Wedding in Loreto

First of all, this may be the funniest picture ever. Second of all, I know it's been a long time since my last post (I'm now about four months behind), but I want you all to know that Kevingrid is still going strong and there are many, many posts in the works. In an effort to get back on track, I'll be limiting future posts to only the most significant events. And on that note, here's one of them...



That's right... Jeanine and Kevin tied the knot. Woo hoo!!! We headed down to Loreto, Mexico for the ceremony. I had never heard of Loreto before, but was informed that it was a small fishing town down in Baja California. Ingrid and I were clearly in need of some sun and relaxation and took the opportunity to combine this need with the celebration of our friends getting married for a three-day escape from the States.



Of course, whenever there is a plane to catch, Ingrid always gets us to the airport at the last minute and this trip was no different. We were the very last to arrive of the entire wedding party.



From the time we boarded, both Kevin and Jeanine were "Thumbs Up!" Being such a small town, there are a very limited number of flights in and out of Loreto, so virtually everyone who attended the wedding took the same flight in. Can someone say, "Mile high party!"?



Here's my first view of Loreto. All I could think about at this point was getting on the beach to relax and catch some sun.



This is a picture I took of what is possibly the tiniest airport in the world.



We deplaned from the only jet at the airport and headed to customs.



I hope this low-key look, combined with this cool pose, can get me through customs without raising any undue attention.



It was clear that the tiny airport did everything it could to appear as large as possible and installed a mini-conveyor belt. The only problem was that it was utterly useless. It just took the bags from one side of the glass to the other. That's it! The belt was too small to hold all the luggage from our plane which meant that a guy on the other side of the glass had to remove baggage from the conveyor belt and place it on the ground. Why not just put in on the ground to begin with?!?



But before I give the wrong impression, don't let the tiny size of Loreto's airport and conveyor belt fool you... When it comes to customs, Loreto's screening process is second-to-none. It works like this. You walk up to this stoplight contraption and press a button. If the red light comes on, you get searched. If the green light comes on, you can pass. Seriously. That's all. This guy's one of the unlucky ones. Hopefully they didn't reject him from entrance into Mexico because the next flight out of Loreto was a couple of days away. The guy I sat next to on the plane joked about the customs process and said that whenever he and his fishing buddies come down for a weekend, those who got a red light would have to buy alcohol for the others on the first night. Awesome.



After Ingrid and I got the green light to pass through customs, we took a van to the resort which was a few miles away.



Not too many cars out there in Loreto...



We stayed at Loreto Bay, a beautiful resort right along the coast, and selected the all-inclusive option, which meant that all the food and alcohol we could eat and drink was included in our stay. This could quite honestly be the greatest thing ever.



The guy I was sitting next to on the plane had stayed at Loreto Bay before and suggested that I request one of the hotel suites. Given that it's a very special occasion when both Ingrid and I manage to escape the shackles of the firm for some vacation time, I proposed that we go all-out and get the best possible room available, no matter the cost. Well Ingrid disagreed with that notion, but rather than communicating her disagreement to me at the check-in desk when I specifically asked her for her thoughts on an upgrade, she literally left it up to me to make the decision. So the decision was made to upgrade, only to have Ingrid say, immediately after leaving the check-in desk, that it was dumb to get a bigger room that "faced the ocean" when all rooms faced the ocean. Well, after thinking about it, I couldn't disagree with her, but that was no excuse for not raising the point before we checked-in. So I had to get back in line and tell the hotel I had changed my mind... great.



After checking in and winding down for a bit, we headed to the reception where Jeanine presented us with our wedding gifts -- matching resort beach towels! How perfect!



I was hungry before we even boarded the plane so by this point I was starved. Thankfully, there was an endless supply of quesadillas, guacamole, chips and salsa to curb our raging appetites.



Ahhh, yes. And let's not forget the open bar. I'm already loving the all-inclusive element.



More quesadillas, please! Mmmmmm!



This cute little girl had the right idea.



This is Ingrid's This-Is-Going-To-Be-An-Awesome-Vacation look. I couldn't agree more.



At some point, Jeanine's father stood up and gave a brief speech...



... then Kevin's grandmother stood up and gave a speech of her own...



... then Jeanine stood up and gave a speech of her own and thanked us all for coming. And also gave us details of our stay, of course. For those of you who don't know her, Jeanine is very thorough...



Later, Ingrid and I joined Jeanine, her sister and Kevin's cousin to chat over some drinks.



Later on that evening, Kevin, Star and Leigh joined the fun.



I unwisely made the terrible mistake of stuffing my face with all of the quesadillas, chips and guacamole in the afternoon, so when it came time for dinner, I was already stuffed. But I wasn't about to let a little food in my stomach spoil putting some more food in my stomach. After all, it's vacation time!



Especially when we're talking about some authentic Mexican food... in Mexico no less! Look at those tasty tortilla things on the left there. How could anyone resist?



Seeing this still makes my mouth water...



I mean look at all of this tasty goodness! I want some tortilla soup.



After dinner, Kevin and Jeanine planned a night of fun, including separate bachelor and bachelorette parties. The girls left our company to do girly stuff, while the guys gathered for a friendly poker tournament.



Leigh's dude came prepared with a box of fine Cuban cigars which he generously shared with the other gamblers. As for my performance in the actual tournament, I starting things off pretty well and moved to the second table with a strong chip lead. But by the time I reached the final table, that chip lead had dwindled, together with my sobriety.



At some point, the bachelorette party crashed the bachelor party and solicited some help in knocking some items off of the bachelorette's checklist... uh oh. With Jeanine's dad sitting right next to me, I was asked to eat a piece of candy from her necklace. Realizing I was already smashed by this point, I carefully (very carefully) chewed off a piece of candy without leaving a puddle of slobber on her neck. Pheww!



Let's see... some of the other items on Jeanine's checklist included getting 5 mens' phone numbers, dancing with a man in a suit, taking a male prisoner with her water gun, telling her proposal story to a cute guy and seeing what she can get men to do in exchange for her beads.



Also on the list was to get down on one knee and profess her love to someone. Naturally, Jeanine chose her father to satisfy this item. Jeanine, it doesn't say to profess your love to someone at gunpoint!



I can't quite recall what checklist item this relates to, but it reminds me that one of the games the ladies played was "Pin the Macho on the Man." Even if you're like me and have never heard of this before, I'm sure you can imagine what that game involves. This inflatable figure may very well be the "man," but that "macho" ain't looking so macho...



Well, by the end of the night, this was the only chip I had left -- a complimentary chip with my initials printed on it. Perhaps I had a bit too much to drink that night, but I had a wonderfully enjoyable time.



The next day was another lovely day and Ingrid and I couldn't wait to hit the beach.



But first, there was some serious eating to be done. We stopped for some beans and tortillas, eggs and sausage, chilequiles and chips, fruit and juice, and much, much more...



... including some omelets! Oh yeah! This all-inclusive thing rocks!



We dined out on the patio where Ingrid couldn't get enough of the beans and tortillas. I, on the other hand, took the opportunity to have a nice glass of wine with my breakfast, despite being slightly hungover.



After chowing-down a huge breakfast, we made our way to the beach and set up shop... It was like we were acting out our very own, real life Corona commercial. Miles away from ordinary indeed.



The beach even provided us with some entertainment... sort of. These pelicans would continuously fly around and the dive into the water to catch tiny little fish. They were seriously doing this all day long.



While Ingrid went to get a manicure and a massage, I decided to get my feet wet and head out into the water as far as I possibly could. Little did I know until I got out there that the water was extremely shallow. More importantly, little did I know until I stepped on something that wiggled under my feet that there are stingrays out there. Yikes!



After Ingrid got back from her massage, she snapped this artsy picture of me walking out into the sea. Great picture, love.



Later, Ingrid and I took out this kayak that was also included in our all-inclusive package. I still laugh at the fact that no matter how Ingrid rowed, the kayak would rotate clockwise. She volunteered to row us ashore, but I eventually had to take over after I realized that we would be going in circles forever if we left things to her.



With the kayak, we could get even further out than by on foot. Plus, no risk of stepping on stingrays.



After a not-so-brief trip out to sea, we headed back to the "Shack" and ordered some more food. Ingrid had the ceviche, which she loved, and I had some tacos. I really can't get enough of this all-inclusive thing...



The afternoon brought more time out on the beach. It was much needed rest and relaxation for the both of us. I caught this shot of what looks like a Japanese crane...



When night fell, we headed inside to grab some dinner and some more wine, of course.



Ummm... I think I got a bit of a sunburn after sitting outside all day. I took the picture on the left earlier in the day while I was out on the beach horsing around with my camera, hiding what Ingrid has dubbed my "dicky-toe" from embarassment. The picture on the right was taken at the end of the night. Ouch. And realize that this is just my foot! The burn continued up my legs and left me in discomfort for the entire night. It felt like my legs were tightly wrapped, hot sausages... I couldn't even bend my legs or stand up without experiencing tremendous pain as the blood rushed down to my legs. Smooth move...



Despite the burn, the next day we headed out for more sun and relaxation... this time in the pool. After being shocked at the sight of my tomato-colored legs and feet, somebody was kind enough to lend us some sunblock.



Well there was a very good reason to going into the pool, and you're looking at it. Poolside bar + all-inclusive vacation = FUN!



It finally came time for the wedding ceremony and Ingrid and I headed back inside to change into something more appropriate.



Well, sort of. Ingrid donned on her best pair of ski-boots and then we headed out! Ski-boots! Ski-boots!



Not surprisingly, Kevin was cool as a cucumber as he awaited the arrival of his bride.



But not before his mother and brother (the best man) made their appearance.



As well as the other groomsmen.



Next came the bridesmaids, including Jeanine's lovely sister.



Then came the beautiful bride, escorted by her father.



Jeanine joined Kevin at the altar, and before I knew it, they were wed!



They look like the happiest people on Earth in this picture! Congratulations Kevin and Jeanine!!! Or shall I say, Mr. and Mrs. Wright! Sorry single ladies... Mr. Wright is now spoken for.



After the ceremony there was a little cocktail reception, which gave me the opportunity to get a better shot of the ski-boots. Ski-boots! Ski-boots!



Uh oh... party foul, compliments of Ingrid. Thank goodness the ski-boots weren't damaged!



Awww... Ingrid and the bride. How lovely!!!



It was great how the entire wedding party wore flip-flops.



After the cocktail hour we walked over to the reception area where I devoured my dinner while having some cocktails.



In the meantime, Kevin and Jeanine made their rounds.



Apparently, Kevin and Jeanine think I make silly poses in many of the pictures featured on this blog, and here's Kevin making his contribution to the silly pose archive. Shortly after this picture was taken, the first picture of this post was taken, with both Kevin and Jeanine making some awesome poses.



After dinner, Kevin and Jeanine enjoyed their first dance. I was very impressed... I would bet anything that they had some lessons!



After friends and family gave some wonderful speeches...



... it was time to cut the cake. And what a tasty cake it was. Three tiers = three different flavors = three different servings of cake for Ingrid.



Of course no wedding would be complete if the bride and groom didn't smear cake on each others' faces. This guarantees that you will live happily ever after.



Hey guys, that's how I usually look at my birthday parties, except I don't deliberately get cake on my hands and face... it just somehow happens.



And then came time for the fateful moment at all weddings... the bouquet toss! And Ingrid was right out there in the sea of single women waiting to catch the bouquet for the *ahem!* third time.



Amazing. Something tells me the third time may be the charm...



A picture is worth a thousand words, so I won't try to explain the thousands of reasons I love this picture... (cue old Clint Eastwood cowboy movie music).



Kevin appears to be struggling to find the garter. Seeing as how Jeanine's father is standing right behind her, I don't blame him.



Now it's my turn to catch the garter and boy do I look ready! I look like a slightly intoxicated, sunburned shortstop waiting to hear the crack of the bat.



Unfortunately for me, it was a high fly to right field and there we no chance for me to catch it.



Again, ladies, you look beautiful!



Later came time for my favorite part of weddings... DANCING!



Many of us took to the dance floor and danced into the night.



That was until Ingrid sat me down and took a picture of me. Then showed it to me and asked me if this looked like a drunk person. I couldn't disagree... so with that, Ingrid and I called it a night and headed back to the room! We had a wonderful time!



The next morning, I was feeling a bit artsy (and a bit hungover) and snapped this shot.



It was only a few hours until departure and we joined the newlyweds gathered around the pool with friends and family.



One last drink for each of us and one last dip in the pool.



Ingrid and I shared a romantic final stroll on the shores of Loreto where I took another artsy shot. She's so beautiful.



We held out for as long as we could, but eventaully it came time to go. Bye bye, Loreto! We'll be back!



Before leaving, Ingrid picked up some of that wonderful ceviche for the road.



And once we got to the airport, enjoyed it as we waited to board the plane.



Speaking of waiting, we got on our scheduled van which dropped us off at the airport two hours before our flight! Ingrid didn't love that, but her frustration was quickly alleviated with a little tequila that was generously shared by the guy in the picture. Something tells me the girl on the right isn't interested in any tequila.



After a painful two hours (made slightly less painful by the tequila), it was time to board the plane. This time, our plane wasn't the only one on the tarmac.



Ingrid was happy to finally be on the plane, but something tells me she had a little too much tequila...



And after a long flight back to LA, we returned home to a table full of sushi and cod, Ingrid's two favorite things to eat, thanks to my mom. She's the best.

All in all, Kevin and Jeanine's wedding was a wonderful experience. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Wright!!!!!!!

Click here to see all of the pictures from this event.