Jumped up early as usual and headed to breakfast at Michael's Club. Again chatted with another British couple...they are so friendly and more than willing to swap cruise stories. That is one reason I love having breakfast in this cozy little spot, the folks that are around are always seasoned cruisers and so entertaining to speak with and share a meal.
I was trying to grab some quick photos in Michael's Club before the ceremony to show the before and after...never had the chance as folks had already begun to arrive for the first meal of the day. I was soon off to my hair appointment at 10. I'd had a short discussion with the stylist and we were both on the same page as far as the look I had in mind. An hour later, I was headed back to the cabin for makeup and to slip into my wedding dress for the ceremony. You may think it strange that a 51 year old woman would consider wearing a formal wedding dress for a vow renewal. The truth is, 32 years ago, I didn't wear a wedding dress, and Roger didn't wear a tux. After Roger received his orders for Germany, we planned the wedding in 2 weeks, so I wore a ivory Gunne Saxe gown off the rack, and Roger wore his dress green uniform. We decided to go the traditional route, and it was about time we did it up right. This particular morning, he had left the cabin, per my very specific instructions, because he was not to see me before the ceremony. I'd kept the dress a complete secret since I purchased it back in February. Of course, all my intentions had almost been for naught...the room steward brought it back from being pressed without replacing it in the garment bag. Good thing Rog was not around at the time. Yikes...small disaster averted.
Alana met me in the cabin and helped with the final touches...at 11:30, I was finally ready to take one more walk down the aisle. I was somewhat surprised, as I turned to glance at myself in the mirror on the way out the door, that I didn't entirely recognize the person staring back at me. The night before, Roger had mentioned several times that he was a little anxious about the ceremony the next day. He wanted to make sure that I'd say "I Do" again.....Strangely enough, for the last hour I'd begun to feel a bit nervous myself....and I can't for the life of me figure out why. Perhaps we were apprehensive about being able to say the vows we had both written for the ceremony. It actually felt like my wedding day all over again. I recall walking down the aisle and being oblivious to anyone else in the room except Roger and the officiant. Keeping my composure during the reading of our vows took every ounce of composure I could muster, and I still needed a tissue.
The ceremony was lovely....Que the Cruise Director, did a wonderful job. This was actually the very first vow renewal he had performed and he got a bit emotional as well. A few of the couples we met during the cruise attended the ceremony and raised a glass to wish us well. The entire process was so well planned and organized by those that assisted us during the days leading up to the 23rd. The room was decorated perfectly, my bouquet was beautiful, the cake was delicious and the photographer went above and beyond taking more pictures than I could have possibly imagined. The ship's various venues lend themselves perfectly for photographic settings.
We had one more treat in store for the day--one that was beyond what the ship normally offers to passengers who renew their vows onboard. The Captain had invited us, along with the 4 other couples who had shared his table for dinner on the 20th, to be his guests on the bridge for our sail up the Grand Canal into Venice. It was so incredible to be in such a romantic city, on the day of our renewal...having our photograph taken, with Venice as our backdrop. I have difficulty verbalizing just how incredible the entire day was for both of us. It has certainly been our most memorable cruising experience and one we will treasure for the rest of our lives.
Everywhere we went on the ship that afternoon, passengers kindly wished us well, and some were so cute asking if they could take our picture to send back home. The British folks in particular must really love a wedding, they were so sweet and enthusiastic when we mentioned what we had done. One lady was so flustered when getting on the elevator with us, she forgot which floor she was going to...they all made me feel like Queen for a day!
By 3pm, we were ready to change out of our formal clothes, slip back into our anonymous lives and get off the ship to explore Venice.
Next up...Part 2--pictures of our special day
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