Engagement Party in Miami

Thanks to my Trail Mixa-licious FMIL, we recently celebrated our engagement with a brunch down in Miami, since that is where Mr TM is from.  Even though a cold kept me from enjoying the Miami weather the day before, nothing could stop me from having fun at this party.

The party was seriously above and beyond anything I expected.  I'd heard rumors of the awesome parties the Trail Mix In-Laws had thrown beforehand but had never actually witnessed one first-hand.  However, I can truthfully say now that when the Trail Mixers throw a party, they throw a party!  We celebrated at the Westview Country Club in North Miami with about 100 (!!) people in attendance and the talented Sue Chase of Chase Music and Entertainment made sure it was planned out in great detail and ran smoothly.

Although the space was beautiful on it's own, we lucked out because there had been a wedding there the night before and the club let left the decorations up for us, so all the beautiful, white drapings were free!

Here's a shot of the room, all set up, before guests started arriving. Tre gorgeous, no?

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I loved that FMIL Trail Mix took the time to incorporate our wedding colors into everything she did.  For example, even the floral arrangements were yellow and blue.

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Oh right, we had a popcorn buffet!! This was a surprise to me but you guys better believe I took advantage of that bad boy.

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There were even little goody bags with our names on them! She had also printed up similar cocktail napkins and paper hand towels as well but alas, I forgot to take pictures of those.

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Yum, eggs benedict are my favorite.  There was also an omelette station, a carving station, blintzes, waffles, french toast, fruit and frozen yogurt, and pretty much any other goody you would want at brunch.

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No Jewish brunch would be complete without the requisite smelly fish to put on top of one's bagel (and ironically enough, the smoked fish were placed directly next to a huge tray of bacon! Haha! Mmmmmm, me loves bacon...)

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Not only did MIL Trail Mixa-licious take the time to organize this party with all these thoughtful details, she then took it upon herself to write a poem commemorating the occasion and then memorized the entire thing, which she managed to recite to the crowd without missing a beat.  It was a huge hit and she finished with a tribute to FIL Trail Mix, who just recently celebrated a milestone birthday (I won't tell you which one because he might actually kill me if I did.... :)

Here's the hot mama giving her hubby a kiss after finishing the poem...

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Mr Trail Mix-a-Lot then gave a little speech, welcoming everyone and thanking his parents.  I did not speak since between my stuffy nose and croaky throat, no one would have wanted to listen!

Here's the two of us, right afterwards...

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I didn't get a picture of this but immediately after everyone's speeches, FMIL Trail Mixa-licious had another surprise.  She rolled out three birthday cakes, one for FFIL Trail Mix, one for Mr Trail Mix and one for me! All three of us have birthdays within 9 days of each other in November.  The whole crowd sang us happy birthday and we blew out our candles. Such a sweet and thoughtful gesture.

And finally, here's a shot of the whole immediate Trail Mix clan, minus Little Bro TM, who is out in California participating in the Americorps program. I wished he could have been there to celebrate with us but sadly, it just wasn't in the cards.

From left to right, that is Papa TM, Mama TM, Mr TM's Little Bro and Best Man, Me, Mr TM, MIL Trail Mixa-licious and FIL TM.  Whew, that's a mouthful.

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This weekend was a wonderful way for our two families to get to know each other a little bit better and to celebrate our engagement.  I am truly thankful for the amazing FIL Trail Mix clan I'm about to join, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have done for us!

How did you celebrate your engagement?