Honeymoon in Curacao...

We're back, trying to get in the swing of things now. After being gone for 11 days, it's pretty hard to do. (We ended up staying an extra day because when we got to the airport on Saturday, they were overbooked and they offered us $1000 American Airlines vouchers, free hotel, free meals, and free transportation to stay - yes please! So we'll be going on another trip sometime this year!! Lucky us!) Here are some photos of the trip - the other couple we're with are Derek and Megan - they're from San Francisco and spent just about the whole week with us. We had great adventures in town in Willemstad, etc.

Knip Beach

Cacti growing above the sea at Knip Beach





Wedding pics!

Here is a sneak peek! (Also on my photographer's blog, http://www.marybasnightblog.com/)



Hanging on the beach :)
Aisle and favors
My tablesHerman and Dusty pretended to be arrested outside the reception...

Honey-mooning!

Dusty and I leave tomorrow morning - at the crack of dawn - for our beautiful honeymoon in Curacao. For those of you who are not familiar, Curacao is one of the ABC Islands - Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao - these three islands are well-known for their amazing scuba diving.

We are staying at the Marriott Curacao - http://www.marriottcuracao.com/ - and have an all-inclusive package so we'll be laying on the beach, snorkeling, etc. all with a "free" drink in our hands. Yes, you should be jealous. We can't wait!

We'll be back Saturday, October 4 so we can rest up Sunday and get back to the grind on Monday, October 6. I will hopefully have all of my wedding photos by then.

Here are some images of Curacao:



And this is the adorable city of Willemstad - about a 5-minute drive from our resort.
Until October...
Mr. & Mrs. Sanders :)

Rehearsal Pictures

I have a few pictures from our rehearsal on Thursday; enjoy!

Dusty and I with Jay Bowman, our officiant
Me with my "shower" bouquet
My three flower girls: Emory, Georgia, and Bella
Waiting to rehearse
The kids going to play on the beach during the rest of the rehearsal
Bella walking with Alex (and Mac & Mary, our photographers, in the background)
Standing around on the deck
My mom and dad!
Goofy smile :)

Our Wedding!

Though I don't have pictures to post yet, I wanted to write about all the details - the good, the bad, and the hilarious - before I forget!

The week started out a little insane with the 11 of us (plus a dog) flying out of Nashville. It was a very hectic experience at the airport at 4:45 a.m. on Saturday morning. But, we made it safe and sound to Norfolk, Va. where we retrieved our rental cars for the weekend - and, as I predicted, we ended up having to rent a third vehicle. :)

Once in the Outer Banks, we hung out until we could check into our beach houses. It was typical beach weather - hot and sticky.   It was uber-hot for the first couple of days, and then mid-week it cooled down a bit - which was nice.

The first debacle I faced was having a little 24-hour stomach bug. Sunday afternoon I started feeling badly, and by that night I was sick as a dog. The next day I began feeling better, but it took a couple of days to get completely over it (apparently, my new brother-in-law John had had this "bug" the night before we left). A few days later, my maid of honor (and only bridesmaid) came down with the bug and was in bed sick for a couple of days). But, at least everyone got it out of their system before the wedding festivities began.

Other than being sick, the week was fantastic. We hung out in our pools and hot tubs, ate seafood, played cards, went to the beach, and my uncle Paul and his girlfriend Zoe even got engaged at Jockey's Ridge!

By Wednesday, I was so exhausted from not sleeping well because of my sickness and Amy's sickness and the 5 kids in the house waking me up at the crack of dawn, I decided to check in to The Sanderling that evening to get a good night's sleep. I had an amazing suite - it was two floors. The living room was downstairs and the bedroom was upstairs - like a loft. I also had a beachfront porch off the back of the room! I slept like a baby that night, waking up refreshed on Thursday for my hair consultation and manicure/pedicure at The Sanderling Spa at noon.

After finishing at the Spa, I met everyone for the rehearsal at The Sanderling at 3 p.m.. We had to walk through several times to get the kids ready for their duties the next day as flower girls and ring bearer, but everything went smoothly. That night, we had our beach side BBQ rehearsal dinner - so much fun! It was so great seeing several of my friends and catching up with them. I'm so glad we went the informal route for this - it was awesome.

After almost everyone had left for the evening - and I'd given Dusty a hug and kiss goodbye, since I wouldn't see him until the ceremony! - my healthy as a horse 85-year-old grandma passed out! It was so scary, and we're still not sure exactly what happened. She was talking to my parents' friend David, and started feeling dizzy. He caught her by her arms, and she came to almost immediately. I think it was a combination of things: she took a melatonin to go to sleep; she hadn't eaten much; she was dehydrated. She ended up being fine, but we made her eat and drink a lot of water the next day. But, thank goodness, she's fine now.

Later that night, Christin and Mike came back to my suite with me and helped me alphabetize the name cards, put them in holders, etc. They were my helpers the next day and waited for the florist in my room, placed the name cards, guest book, and parent's wedding albums in the pavilion for the reception. Thank you guys!!

As expected, the next day pretty much flew by - but, it was AMAZING. I wouldn't change a thing! All the ladies got their hair done, and my mom and I had our makeup done at the Spa. Afterwards, it was time to get dressed. My photographer came to my suite, and from there it was a blur of putting my dress on, getting the girls ready with their pails of rose petals, and taking lots of pictures!

Now, the ceremony. My dad did a wonderful job getting me down the aisle - without many tears! However, after he "gave me away," he turned and completely tripped over my dress. It was hilarious. The setup was beautiful - you'll see pictures later - but I did forget to mention - IT WAS WINDY THAT DAY! And I don't just mean a slight breeze that is typical of the beach, I'm talking WINDY. So windy, in fact, my veil flew right out of my hair during the ceremony! Yes, really. However, my "aunt" Zoe ran and got it before it disappeared. Also, my officiant, who was wonderful, really, did call me Elizabeth once during the ceremony. Speaking of my officiant, he is really relaxed and informal - one of the reasons I picked him - and does not wear shoes. Now, Alex - my nephew and ring bearer - has a major problem with bare feet. While he was coming down the aisle with his little rose petal stuffed pillow, he stopped and asked Jay, "What happened to your shoes?" Needless to say, my ceremony had several memorable moments.

Now, on to the reception. After the wedding party and family had taken a few pictures, we headed to the beautiful reception. I could not have been more pleased with the way the reception looked. It was absolutely flawless! (Again, you'll see pictures later!) After the cocktail hour and dinner, everyone began dancing their hearts out. Earlier, the girls had been sprinkling rose petals - which were probably a bit wet - on the dance floor, and my mom slipped and fell while she was dancing. She was fine and got right up. However, Nancy Kidder (a friend of my parents), was not so lucky. She was dancing and fell and landed on her wrist; the ambulance ended up having to come pick her up and take her to The Outer Banks Hospital. Turns out, she broke the radius in her arm/wrist and dislocated another bone in her arm. She is now in a cast, and we wish her the best and hope she has a speedy recovery.  We know it's no one's fault, but we feel awful that it happened at our wedding...but then again, how many people can say someone left in an ambulance from their wedding?

After we danced the night away and had an amazing time, we headed over to The Swan Bar at The Sanderling. They stayed open just for us, and we were even playing our own CD in the bar - thanks to Kurt. Several drinks later, a little after midnight, we all headed home - Dusty and I to our suite where he carried me over the threshold into our room. (Hehe, corny!)  We had a bottle of champagne, two pieces of our DELICIOUS wedding cake, and a fruit and cheese plate waiting for us. We ate our cake, and then slept like babies that night. We were exhausted!

Meanwhile, everyone found their way home - except our friends Steven and Lindsay. It's a long story, but let's just say Steven had to file a missing person's report on Lindsay to the police.  Yes, there is a missing person's report in the books in OBX.  Wow.  They called everyone that had been at the wedding, went to both our parent's beach houses, etc. interviewing them.  Again, long story, but everyone's fine now and accounted for!  :)

So, no one can say our wedding was uneventful, right? It was a crazy, fun, amazing week and weekend. Thank you to everyone that was there and for everyone's support - it would not have been the same without you! We love you all!

Don't worry, I'll be posting pictures as soon as I can!

Last Post as Miss Thews...

Well kids, I think this will be my last post as Miss Rebecca Randolph Thews. I will marry my best friend a week from tomorrow and become Mrs. Sanders! It's hard to believe the wedding is actually here...

I have really enjoyed keeping this wedding blog - and I will post wedding pics, etc. on here - don't worry! Thank you to my readers!

Hope to see you in Duck, N.C. - the weather is supposed to fabulous! If not, I'll see you when I see you!

Best,
Rebecca

OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH...

Wow...I leave in FOUR days for the OBX; and in TEN days, it will be my wedding day. Wow! I can't believe it. I'm feeling really good about everything, though. Everything is coming together beautifully - the only vendor I have not spoken with and figured everything out with is Club Violin - my ceremony music. But, I've decided I'm just going to tell them to play whatever they normally play - I'm not picky. As long as it sounds pretty, no one will even notice what piece of music they're playing.

I have to share this SUPER NICE letter from my WONDERFUL photographer - whom I can't wait to work with! She's even coming to the rehearsal on 9/18 to get a face with a name, etc. She's great! I shared my blog with her (and some OBX resources that I found helpful while planning my wedding, for she is working on a new magazine for OBX weddings - very exciting and the best of luck to her).

From Mary Basnight: (www.marybasnight.com)

Hi Rebecca.... I am totally in awe of everything you have emailed me today....I spent an hour on your blog and just had to click off and tell you....I'll go back for more later tonight. It is so fantastic for me to get to "see" your plans and your enthusiasm via the blog you created. For instance, your shoes....absolutely cannot wait to photograph them!!!! Your parent's albums being displayed at the reception is just a terrific spin bringing both sides together with meaning. My wedding last weekend had an incredible "ice breaking" moment at their ceremony rehearsal that I so wish I had been prepared for...I would've photographed it just so other's could appreciate how quickly the one thing they did, dropped all the walls of nervousness....so complete strangers felt comfortable to say hello...all before the big day! Your blog is just that....it's already made me comfortable and eager to attend. I'm so honored that you chose me as your photographer. Can't wait!!!! Ok....I know when we spoke, I mentioned getting some things together to email...well, let me get back with you in just a bit. I just HAD to email about your blog and other thoughts as soon as I possibly could.

Talk soon,
Mary Basnight

Isn't she sweet? She's going to be amazing!!

Bachelorette Weekend Photo Book

And here it is! I've completed my photo book from my bachelorette weekend - this is the first of my "digital scrapbooking" - ENJOY!

http://community.shutterfly.com/gallery/post/start.sfly?postId=/gallery/1/post/GMGDFg5bt2Llm2Ygq2W69G

Two weeks!

I'm baaaaccck!

So, the big day is TWO WEEKS from tomorrow - wow, does time fly by. I can't believe it's so close, and I'm actually going to be married that soon. I am so excited, and I know Dusty can't wait either - we have never been more in love and can't wait to be married!

Oh, Facebook...

Facebook.com - the bain of our existence these days! You can't live without it though - it's how you keep up with all of your friends - you know, the acceptable form of stalking.

Well, I just have to share Dusty's "status" on his Facebook page yesterday - he's so freakin' cute!

Dustin Sanders ... one month till my mom won't be the only Mrs. Sanders!

And I can't wait!!

August 19, 2008 - ONE MONTH!

Yes, it is one month until the big day! And my sweet, sweet fiance remembered - and sent me flowers! (I didn't even mention this to him this morning - I promise!)

Beautiful pink roses - which we'll have in the wedding :)
And here's the cute card - yes, they spelled until wrong...and I love how they spelled my last name!

Thank you so much, Dusty! That made my day. I love you, and can't wait to be your loving wife in ONE MONTH!!

I HEART PHOTO BOOKS!

One of my favorite Web sites is www.shutterfly.com. You can do so much on this site with your photos - order prints, make novelties, and make photo books (which are basically digital scrapbooks).

I have a blast making them, and it's so fun to get creative and be able to have all your photos in such a neat, cute book!

I have made one in lieu of a guest book for the wedding. For those of you who won't be there, you can look at it online - click on this link!

http://community.shutterfly.com/gallery/post/start.sfly?postId=/gallery/1/post/GMGDFg5bt2Llm2YjFblgPg

Party Pics

And here are some pictures of all the girls - in our drunken stupors. :) I promise, I haven't done this since college...or maybe ever! Enjoy!

Chase and I
The table at Shout!
Hmm...I was interested in something on the tub
Suzanne and I
Jenni and I
This is at The Opera - 40,000 sq. foot insane club...I was getting on some sort of contraption to dance!
Walking to the W
Amy and I
Trying to be sexy (and show off my fabulous shoes)!
Hmmm...again
Katherine and I before going out - notice the sober-ness
Sexy Little Bride!

The girlies!
Rebecca V, Suzanne, me, and Emily
The other view of the table at Shout
Amy and I again - didn't she do a beautiful job on the table?!
Nice - drinking water!

Our amazing suite - yes, that's the shower through the glass - there's no privacy!
Dining room in the suite
The rest of the suite - pretty sweet, huh? Haha...
I'm making a photo book of the weekend - I'll post a link to it once it's complete!