Bonjour de la Suisse: Congratulations Karen & Paul!!

I was very happy to be a part of my cousin's South Florida wedding week. I say wedding "week", because I arrived on Wednesday and there were non-stop activities and events until the actual wedding on Sunday. Our family is very small, so I really consider my cousins like my sisters and I wouldn't have missed this for the world!

The flight from Switzerland was long, but it was well worth it! It was great to have everyone together, my grandparents, my aunt & uncle (MOB & FOB), my dad & step-mom, and of course all 5 "grandkids" (me included).

I must say, my cousin did well, she married a great guy! It was great to get to know him (& his family and friends) a little better too. His sister is fantastic and I hope to hang out with her again!

Here is a quick intro to some of the people that played a part in the festivities (in addition to the bride & groom above!) :)

Our wonderful grandparents

The mother & father of the bride

The bride & Maid of Honor

All the grandkids

I got off the plane in Miami and headed off to the Ft. Lauderdale airport to pick up my brother & his girlfriend. It has been a while since I have seen them, so it was really nice to catch up. A big group of us were in town early for the wedding and went out that night to a local bar called "The Cabin" and thus began five incredibly fun nights of partying. My jet lag was actually an asset for once, since we were getting to bed, on average, at 3 in the morning or so. Our days were filled with beach time, shopping, and spending a little time in neighboring Ft. Lauderdale, where Fleet Week was in full swing. We even saw the Blue Angels!

The bride really knew how to throw a true "destination wedding" (almost everyone was from out of town). Every evening there was something planned, even a viewing of the Kentucky Derby. Mint julep anyone? Everything was a class act, right down to the lovely gift bags that awaited us in our rooms that had a detailed schedule of events.

My aunt was extremely busy with things and trying to catch up with their friends who were in for the wedding, so I offered to help out. One of my duties was to pick up a couple of the bride's friends from the airport. I had never met them before which was no problem because I was going to hold up a sign. The bride made me a big sign with big, bold green letters that read: "THE LOCUST". Now, you can imagine the looks I got from all the smiling people coming out of baggage claim, but what an ice-breaker! They were such great people and it was so fun to hang out with them & the rest of the Atlanta crowd throughout the weekend.

The gang at "The Cabin"

At the beach

The next "happy couple"?

Or possibly them?

At the family dinner

Me & Granddad

The rehearsal dinner

All in the family

Reuniting with old friends

The wedding ceremony was, of course, beautiful. It took place outside at the Yacht Club, right on the water. The reception was fantastic, with lots of dancing and great music. The junior bridesmaid even sang for the happy couple. The after party at The Cabin rocked, and we celebrated till the wee hours of the morning.

I had such a great time, hanging out with family, catching up with people I hadn't seen in years and years, and getting to meet some of the bride & groom's friends. It was a great week and I was sad to have it come to an end, but I had a plane to catch and soon I was headed back to Europe. Gary (who couldn't make the wedding) was at a sales meeting in Spain in Fuerteventura (which is one of the Canary Islands). So, I was off to meet him there....

** By the way, thanks J for the pictures, there is a CD heading your way of all my pics (I hope the Swiss Post doesn't take too long!)