Archive for the 'Engagement/Wedding' Category

On the fourth day of our honeymoon and our last full day in Trancoso, we decided to cut our beach time short in order to get up close and personal with the surrounding vibrant tropical flora.  Which of the following photos is your favorite?  I am partial to the pink orchids.

In the evening, we finally ventured out from Villas de Trancoso and into the colonial heart of the village of Trancoso.  It is set on a bluff overlooking the ocean and clustered around the main square, which is known as the Quadrado.  The Quadrado is lined with colorful, rustic cottages that are presided over by the town’s church.

We strolled hand in hand along the cobblestone streets until we came upon another pousada’s restaurant with a chic decor that beckoned us inside.  Unfortunately, the name escapes me now, which is a shame, as our meal was quite memorable.

After dinner we wandered around looking for the perfect bar for post-dinner caipirinhas.  In the distance, we heard some samba music and followed the beats until we found where the band was playing.  Lucas and I scored a table in front and I am not sure what was more intoxicating the music or the drinks?

It was one of those nights that I wish could have lasted forever and quite possibly was the best night of the honeymoon.

To see the accompanying post click here.

On the third day of our honeymoon, we awoke already knowing what the day had in store for us.  When we had arrived to the beach the previous day, we had turned left, now it was time to explore the unknown of the right.  Have I mentioned how undeniably gorgeous the Bahia coast is?

There were photographic opportunities no matter where we looked!

My favorite discovery of the day was a pink abondoned boat that was floating in a tucked away marsh.  Why do you think someone would leave behind something so special?  If she were mine I would give her a fresh coat of paint and name her “Borboleta,” which means butterfly in Portuguese and we would sail around Brasil together.

As Lucas and I continued to go in the direction that the Brasilian wind was blowing us, we had a surreal moment; we were finally together — and now forever — after 6 years of being over 5,000 miles apart.  My wedding vows were to never take our precious time together for granted and that is exactly what we were both doing; we were treasuring every single second of our honeymoon.  I had no doubt that we were creating unforgettable memories that we would hold close to our hearts for years to come.

Along the way we stopped to watch some men practicing capoeira.  It is a mesmerizing sport mixed with music, dancing, and fighting.

We also spotted a couple basking in the glorious sun together.

And the first sand dollar that was fully intact.

Oh, and how could I forget the world’s most cutest dog!  My husband had to restrain me from sticking him in our luggage.

Once we finished our walk, I returned to Villas de Trancoso for a late-afternoon cocktail, while Lucas joined some locals for a friendly game of beach soccer.

We rejoined, however, to watch the glorious sunset.

Brasil, my love, you never cease to amaze me with your exquisite beauty.

 To see the accompanying post click here.

We awoke with an abundance of excitement, as we could not wait to see what Villas de Trancoso looked like in the light of day.

However, before we could explore, our stomachs needed some nourishment.  The breakfast offered at the pousada was without a doubt the best breakfast I have ever had in all of my travels.

Lucas and I were the only guests in the entire place, yet they still fed us as though it were high season.  We heard the gossip that Bill and Melinda Gates had just left several days before our arrival.  I am firm believer in traveling to places during the low season (weather permitting).  Not only is it less expensive, but you will most likely have the luxury of solitude.

After breakfast it was time to finally see the infamous Bahia beach, which was the reason why we were there.  But first we had to cross over a bridge that made us feel as though we were walking into a secret world.

And when we saw the view and that there was not a soul on the endless beach, it felt even more like a secret world!  We could go left or we could go right.  The left won and we set off on a photographic treasure hunt.

After several miles, we decided to return to our pousada for lunch and have a snuggle in one of the hammock’s.

We were then surprised by bottle of Veuve Clicquot from some of our friends as a wedding present.  Champagne on the beach with my sexy husband in Brasil is my idea of heaven.

Just as we were finishing our bubbly, our pizza arrived.  I have talked about this pizza before in other posts and I will probably continue to talk about it in future posts.  We were never privy to the ingredients, thus I cannot necessarily explain why it was so life-changingly good, but we ordered it for lunch for the following 4 days.

The next couple of hours were spent sunbathing and before we knew it it was time for yet another meal.  On this night we would be dining underneath the stars next to the pool which was illuminated by both moonlight and candles.

Lucas ordered a cheeseburger and french fries, while I ordered a seafood risotto.  Again, we were dazzled by the deliciousness.

Unfortunately, we did not have room for dessert, but our day was definitely sweet enough already without it!

 To see the accompanying post click here.

Finally, almost a year later, I am blogging about my Brasilian honeymoon.  My intention was to immediately share the intimate details of the most romantic trip of my life to date, however soon after I returned there was a surprise trip to Buenos Aires, a press trip to the Dominican Republic, my second wedding, a few Southern getaways with my husband, another press trip to France and Italy, and my first New Year’s Eve with my husband in Chicago.  In a way, I am delighted that I have the had the extended time to truly reflect on our two weeks together throughout our favorite country in the world, as it is incredibly important to me that I am succinct in expressing how deeply this place touches both of our souls.  Please note that at the end of every post is an “accompanying link.”  These links are to the mini-posts that I blogged in real time on the honeymoon.

I suppose I should have known that since I am travel writer and photographer that the number one question people would ask me as soon as I confided that I was engaged to be married would be, “Where are you going for your honeymoon?”  In all honesty, I was so focused on the wedding, that I had put zero thought into the honeymoon destination.  However, I quickly began to feel pressure that I had to chose the most unique and exotic place on earth.  My then-fiance Lucas and I talked about where we should go for months and nothing felt quite right.  In the end, we decided to  listen to what our hearts were telling us: return to Brasil.  It is the country where we got engaged and where we hope to live one day — the most perfect place for our honeymoon.  We decided that on this special trip though we would visit all new cities: Trancoso, Picinguaba, and Fernando de Noronha (with some in transit stops to Rio de Janeiro).

Our first day of the honeymoon was spent either in an airport or on an airplane.  We were unable to get a direct flight from Buenos Aires, which is where we had our wedding, to Puerto Seguro, the gateway for Trancoso.  Thus, it took us 3 flights and an hour’s car ride to reach our final destination.  We were unfazed though, as we were floating on a cloud of newlywed bliss.  It also helped that everywhere we looked were Britto works of art (one my favorite artist’s and designer of this jesetter’s luggage).

And, of course, the aerial views were not bad either.

We would be staying at the luxurious Villas de Trancoso in the village of Trancoso for 5 nights.  Because it was pitch black by the time we arrived, we would have to explore the grounds in the morning.

How lovely is it to be greeted with such a welcoming sign, flowers, and chocolate after 24 hours of traveling?

In my wildest fantasies I could not have dreamed of a more perfect bed for our honeymoon.

While we would have been more than happy to crawl into it and not emerge until daylight, we were starving and our first night in Brasil needed to be celebrated with some caipirinhas.

We both ordered the local catch of the day with buttered mash potatoes, which perfectly complimented our drinks.

For dessert we had a petit gateau with vanilla ice cream that was so delicious we almost did not want to share it with each other.

After dinner, we decided to take a leisurely stroll underneath the moonlight.  We both could not believe the sensational meal we had just consumed and were eager to try more things on the menu.

As we made our way back to the villa, we could hear Trancoso’s tropical soundtrack of the gently swaying palm trees in the night breeze with the ocean waves crashing in the distance playing.  It was nature’s version of samba and it was confirmation that we had indeed picked the right place for our honeymoon.

To see the accompanying post click here.

Thankfully, I had had about 15 glasses of champagne at this point in the wedding, because as you can see from my expression in the following photo, I was more than a bit nervous when Julie announced that it was time for the garter toss.

Being the extraordinary wedding planner/Matron of Honor that she was, Julie quickly filled up my champagne glass before forcing me to sit in a chair in the middle of the dance floor and showing more skin than I was comfortable revealing (especially in front of my Dad).

Most of the men at our wedding were not single and the ones that were definitely had had their fair share of alcohol (ie: my brother).

Which is why he did not think twice before he jumped for the garter.

How priceless is his face when he realized what he had just caught?

Then it was time for the bouquet toss.  I love how competitive women get during this moment and my wedding was no exception.

In Argentina, most weddings do not end until sunrise, so even though it was pushing 2AM the music started up again.

It is nearly impossible to find the right words upon which to end this post.  Thus, I think I will simply say: fairytales do come true.

End note: My wedding posts have sadly come to an end.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your love-filled comments over the last 17 posts — they will remain in my thoughts forever.  I cannot even begin to describe how much joy I had reliving this special day in my life and I hope in the future to show these posts to my children.  I will be taking a short break over the coming weeks from this series to blog about “Romantic Southern Getaways,” and once I have finished I will return to this series to finish blogging about our 2 week honeymoon throughout Brasil.

Make sure to keep yours eyes open for cheap business cards online, because there are definitely deals to be found.

Everyone knows that the best part of a wedding (well, in most cases) is the cake.  And ours definitely did not disappoint!  Faena Hotel + Universe baked us the most spectacular cake ever: a double layered dulce de leche and milk chocolate torta with white chocolate icing on the sides.

I begged Lucas to eschew the tradition of shoving the first bite of cake into each others faces and thankfully he obliged.  While we were feeding each other, my friend, Apphia, whom had flown all the way from China, sang “Unforgettable”  to us on a whim.  It was absolutely breathtaking!

Once she was finished, the band began to play again.  They played a mix of popular jazz and bossa nova songs.

Of course, everyone loved the slow music, but the party did not officially begin until the dance music started.  The star of the show was definitely Lucas’ Dad.  I guess I know where my husband got his smooth moves from?

I must have been inspired by his Dad in the following photo?

I refused to have any cheesy songs played during the reception, such as “YMCA,” however I did not protest when the conga line was started to a Black Eyed Peas song.

I then paused for a quick champagne break, as I knew I would need some liquid courage for what was coming up next, while Lucas took my Mom for a spin on the dance floor.

What is your favorite photo?

Then it was time for the Father-Daughter dance.  Thankfully, I was not nervous about dancing with my Dad, like I was dancing with Lucas, as my Dad and I have been dancing together since I had learned how to walk.  He introduced me to all of the jazz greats, our favorite being Frank Sinatra, thus there was no other artist I would even consider dancing to other than Ol’ Blue Eyes.  Together, we chose the song, “The Way You Look Tonight.”

Oh, how I never wanted the song to end!  I think my Dad felt the same way?

When you have three brothers and you are the only girl in the family, you are destined to be “Daddy’s little girl.”  And even though I am now married — that does not change a thing — I will forever be his princess.

About halfway through the song, I felt a tap on my shoulder.  Alex, my brother/Man of Honor, had cut in and asked my Dad’s permission to finish dancing the song with me.

No one in this world makes me laugh harder or fills my heart with more joy than my baby brother.

After the song finished, it was time for one of the highlight’s of the evening: my dear friend, Nathan Leigh Jones, performed his song, “Beautiful You.”  If you do not know the endearing story behind our friendship, you can read it here.

I am certain that you can tell from the expression on my face in the following picture just how deeply I was moved by his performance.  It is not only my favorite song of his, but the fact that he flew all the way from Australia to Argentina to sing it on my wedding day is something I will never forget!

After the song I could not resist running over to Nathan and giving him a gigantic hug of gratitude.

Once I returned to my seat, Lucas came over to me to let me know that it was time for everyone’s favorite part of the night. . .

 Even though I love Buenos Aires, New York City will forever be my favorite city in the world.  Even though it is quite expensive, affordable New York accommodation can be found.

When Lucas and I walked into the ballroom where our reception was being held both of our hearts skipped a beat.  The room had been transformed, with the help of Julie and Faena Hotel + Universe, into an absolute masterpiece before our eyes!

We immediately went to the dance floor for our first dance, which was to the song Besame Mucho.  I was incredibly nervous, as we had not had the opportunity to practice even once.  However, I should have known there was no reason to be nervous, because Lucas is Latin and we all know that Latins are born with the innate ability to shake their hips.

Once our dance was over, we returned to our seats for dinner. . .and for some more kisses!  Besame mucho, remember?

A while later, my Dad (with my brother as his Spanish translator) gave the father of the bride speech.  It is quite long, but I have decided to share it regardless, as it is deeply touching — both endearing and funny at the same time — just take a look at the expressions captured on everyone’s faces as he delivered it:

My name is Rafael Francisco Josephe Perullo, the father of Andrea Maria.  I would like to start by thanking all of the guests for sharing this day with Andrea and Lucas, especially those that have traveled great distances to attend.

One of my concerns before coming to Argentina was trying to remember names.  I quickly realized that with the women, Italians and Argentinians have a very common trait: most women have a Maria in their name.  Andi, my wife, my mother in law, my niece, my sister, Lucas’ mother, and I am confident that a number of other family members have it included in their name as well.  So, if I forget a woman’s name, I will just use Maria and there is a good chance I will be right!

The more I thought about today, the more of Andi’s life came flashing into my head, and the reality that she has grown up and is now taking the biggest step of her life hits me.  These two, Andi and Alex, are my daughter and son, but where in the world did the little children vanish to?

To say that Andi has led an interesting and amazing life at such an early age, and led it to the fullest, is an understatement.  My wife, Margit, and I should have seen it coming when she was a child.  Margit probably saw it, while I was a father and totally missed it.

I could spend hours telling “Andi stories”.  Although, I will not, since Andi compares my talking to that of Fidel Castro, since I can just go on forever.  However, I encourage each of you to ask her questions throughout the celebration.  I can promise there are great stories behind each of them.

Here are some of my favorite moments:

• At 12, Andi believed she was a very good swimmer.  She went to a swim club that a neighbor and friend of Andi’s, Kristen, who is here today, belonged to in order to be evaluated.  She was placed at the lowest possible entry level and stormed out of the swim club furious and in tears.  She was determined to show them.  A year later, at 13 and not yet in high school, she won the State 50 meter freestyle championship defeating 17 year olds.  She did not lose a race the next 2 years.
• Andi walked miles from the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island into Nassau, the Bahamas when she was 14 to get a tattoo of a daisy on her ankle.  She hid it the entire vacation and told her mother and I while on the plane returning home.
• Andi called me from Bolivia to inform me that she had broken her ankle the day before in Peru.
• Andi called me from Mexico asking me to help her leave the country, as she had sneaked into Cuba, and her flight back to Mexico had been delayed, thus she missed her connecting flight back to the States.  I told her that she had been in Cuba illegally, and that I was not a diplomat nor in the State Department, so there was nothing I could do.  She figured out a way to get home.  She always did.  With all of her travels around the world, every time I see a movie about the CIA, I am convinced that my daughter is a member of the organization
• When she entered college, I told her to enjoy the experience and take her time.  She double majored and finished in 3 years
• Andi called me from Spain to let me know that she had everything stolen and could not leave the country.  Notice how she always called me and not her mother?

Andi knows how much her mother and I love and care about her and how very proud of her we are.  I am lost for words in any attempt to describe my daughter’s beauty and how gorgeous she looks in her wedding gown.  I want to thank everyone who made the wedding ceremony a success, especially Julie Watson Gomez.  It would have been impossible without her help and patience.

I met Lucas five years earlier.  I did not speak Spanish.  At the time Lucas spoke very little English.  We smiled and nodded a lot.  Now he speaks English better than most Americans.  Me, well, I still do not speak Spanish.  My first impression of Lucas was that he was a handsome, respectful, and fine young man.  I wished that he did not live so far away.  What has happened over the last six years proves that love has no boundaries.  Their commitment reminds me of a quote from a novel I read, “You know you are really in love when you cannot fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams.”

To Maria and Jose, my promise is that our home is Lucas’ home.  Margit and I will love and respect him as if he was our own child.  Today is a day of great joy of celebration and happiness.  Today the Ledesma and Perullo families are joined together forever.

I believe there are two lasting bequests we can give our children, one is roots and the other is wings.  Ladies and Gentlemen, raise your glasses, and join me in welcoming the bride and groom: Mrs. and Mr. Lucas Perullo de Ledesma!

This year you should add Hawaii holidays to your Bucket List.  It is only a quick plane ride away to tropical Paradise!

In a prior post, I shared all of the details of my ceremony.  For as much thought as I put into it, I put just as much, if not more, into my reception.  I am not a big DIY kinda gal, however Julie, my wedding planner extraordinaire/Matron of Honor, is.  Thus, anything I could dream of, she could turn into a reality — we made for the perfect team!

The centerpieces did not turn out exactly as we had hoped (warning: NEVER use La Mejor Flor as florists in Buenos Aires, Argentina).  Thankfully though, moments before the wedding, Julie ran around from table to table working her magic.  We had floating red and pink roses in varying sized vases on each of the tables.  Along with the centerpieces, she sprinkled rose petals and butterfly and airplane vintage map confetti.

Lighting was essential to me.  We had floating candles in the centerpieces, candelabras on several of the tables, and we made use of the ballroom’s chandeliers; all working together to create the most romantic ambiance possible.

Perhaps, the detail that I am most proud of was our creative way of both displaying our seating chart and how we distinguished each table from the next.  Inside of a vintage suitcase that Julie found in a market, we placed the name cards.  On the back of the name cards were pictures of iconic Argentine symbols.

Each table had a long stem rose and attached to the stem was a postcard with the symbol.  There were seven postcards in total: Evita, a couple dancing the tango, Maradona, el Obelisco, la Boca, la Puente de la Mujer, and Che Guevara.

One of the main reasons why I chose Faena Hotel + Universe as our wedding venue, besides being one of the leading hotels in the world and drop dead gorgeous, was because they would provide a 9-course meal to my guests.  Yes, you read that correctly, 9 unbelievably delicious courses.  Plus, there was an open champagne and wine bar.  Each table had a menu with all of the courses listed.

And while the food was amongst some of the best I have ever had the pleasure of tasting, nothing compared to our dulce de leche and chocolate wedding cake.  I found the cake toppers on Etsy and had them made to match the exact color and font on our wedding invitations.

While our guests ate, drank, and danced the night away, there was a photo montage of Lucas and I from the last six years on display on a large screen in between the tables.

Of course my guests did not go home empty handed.  Inside their gift bag, which had a thank you gift tag with all seven of the iconic Argentine symbols that we had used on it, was a CD with all of the wedding music on it (handmade by Julie), gourmet chocolate in the shape of hearts, and a wine stopper.

If you should find yourself in Europe, make sure to experience one of the many amazing Europe tours.  You will see and do much more than if you were to explore on your own.

La Puente de la Mujer, or the Woman’s Bridge, is where we chose to take our wedding photos.  The iconic bridge, in the heart of Puerto Madero, is shaped to look like a woman who is being dipped while dancing the tango — so very, very Argentine.   It was one of the first landmarks I visited on my inaugural trip to Buenos Aires.  I cannot tell you how many times Lucas and I strolled across the bridge over the last six years, hand in hand, dreaming about our future together.

Now we were on the bridge yet again, except this time we no longer needed to dream, as our dream had become our reality.

One day while browsing Etsy for wedding ideas, I came across a shop that sold handmade signs and thought they would make for an excellent wedding prop.  We ended up using the following photo for the front of our “thank you” notes.

On our way back to the reception at Faena Hotel + Universe, Kyle, our wedding photographer, spotted something and told the taxi driver that he had to turn around.  She caught sight of a “LOVE” sign, which just so happened to be designed by Faena.  It could not be more perfect, right?

And, although I am totally biased, this is my favorite wedding photo Kyle has ever taken.

Before returning to our reception, we sneaked upstairs into our room for a couple of more shots.  We took the sweet photos on the bridge, thus it was time for some sexy ones!

What is your favorite photo?

Buenos Aires is a lovely city to vacation in, but a but a city break in a Paris apartment can be as equally fabulous and romantic.  Think about renting an apartment while there, to really feel like you are a Parisian!