Because we are so grateful for our friends and family that came to celebrate in our joy, we wanted to treat them to a little piece of Aruba.  And what better way to do that than take them on a sailing and snorkeling trip!  We left this part as a surprise and announced it to everyone during our welcome dinner at The Aqua Grill. 
     The look on the faces of all our loved ones was priceless, and for that reaction alone, it was worth the money!  Besides, we knew everyone would have a blast (and we were right)!  All our guests were so excited and couldn't wait!
    

      We chose to private charter a boat through Mi Dushi, because of the great reviews and also because of the pier's location (which was right next to the Westin).  We chose the Sundown Safari package, which included up to 40 guests (with a max of 60-just pay individual prices exceeding the 40 guests), open bar, snacks, 2 snorkeling locations, and 3 hours of sailing!

     The crew was great!  They were so friendly and really showed us a fun time!  There were 3 crew members along for the ride, the captain, snorkeling expert Victor, & the bartender (I'm bad with names-sorry!). 
    

     Victor demonstrates the dos & don'ts of snokeling!  He made everyone laugh with his comedic personality!

Everyone from every age range came along for the fun, but the older ones had a harder time enjoying it just as much as the younger ones.  Lets just say I wish I added Dramamine (or barf bags) to our Welcome Bags! 

     While the husband pretended to man the boat it was  time for me to get in the water!  The first snorkeling location we stopped at, the water was a little choppy and murky, so needless to say, wasn't that great for seeing life under water.  But the second stop, was AMAZING!! (I'm sorry I can't remember the name of the shipwreck area).  There was so much underwater life:  gorgeous fish, unbelievable shipwreck, and even sea turtles!  Another friend even saw an eel (scary, but cool at the same time)!!  Snorkeling this shipwreck area was probably the most memorable part of my vacation to Aruba (besides the wedding itself)! 

     After snorkeling was done, we all enjoyed the rest of the sailing trip and watched the beautiful Aruba sunset! 

And once the boat was anchored near shore, some of the guests left on the water taxi (the older ones who got motion sickness), while the young ones stayed in anticipation to use the rope swing!

     After the whole excursion came to an end, we all walked back to the Westin from the De Palm Pier and took the opportunity to take some amazing shots with the sunset!  Here's all my girls & I taking that big leap for the cameras!  So beautiful!

     The whole day was amazing!  I'm glad the hubby & I chose to do this sailing & snorkeling excursion for everyone!  It's the least we could do for them since they came to Aruba for our wedding!  It was such a wonderful time and will forever be lasting memories.

    There are certain things that you can say aren't wedding etiquette and I hope forgoing the idea of handing out wedding favors isn't one of them.  I never intended on giving favors at our wedding 'cause I thought it would be too much trouble to pack them to Aruba, let alone the costs of something that will likely be thrown away later.  But a couple months ago I came across another Aruba bride who got married this past October.  She came up with the idea of taking her guests on an excursion in lieu of favors.  I thought that was a brilliant idea-so I stole it, ok borrowed! 
     After doing the research of pros and cons, getting estimated costs, and company comparisons, I presented the idea to the fiance!  I thought it was a great plan, but then he shut it down with a quickness!  He complained we were already spending too much money!  I was so sad, really sad!
     This past weekend, I brought up the idea again at our marriage retreat (the most opportune time-since we're "putting everything out on the table").  I put on my sad face and asked him again if we could gift our family and friends with a 3 hour sailing excursion (open bar, snorkeling, snacks, and tons of FUN included-oh I know right, how could he say no in the first place?!) and he answered, "OK if it makes you happy?!  But agree that there will be nothing else added!?"  I soon agreed and did my happy dance!  I'm so excited about it and can't wait to surprise our guest when they read it in our Welcome Letter!
     Thanks goes out to Christine (the other Aruba bride) for the idea and the recommendation!  We chose to charter a private boat from Mi Dushi.  It'll be a 3 hour sunset excursion, full of good times with great family and friends!  It's all booked and paid for so there's no turning back fiance! 
     Do you like giving surprises?  Are you surprising your guests with anything for your wedding?