Weddingbee bios

We were both interning during summer of graduate school in Washington, DC. I was there for 2 months and 2 months only, after which I would finish my masters' degree in California and travel the world. He was also there only for 2 months, after which he would return to Panama, finish his degree. Neither of us were looking for love - he even had a girlfriend of 3 years at the time!

We were assigned seats next to one another on the first day and began talking. The group went out often, and the two of us always ended up dancing together (and wow, can Panamanian men dance, by the way!). We quickly knew there was a spark. One day, he came over to tell me that he was breaking up with his girlfriend (no pressure!) because 'if God did that much to bring us together and I just let this go without trying, I could never forgive myself'.

We began dating less than three weeks after meeting one another and haven't looked back since. He moved to California while I finished my degree; following which I moved to Panama while he finished his. We're now in D.C. together, planning our wedding and lives together.

I always hated the cliche of "you know when you know" but, as it happens, you really do!

I had finished graduate school, and moved to Panama while he finished his second master's degree. We tried to travel a bit, and one weekend decided to go to San Blas, an archipelago of 365 undeveloped islands - white sand beaches, palm trees, and not much else. We packed up to go camping and got on the road.

Once on our island, we spent 2 days exploring and enjoying the sun. The third night, he put some candles in empty coconut shells (which we had eaten/drank from earlier). The breeze was strong, and blew some of the candles out. He asked me to try to light one, and inside the coconut was the ring! It was out of a fairytale.

Only a day later did I find out he had planned on proposing differently. He was going to take me to a famous island with only one palm tree the first day, but the canoe and our guide took off early. Then he was going to propose during the sunset the second day, but the clouds ruined the night sky. I think I like the way he did it the best though - not bad for a backup plan!

Amazing what great pictures a $35 Groupon can give you!

I had the most difficult time finding a dress. The problems:

1. I have a very hard body type - extreme hourglass. I'm talking a 10" difference between my waist and my hips and a 34DD top. 

2. My bridesmaids are all over the world (Spain, Panama, Puerto Rico, California, Boston, etc....)

3. The ones that are close (e.g. my sister) have VERY different taste - we're talking full ballroom style with lots of pick-ups, sparkles, and general 'bling'

4. I'm getting married on the beach in Panama. That translates to 'destination' wedding for many, but we have his huge Latino family and our huge circle of friends, meaning 250 guests and not too informal.

 

I couldn't find something that was light and airy but still had some structure to fit me well and have a good formal/informal balance. I recently found this:

 

What do you think? Will this work?

Because our wedding is in Panama and there are lots of people, we were having a hard time finding something we could bring in legally (not food, plants, etc..), that we could ship and/or bring over, and that people would like. We're thinking of doing these instead: 

 

That way we can have everyone make a wish, release them or save them, have gorgeous pictures and memories? Is it selfish to have something like this that they won't necessarily take home? Or is it beautiful and creative? Thoughts?

Some details from our wedding:

Despite the chaos leading up to the ceremony (including having to change our ceremony site 4 times because they kept building where we wanted to have it!), everything came together beautifully.

His vows were incredible, making everyone cry...

A gorgeous reception for a crazy party!