I’ve been the worst about keeping up with blogging. I’d rather be working on my next book, if we’re being honest. Posting on a blog is like running through Beach Village in my underwear once a day.
Last week, my husband and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary with an awesome party for our friends on Jekyll Island. Because it was a weekend affair and lots of guests were traveling from a distance, we planned a whole weekend of fun activities. It was sort of like our original wedding weekend 20 years ago, except a lot more fun. I wasn’t stressed or freaked out like I was in Vieques at my wedding, when there was no wedding planner on the island and everybody was asking me all the big hard questions.
We kicked things off with a welcome party and open house at our new home here on Jekyll Island. It’s the first time we’ve opened all the doors (not gonna lie, we didn’t show off the master bedroom because you need at least one place to hide things) and invited folks in to look around. We even had the little guest house out back open for touring. Thank you to my girlfriends Kelsi and Cristie who were staying with us and had to reclean their bathrooms several times during the weekend let other people use them. You are the bestest.
The welcome party was in our backyard (thank you Patrick, Joelean, and Jake for helping me get it presentable) and Tribuzio’s Grille catered it. The food was amazeballs – we started with appetizers that included alligator bites, crabcakes (approved by the Marylanders, I might add), and pimento cheese toasts. Then we had a fabulous BBQ buffet and a great bar – thank you Gabi for the addition of the cucumber margaritas – yummy! Our granddaughter Danielle performed a song on her ukulele and our friend Israel Mandrake, a famous mentalist from Las Vegas, did some tricks that left everybody wondering what they just saw. We’d planned to have a late night firepit out back but it was just too damned hot out and those who stayed late moved inside to the air. As they say, Southerners aren’t afraid of storms. We’re afraid of losing air conditioning for 10 months of the year.
Saturday was a whirlwind. Bill and his son drove down to Jacksonville that morning to pick up 15 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. We had a Krispy Kreme donut groom’s cake for Bill at the National Press Club 20 years ago so it seemed appropriate to do it again on our 20th. We also had real desserts but the donuts were very popular.
Our anniversary party at the historic Jekyll Island Club Hotel was everything we’d hoped for – and I’m pretty sure that our friends will all come back to the island to experience it all again someday. We started with cocktails on the croquet lawn and we provided pink and white parasols for the ladies in the group. It was miserably hot out, but we had to do something outside so we could get the pictures in front of the hotel. Worth it. Although I was dying in my wedding gown. But my friend Morris Malakoff, a somewhat famous wedding photographer, had come from Houston to take pictures of our party and I wasn’t going to miss that chance at pictures in front of that beautiful hotel.
Yes, that’s my real wedding gown that I wore to the party. I had them cut off the train and the bustle buttons and take it in a couple of inches up top (I used to have boobs), but it actually fit!!! Kinda exciting. I’ve been dragging it around in a big-ass box for 20 years, might as well wear it again. I think I’m going to cut off another foot and dye it so I can wear it to somebody else’s wedding next LOL
My husband Bill looked handsome in a casual shirt and pants – I didn’t make anybody wear jackets or ties because I knew it was going to be hot as heck out there – and since he wore a suit without complaint in the Caribbean in 2004, I figured that I owed him a better experience the second time around. We had appetizers and drinks on the lawn before heading into the air conditioning in the Grand Dining Room for dinner and dancing.
Just before we headed inside, my grandsons did something that was truly the highlight of our night. I’d bought some inflatable alligator costumes for them and suggested they might want to greet guests into the dining room. But these creative teenagers ran out on the croquet lawn in them and it was hilarious. I’m sharing pictures here but you really had to see it to “get it.” They got costumed up again later in the evening and danced to “Crocodile Rock” for the guests. Thank you Liam, Jake, and Logan for being such great sports. And thank you Dani for jumping in to dance as an alligator at the party.
Sunday’s beach party was a lot of fun because we had a chance to relax and visit with more of the guests whom we hadn’t had time to talk to the first couple of nights. I was complimented by how many of our local friends joined us at the beach, too. It was a lot of fun seeing all the people from our lives meeting our new friends here on Jekyll. Everybody had a lot in common and I think most everybody had a blast. Tribuzio’s catered the beach party for us, too, and the food was spectacular. Their team made everybody so comfortable and took care of all our needs. Thank you to everybody.
The farewell brunch on Monday was sad because it was so amazing to have so many people we love here on Jekyll Island. But it was a good chance to hug most of our guests goodbye and make plans for future visits. My mom attended everything all weekend and afterwards, declared it perfectly planned and executed. So, it doesn’t really matter what anybody else says – my mommy gave it her stamp of approval. And she’s the one who taught me how to plan a party. I used her blueberry coffee cake and breakfast casserole recipes at the brunch at got rave reviews. I’ll be posting her recipes online to share eventually (after I’ve written my thank you notes).
I used to write a blog like this every week after my weddings – sort of a post-mortem on things to talk up ideas that worked well and laugh at what went sideways. It’s strange to be doing it for my own event. But what an anniversary party!!! We plotted to have it when we first moved in here and I’d joked it gave me a deadline for getting unpacked. That turned out not to be so much of a joke as a scary prediction. But we pulled it off. Thank you everybody who helped us.
Until next time, happy reading!
Sandy