Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Saturday, June 23, 2007

on the engagement photos

We got our engagement photos today. Below is a sampling from a set of 33 images.

Steve took these shots about a month ago in this sequence - shore under Veterans Pier; the park in the Olympic Plaza; the boardwalk; and the P-T photo studio.

The first set of shots were taken during an an algae bloom, otherwise known as a red tide. Though people were playing in the water, it reflected rust in the sun and copper in the shade. The wind was cool, though a little strong.

Passers-by were courteous, and we were especially surprised by the well wishes of strangers. A group of teenage boys shouldering fishing poles waved in passing, "You're a beautiful couple!" A man in Speedos watched Steve do his thing for a few minutes before accosting him to inquire about his camera and to wish us luck.

For a controlled environment we were taken to the P-T photo studio, where Steve artfully arranged light to give the final images a warm, glowing quality.

We're stoked. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

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Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketPhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Thursday, June 21, 2007

on location and parking

Many of you have recently inquired where exactly the wedding ceremony will take place, whether the reception venue is nearby, and how plentiful parking will be that day. And the thing about pirates (more on that later).

Ceremony location: The beach facing the La Palapa Restaurant

Reception location:: The Del-Mar Room is a separate banquet area owned by La Palapa. It's next door to the restaurant and within a short walk from the ceremony site. It's recognizable by its striped burgundy-and-cream canopy and the steepish climb up the stairs.

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Parking: Metered parking is available near the Belmont Olympic Pool building, as well as the ticketed lot leading to the Veterans Pier. You need only pay for an hour's worth because parking is free after 6 p.m.

Please make sure to give yourselves enough time to find parking because....

Pirates: There will be pirate activity.

Nope, it's got nothing to do with the wedding. As part of its summer-long of fun, the Sea Festival* on the same weekend will have several events going on in the Belmont Shore/Veterans Pier area. Among them are an "open-water" challenge showcasing some of the sports in the Beijing Olympics, and a seafood and pirate festival.

Please don't be surprised if, just beyond our wedding arch, stuff like "kidnappings" and "pirate ships" appear on the horizon. Event planners are saying that the following will happen: A “real” Pirate ship will “attack” the pier and a limited number of Pirate ship rides will be available.

See you all in a two weeks!

*For the out-of-towners: The Sea Festival is 'the three-month celebration of everything that makes the City of Long Beach such a spectacular place to live in and visit'. The previous sentence is not our endorsement, but that of the folks organizing these 90 days of whirlygig..ing.

on progress

We have been remiss in regularly updating this blog, and for that we apologize.

The last few months have been hectic with wedding planning, work and school. There is angst, but it's easily digestible: a morphing guest list; dropping Men at Work from the song list; and other stuff you folks are better off not knowing, for they are of the boring variety you marrieds went through and you singles have yet to experience.

It goes without saying that the stress is worth its while. The bride likens it to a final you know you're going to ace - you prep the hell out for it anyway. Yes, this coupling is one-half nerd.

With luck, we'll have engagement photos available soon for your viewing pleasure. All credit goes to Steve Georges, who knows how to work angles and an overly curious crowd at Long Beach's Veterans Pier.

Until then, we will leave you with snapshot in time from our wedding shower:


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Image of unintentional "yikes" courtesy of Darleene


Yeah. We don't know what's going on there, either.