Today is the Day (1)

Haike (Tony's Chinese name...I'm going to try to make the switch) and I are back home from our 2 amazing weeks in Thailand. Since we returned, I've been mulling over the best way to express to you all, as well as preserve a written reminder for myself, the absolute perfection that occurred in my life and the many blessings that we received. Prayers were answered in mighty ways...wow, were they answered! I can't wait to tell you all about it so I've decided to go day-by-day leading up to the ceremony. Thus begins our adventure...

We left for Beijing on a Sunday afternoon and flew out to Bangkok that evening. We arrived in Bangkok at about 11:30 pm and spent a long and cold night in the Bangkok airport, waiting for our 6:45 am flight to Chiang Mai...check out the map below to see where Chiang Mai is located.




We arrived in Chiang Mai at 8 am on Monday and even though we were feeling the exhaustion of a sleepless night, as soon as we stepped foot into the city we felt excited, alert and soooo relieved that this time of waiting and planning had finally arrived! Our photographer, who is from New Zealand but lives in Chiang Mai with his family, picked us up at the airport and drove us the 45 minutes it takes to get into the mountains and to our resort. I can't accurately explain how I felt when we arrived...I was ecstatic and when I stepped out of the van and looked at the main building in the resort, I felt a wave of peace and comfort as if I were arriving home. The air was humid, but clean. The sights were a rainbow of color - green, yellow, orange, red, blue. The sky was filled with big, white clouds which may not seem like a luxury to you but to our smog-filled city eyes, it was like putting on a pair of glasses which instantly transform your world from blurry to clear. The transformation was also made in my mind. Perfect clarity and understanding, along with the knowledge that its so much grander to be able to SEE.




Haike and I intentionally planned to arrive at the resort one day before any of our guests so that we could tie up any loose ends regarding the day trips, hotel rooms, food, photography and ceremony. We were greeted enthusiastically by the resort staff as they also could feel the excitement for the week ahead building. (It turned out that we were nearly the only guests at Belle Villa that week...aside from a few families and one Thai group that was there singing karaoke for one evening.) After putting down our bags and splashing cool water on our faces, we went to the outdoor eating area for breakfast and a meeting with our photographer, followed by a "practice photo shoot" for the actual day. We found tons of beautiful spots around Belle Villa for group photos and a mental image of "the day" began to form...




That afternoon our wonderful wedding planner surprised us with hour-long massages in the resorts', Le Spa. It was relaxation at its best and we both fell asleep like kings and queens being pampered in all their elegance.

After the spa treatment we finally met with our wedding planner, Miao! I felt as though I already knew her and we connected instantly as we hammered out details for the ceremony and reception, as well as confirming plans for our guests' arrivals and accommodations. Miao was there for every question, confusion, joy and success throughout the week and I will never forget the piece she played in this giant jigsaw puzzle.

Evening came...still no sleep! We hopped in the van and made the journey back to the city for dinner and several hours of shopping at the famous night market. My list in hand, we started bargaining and buying many of the small items needed to make the ceremony complete, including jewelry for all the ladies in the bridal party and gift bags to welcome each guest into their room.

At about 10 pm we finally crawled into our beds to get some rest before the first guests' arrival the next day. But I was too excited to see my family and friends bright and early in the morning and the butterflies in my stomach were too active, bouncing around and keeping me awake. I finally drifted off, putting myself to sleep with a quiet "shhhh..." as I coaxed the butterflies to finally rest as well.