Happy 3 Year Anniversary to  my sister and brother-in-law!

February 21, 2008.

My sister And brother-in-law married in Ambergris Caye, Belize. It will forever be one my most special memories. It was a true honor that my sister asked me to be both her wedding coordinator and maid of honor.   I want to thank them both of them for giving me this opportunity.  The day was perfect! February 21, three years ago today, Shari and John said “I Do” and celebrated their special day with both immediate families.

Three years later they are blessed with their beautiful family and I am thrilled to be now be aunt Keli.

Shari and John, I love you both. Wishing you many healthy and joyous years ahead. Congratulations on your 3 year anniversary!

Keli

Kay Scott Photography

We arrived Meson Panza Verde mid day and Gabi kindly showed us the property.  It’s truly something special and not to be missed if you are headed to Antigua for a romantic occasion.   They offer an intimate and romantic boutique style accommodations and each room is beautifully decorated.  Check out each room on their website for details.   We returned later that evening for dinner which was absolutely amazing!  Eating at the Panza Verde Restaurant for dinner is a must!

Photo by Melinda Belleville

Follow a winding stone staircase laced in ivy in the front courtyard and you’ll find a charming terrace with hammocks and an art gallery featuring rotating exhibits from the best local artists. Panza Verde also offers a yoga studio where classes are offered daily.  As we continued up an iron staircase to another terrace we overlooked the rooftops with gorgeous green plants and bright colorful flowers.  Next we walked over a mini bridge where you can sit on one of several stone benches, carved with detailed decoration, overlooking the magical views.

Photo by Meson Panza Verde

Grand Suite Above

Suite Photos by Kiwi Collection

Many of the suites feature a fireplace and offer a terrace or balcony.

Rooftop Views

Head to the exquisite, romantic Meson Panza Verde, built in impressive and graceful colonial architecture.  At night the entrance is nothing short from romantic with candle-lit walkways, garden courtyards with fountains, and an ambiance perfect for weddings and honeymooners.

Entrance to Meson Panza Verde at night

Choose your romantic seating

Choose to be served on the corridor surrounding the beautiful garden, on the terrace in romantic candle filled setting for two in the Cupula or in “La Cueva” where live music is performed on certain nights of the week.

Photo by Indie Pepe

The Meson Panza Verde Restaurant is stunning!  The restaurant features brick, stone, wood , art, and is covered in beautiful plants and flowers in the corridor, on the walls, ledges, and multiple courtyards. Provoking art is scattered everywhere. At night the entire restaurant is softly glowing with candlelight.

We ate in the courtyard garden area surrounded with greenery and candles.  Our waiter Carlos provided wonderful friendly service.

The restaurant offers a large menu and scrumptious dishes.   It was hard to make up my mind so Carlos suggested I try one of their delicious steaks.  I enjoyed one of the most amazing steaks dinners of my life slathered in mushrooms and escargot!  Truly amazing.

Macadamia Parfait simply divine! I’ve never had anything like it!

Please visit  Meson Panza Verde online to view pictures of their hotel suites and more of the restaurant.  I highly recommend the luxury boutique hotel for honeymoons and romantic getaways.  Panza Verde offers Colonial style, local flavor, and modern convenience with warm and personal service.  If you visit Antigua at the very least you must visit the award winning restaurant receiving The Coveted Award “Tenedor de Oro” as best in the country. http://www.panzaverde.com/en/index.html

We are so excited to have our first MagneticPix custom personalized photo board!  These beautiful photo boards are both magnetic and dry-erase!!  How cool is that?  They can even be used outside because they are UVA/UVB resistant.   An engagement picture or vacation memory board is perfect for your wedding week in Belize.  Post your group activities for the week and hang it outside by the pool, bar, or in the lobby!  Your guests will appreciate it and since it’s dry erase it’s easy to update and change.

After your wedding take MagneticPix home and use for grocery lists, reminders, schedules, and we love it in our office!  They’re also perfect for kids to use in their bedrooms for school reminders.  These make great gifts too for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, Valentine’s Day, and holidays.

MagneticPix is offering a 10% discount through October 31 (code IDOBelize1015), so visit them today for more information!

http://magneticpix.com

Click the pictures to enlarge

Thank you MagneticPix and thanks again to Conch Creative Photography!

Keli Engleson of I DO Belize Weddings LIVE on Wedding Wednesdays with Kim Moss on 9/1/10!

It was a true honor being an invited guest on the show!  Thanks again to Kim Moss of Black Bag Productions!!

Listen here.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/blackbagproductions/2010/09/01/wedding-wednesdays-with-black-bag

We’ve been noticing a trend in weddings.  Many couples are preferring wedding cupcakes over traditional cakes.  Trends that take the (Cup)Cake.   Go beyond the plain chocolate or vanilla — you’re marrying on a tropical island so perhaps the more exotic your wedding cupcakes, the better!  Think Key Lime with Graham Cracker topping, Coconut Creme, Orange Sunrise, Vanilla-Rum, Margarita spiked with Tequila, Ginger with candied ginger on top, or Pina Colada!  Cupcakes allow you to get creative.  Consider colored cupcakes incorporating your wedding color scheme.

Wedding cupcakes are remarkably versatile and you can customize them to fit your needs perfectly.  Some choose to top their wedding cupcake stand with a small ‘cutting cake’ so that the couple can be photographed doing the traditional cake cutting ceremony.  Other couples use two cupcakes and peel the wrapper off one cupcake together and then feed each other a bite from the same cupcake– that is something unique and romantic that you can’t do with a wedding cake!

Hand painted white chocolate seashells.  Sand is brown sugar and crushed graham crackers with gold disco dust added  -Kelly Lloyd

“Wedding Cupcakes are in vogue at the moment, as are coloured cakes.”  Martha Stewart officially declared wedding cupcakes a popular and suitable choice for today’s brides.

Did you know Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher (of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators) opted for wedding cupcakes instead of a wedding cake?  “We’re kind of doing cupcakes,” the country star tells CMT Radio Live’s  Cody Alan. “I consider myself a very traditional person. More than anything, we’re going to get married, that’s the important part. And we want everyone to have a good time, so we’re doing some things like that, that are a little bit different.”

Congratulations Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher!

Not set on wedding cake?   Consider wedding cupcakes for a fresh and hip dessert option!  Everyone loves cupcakes.

Dawn Boddy

Amy Knox

Choosing a Place to Get Married

Not sure if a destination or location wedding is right for you?  Then, consider the…

Top Ten Reasons to Plan a Destination Wedding

By Jennifer Baumann

You and the one you love are dreaming of an enchanted getaway, to do nothing less than tie the knot. Why should anyone want to go away, you say? Check out these reasons for taking a sandy route to the altar with a destination wedding.

1.   Nearly stress-free planning!

Getting married is quite a big step, so we don’t ever want to say any wedding is completely and totally stress free. But, not having to worry about the seating chart, or who’s going to be the best man could take a lot of worry out of your Big Day.

2.   Slim to none chance of inter-family fights

Especially if you invite them along. It’s vacation time for everyone!

3.   It’s usually cheaper

There are all-inclusive packages that feature both your wedding and the honeymoon for $4,000 or $5,000, which is darn cheap compared to the average of $20,000 + for a traditional wedding and sit-down dinner reception.

4.   Control!

An amazing relief if you’ve ever been part of a traditional wedding with two families involved. All the factors are completely and totally within your hands.

5.   Second wedding heaven

Especially if you’ve already been there, done that with a big wedding, second weddings are perfect for the relaxing getaway to a beautiful locale. Don’t forget to ask about activities for the kids!

6.   Your honeymoon begins immediately after the ceremony

Now, that’s not bad.

7.   Pack light

You can choose your wedding clothes once you arrive in your exotic location! Think snowsuits, island gowns, saris, and of course, shorts.

8.   Parental bliss

If they’re coming, you will get to hear them say over and over, “we’ve been wanting to take a vacation!”

9. Use your imagination

You can eat before the ceremony, or after. You could have a cake, or not. You could jump in the ocean, or stay on the sand. Endless opportunities.

10. Fun for those who attend

Think of what you’re doing for them! A cruise, a ski vacation, or a weekend on the beach - who wouldn’t enjoy themselves?

Jennifer Baumann is editor of Wedding Gazette, the resource for real-world wedding planning that’s packed with info on how to plan your budget, how to avoid killing certain family members, exhaustive theme ideas, plus tons of resources on finding favors, necessary accessories, gifts for your groomsmen, and much more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Bauman

Feeling extremely lively in nature and full of spirit today (sounds silly as that is my nature the majority of time) I felt featuring one of our recent weddings inspired with liveliness and full of charm, cheer and euphoria was fitting.

Is there such a thing as “Too much fun at a wedding?”

The answer is simple and easy:   No!   Who says you have to have a traditional wedding with all of the “serious stuff” and stress?  It’s your big day so go for everything you imagine!   The tropical music came to a stop when everyone was expecting the bride to appear.   Heads turned at what first seemed to be  inappropriate for a golf cart cruising the beach!   Surprise!  Instead of walking the bride down the aisle her father drove her on a golf cart… right up to her ceremony on the beach!   This was a first for us and the groom and guests got a kick out of it!   The party after the ceremony was out of this world!  Lisa and Jared along with 40 guests will always remember this wedding as the most incredible, upbeat, and vibrant wedding!  Even we at I DO Belize Weddings didn’t feel like we were at work for much of the evening!  We were thrilled and honored to be part of this very special couple’s celebration.

Any couple daydreaming of their joyful occasion on the beach will truly appreciate Lisa and Jared’s big day.  What an awesome wedding!!

If there was such a thing as too much fun at a wedding and an award given for it this couple just might win…

Congratulations to a very wonderful couple!

All photographs by Brian Fox Reflections of Life

Congratulations and what a spectacular night!  Roland and Margo celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a classy island style celebration at the spectacular Blue Dolphin private beach home.  Plenty of entertainment filled the night including a live Marimba band , surprise fire show with live clay drums that wow-ed  the guests, and an incredible catered dinner. With an incredible island style dinner no one went hungry!  For starters guests enjoyed traditional shrimp cocktail, Beef Empanadas, Island Style Fritters with Mango Glaze, Sweet n Spicy Mustard Sauce, or a tangy cream sauce. Guests enjoyed multiple main entrees which included a Rib Eye Roast in a savory wine sauce, Lobster, Crab Claw, and Spanish Chicken with vegetables along with a mixed garden salad in a citrus vinigrette and Garlic Herb Roasted Potatoes.  The anniversary couple cut the first slice of Deep Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosted Cake again after 50 years of marriage!

Their son and daughter-in-law Jay and Jen married that same night at midnight barefoot on the beach!!  The night was full of celebrations.   Congratulations to one of the most fun and special family ever.  We hope to see you one day in Belize again!

Karen and Gary came to Belize in search of a relaxing vacation with chances to adventure.  Somewhere to tie the knot and honeymoon all in one.   Somewhere incredible, magical, and romantic.   Somewhere called Belize…

Gary and Karen enjoyed a full week on the island before saying “I Do” five miles north at Los Encantos Villa Del Sol.  The newlyweds are considering taking a trip to the Mayan ruins and Cave tubing before returning to the states later this week.

The stunning couple exchanged vows with just the two of them at the end of the beautifully decorated pier.   They also included the Belize butterfly release into their own beautiful ceremony they selected.  After making their wishes they released the graceful butterflies over the sea.  Within minutes of beginning their first dance the couple was full of joy when their favorite boat captain drove by the pier.  Karen and Gary took their first dance right in the boat on the Caribbean Sea!  After their champagne toast the couple dined on the veranda of their luxurious and cozy villa overlooking the ocean with dinner prepared by a personal chef and wedding cake!

The evening was full of fun and romance.

One of the island’s most intimate weddings yet!  Congratulations Karen and Gary!

Villa Del Sol

Make your dream wedding come true with a La Perla Del Caribe luxury villa!  Perfect for large or small wedding parties these two, three, four and five bedroom beach villas have been referred to as “mini museums.”

For a peak at Shari and John’s luxury wedding villa visit their personal wedding site!

http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/user/default.aspx?UserName=shari_rngleson&m=1&MsdVisit=1