I completely forgot to include a photo of the volcano sunset that the little flower girl was referring to at Alexandra and Daniel's wedding.  It's no wonder why she got it confused with a volcano eruption...just look at the blazing colors!

This wedding could also be known as Bagpipes and Mariachis.

When Danny and Alexandra said they met at a bar in Glasgow, my first thought was that I didn't think anyone could remember meeting someone at a bar in Glasgow at night.  I was mistaken and there is also a WHOLE lot more to their story than just that bar. 

Alexandra was tired, wet, and in a strange country on a Scotland study-aboard year.  She and her friend were huddled outside a bar in Glasgow at 2am looking for a taxi to take them home.  (By the way, 2am is super early to leave a bar in Glasgow.  I know now that 5am is the acceptable standard.  I will need to build stamina before I go there on holiday.)  Danny walked by and saw them standing there...shivering, cold, sad.  He managed to win them over (not hard to imagine...he's really nice and funny)...and they fell in love.  A long distance romance began because Alexandra's year abroad came to an end.  They traveled the world during their romance, meeting up in places like Cayman Islands, Jamaica, London, and Portland (yeah, not as exotic as the first few).  They are well-versed in international calling, and Alexandra can tell you what time it is in Scotland faster than she could spell C-A-T.

Danny and Alexandra got married at the Mission San Luis Obispo and had their reception at Pelican Point in Pismo Beach.  The whole experience was fantastic.  You all know how much I like different cultures, so this wedding was a treat.  Danny brought his Scottish family and friends.  Alexandra comes from a large Mexican family...her dad is one of 13 siblings alone!  The DJ had a super fun time switching between the Proclaimers and Luis Miguel.  I was in heaven.

Anyways...what did I learn about Scotland?  First, I need to visit in the very near future.  There is too much fun, hospitality, and hugs waiting over there.  Second, I need to schedule that visit to coincide with a Celtic-Rangers football game and buy my tickets ahead of time.  And I should not hug the Rangers fans ever.  They are evil.  Third, I should expect rain.  lots of chilly rain.  The flower girl is Danny's niece.  When she saw the bright red sunset that night, she pointed out to it and said "Look everyone, there's a volcano!"  I guess she'd never seen a bright red sunset in Scotland before.  HAHAHA...I guess it really does rain a lot.

Danny's brother Ritchie was the best man.  Ritchie is an accomplished singer and musician.  He had an extra treat up his sleeve at the reception though.  Not only did he sing them a song, he also brought along a secret taped message from their father who couldn't be there that day.  Dad was too frail to make the journey, but was definitely there in spirit.  As soon as we all heard Danny's father's message...I broke into heaving sobs right along with Danny (and several other people at the reception).

Justine grabbed the highly coveted 10-10-09 wedding date without messing around.  I had a few people thinking about booking that same date, but they were waiting on a few other details to get coordinated before placing a deposit.  Justine called me (she lives out-of-town from me) right around the same time, we clicked, and she made the deposit online while we were still on the phone.  It was funny to hear the clicks in the background as we were talking.  I got off the phone and immediately heard the iPhone beeping that I had a new email from my online booking system.

Justine and George planned a super intimate wedding.  I think with them included, they had about 32 people in attendance.  I loved the fact that everyone got to see them, talk to them, and hug them.  Sometimes at the big weddings, the bride and groom are just frantically trying to say hello to everyone when suddenly time flies and now everyone's trying to hug them goodbye before they leave.  Seems like they never get a chance to just enjoy the party.  Justine and George enjoyed their party!

Justin Vineyards has this awesome lawn area overlooking the vineyards for the ceremony, and then a barrel chai room for the reception dinner.  They had a multi-course meal paired with some incredible wine selections.  Just beautiful.  Kudos to Justine for designing all the centerpieces and decorations as well!