbean Bay island off the northern coast of Honduras.

It was only the 2nd wedding in that location.

In many ways, it was a traditional wedding, with solemn vows spoken (amidst wide smiles), presided over by her brother, Conor. Her father walked her down the “aisle”, and nicely dressed guests were in attendance. The atmosphere was heavenly with warmth, and soft winds (and no insects).

An instrumental duo (violinist and guitarist) played Sade’s “By Your Side”. The inspiration for this choice was something Leigh discovered online, and had listened to “about a thousand times”, dreaming of it for her wedding. Her inspiration is a string quartet cover by Cattus Quartet, well worth a listen to. It will uplift your day!

No one had a cell phone up to their face to take pictures, (by strict proclamation from the bride) letting the professional photographer do his job. She wanted all of us to be in the moment, right there.

This outdoor wedding took place at 4:30 PM, as the sun was making its hazy descent over the mountainous opposite shore.

Leigh wore a hand crocheted, ecru lace, 2 piece ensemble, with an off the shoulder top and a long skirt. She and I both remarked that if we could have designed and made this wedding dress ourselves, it would be like this. The skirt snagged a couple of times on the nails of the wooden dock “aisle”. Her dad gently kept her going forward as the nails tried to pull her back.

I had packed a small sewing kit just in case a repair was needed.

An engagement of three years preceded this wedding. Emotions were high. Tears gave way from their hiding place as the sensitive, tender hearted groom, Brandon, saw Leigh approach. His weren’t the only ones.

Afterwards, in celebration, watermelon mimosas were distributed and enjoyed before the party moved on to a dinner table set up on the small beach, with strings of lights to amplify the setting. We could not have been happier!

A few more details:

Both Leigh and Brandon have a fondness for Legos, so the cake topper was their original creation. It included their pets (Leigh’s cat, Frost, and Brandon’s bird, Kiwi), plus a ring and a scuba tank on the groom.

About 20 of us were truly on an island, on which there is a resort, Clark’s Cay. To get there, from Roatan, Honduras, required a two hour ferry and a twenty minute boat ride.

The island is small, about 4 acres, and undeveloped in parts which were fun to explore. We especially enjoyed walking around its perimeter, where you could sit awhile on these stone steps.

The Barrier Reef waters surrounding it are shallow, perfect for seeing marine life, from a puffy yellow starfish to small sharks, (about 3 feet long), to a baby octopus. The Roatan Barrier Reef, part of the MesoAmerican Barrier Reef, is the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world (after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef). Located in the Caribbean Sea, it runs along the coasts of Belize, Honduras, Guatamala and Mexico.

What an education!

The land interior was just as fascinating. We were startled when a large iguana hopped out of a tree in front of us, or a coconut fell. Once, I had orange pollen all over my face, unknowingly, because I bent down to smell a tropical flower, a spider lily, I think it was.

Honduras was chosen because Leigh’s new hubby is a scuba diver and they had visited the area before. They both appreciate its pristine waters.

On this trip, Leigh snorkled and looked eye to eye with a parrotfish, who seemed to smile at her she said.

We have more than memories from this occasion. We have a new appreciation of things, people and places we knew nothing about before. Leigh gifted each of us, and the resort, with a book meaningful to her, GIFT FROM THE SEA, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. A passage from it was highlighted, and beautifully read at the wedding by her friend, Tien.

A few more of our personal photos:

People were invited to this intimate wedding by a handmade invitation that I had a lot of fun working on with Leigh and Brandon, a year ago. It was inspired by the Wonderword puzzles, that used to be in The Omaha World Herald. Now, I find them online.

This post was written especially for family and friends who were not there, and is a record of what I experienced, because of Leigh and Brandon’s plans. There are more photos, of the dives, for instance, that I did not include, and of the wedding that I left out, for brevity.

Hope you’re spending your day doing what you enjoy!

Shirley