Wednesday, May 31, 2006

The Honeymoon: JAMAICA!!!

Sunday May 21 - Thursday May 25, 2006

We had an absolutely wonderful time at Sandals Montego Bay in Jamaica. Below are some of the pictures we took while we were there. Luckily the resort had photographers all over the place taking pictures every day, so we were able to get some of us together too. Maybe when I scan them, I will add them in as well.


The entryway to the resort

One of the many beautiful flowering trees on the property


Dennis looking out at the Ocean/Carribean Sea

The view from our balcony...


Our room...

Julie at the pool with a drink....floating to the swim up bar...


Julie's first cigar ever - a cuban!

Den and his cuban cigar..

These birds were around the resort but in cages - they didn't talk but they sure were pretty!

Julie before going to dinner at the Thai Restaurant at Sandals Royal Carribbean - you can see the restaurant behind Julie in this picture. It was on a private isalnd. We had to get there by boat.

We took a bus to Ocho Rios for the day to Dolphin Cove where we got to swim with the dolphins. Our dolphins Lucy and Ziggy were super friendly and very cute.

Here we are at Dolphin Cove.


We bought this painting at an art auction at our resort. It is a painting of a Great House in Jamaica and it was painted by a Jamaican artist named Heather Sutherland Wade. She is from Kingston Jamaica and studied art in Canada. We can't wait to get it and hang it in our new house.


And of course, you can't go to Jamaica without getting your hair braided!!!


Here are some of the restaurants at the resort. On the left are 2 of them. Upstairs is Cuciano Romano which is a great Italian restaurant and downstairs is the Orleander Room which is very formal. On the right in the yellow building is the Bayside Restaurant which is open all day and has a wonderful breakast buffet. You can eat inside or outside.


A beautiful sunset from our balcony. You can see the pergola down there where several couples were married each day. There were on average 5 weddings a day throughout the resort.


Den and Julie before dinner on our last night.

What a yummy dessert! Here is the chocolate mouse we had for dinner. They sure do put a lot of effort into the presentation!

When we came back to our room, this little guy was in our sink. Don't worry, we safely returned the lizard to the outdoors.


Here are some of the little sailboats at the resort. We went for a ride on one and you wouldn't believe how fast they go!

And here are some of the paddleboats we took out.

We don't have pictures of everything, but we also went snorkeling, spent a lot of time at the beach, went shopping into town, and really took advantage of the all-inclusive meals and bar! We can't wait to go back and we highly recommend Sandals and Jamaica to anyone! Some of the staff members there were the friendliest people we ever met. They really do everything to make your stay wonderful.

The Westin O'Hare

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Since our flight didn't leave until Sunday morning, we spent Saturday night at the Westin O'Hare so we would be close to the airport.





Here we are at Julie's mom's house getting ready to go to the hotel....
Here is our room and view from our room at The Westin.

The Reception

Our reception was held at Clositer in The Woods in Munster, IN and catered by Comfort's Catering from St. John, IN. The cake was from the Calumet Bakery and absolutely delicious!



Our wedding cake - yellow cake with layers of strawberries and whipped cream filling, with a silver "S" cake topper and frosting fondant calla lillies...mmmm


Dennis and Julie's first dance as husband and wife - "Cruisin" sang by Gwenyth Paltrow and Huey Lewis....


Julie and Dad dance to "Through the Years" by Kenny Rogers

Dennis and Mom dance to "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong


Grandma and Grandpa Lannon celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary and dance to "Let Me Call you Sweetheart" by The Mills Brothers


Julie and sister Lisa share a toast with an Amaretto Stone Sour and Sex on the Beach!

Awwwww...Mr & Mrs Smith


Julie and her best friend Christen after Christen gave the best Maid of Honor speech ever!


Julie and her new sister-in-law Linda

Dinner was spectacular! Cranberry and Mandarin Orange Salad, Cream of Potato Soup, Sliced Roast Beef, Red Rosemary Potatos, California Blend Veggies, Chicken Epicurean with creamy sauce and Rice Pilaf, Bow Tie Pasta With Marinara, and Yummy Dinner Rolls! mmmmm..

The "Summer Fun Club" group re-unites for the first time in 9 years! Nikki Krupa, Lisa Brewer, Julie Smith, and Kim Krupa. This dance is a little more formal than the ones from Camp Shaw!

Whoa! Whatcha doing down there Den!


And the garter toss of course....

The Wedding Party - Picture Time!

Here we all are....

The guys.... (Joe, Andy, Dennis, Julie, Greg, Adam, Nate)


The Girls....(Shelley, Linda, Dennis, Julie, Christen, Lisa, and Elise)

The parents..... (Ray and Sue Smith, Dennis and Julie Smith, Kathy Brewer & Larry Brewer)


The Grandparents...and parents (bottom row: Marge & Ray Smith, Dorothy & Bill Lannon, Betty Brewer)


The kids... (Elise Kuipers - cousin of the groom, Nathan Smith - Nephew of the groom)

The Wedding Ceremony

May 19, 2006
Our wedding was the first in the newly remodeled church. It was a nice ceremony but seemed to go by very fast. The bridal party entered the church to Pachabal Cannon and the Bride to the Trumpet Fanfare. Here are some pictures from the ceremony...


Sunday, May 28, 2006

Before the Groom arrives....

May 19, 2006
It was a beautiful day for a wedding, not too hot and not too cold...as you can see here it was a little windy, but all in all it was a great day.

Here you can see some shots of the Bride and her family at the church before the groom arrived.

Keep in mind that these are pictures from mom's camera, not professional ones, so we may not always be looking in the right direction... :)

Julie arrives at the church.....


....with all the bridesmaids....Lisa, Linda, Shelley, and Christen

Check out that train!!!

Julie with Mom and Dave

Julie with Dad and Diana

Julie at the alter......


Julie with Grandma and Grandpa Lannon

Linda, Shelley, Christen, and Lisa patiently waiting...

What gorgeous flowers - Calla Lillies and Birds of Paradise!