Weather Update

The week is finally here!

I have been diligently checking the weather forecast (surprise, surprise) and right now we are looking at low to mid 70's all weekend.

Please remember that, due to it's altitude and proximity to the ocean, the area can be overcast in the mornings with light showers, so please bring a jacket or sweater.

Other than that, let's all pray for lots of sunshine!

R+S

Saturday Activity Update

A few updates on the Saturday Activties...

For those of you going on the Groom's Golf Outing, the Alisal River Course was closed to the public on Saturday due to a tournament being played there. Instead, tee items were booked at 12:30pm at La Purisima golf course. (look it up at: http://www.lapurisimagolf.com/)

And even better, they were running a special for greens fees- $60!

For those of you joining me on the wine tasting, the shuttle will be picking us up at 1145am at The Marriott. We will be having lunch first at Las Tres Rosas and then heading to 2 of our favorite winery's: Melville and Foley. Tasting fees at each winery are $10.

(look them up at :http://www.melvillewinery.com/index2.html and http://www.foleywines.com/)

We will be seeing most of you in 1 week! Hooray!

Travel Tips

The big day is almost here!

Whether you are driving or flying, here are a few tips to help make your travel as easy and enjoyable as possible. :-)

At the airport:
- If you are carrying on your luggage, make sure your liquids are 3oz or less and are stored in a clear plastic bag.
- Don't forget that there might be fees, usually $25-35 per bag, if you plan on checking bags (unless you are flying Southwest)

In the car:
- Please allow 8-9 hours to get to Buellton.
- Put this address into your GPS to ensure the fastest route:
  555 McMurray Road   Buellton, CA 93427

When you arrive:
- Check in time at the hotel is 4pm
- If you get lost or need a late check in time, call the hotel at                 (805) 688-1000

If you are traveling from the Midwest or East Coast, please prepare yourself for the 3 hour time difference. You will "gain" 3 hours on your way out to California and "lose" it going back home.

Wherever you are traveling from, don't forget to bring your pocket cards (filled with all the weekend information you'll need) and your recipe card, with a delicious recipe for the bride and groom!

R + S

FAQ's

We have been getting a lot of questions about the wedding and weekend that I thought might be useful to post in case there are some of you out there wondering but unwilling to ask. :-)

What do I wear for the different "events" during the weekend?
On the itinerary we sent you will see Dress listed under the event and time. We put it there to help people when packing, but for all of you over-achievers out there, that still wasn't enough information. I was getting a lot of texts about what "cocktail" attire was or how "casual" was acceptable. Here's the shortest, easiest way I can describe the event wear...

The Welcome Reception- Cocktail Dress
Cocktail dress for women is usually thought of as a short black dress, but really it can be any color. Cocktail dress is similar to semi-formal. For men, dress slacks and a button shirt (tie and coat optional).
 **I will be wearing a short black dress and Richard will be wearing a suit with no tie.

The Rehearsal Dinner- Casual
Please be as casual as you want here. It is in a brewery and there is absolutely no dress code. Shorts, a polo, flip flops, t shirts... all acceptable.
**I will be wearing jeans and a blouse and Richard will be wearing Khaki shorts and a button up.

The Wedding- Garden Party
There was no really good way in one word to describe the dress for the wedding, but I thought Garden Party best summed it up. Basically it's similar to something you'd wear to church- but without worrying about being conservative. Florals, pastels, dressy summer dresses, etc. For men, dress slacks or khaki pants, a button up (tie and coat optional).
** I will be wearing a wedding dress ;-) bu the bridesmaids have on short, flow-y pink dresses with ballet flats. Richard will be wearing a suit (no tuxes) with a tie, but the groomsmen are wearing gray slacks and a button up, no tie or coat.

As for the other events (the Saturday activities, the Bride and Groom's Lunch, etc.) you can wear whatever you like. We want everyone to be as comfortable as possible. :-)

What are your "colors"? Do I need to match them?
The colors for the wedding are pale pink, pale yellow, and ivory. No, you do not need to match us. We are encouraging everyone to wear (like I said above) pastels, light colors, florals, etc. because it will look better in the photos if we are all wearing a similar color scheme. With only 65 of us there, one of two people in bright red or black would really stand out... lol.

What will the weather be like?
Typically in June the weather is sunny in the high 70's to mid 80's.

However, because of it's elevation and proximity to the beach, the temperature can drop 20-30 degrees from its afternoon high once the sun goes down. It is also historically breezy most afternoon/early evenings.

For packing, shorts and "summer clothes" are appropriate, but I would bring a sweater or light jacket to wear at night.

How do I know if I need to take the shuttle to/from the ceremony?
A lot of people seemed unclear about taking the shuttle to the wedding itself. We know a lot of you are renting cars, however, where the wedding is A) is a little hard to get to B) pitch black at night and C) there isn't a lot of parking. Plus, we didn't want people drinking at the wedding and then getting in their car and trying to find their way back to the hotel late at night in the California mountains...

The shuttle is free and it will pick everyone up at the Marriott at 545pm and have everyone back to the Marriott by midnight.

**If you are in the wedding party, you will ride over (in the shuttle) earlier in the afternoon and be brought back with everyone else around midnight.

When do I need to be arrive in California and when should I leave?
We found that a few people were under the impression that even though the wedding was on Sunday, they could leave afterward to drive back.  Please know that the wedding is from 6pm-midnight. I highly recommend waiting until Monday morning to head back home.

We would like everyone to arrive on Friday (anytime is fine) to be there for the welcome reception that night. It is the first weekend wedding event and a great way to kick off everything and to meet everyone. Everyone who reserved a room under our block at the Marriott is booked through Monday morning (checkout is at 11am).

We will be arriving Thursday and leaving Monday as everyone checks out.

Breakfast at the Marriott is listed on the Itinerary. Is it an event? Do I need to be there at a certain time? How much does it cost?
Breakfast is not an event and there is no specific time you need to show up or leave. The times listed on the itinerary (6-930am) are the times the Marriott offers the breakfast buffet (which, by the way, is incredible!). 

Breakfast is included with the price of the room for every morning.

If you are staying at a nearby hotel and want to come by and have breakfast with the rest of us, it is $10.

What events do I have to drive to?
There are NO events the weekend of the wedding that you will be asked to drive to, aside from actually making it to the hotel for the weekend.

The Friday night welcome reception is at the Marriott, so unless you are staying at another hotel, you will be able to simply walk downstairs from your room.

The Saturday activities will be driven by my mom and grandma (the shopping excursion), Ron and Richard (the golf outing) and a shuttle for the wine tour.

The rehearsal dinner is right across the street from the Marriott and we encourage everyone to walk (parking is limited in front of the brewery and why drink and drive?)

The wedding and reception will be shuttled there and back (from the Marriott).

** There is a rental car office at the Marriott if you want to a rent a car for the day to go exploring, go tot the beach, etc.


How far away is the beach?
The closest beach (El Capitan State Beach) is about half an hour away, just outside of Santa Barbara.

30 days!!!!!

R + S

Pocket Folders

For everyone who is attending the wedding, you should be receiving a "pocket folder" in the mail this week with all the pertinent information for the wedding weekend!

Our stationer, who is absolutely amazing (future blog to come!), showed them to us about a month ago when we were brainstorming ideas to get information to our guests and we had to have them. We hope you like them as much as we do. :-)

Please fill out the postcard included and put it back in the mail ASAP so we can coordinate the Saturday activities and the shuttle to the wedding/ceremony.

Included in the folder is a weekend itinerary, the Saturday activity descriptions, a contact list, a map, and the postcard. The "dress" for each event is included as well to help with packing.

8 weeks!

R + S

Bridal Shower

The idea for my upcoming bridal shower came from a 1955 Good Housekeeping Article I found on-line called "The Good Wives Guide". As I was reading it, an array of emotions came over me. Humor, disgust, anger, understanding, and pity. Mostly though I couldn't believe that in 50 years we had come from that to... well, this. I knew we had to do it.

Here is the advice given to women in the article on How to be a Good Wife:

1. Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on the time of his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

3. Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

4. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

5. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper etc. and then run a dust cloth over the tables.

6. Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest, and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

7. Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer of vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

8. Be happy to see him

9. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

10. Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first- remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

11. Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

12. Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order, and tranquility where your husband can renew his body and spirit.

13. Don’t greet him with complaints or problems.

14. Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as a minor compared to what he may have gone through all day.

15. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

16. Arrange his pillow and offer to take his shoes off. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

17. Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgments or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

18. A good wife always knows her place.

Pretty crazy, right? It's hard to imagine reading this article and taking it seriously, let alone using it as a manual on how to behave. 

For those of you who got a bridal shower invitation and weren't quite sure what to make of it, know that it is all in good fun. An afternoon of looking back on what being a good wife used to mean (and what bridal showers used to be like!) and what it means today.  

As for the gifts, a few people have asked me what it all means. The idea is that everyone was given a different "time" of day or night on their invitation (mostly to try and prevent similar/duplicate gifts, and for fun) to match a gift to. The catch is, given the theme of the shower, that it is supposed to be a gift for a "lady." So take the modern version of whatever you would have gotten and try to imagine it 50 years ago, or perhaps today, if you lived in Manhattan and summer-ed in the Hamptons... :-)

Can't wait to see you all there! I know my mom and Jesseca are planning some hilarious games and preparing some delicious 1950's cuisine. 

S

Collosians 3:12-17

When we were searching for a Bible verse to incorporate into our wedding ceremony, we looked for something nontraditional. Something that really embodied the spirit of the weekend and the wedding.

When we found Collosians 3:12-17, we knew we had found the perfect verses.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humilty, gentleness, and patience. Bearing with one another and forgiving each other, just as the Lord forgave you.

And above all these things, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

These versus struck us for so many reasons. Mainly because they were about a community of people bearing with one and another and loving each other. That is what our wedding is all about. The few people in our lives who we hold most dear making a commitment with us as we make make one to each other that we will all bear together, forgive, and love each other as long as we all shall live. :-)

Between the 1000 other things going on for the wedding, I hadn't really thought much about the ceremony or the verse we had chosen. Then, last week, a giant box arrived in the mail. I opened it to discover it was a wedding gift from my parents. On the tag was a piece of this verse. Now that alone would have been enough of a sign for me, because I tend to be a big believer in signs, but combine it with the fact that no one knew we had chosen this verse and my mom has never sent me a Bible verse on any card, ever- and needless to say, I was kind of mind boggled.

I have an app on my phone that gives me a new Bible verse each day. I've had it for at least a year, and everyday the verse is different. Actually, there have been a few days I've gotten repeat verses, but never a verse from Collosians. The morning after I received the gift from my parents, my phone chimed. I picked it up to read my Bible verse for the day, and I bet you can guess, it was Collosians 3:12.

Choosing the verse and feeling so strongly about its message was enough for us. But I couldn't not share this story with everyone. It so cemented in our minds and hearts that the idea of the wedding and the feeling we have for all of you had also gotten God's "stamp of approval" so to speak. Pretty cool.

R + S