Sea of Love

                                                          Come with me my love
                                                          To the sea
                                                          The sea of love
                                                          I want to tell you
                                                          How much I love you


Hey hive, Mrs. Pain au Chocolat checking back in! Before I begin recapping our summertime secret garden wedding, of which there are 2,300 pictures to sift through, I thought I'd share our honeymoon with you. After weighing all our options, Mr. PaC and I decided to honeymoon at Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda.


Waking up at 4am to catch our early Monday morning flight did have an unexpected perk... pain au chocolat! We took many modes of transportation to reach our island destination: jet plane, turboprop puddle jumper, open air airport shuttle, power cat water taxi, and finally, a golf cart. Sit back, pour yourself a rum-based beverage of choice, and follow along with our honeymoon recap mini-series, affectionately known as: "We honeymooned at Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda... there's a joke in there somewhere!"


Puddle jumper from San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU)
to Beef Island, Tortola (EIS)


First sight of land - White Bay on Jost Van Dyke


Frenchmans Cay on Tortola... just minutes from touching down!


Awaiting departure from Trellis Bay. Sprat Point in the background.


Once aboard our fast ferry, a rum punch and salty sea air work
their magic to melt away 10 hours of (door to door) travel.


Approaching Virgin Gorda


Our home away from home for the next week


For our honeymoon status, we scored a renovated ocean cottage - sweet!


Just beyond those palm trees...


... my new husband shouts, "I think you need to see this!"
Even though it was overcast, we agreed the vista was incredible.


Let the honeymoon commence!


Testing out our new underwater camera/video cam


See ya! It's toes in the water time!

How long will it take you to reach your honeymoon destination?

Rapturous Bachelorette

I must have a reputation for being hard to please because when it came time to make plans for the bachelorette party, BM R asked me what I wanted to do. (Uhm, I didn't think it worked that way.) After some careful consideration and collaboration, we came up with three options, each with their own pros and cons:

Image via Active Diner
1. Night out in Philly.
   - pro: lots to do, a short drive and time commitment
   - con: could get expensive quickly, also lots to do


2. Weekend at the Delaware beaches.
   - pro: diversity of activities, overnight lodging at FMIL's house
   - con: 2 hour drive, the mom-friends couldn't to attend, and we just did this


3. Wine and dine.
   - pro: abundance of local wineries, I love wine, friends like wine
   - con: I don't always love local wine, and who's driving?!

Knowing my friends were short on time/money, I opted for the simplest of the bunch: wine! My only stipulation was that we go somewhere new, which saved me from drinking known bad wine and being THAT bachelorette party at my "home" winery.

As fate would have it, my bachelorette (and Mr. PaC's bachelor party) fell on Spiritual Judgment Day or, ahem, The Rapture. Awesome, so on my "last day as a single lady," I would be judged. Ah, someone has a sense of humor.


Auburn Road Vineyard and Winery, with its convenient location and the promise of free tastings, musical entertainment and a 3-course meal for $20, won us over by satisfying our desire for wine, food and entertainment in one location. Three birds, one wine glass! What, that's not how it goes??


Getting our taste on at the bar.


Wine, food, and gelato!
Our favorites were Sole (white) and Good Karma (red).


My blinged-out cup, a gift from the ladies.
Bring on the wine!


"Wedding Toast" recipe - I'll just stick to wine, thanks!


Hiding in the shade from the brutal sun.
A (FBIL's girlfriend), C (groomsman J's wife), Mamacita K, newlywed K & BM R.
Never without my camera...

Mamacita K catches me taking pictures of her.

We are silly.



Tiramisu sundae with ladyfinger (reminds me of the bees)


Only part of the damage.


BM R made sure we got lei'd while keeping it G-rated.
As the sun set, we left the winery (and the screaming kids) in favor of some riverfront nightlife. After a few Orange Crushes, people-watching and girl talk, the evening's musical entertainment appeared - Ryan Cabrera. Cue screaming girls and one uninterested bachelorette. Two of my girls were determined to get me on stage for the ultimate embarrassment. I squirmed away and used my empty drink as my excuse to skedaddle back to the bar.




A big thank you to all of my lovely friends who risked Rapture in southern New Jersey to celebrate!