Destiny and Dan’s Wedding

Z and I were once again on the road, this time, to partake in the celebration of my friend Destiny’s marriage to her fiancé Dan.  Their wedding was at Destiny’s grandfather’s ranch in Ingram, TX – about one hour west of San Antonio.  We drove Saturday morning since the ceremony was late in the afternoon; we had time to sleep in and still had enough time to arrive and get ready.  This was our first time at a ranch.  I really wasn’t sure what to expect – lots of wild animals and absolutely no phone signals?  Well, the place we stayed did have Wi-Fi and pretty strong phone signals; wild animals definitely existed. 

Destiny and Dan’s wedding location was quite exotic – I thought we were in Africa safari.  It was certainly a complete opposite of the city life that we have been accustomed to, but it was strangely comfortable to be surrounded by wildlife and the lack of noise.  After our arrival, we only had less than couple of hours to relax and pamper for the wedding, although our idea of “pampering” was really swimsuits and casual summary clothes (you’ll know why).  We took a brief walk around a very small portion of the retreat center we’re staying at. 

{ We were staying in room #4. Inside looked very old and vintage, but everything was still functional. }

One great thing about this wedding was being able reunite with some of my friends in graduate school.  It has been only a month since we graduated, yet it feels weird not seeing each other almost everyday.  I was particularly excited to see Allie and Aaron again, also engaged to wed in October this year, and couldn’t wait for them to meet Z for the first time.  We carpooled to another ranch to where were supposed to get shuttled further into the ranch.  By then, I practically lost my phone signals and decided to turn the phone off entirely.  We also met our other friend DaNeetra there – she brought us back some great memories with her natural sense of humor. The shuttle bus took us even further into the ranch, much deeper into than what we expected, which eventually brought us to a beautiful open space where the ceremony was going taken in place.

{ Their wedding ceremony was very elegant, natural, and beautiful.  I was especially mesmerized by the beautiful bride.  She was simply elegant in the way she presented herself. }

{ Suneera (left) and Michele (right, one of the bridesmaids) were also part of the cohort in my graduate program. }

{ Reception was very casual. There were pulled pork sandwich, potato salad, and coleslaw (my absolute favorite), which were perfect for hot summer weather.  We were allowed to wear our swimsuits during the ceremony so we can immediately jump into the spring water afterwards!  It felt great.  Thankfully, the weather wasn’t terribly hot. It definitely cooled down to a perfect condition later on. }

That night, Destiny’s grandfather drove us (me, Z, Allie, and Aaron) on his Jeep back to where our car was parked.  Dust was rising from the ground, Jeep was loud, and the sky was filled with stars.  It seemed like such a raw experience but there was something magical involved.  I could see why guys might enjoy off-roading experience.  Even though the wedding was just days before my first day of work, I had a relaxing weekend at a secluded location where I can calm myself and connect with the nature.  It’s always great to reunite with friends, and I’m hoping we will continue to have more opportunities to see each other in the future.