Bah Bah Black Sheep

Yes, you may be tired of my incessant song lyrics. No, I will not be stopping anytime soon. (Quick random fact about me - I actually had a few gigs as a wedding singer, and was in an a'capella group. My mind thinks in song.)

(Source)

Back the point - I am definitely the black sheep of the family. I am the only one to have graduated from college (and grad school), the only one to speak another language, and the only one to travel internationally. It's often really hard to get my family as excited as I am about certain things, and I'll write more about that later (cough, mom, cough). For now though, I want to talk about how I'm using the 'black sheep' thing in a sneaky way to everyone's advantage.

When Mr. T and I discussed wedding venues, we originally thought we'd have one in the U.S. and one in Panama. We even went to check out some venues in New England, some of which were beeeautiful.

(Riverside Farm, Our favorite VT venue)

 If we had a lot more money, our wedding might have panned out that way. In the end though, we decided on just Panama.

Part of the reason was that the venue was perfect, in our price range, and we knew everyone would have a blast. Part of it was because plane tickets to Panama ($250 round trip - for real, man. Check that shit out!) were cheaper than plane tickets to VT; and hotels would be cheaper, too. Part of it was because it would be less work to plan one wedding than two.

But the biggest reason for choosing Panama is that it will force my family and friends to broaden their perspectives, go outside the US, and experience something new and uber-cool. It will force our cultures and guests to mingle with one another.

(Source and explanation of the Arras ceremony tradition)

We'll serve sopa borracha and incorporate the Arras ceremony. There will be merengue and salsa music, as well as classic rock, hip hop, and 80s jams. And, of course, lots of our individual personalities and customization coming through.

I love the Latina culture and am so pumped to have my family and friends experience something I'm so passionate about. Our wedding is the oh-so-perfect excuse!

Does your wedding have a dual purpose? How did you pick your wedding location?