September 25, 2006

Today is officially day three of our honeymoon. There are moments where I cannot believe that we are on a real vacation. A vacation that I've been eager for over a year! Our adventure began on Saturday the 23rd. Somehow we made it out of the house, still on cloud nine from the previous day. After visiting Aidan’s family and my family, Brendan dropped us off at the airport and we were on our way. I spent some time talking with a wedding guest before we boarded, and then we were off to New York.New York was not as great a layover as it was expected to be. We had a good Chinese lunch and made it through security. We then had hours to wait and the concourse was not that conducive for enjoyment. Granted, I had a change of nail polish at the spa, but that was the best part. We couldn't find a book for me to use as a Journal. And we had to pay $3.40 for Vitamin Water!Anyhow, we boarded Lufthansa and the flight was actually quite good once we got off the runway (2 hours after boarding). The hot meal was okay and the breakfast was fine. It wasn't British Airways, but it got us to Frankfurt. We have 30 minutes to get to our gate in Frankfurt and literally just made our flight on Sunday morning to Budapest. Our luggage didn't make the plane though. This meant that we got to stay the same clothing for many more hours. Upon arrival at Budapest we were taken to a coffeehouse and received instructions on what was to happen for the afternoon. We then got to wander about for a few hours. We had a traditional Hungarian meal at an outdoor café. The shopping was fun, but we wanted to shower. We still had a few hours to wait. We got to the ship and took a nap before we finally got our luggage around 5 p.m. Showering was sublime, and we were ready for dinner. After a security briefing, we had a five course meal. I'm going to be fat after this trip. We talked with our table guests and then we were off to bed. This morning I gave Aidan his birthday present. We are going to take a tour of Budapest today and then will be off to visit an artists village this afternoon. We then sail for Bratislava this afternoon, and it will definitely be a fun day.

Reception Memories - Marisa's Version

The first thing I saw when we entered the Maritime Museum was the flags. Aidan had about 40 flags on the flagpole. We knew we were a bit behind time-wise but had about one hour and 15 minutes of slacking the timetable. We could theoretically catch up.Walking up the steps and into Commissioner's House was indescribable. It was almost what I think walking into a movie premiere might be like. Everyone was taking pictures and calling out to us and coming to hug us, etc.. The cakes were set up on the table in the entrance hall, and they were beautiful! I put my bouquet down on the table between the cake so everyone could see the bouquet jewels. It was then off for family pictures. It was pretty well organized, and we got through them in good time. We then tried to catch up with our guests before the Regiment Band and the Pipe Band began to perform. They were fabulous and the dancers had me feeling so proud when they did the Barracks. I loved every minute of the performance and was on cloud nine when the bands played ‘Scots Wae Hae’ at marching pace.We then got into the cake cutting. We started by looking at the knife and server since we had engraved our information on my parents set. We cut my cake, the Aidan’s cake and then served up a slice of each to feed each other. My goodness, the cakes were so good! It is a shame we do not eat more. We were then on to the second performance, and I danced the Highland Fling with the dancers and then watched the performance of the Sean Truibhas and the Sword Dance. The Pipe Band then washed into the building, and we were able to get into the dances. Aidan and I danced to ‘So In Love’ (he was so good) and we immediately followed by dancing with my dad and his mom to ‘The Way You Look Tonight’. My dad and I sang the words throughout the whole thing.We still had a few things to do before the evening wound up. The speeches went well with Aidan, myself and Brendan doing the honors. Then came the shocker. Yes, there was belly dancing! A few of my students were good sports, and we ensure that many jaws hit the floor. Even Alegna had on a hip scarf. We rounded up the night with the performance to ‘One’. That really had people stunned to see Aidan with the top hat and cane. We had good fun with it and the energy we got back from everyone was fabulous.Before you knew it the sparklers were being handed out. The time had gone pretty quickly, but we had made up for lost time! We walked out amid the sparklers. It was so beautiful. We stood in front of the taxi and looked out the sparkling Commissioner's House. As we boarded the taxi friends were calling out that they loved us. It was amazing. As we rode home we were happy that the whole day and evening had gone so well.

Reception Memories - Aidan's Version

We arrived at Commissioner’s House and Josh played us in to the building where we spoke to a few people before heading outside to the balcony to take the formal photographs. Once that was complete, the massed bands of the Bermuda Regiment and Bermuda Islands Pipe Band marched onto parade for a short performance for us. They played “Scots Wa’ Hae” as a quick march as per Marisa’s request and she thoroughly enjoyed it. We went inside and cut the cake and met a few more people. The pipe band organized themselves again and performed in front of the flagpole at sunset along with the dancers. Marisa could not resist performing the Highland Fling in her dress. Following this was our first dance. I remembered most of the steps and I think it worked out quite well. Marisa’s belly dancers did a short show. Again she couldn’t resist. Alegna joined in also. Marisa, Brendan and myself then each made a short speech and it was time for the last dance. Again, I remembered most of it, although the people were so stunned that I was actually doing something like that, that they probably wouldn’t have even noticed the mistakes I made. The sparklers were passed around and lit and so it was time to go. So we headed out to the awaiting taxi as all of our adoring fans waved from the balconies, shut the door and drove off around the corner of the building and out of sight.

Ceremony Memories - Aidan's Version

We were ready to go at 4pm on schedule, but unfortunately some of the guests were taking their time, so we eventually started at about 4:10. I tried to follow Brendan and Chantal at the prescribed 4 pew spacings, but with my parents on each side it was a bit difficult. Once I arrived at the front, I turned and watched Alegna walk down the aisle. She got about half way and then realized that she was by herself and started to cry. So we had to try to placate her. Once she made it to her parents she was fine. Marisa headed down the aisle looking very lovely with her parents alongside. She arrived at the front and our families exchanged greetings. The parents went back to their respective places and Marisa took my arm and we proceeded to the altar together. The service proceeded and before we knew it, it was time to say our vows. Marisa of course had memorized hers, but I had to cheat. However, I did read a line at a time and repeat it to her to ensure that I was talking to her and not the book. Father Jerry handed over the dish for the rings and Brendan looked like he was emptying his pockets of change as he took out the five rings to be blessed. Then it was off to sign the register, whilst Marisa’s godfather Phillip played the violin, and before we knew it we were being introduced as Mr and Mrs Aidan and Marisa Stones. A fanfare of trumpets and Handel’s Water Music and we headed out of the church and down the steps to the carriage whilst Josh played the pipes.
We sat in the carriage to allow as many people as possible to see us and then we proceeded out of the car park and along the road to Church Bay. It was nice to have a few quiet moments on our own and the photographer took a few shots whilst we were there. We then boarded the taxi to Commissioner’s House.

Ceremony Memories - Marisa's Version

We were early, but the guests were still arriving we got there. Chantal and I stayed in the taxi for about 15 minutes. So yes, we started 10 minutes late. I did not think about the time again until we got to the reception. There was no need to…I remember walking into the church with my parents and thinking how wonderful it was to see everyone there and looking so genuinely happy. Alegna got halfway down the aisle and began to cry, and both Aidan and I were trying to get her attention to get her to go to the front. It was so precious to see Aidan stepped forward to try to get Alegna to come to him. When I got to the front with my parents, all I wanted to do was touch Aidan to make sure all of it was real. Indeed, it was! I don't think that I stopped smiling for the entire time we were at the front. Fr. Jerry’s homily was memorable because he told stories first about getting to know us - and the work I used to give to him during RCIA. The vows were definitely an experience. I had been practicing them since the rehearsal (especially at the salon with my cheat sheet) and still managed to flub the second line. The exchange of rings had a great smiling moment because Brendan had to put five rings on the plate to be blessed. It was like he was emptying his pockets of change! Aidan and I had to smile. Debbie’s singing of The Lord’s Prayer had me teary-eyed and I was in awe listening to Philip playing the violin during and after the signing of the register. When the fanfare trumpets went off at the end I was thinking “Oh my goodness, I'm a wife!!!”We walked out of the church and got into the horse and carriage that was decorated with blue ribbons. We got to speak with a few people and took a few pictures before we left. The ride was lovely, and I enjoyed it more than I expected. People in cars honked their horns and waved at us. We completed our carriage ride at Church Bay to took pictures at various locations. We then got into a taxi and went the final distance to Commissioner's House. That time alone after the ceremony was great and I recommend it to everyone to just catch your breath.

The Proposal - Aidan's Version

Well, last evening (August 19th, 2005) was the culmination of about two years of research and work. The idea started as an idea of how to involve it in the Edinburgh Tattoo. I began mind games, thinking about how, what, when, where and why with regard to this proposal. I decided fairly early on that I wanted to include sapphires in the ring, to ensure that a part of me was included, it had to include a diamond as that is recent tradition and it had to be a white metal, platinum, because that goes best with her skin tone. I started looking around Hamilton to see what was available, which didn’t thrill me an awful lot, so I decided to try the Internet. I tried various schemes and eventually ended up with a three stone ring. Through various hints, nudges and other very subtle hints, I learned what Marisa liked in rings, cuts, styles, ring size and a host of other pieces of information. Patience was a must as this information gathering took a while. I tried contacting several online jewelers asking about styles etc. It turned out that most only did three stone diamond rings in the type of style I wanted. It wasn’t until four months ago that I found one that would put together the combination that I wanted. By the time I had collated all of the information that I required, did tests on AutoCAD including scaled printouts that I tested on my pinky finger for sizing etc. I eventually settled on about ¾ carat as being the best size. Researching the quality, I discovered that the best which would not change things too much was to get as near colourless as I could, with a fairly good grade of clarity and most of all a top class cut. The ring arrived about a week before I had decided to do it. I had to tell someone, because I was so excited, so I let my sister, Veronica, in on the secret that evening. My next project was to ask Marisa’s parents. I tackled her mother first to gain some vital information on how I should approach Marisa’s father. Armed with some good advice, I had 24 hours to sort something out. I arrived at Marisa’s house that evening. Her mother was out walking and her father wandered around the garden with us looking at various things. As if on queue, Marisa disappeared indoors and so I took my chance. His reaction was interesting, in that his first comment was, “Yes, take her out of here” or words to that effect. I knew I was ok as he was actually beaming. So now, I had to put the final touches together for the evening that followed. We arrived at Coral Beach and walked to the clubhouse. We were greeted as is traditional at CBC by Alonso the parrot with a cheery “Hello”. We were escorted to a table in the corner by the window and passed the menus and wine list. We chose our drinks, wine and dinner. I had quail, vegetable soup and beef tenderloin. Marisa had seafood medley, fish chowder, and the beef tenderloin. We talked about a variety of issues, and the thread kept on coming back to engagement, rings and wedding and timings thereof. I was inwardly smiling, knowing what I knew. We had dessert. I had ice cream with chocolate sauce and Marisa had the dessert medley, which was a small portion of everything on the dessert menu.We got up to leave and I suggested that we take a walk outside. We walked across the granite outdoor dance floor and then found our way through a myriad of corridors and passageways to the steps leading down to the beach. We stopped on the balcony below the beach terrace, and I started the ball rolling, talking about our 1461 days together and that I had another present for her anniversary. She then suggested that we go down to the beach. This was my nightmare, as I had been thinking that I would drop the ring in the sand and lose it at night. The moon was shimmering across the water and the ocean was near calm. I started my spiel again and was distracted by some children who came running onto the beach. We walked a bit further along the beach until I felt a little safer away from the “crowds”. I then began my spiel again about the 1461 days and all that. I decided not to kneel for two reasons. 1 – I wasn’t sure how she would take the surprise, because it was obvious that she didn’t have a clue what was about to happen. 2 – the sand. I eventually got out the words “Will you marry me?” to which her mouth opened wide, her face fell and she broke into tears. I was glad that I was standing as she probably would have collapsed. I kept on prompting her for what felt like at least ten minutes, until she said yes. This gave me time to get the box out of my pocket, the ring out of the box, and pre-position it near her ring finger. As soon as she said “yes” I slipped the ring on her finger. She looked down and burst into tears again. We walked along the beach a bit further to a beach chair and sat down. She continued crying for about 15 minutes. I asked her if she was happy, and she said yes. I told her the story of the ring and asking her parents etc. I’m not sure how much she truly took in as she was rather caught up in the moment. We eventually got up and left the beach in the moonlight to spend the rest of the evening together.

BMDS Newsletter Announcement

Cyril and Carol Hall announce the engagement of their daughter, Marisa, to Aidan, son of Simon and Mary Stones. Marisa has been involved with BMDS since the age of 5 years - first following her mom around in the lighting booth and finally making it onstage in her first pantomime at the age of 9 years.Aidan joined BMDS much, much later (1999 to be exact) but he has often made his presence known backstage. He also made an indelible mark on Marisa during the run of 'Aladdin' in 2000, when he dropped a fly-bar on her hand (a variation on the caveman principle).A September 2006 wedding is planned.