I was thrilled to celebrate my cousin Mariesa's wedding this past weekend in Naples, Florida. Mariesa's dad, my Uncle Steven, and my dad are brothers, and Mariesa is the first of the Menghini grandchildren to get married. We were all looking forward to visiting with her and the Florida Menghini's, who we do not see nearly often enough.
Jared and I flew down early Friday morning, and were joined by my mom, dad and Olivia a few hours later. We headed up to Lehigh Acres to visit with my Uncle Steve and Joshua for a bit, seeing their new house, and checking out their impressive vegetable garden and mini-orchard. They are growing everything from pineapples, to a variety of herbs, to red onions, to avocados; it’s like a farmer’s market in their backyard. After a few drinks and some cheese directly from France from Edgardo’s (Mariesa's fiance) parents (native Columbians who now reside in France, where Edgardo’s father is a chef) we headed to Naples. We had dinner with Russell, my dad’s cousin, and his wife Chris, and Uncle Steve and Josh. Russell made the world’s largest lasagna to enjoy with meatballs and sauce. And as we ended the evening with cannoli’s, my Lean Cuisine-shrunken stomach was happily stuffed.
On Saturday Jared and I, along with my parents and Olivia, walked around 5th Avenue and Third Street South in Downtown Naples for a few hours, stopping at Bice for lunch. (Lunch was okay, but I would recommend going someplace else, as there are a lot of restaurant options.) Many of the shops sell similar items: beach-summer ware, jewelry, and home décor. There is a great shop just off of Third Street South that had some fabulous Lilly Pulitzer dresses that I would have scooped up if I had a bit of extra spending cash. Later in the afternoon we headed up to Fort Myers to join Mariesa, Edgardo, my Uncle Steve, Mariesa’s mom Beth, and the rest of the family for a bbq. It was nice to see Mariesa, her little one Evelyn, her mom Beth, and to meet Edgardo and his family. And we’re never one to turn down a bbq!
On Sunday Jared, Olivia and I spent a few hours at Naples Beach while my parents went to pick up Patrice at the airport. (Because of her work schedule she was flying in on Sunday for the wedding and leaving with everyone on Monday.) We were happy to get some sun, especially after a week of rainy NY weather, and enjoyed the warm gulf water. My parents picked us up in the early afternoon, and after a quick pizza lunch we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.
Mariesa and I had chatted about wedding planning over the last few months, as we both faced challenges along the way. She and her family planned a beautiful wedding. The ceremony was held in a lovely garden in Naples, The Garden of Hope and Courage, and was very touching. The reception followed immediately after at the French restaurant Le Lafayette, located off of Third Street South. It was an intimate reception, with a Parisian theme and a soft khaki, peach, and hint of burgundy color palette. Everyone enjoyed a wonderful buffet of French food, with classic dishes such as carved lamb and beef, Tomato Provencal, Quiche Lorraine, fresh fruit and sliced Brie, pate, potatoes au gratin and sauteed spinach, just to name a few. (It really is just to name a few; with a full break from Lean Cuisine this past weekend, I enjoyed the buffet twice and still did not have everything one could enjoy!) We had a great time chatting and laughing with family, mingling with Mariesa and Edgardo's friends, noshing on wedding cake, sipping fruity cocktails, and dancing later in the evening. We are so thrilled for Mariesa and Edgardo, and wish them, and little Evelyn, a lifetime of health and happiness.
We departed on Monday for New York happy to have shared in this special event. Check out pictures of the weekend below.
