Wedding day!
Thirteen of us went snorkeling this morning to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley. The sun was blazing and the snorkeling was tons of fun. On the first area we saw a Green Moray Eel that didn't want to come out of the coral. It finally did and Andy and I were right above it. I've never seen an eel so pissed off as this one because Andy was in his face taking pics. Usually they just swim away, but this one came right at us. Andy and I both had to back up thinking he might attack.
There were lots of Nurse Sharks and other cool fish. There was a short tunnel our guide showed us. Andy and Laura did it with no problem. I attempted but didn't clear my ears in time so I came up and decided not to give it another try. I'm not that good at holding my breath. The next dive at Shark Ray Alley they chummed the waters so tons of fish and Nurse Sharks came to our boat. We jumped in and they didn't pay much attention to us. Our guides grabbed some sharks and Sting Rays so we could hold or pet them. The Nurse Shark felt like sandpaper and the ray was sikly smooth. I didn't want to hold them because I felt bad. It was amazing being so close to them- some were really big.
For the last dive we went to a different location looking for turtles. There were even larger rays and a huge Puffer fish. Some of the rays didn't have tails and some didn't have their stingers. It was so amazing getting so close to these large animals and they didn't mind at all. Andy took an awesome pic of me swiming near a Sea Turtle. Overall the snorkeling experience was almost more amazing than diving because of all the animals we saw.
Back at the house and we headed out for lunch. We order some fried pickles (amazing!) and quesedillas, and of course margaritas. This restaurant was near all the fancy houses so of course it wasn't cheap. Back at the house to get ready and help Renee and Trish out with anything they needed. Nay was a lot more calm today which surprised me and the Xanax I brought for emergencies. Nay got her hair did and did her own makeup. She looked amazing. Later that night Nina said Nay should submit some of her wedding pics to Vera Wang- and she should- she was stunning. Her dress was amazing, not what you'd expect at a beach wedding, not that it mattered. I steamed some ties and dresses then headed down for the ceremony.
It started only 40 min later than expected. I was one of the last to sit and Andy was no where in sight. I figured he either ran away, passed out somewhere, someone kidnapped him, or he hit his head when he was taking a shower. Finally, min before the ceremony started he pulled up in the ground's keeper's gold cart. I wasn't happy, then he told me he went to get ice. I should have figured he was trying to help. It wasn't like him to miss something like this.
Tom was standing at the arch for a while, sweating in the heat and anticipation. It was a beautiful day and the sun was starting to go down, not fast enough for Tom though. Finally Renee came out with her dad walking her down the aisle with a steel drum duo playing. They said their vowels that they wrote for each other earlier that day. How can they wait for the last min? Tom didn't even know he had to write them, he though they would say the same thing. Their vows were beautiful and we moved on to the evening festivities.
The DJ played from their playlist (initially) and we drank and chatted while they took their pics. Dinner was amazing- lobster tail, chicken, red meat, salad, and delish cake. We were stuffed, it was so good and I don't even like meat that much. The DJ asked whoever wanted to say a speech to come up. No one did so I took a drink and was the first to go up. I said "I love you guys" 5 times apparently but it was impromptu so there you go. Then Devon went up, Mike (Tom's bro and best man), then Tom and Renee. Renee's dad's toast was the best. He pretty much went through her resume, didn't mention Tom at all, and at the end of the 10 min toast said something like, she's doing well and keeps making more and more money. At this point Renee walk away in embarassment and Nina and I laughed our asses off. We'll never forget that speech I know that. We danced to the band for a while- we had such a good time.
The wedding was beautiful and the two rain storms we had made it even better. They were quick like Belize showers are. It sprinkles at first, then get out of the way because there's going to be a down pour. They are very fast but furioius. The moon shined in the evening and made a beautiful picture. The newlyweds left on a boat for their night out and the band stopped playing. Andy and I biked home and it was refreshing, passing out from another long day.