Let Me Call You Sweetheart…

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times. I love cruising!

Throughout our Hawaiian honeymoon, Norwegian’s Pride of America became a true floating resort, carrying us from island to island as we wined, dined and enjoyed the view.

Did I mention that we dined? A lot? If you’ve ever been on a cruise, you know exactly what I’m talking about. And if you’ve never been cruising, I definitely recommend it as a great way to travel! Not only is the food fabulous, but meals are also part of the all-inclusive price you pay for the trip, with add-on packages available for alcohol and soda.

Since this was our honeymoon, and our guests had showered us with so many great Honeyfund gift certificates, we decided to splurge a bit. In addition to wine tasting, sangria at sunset, and my swanky spa haircut, one of our favorite things to do was visit the ship’s several specialty restaurants. From Asian fusion to steak to Italian, these places were the best!

And the most fun part? Whenever the restaurant staff found out it was our honeymoon, they would gather around to sing “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” as they placed a “Happy Honeymoon” cake on our table! At the Asian restaurant, they even made us wear dragon costumes during the song. Too funny!

Did you get a lot of attention right after getting married or engaged? What do you think of cruising?

(Photo Credits: Personal Library)

Wedding Day Photo Shoot: Behind-the-Scenes

Our pro shots will be coming soon to a computer screen near you, but before they do, I want to share a few behind-the-scenes glimpses of our wedding party and photographers in action!

Not only did my awesome friend Damien Smith, a stellar wedding photographer who’s shared tons of great tips here on the blog, shoot for us pre-ceremony and throughout the night, but our hired husband and wife team from Alex Neumann Photography did an out-of-this-world job, helping everyone have fun as the camera captured some of the most artistic, creative shots I could ever have imagined. Add in our fabulous videographer Max, and we had a real dream team on our hands!

Here, a few snippets of all the behind-the-camera fun.

Oops! My bridesmaids aren’t wearing their shoes yet! You can see them scrambling in the background, as my mom gets ready to lay out my train for a few pre-ceremony pictures.

It’s time for hair and makeup stylist Jana Bunge, who truly went above and beyond, to attach my lovely veil. Ever the expert, Damien sets up the shot.

I just loved posing in front of the wrought-iron gate at our Gardens of the World “first look” sight, while my groom checked me out in the background.

Alex is keeping the boys in line!

Smile for post-ceremony formals!

Max and Alex stole a few well-deserved minutes to chill out during the reception.

What are some favorite behind-the-scenes moments from your wedding, or some of the best you’ve witnessed at others’?

(Photo Credits: Personal Library)

Wedding Day Nail Advice Taken!

Before the wedding, I asked you all for suggestions about what type of manicure I should go with for my big day. Should I go bold with purple? Keep things classic with French tips?

In the end, I just couldn’t say no to what’s tried and true, choosing to have small white tips painted against my own nails.

You can’t really even see my nails in this picture, as you also can’t in any photos other than the super close-up shots of my hands, which I think is the point. As much fun as purple nails would have been, I certainly wouldn’t have wanted them to become a distraction.

And the best part? My manicurist did such a great job, the polish on both my fingers and toes lasted throughout most of my honeymoon week, too!

For your wedding, where are you going bold, and where will you stick with the classics?

(Photo Credit: Personal Library)

Pro Teaser Shot!

It’s the best day of the week, not only because it’s Saturday, but also because…our pro pictures are ready to view online, courtesy of our stellar photographer, Alex Neumann!

Though I tried to wait until Stephen got home to look through them for the first time last night, I couldn’t resist, and went to the site as soon as the link showed up in my inbox!

I can’t wait to share them all -- well, maybe not ALL 2,700 -- soon, but for now, here’s a fun teaser that’s destined to become one of my favorites.

How excited were you when you first saw a teaser or got the link to check out your pro shots? Did you and your husband look through them together, or did you look through first on your own?

(Photo Credit: Alex Neumann Photography)

Our Action-Packed Honeymoon…Island-Style!

Why, oh why, did it take me so many years to make it out to Hawaii?! From the moment we arrived until the day we reluctantly headed back home, I was blown away by the beauty of the islands, the kindness of the people, and the rich culture and history that were so vividly on display everywhere we went. No wonder this is the top honeymoon destination in the U.S.!

And since we were traveling by cruise aboard Norwegian’s Pride of America, we got to enjoy all four of the major islands – Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, and Kauai – without the hassle of packing, repacking, and sitting through additional flights. In fact, even though we were in port every day of the trip, taking fun excursions or exploring on our own, we still had plenty of time for fun onboard the ship, where we tried out specialty restaurants, went to shows, and sipped sangria on our private balcony.

I guess it’s always been true that even when I’m relaxing, whether at home or away, I still like to keep busy with fun projects and activities. Lying on the beach for hours? So not me. Snorkeling, hiking, and exploring craters? That’s more like it!

And explore we did! I can’t wait to share more fun highlights from our trip in the coming weeks, but for now, here are a few preview shots of the amazing places we visited and the sights we saw.

Haleakalā National Park in Maui…

Dolphins near Molokini Crater, one of the top snorkeling spots in the world…

Lava tubes and caves on the “Big Island” of Hawaii…

Waimea Canyon in Kauai…

On your honeymoon, did you or will you prefer to keep things action-packed the way we did? Or would you rather kick back completely?

(Photo Credits: Personal Library)