I don’t know how I got to be so lucky, having the amazing group of friends that I do. Especially the ones that I have known almost my whole life. When you’ve known someone for 25 years (!!!) you just know them through and through. Jen and I have known each other since 4th grade, but our friendship really solidified in high school and since then, have maintained a close friendship. To know Jen is to know that she has the biggest heart out of anyone you know. Not only is she intellectual, hard working, and thrives on a healthy lifestyle, but her gorgeous beauty is only surpassed by her intense positive outlook in life for her friends and family. She’s, like, soooo amaaaazing. :)

And who better to deserve a woman like this? Enter Teo.

What a teddy bear. Jen’s absolute match in every conceivable way. This guy takes ‘nice’ and trumps it with every hyperbole synonym one can find. Always gushing with friendliness and warmth, Teo can make you feel right at home no matter the circumstances.

What computer program put these two together in the same room, you ask? none. They found each other on their own, the good old fashioned way. Kudos.

Their wedding took place over a long weekend in Chacala, Mexico. Leave it to these two to find THE perfect wedding spot: Mar De Jade. This private, secluded holistic wellness retreat center is hands down the jewel of Chacala, and quite possibly all of Mexico. Rustic, quiet, and tropical, this place focuses on healthy lifestyles, yoga, meditation, relaxation, and overall positive energy. They make all your meals for you (mostly from their organic farm) that give you one less thing to worry about while you’re enjoying your stay.

The guest party was their closest friends and family and everyone just absolutely had a blast together. By day: Beach volleyball, sea kayaking, snorkeling, swimming in the ocean, reading in the hammocks, yoga, spa treatments, delicious meals….by night: TALL tequila shots and dancing.

I’ll be definitely going back. sigh.

The wedding itself was very sweet. These two are head over heals in love and it shows. A surprise full mariachi band rounded the corner when they finished the ceremony and then it was off to the beach for some sunset portraits. AND, the most BEAUTIFUL sunset I’ve ever seen in my life. It was so intoxicating, in fact, that two guests surrendered to The Sunset Gods, stripped down to their skivvies, and ran full sprint into the the ocean (It’s a Double Rainbow!!!) in an attempt to become one with the Universe. And we all loved them for it.

The evening was intoxicating, full of dance beats, DJ lights, and full guest participation on the dance floor for the traditional Hora chair dance. Not to mention an elaborate  & spontaneous dance off between Uncle Frank and Kevin, two of the funniest wedding guests I’ve ever met in my life.

One more thing. I wanted to conclude this post with a portion of the wedding speech given by Sara that didn’t leave a dry eye in the room. It was the back story on Jen’s engagement ring. Get some tissues.

“The story of her engagement ring starts in October 1938 in then Hungary on the brink of WWII. Esther and Paul meet and fall in love. They spend as much time as possible together and Paul proposes marriage. Fearing they may lose one another in the destruction of the war, the couple marries shortly thereafter. As the situation for Jews in Hungary grows increasingly dangerous, Esther and Paul ask a trusted local priest to guard their most valuable possessions. The priest agrees. The Nazis invade, separate Esther and Paul, and send them to concentration camps. Esther and Paul do not have any contact for 5 years. Although Esther has no idea of Paul’s fate, she is sustained throughout her internment by the belief that her love is alive. When Esther, the only one in her family to survive, is finally released, she returns to the town where she lived with Paul. She discovers that, against all odds, Paul also survived. He returns to the town and together they go to the priest who digs up their valuables from their hiding place in the church graveyard. Amongst these valuables is Esther’s engagement ring. Some years after reuniting with Paul, Esther gives birth to Jennifer’s father, Paul A. Lucky, and the family travels to the United States.

The ring that Esther and Paul waited so many years to dig up is the same ring that Teo gave Jennifer seventy years later when he asked her to be his wife. Jennifer will also wear the wedding band of her maternal grandmother Gertrude given to her by her husband Jack. These rings serve as a symbol not only of Jennifer and Teo’s love and future together but as a symbol of the endurance of love and of the hope that love brings. So let’s raise our glasses not just for Jennifer & Teo but also for Esther & Paul and Gertrude & Jack and all of us sustained by the power of love.”

Love you Jen. You to Teo. Welcome to the family.