Scenes from San Pancho (Mexico Trip, Part 1)

Ok people, we’re gonna take a little trip. Finally!

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Would you believe our plane pulled up looking like this. Ha! Much to the delight of a certain three-year old awaiting her very first flight :D

Appropriate reading material… check. The reason for the trip? Our good friends Luis and Julianne's wedding, yay!

We happened to leave on the very morning the weather at home took a major turn for the worse. While waiting for take-off, the first raindrops began to fall. This was the beginning of what us Californians would come to call the June gloom. So the timing of our departure was perfect.

We escaped just in time, to the beautiful warm sandy beaches of San Pancho, Mexico!

Enjoying the first of a week's worth of spectacular sunsets.

The view of our outdoor kitchen from the pool. The bride and groom so generously provided the compound where we stayed with a group of friends for the wedding. We were all pretty blown away by how awesome it was!

There were 8 bedrooms and each set of bedrooms had a palapa-covered kitchen/lounge area and a bathroom in the middle.

All the units surrounded a lovely grassy courtyard, perfect for Clover to run around in and a swimming pool! With all our friends inhabiting the rooms, the set-up totally made me think of Melrose Place, haha. Not so much drama though ;)

Being the only kid in our group, first time in a foreign country, still adjusting to the not always comfortable heat and humidity, and three years old, Clover was pretty whiney and pouty for the first couple of days. Once she figured out how much fun that yellow floaty could be in that sparkling swimming pool though things started to turn around, thank goodness!

Shall we take a peak over that wall behind the pool?…

Not bad, eh?

My camera and I soaked up some local color while wandering the dusty cobblestone streets of this quiet beach town.

This scruffy little lady had a bunch of scraggly kittens which promptly scattered and hid as I approached.

Speaking of scruffy little ladies… as you can see, Clover warmed up to the place :D

Most of the gang at Maria’s, our favorite breakfast spot.

Home of the most amazing chocolate chocolate chip pancakes I have ever experienced! Maria must work some kind of crazy pancake magic on these things to make them surprisingly light and fluffy and not at all too sweet despite the way they appear. SO GOOOOOD.

Now on to the BIG DAY! We took this group photo before heading off down the beach to the wedding. Poor Lucas was off on a last minute emergency Desitin run for Clover, ugh, don't ask.

Not a bad spot to tie the knot, eh?

Luis and Julianne’s friends and family milling about in their finery before the ceremony.

Clover’s finery consisted of this sweet little white dress we found at Skirt Chaser Vintage in Santa Rosa just before the trip. It has flowers and little birdies sitting atop musical notes embroidered on the bib!

There was a gentle breeze and the sweet sounds of a local man and his guitar as we all gathered for the ceremony to begin.

Luis was beaming as he and his dear friend Scott, who performed the ceremony, began the procession.

Followed by the moms, how adorable are they?!

And then came the lovely sisters and best friend of the bride.

Finally… Julianne, the beautiful bride herself, accompanied by her adorable nieces. She looked so radiant and quite frankly, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS in her dress. Not to mention, how amazing is that veil?!

The ceremony was beautiful. So much joy. So much love for and between these two people. Luis and Julianne are a perfect pair. I’m so happy they found each other and so happy that we were able to take part in their special day :)

Family picture time! Apparently I was the only one who got the memo about the smiling.

Lucas took this shot of me and Clover walking over to the reception. It’s one of my favorites. This was also my first time wearing the dress Nicole gifted to me last winter as the sundress it was truly meant to be, no layers required, yay!

Photo ops before heading up to the restaurant.

Our friends Ben and Julia,

and Mike and Lisa. Haha, as you can see, Mike totally rocks.

The décor inside the restaurant was so lovely! For Juilanne’s hen party, a couple weeks before the trip, some of us girls got together and spent an afternoon chatting, drinking wine, eating yummy food, and crafting paper tea light luminaries for the tables.

We did this at her friend’s beautiful home overlooking the picturesque valleys and rolling hills of the Healdsburg wine country, not a bad way to spend and afternoon!

The luminaries looked so pretty all set out on the rustic wooden tables. I loved all the mismatched chairs too. Not to mention those hanging lights which looked so cool later in the evening, just wait, you’ll see.

How sweet is this little kiddo table?!

More beautiful friends… Erin and Wayne :)

And my beautiful husband. I’m especially proud of this shot, because photos of Lucas are often more likely to result in one of these scenarios…

At least you get to see one of the luminaries in action.

Our friends Nicole and Billy (aka The Dude) on the far side of the table.

On the outdoor patio looking out at the beach. Ready to grab Clover should she try to climb through the bars, it was a long way down!

Erin, Julia, and Ben looking tres chic while sipping margaritas.

The bride and groom show up to join the party, hooray!

Sister love!

Hi Julianne!

Clover took a special shine to Julia on this trip :)

See what I mean about the lights?

The happy couple during their first dance... they looked so in love.

After which the band started up and it was time to dance the night away in celebration of our two wonderful friends and their future together!

Oh, and did I mention the fireworks?!?! So magical.