It all began with a bike and a boat...

It was always a joke if sorts, but Leighann had always said, in order to get a date, the guy had to have a Harley or a boat.  If he had both, he was a keeper!  Lee had the bike...he had a friend with the boat.  On their first "date," Leighann hadn't known she was on a date!  Lee had invited her for a ride on his motorcycle.  It rained that day, so the ride was out.  Thinking they were good enough friends, Leighann asked Lee if he wanted to meet at JJ's.  Towards the end of the night, Leighann texted her friend Jordie "so, I think I might be on a date with Lee Follis, how the hell did that happen?"

Their love continued to blossom on Billy Johnson's boat!  For the next 2 summers, the couple were basking in the sun on ottawa's finest party boat.  Good tunes, good food, good drinks & great friends was the perfect setting for this love story.

It isn't truly known if it was done on purpose, but it's fun to think, that when Lee bought Leighann a boat in January 2013, he was sealing the deal.  A Harley & a boat would make him a keeper!  Not too long after that, Lee took Leighann into Zales and asked her to pick out a ring.  The couple knew immediately that they wanted a beach wedding & that they have as many family & friends with them for the ultimate family vacation, a vacation that most wouldn't have taken on their own.  The future Mr & Mrs Follis are thrilled that so many of you are helping to make their dream wedding a reality!

As you most certainly know, the wedding will be taking place at Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico on Saturday, May 17, 2014.  If you still need to book, contact Diane Durdan at Ottawa Travel & use booking code DW-xceja51714.

The bride & groom arrive May 14.  Most of the wedding party will arrive May 16.  The dates are flexible, so please, book the days that work best for you & stay as long as you like.  Some are arriving on May 15.  Most of us will leave Mexico on Wednesday, May 21, however some people are leaving as early as Monday, May 19.

On Friday, May 16, once everyone has arrived, we will be having a welcome cocktail party.  You will find the time & location info in your welcome package that will be in room upon check-in.  On Saturday afternoon, we will be planning an optional spa day before the wedding.  You may use your room credit for this expense if you would like to participate.  Once "spa day" has commenced, ladies, say good-bye to the men.  The men are off to do their own thing & so are you.  Please assist the couple by ensuring the groom does not see the bride!

On Sunday afternoon, the bride & groom invite the party to an after wedding brunch.  After that time, please feel free to enjoy any of the excursions the resort has to offer.  The bride & groom plan to take the children swimming with the dolphins, if anyone is interested in joining. Otherwise, enjoy the beach, the sun & all that Cancun has to offer.  Please keep in mind, there are 11 palace resorts that you can visit & utilize the all inclusive features since we are staying at Moon Palace.  If you want to venture out for a day, this may be something to think about.

Enjoy, relax & most of all, have fun!

The questions most people have asked me about this wedding is:

"Do I need to bring a wedding gift?"  No, your presence at our wedding is our gift!  We know many of you took time off work, time away from your family, and had a great expense in booking.  Please do not bring gifts, we have enough stuff to lug around anyway.

"Is Mexico safe?"  Yes...while some parts of Mexico are involved with drug trades, Cancun is very safe & is tourist oriented.  You may look this up in the internet.  

"Is their anything I need to know about traveling with kids?"  YES!!!  You need both parents permission to fly to Mexico with a child.  The non-traveling parent needs to sign an consent form that states, who, what, when, where & why.  This form must be notorized.  Should the other parent be deceased, you will need a copy of the death certificate.  Leighann is a notary if you need this done & Leighann had to do a consent form, so please ask her for help if you need it.

"How do I get a passport?"  Take your passport picture at Walgreens.  Complete the application on line (or get one at the courthouse).  Once the application is complete, make an appointment at the courthouse & bring your checkbook.  There are 2 fees so 2 seperate checks.  They do not accept cash!  If you are obtaining a passport for a child, you must bring that child with you to the appointment & the non-custodial parent must sign the application.

If your question is not addressed, please ask.  If I don't know the answer, I'll find out!

If you plan on bringing bottles of shampoo/conditioner/hair spray/lotion, etc., they need to be under 4 oz (I think that's right) if you are bringing them on your carry-on.  Otherwise, pack it in your suitcase.

This goes without saying, but, no lighters, knives, guns, box cutters, shoe bombs, etc., will be allowed past the security checkpoint.  Its best not to bring them at all, put if you just can not part with your weapons of mass destruction, put them in you suitcase lol.

We are staying at a 5 star resort, the water is fine.  The ice is packaged.  Please, let's not have a Charlotte on our hands.  If I see you eating only pudding cups, we're going to have a problem.  If you don't understand this reference, rent sex & the city (the first movie) today!  It's fabulous!

We are flying out of Chicago o'Hare. The parking up there can be costly if you don't have someone drop you off.  I suggest, especially since the flight is at 8 am, stay the night at a park & fly hotel.  I've stayed numerous times at Days Inn in Elk Grove Village.  It's not the nicest hotel in the world but the room is cheap, the cost to leave your car is like $30.  You can sleep longer instead of getting up super early to drive to Chicago & they have a shuttle that takes you to your terminal & will pick you up when you return to take you to your car.  In my experiences (ive used them 4 times) their shuttles run on time, they give you wake up calls, they are polite, the hotel is quite, and my car has never been messed with.