One of Peter's sister in law's recommended that we look up Elf on the Shelf. And ironically enough a day or two later my dad sent the girls the Elf on the Shelf. This is seriously one of the cutest holiday traditions I have seen. 
Part 2 of our honeymoon was on Virgin Gorda at Little Dix Bay. We took a plane from San Maarten to Tortola and then a boat from there to Virgin Gorda. Virgin Gorda was equally as beautiful as Anguilla - but looks completely different. Virgin Gorda is much more lush and green and the beaches are not as wide. We loved our room, it was peaceful and open - and we loved the outdoor shower. 
We took a sunset cruise one evening which took us to a few different spots - Bitter End Yacht Club and Saba Rock (a tiny island with some accommodations and a restaurant). 
Our second to last night in Virgin Gorda we went to the Mine Shaft Cafe as we were told that it is one of the best spots to watch the sunset. We had a great dinner and had an amazing view of the sunset. One of the funny things about this restaurant is that there is a tree where all the chickens come to sleep (at the top). Hard to explain (but the chickens sit high up in the tree and fall asleep there). 
On our last day we had a sunset massage and hung out at the spa pool (which had an amazing view). That evening we had a private beach dinner - perfect end to our amazing trip. 
On day 2 of our trip we met this lovely American woman who worked at Cap Juluca who was doing some errands in town. She offered to show us around. She was invaluable - as she gave us quite the overview of the local restaurants/hot spots/gossip, etc. She was basically our personal tour guide for the day. Peter forgot his swimsuit (ha!) so she steered us away from buying one at the resort's overpriced shop and took us to Irie Life. She then took us to Pyrat Rum where Peter participated in a rum tasting. She dropped us off at the local Johnno's Beach Stop in Sandy Ground for lunch (Yummy!). That evening we had dinner at Smokey's and met the owner Clyde Gumbs (son of Jeremiah Gumbs - who led the Anguillan protest in 1967).
One morning we worked out with Cardigan Connor, a famous past cricket player. He was a delight to chat w/. Talk about FIT FIT FIT. We met a family (the Miller's) who were staying at a Villa just off Cap Juluca's property for Thanksgiving. They have gotten to know Cardigan over the years and said that he has the best stories. We also enjoyed talking with the Miller's son Bryce Miller, a race car driver.
On day 3 we took a boat out with a group from our resort and snorkeled and stopped by Shoal Bay (pic above). We also stopped at this tiny island, called Scilly Cay, and had an awesome lunch. The island is super small and has a tiny restaurant on it - owned by Eudoxie and Sandra Wallace. We loved all the folks in our group that we got everyone on board to head to the Dunes (scroll down to read about the history behind the Dunes) that night to hear Bankie Banx play and have dinner.
Our last night in Anguilla was Thanksgiving and we had dinner at Mango's Seaside Grill. We had an incredible dinner and loved being right on the water - definitely different from the tryptophan induced traditional meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc. The owner of Mango's recently passed away and everyone on the island was talking about it. Mango Dave was known by all as someone who truly lived the dream (by selling his business in New Jersey and buying a restaurant in the Caribbean). 
I have loved A New Leaf (as a florist and as a venue) for years. I used to live in the Old Town/Lincoln Park area and at night drive or walk by the space - and it was always so pretty - candle lit with beautiful flowers. I made a mental note that someday I wanted to host an event there. I remember calling ANL (A New Leaf) and asking them if they had any available Saturdays in 2009 - they had one - which ended up being our wedding day = Saturday, November 21, 2009
The flowers and candles were gorgeous. I loved all the fall colors and the orange calla lilies submerged in water filled vases. Simple and beautiful. 
ANL has two levels - a mezzanine level looking down. Dancing took place upstairs. We LOVED our DJs from Toast and Jam. They rocked out. Everyone loved them. 
This is a picture from above looking down. Peter and I loved our caterers from Limelight Catering. The awesome gals of Bird and Banner who designed our invitations put together a complementary menu. I'm still waiting to hear from the caterer with the recipe for the Bosc Pear, Local Apple and Goat Cheese Gratin. It was DIVINE! 
My cousin got married at the end of October and she had a Candy Buffet at her wedding. It was a HUGE hit. My sister and I loved it and ate our favorite candy all night long. Two weeks before the wedding I decided to do it. It was such a hit with everyone. Who doesn't love candy? My favorites were the Melt Away Mints - YUM! 
I absolutely LOVED my wedding dress. It was definitely my PRINCESS moment for sure. My mom and I looked for dresses last spring and had a great time. My sisters and I are always vying for one on one time with my mom so having an entire weekend together was so much fun. We had a blast trying on dress after dress - I didn't know how I was going to make my decision as I loved so many of them. This past fall I even tried on my Mom's wedding dress (that had not been taken out of the box since her wedding) - so fun! 
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