Miami Beach: Brittany and Ryan Get Hitched

After a few days in West Palm Beach with our friends we ventured back to Miami for my little sister Brittany and her fiance, Ryan’s wedding. This was a great end to the trip because it gave us a chance to see the whole family together. This is usually difficult now that everyone is all “grownsed up” and scattered across the country. We were super excited to see everyone as it had been 7 1/2 months since we left for South America and we really missed the family.

We arrived on a Saturday to The Alexander hotel and settled into the luxurious accommodations of which we were not accustomed. Compared to the hostels we had been staying in, this was living large! The wedding was on Tuesday and the whole family was staying until the following Saturday. We were able to continue our vacation from our sabbatical for another week!

The evening of the wedding began with the girls helping Brittany get ready. Ryan’s daughter Laney was not to be out done and gave us a show in front of the mirror. She is so cute! When everyone was ready we headed outside to take our places on the beach, while Brittany and my Dad stayed behind. They were to follow behind us in a few minutes to let everyone get settled.

The weather was perfect for a beach wedding that day and everyone was so excited for it to start!

And we waited….however, Brittany was nowhere to be found! We started to get a little anxious wondering what was happening. I was wondering if Ryan was getting a little nervous that she was going to bail! Luckily the coordinator noticed this and let us all know that they forgot the flowers back in the room and had to go back to get them. Phew! No worries, we were starting soon. :)

Ryan’s Father was the minister and he did a great job. The ceremony was short, sweet, and picture perfect. Getting married in the sand was Brittany’s dream, and it looked like a dream too. What a beautiful bride!

After they were officially married, it was picture time! With this family, and not so many rules in the beach wedding, there were a lot of pictures. First, there was the professional photographer. Then two family members with DSLRs, and about 10 more with point and shoots. Everyone was in on it. It was fun for us…probably not as much for Brittany and Ryan. :) Sorry guys.

Our intimate 20 person reception was at Shula’s Steak House. Man, it was some great steak. Even after all the Argentine steak we ate, we still wanted more. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! After the toasts by the Fathers we were put on the spot by mine who proclaimed “If you have anything to say to Brittany and Ryan, you might as well do it now”. Ahhhh, the pressure!

Luckily, I got used to embarrassment in South America as I often had no idea what was going on and how to even ask. I often had to overcome awkwardness and became quite used to it. So, I took the bait and said some words. Then my sisters and Ryan’s sisters followed suit. It was pretty nice to hear all the great things everyone had to say about Brittany and Ryan. You don’t usually get to see that many speakers, because of the fear of embarrassment. However, in this situation we were all with close family and didn’t feel as nervous. Or maybe it was the booze? Hard to tell, but I do know that we all love them so much, that we had to share.

The reception was fun. We had some fantastic steak, lots of cake, and plenty of booze! We really had a great time. Thank you to Brittany and Ryan and all the parents! It really was an awesome event.

I am so proud of my sister. She has grown up to be such a wonderful person with a great heart. She is a fantastic mother and I know Ryan is excited to have such a wonderful wife! Welcome to our crazy family, Ryan!

Oh, and what a good looking couple, don’t you think?

WE LOVE YOU BRITTANY AND RYAN!!