As far as wedding bands go, my dream would be to have one of my favorite bands play my wedding, or I'd settle for the rehearsal dinner. I would pick a band that was great live, one that we have history seeing, and whose songs would resonate with us. 311 makes the short and "sweet" list.
We both grew up listening to 311. To date, I have seen them in concert seven times (five of which I have been accompanied by my love). It's now a summer tradition to see them play a "sick tight" show at the SB Bowl, "down" in the pit with college friends. We sing along, nod our heads to the genuine beats, and feel the "unity" and the "flowing" love. Love for the music, audience, and a good time. It's that love, spirit, and undeniable energy that we would like to have at the reception. We want everyone up dancing, drinking "champagne", and having a grand time.
The only drawback (besides price) is the music might scare some of our older relatives and grandparents. So I'll file this under dream, and we'll catch them at next year's show.
Blog title is from lyrics by 311
"We watch the season pull up it’s own stakes,
and catch the last weekend of the last week, before the gold and the glimmer have been replaced,
another sun soaked season fades away. You have stolen my heart." -Dashboard Confessional
I am beyond happy with the weather this entire September :) When we were setting our date we were a bit apprehensive on what next years weather would be like. We hoped it would be sunny and cool. And this entire month has been sunny and cool :) The temperatures haven't gotten as high as the early summer months, but the sun still shines nicely. 
The locations we have looked into are beach side locations, so weather is important. We want our guests to experience SB and kick their shoes off while taking a walk in the sand.
Palm trees are such a tropical setting icon. Since there are plenty that surround the area, I am thinking about incorporating them into some of the wedding details. Brainstorming :)
My first cupcake boutique experience was a few years ago at Yummy Cupcakes in Burbank. My friend had sent me a link to their site, and the menu was so appetizing that on our next trip to LA we had to stop by and taste for ourselves. It was at Yummy Cupcakes that I bought into the cupcake craze.
The boutique is pink on the outside, with huge windows to see cupcakes being decorated. The smell is so sweet when you step inside. All of the cupcakes are bunched together by flavor and displayed simply on stainless steel counters. Daily flavors include vanilla, chocolate, and red velvet, while specialty flavors/monthly menus include rocky road, candy cane, carrot cream cheese, and honey vanilla.
Above are cinnamon & sugar cupcakes, my favorites :) All of the cupcakes are so rich in flavor, and the icing not only complements the flavor but is generously supplied.
Yummy Cupcakes makes me want to have a cupcakes in lieu of a traditional wedding cake, yes I know the trend is dying down, but their taste is just sooo delicious! They offer so much in flavors and ofcourse they do weddings. And with two locations (Burbank and Santa Monica) delivery is available in LA. Now we just have to figure out a way to get these to SB for our wedding.
Above are 2 fudge yummys, black cherry, chocolate chip cookie, red velvet, and cinnamon sugar.
Blog title is from lyrics by Gwen Stefani
I know they're called Save the Date cards, but "Save Our Date" sounds more personal and the abbreviation (SOD) isn't as dirty. So with our date set, and the majority of our guests living miles away, planning and work on the SODs has begun.
There are a bounty of creative ideas out there: magnets, engagement shots, movie tickets theme, photobooth cards, monograms, wordle, pop art, letterpress, maps, etc. And choosing one idea is quite important to us since it will provide guests with a first look of the style and personality of our wedding.
We want something that reprents Santa Barbara, our casual personalities, and our wedding colors. We are open to something more fun and less formal, while still awe inspiring. And ofcourse we want to use as much technology as we can, not only to create but to transmit our SODs. We plan to mail and email them, then post on our wedding website and myspace (oh how I love the mediums of communication in which we live).
With all of that in mind, our favorite SOD ideas are wordle and a map of SB. Here are my first attempts at a SOD wordle:
I chose colors that we think would complement each other and be great for the wedding. Ofcourse more work needs to be done with this, but the ball has started rolling :) We have a few months for our ideas to materialize, then off they go!
We had our second meeting with our Pastor today. He will be presiding over our ceremony and used this meeting to interview us, get to know us better, and note things for his homily. It was really nice to take some time out of our day and reflect on how far we have come.
We talked about when we first met, our first "I love you", and when we knew we'd be together forever. It was really comforting to be on the same page as one another and to be able to share our story. We've come so far from where we've started that we have this understanding now. A confidence and respect in our relationship that helps us make it through.
The details of our ceremony are starting to set up. It's so exciting to see things get into play :)
Blog title is from lyrics by The Bouncing Souls
With inspiration from Weddingbee's introduction of the new shoe icons, I thought I'd share my favorite style of shoes. Ones I'll probably be rocking on our wedding day: open or peep toe, flat or wedge, shoes. I love them. I love that I can wear them comfortably as flats or 1"+ heels. I love their style and ease. I love their dress up or dress down factor. I love that the open toe is so free and flirty. And I love that Cole Haan makes them with Nike Air.
I have two pairs of Cole Haan Air Elly OT Ballets, in yellow and pink, which are by far the most comfortable non-sneaker shoe I own. With shiny patent leather outside, soft leather lining, Nike air technology, and a 1 1/4" leather covered wedge, they are deliciously feminine. I can walk in these for so long without the slightest feeling that I'm in dressier shoes.
I love the pink ones for party shoes. They're darker in color so can transition for the Fall season nicely.
Horray for shoes!
Blog title is from lyrics by Destiny's Child.
"Dont stop, don't stop what you got. Don't stop, 'til you find that sweet spot." -311
September 18th is our six year anniversary. Kinda crazy. From carefree undergrads to seriously engaged, party fiends to comfortable homebodies, students to having careers, blissfully in our little world to ready to break out to something new. I really don't know where the time has gone. I do know that it's been a great ride. One of great beauty and understanding, that shows that love will lead you to great things. We are not the people we were when we began this relationship, we are better versions of ourselves because of this relationship.
I took the photo above on my way back to work from lunch. Sky is changing, weather feels different. It's move in weekend for UCSB this weekend. Time for more kids begin their first year of college. It's exciting to think what life changes are in store for them.
Blog title is from lyrics by 311.
The Dingbat's Agenda is holding a great giveaway. A sweet suite of lovely custom letterpress invites and reply (or thank you) cards. Their designs are so lovely and letterpress is so beautiful... I definitely had to enter. And you can too! Enter by leaving a comment on their blog with a link to your site. You will need to blog about the giveaway and link it back to The Dingbat Agenda. The giveaway ends on Friday, September 19. Goodluck!!
Here are a few invites, via their site, that I think are so beautiful: 
The flower imprints are so sublte. I also love the contrast of colors.
I love the way the font of their names look in this one :)
Visit their blog for more eyecandy and inspiration.
Choosing the date was simpler than we thought, but with a few bumps along the way. We knew we wanted it to be over the summer since we had first met over summer, SB is beautiful over summer, people take vacations over summer, our younger relatives will be out of school, and our workloads are relatively lighter. Then we thought about the anniversary dates/special days that we celebrate such as the first time we met, first date, first official time we said we were bf/gf. Also taken into consideration is the annual Fiesta weekend and the various food festival weekends in SB. And we decided on August 15, 2009. I began calling possible locations in June of this year and most everything was booked. We were sad. So we pulled a calendar out and researched dates that would still be 'summer' in weather and feeling, but would occur at the changing of the seasons. And so we found a date in September. It's a date just days before my love's bday so the celebration will be extra special :)
One of the most frequented tourist destinations, and my favorite place to hear mass, is Old Mission Santa Barbara. Nestled upon a hill at the foot of the mountains, the Queen of the CA Missions offers beautiful views, exquisite architecture, and lovely grounds rich in history. Up until a few years ago weddings were not regularly celebrated, but with the arrival of their current pastor, Fr. Daniel, the sacrament of marriage is now celebrated plenty of times throughout the year. While weddings at the Mission are most exclusively for parishoners and SB residents, and plenty of rules come with having the Mission as a venue, just the opportunity to have this ceremony location is well worth it.
The entrance doors to the church sit atop grand tile and concrete steps. And inside are the warm colors of tans, pale pinks, yellows, champagne, with green and blue accents.
The light that shines through the windows provide an overall warmth to the place. 
The wooden benches are comfortable, floor is tiled and hardwood, and art decorates the length of the walls. And although smaller in size compared to other CA missions, the size provides intimacy to a service.
The beauty and history of this location has attracted me to put it on the list of possible ceremony locations. By having our ceremony there our guests will get a chance to share in my Catholic faith and visit a site important to the city of Santa Barbara. Fr Daniel's forward thinking and open mind are also very good qualities of the Mission.
The grounds surrounding the Mission are also quite lovely. There is the fountain (with lily pads blooming during Spring and Summer), the gardens, ruins, and, if you schedule your wedding after the annual I Madonnari street festival, beautifully created chalk art on the parking lot at the base of the Mission.
The fountain and lush lily pads.
A hallway towards the office.
View from the steps. On a clear day you can see the ocean, sail boats, and the oil rigs.
Art from this year's chalk festival. Although the day was windy and there was a threat of rain, the artists worked hard and completed beautiful pieces.
If you are ever in SB, this is a place to see. All photos by me.
My first college friend to walk down the aisle was my freshman year roommate, Megan, who married her college sweetheart, Phil. They had been together since 2002, were engaged in 2005, and married in March 31, 2006 at the Calabasas Inn in Calabasas, CA. They first bonded over their love of Dave Matthews Band, grew through their love of fine arts, and lasted simply through their love. One night junior year Phil's band was playing at a cafe in IV, and Megan performed Etta James' "At Last" accompanied by Phil on guitar. It was on that night that I really felt their love for one another, and knew that they would be together forever.
The following are a few photos from her event.
Above is their program. The following Shakespeare quote graced the cover, "Doubt that the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move his aides, Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love."
The table settings were very simple yet romantic, centerpieces were roses with candles in the center. Each table was named after cities of importance to the couple. Our table was "West Hollywood", the first city they would reside as husband and wife.
My chicken, potatoes, and veggies. The appetizers were amazing, but we were busy eating them that I forgot to take photos.
The group during dinner. This was photographed by their photographer.
Here is the lovely couple being introduced while their bridal party stands in the background. Wedding colors were maroon and vanilla, providing a feeling of romantic warmth to the day.
And here is the couple cutting the cake.
The whole night was filled with fun, laughter, and dancing. Megan and Phil's wedding was such a deilght and I am very happy to have shared the beautiful day with them... at last<3>
A few words written, just days after, in response to 9/11/01 by Mindgame Wheel Company:
Before you made your judgement
Before you pledged your allegiance
Before you worshiped your God
Before you realized your race
You were human.
Before you look at the differences
Before you contradict your belief
Before you play the sheep
Before you replace your God
Remember who we all are.
A great detail to include in one's wedding is perfume & cologne. I find that scents have memories tied to them and what better way to remember your wedding than by wearing your favorite perfume or smelling your hubby's cologne. My favorite scents are flowery gardenia and daisy, but I'm always looking for something new and fun.
Harajuku Lovers recently came out with 5 different perfumes inspired by and named after Gwen, Love, Angel, Music, and Baby. What excited me most about this scent set was their uniquely cute packaging. Each scent is in a cute bottle, capped with the corresponding super cute character. While in Nordstrom last weekend we checked out the scents. Gwen was very coconutty. Love was fresh. Angel and Music complemented each other, both with subtle fruity scents and combined form another unique scent. And Baby had powdery undertones. They sell cute mini bottles ($25), regular size bottles ($45), and sold fragrance heads ($60 for all). I bought a small Love bottle and am so tempted to purchase more, just the packaging :)
Above are photos of the packaging and scent I purchased. This is totally kawaii and very cute for wedding details.
A characteristic very true to Santa Barbara is it's small town feel. While we have big city amenities like universities and big name stores, things seem to be simple, the architecture flows smoothly, and life is quite mellow. The ocean and beaches may be the most attractive of locales, as the Spanish architectural influence is prevalent on plenty of city buildings. SB is like a "get away" and the best place to get away to may be the Bacara Resort and Spa.
Located about 15 miles north of downtown SB, on beautiful bluffs, with amazing ocean views is the Bacara. I have had the opportunity to be pampered twice at their spa, and my love has enjoyed the course at Sandpiper Golf Club. After a spa treatment, we walked the grounds to take everything in. It was a mid-Saturday morning in January, 72 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. The landscaping was clean and green, the paths were tiled, the pools looked amazing (2 levels and cabanas included), and the ocean glistened under the sun.
Most of the photos I took were of the ocean. We walked towards a restaurant that sits on the highest point of the bluffs and enjoyed the view.
The Bacara's glamorous yet understated nature is so perfect for a chic beach wedding/elegant reception. They have ballrooms and patios, outdoor ceremony locations, and their own private beach. Described on their site as having, "Spanish colonial warmth, old Hollywood glamour, new California dreaming" this is my dream wedding location. A perfect get away to be pampered and playful.
I grew up in the Greater Los Angeles area, Glendale more specifically. My love grew up in the Bay area, Santa Clara more specifically. We met and currently reside in Santa Barbara, Goleta more specifically.
Having attended school and began our careers here, Santa Barbara has a special place in our hearts. And when we knew we would get married, we knew it had to be here.
Since our families and friends reside elsewhere, our wedding will be a destination wedding for most of our guests. It will also be a chance to share the city we love with everyone we love. We want to share the great weather, historic architecture, vacation/small town feel. We want to relive great memories with our college friends. We want to showcase the great beaches/ocean views, and delicious restaurants of the area. We want to give everyone a sense of the city we call home.
So now that we have our city, the date will be set and save our dates will be in the works.
Labor Day brings a sort of close to the summer season and while I am sad to see this beautiful season depart, I am looking forward to Fall and all good things to come. Plus, the weather in Santa Barbara stays great up until mid October so
sunshine and loveliness hangs around a while.
This summer was not as activity filled as last, when Lala visited, but I think the feeling of inactivity is also related to how busy we had been this late spring/ early summer. Bamble and Flowps graduation from college and high school respectively, the Lakers' righteous yet short championship run, the wildfire in the Santa Barbara mountains, and family birthdays took all my attention, and money.
Summer was more of a relaxing set of weekends, sunny days followed by warm nights and cold drinks.
I am excited that this summer is over, actually. It means the start of the Fall TV schedule (hello Gossip Girl), M's bday (yay bday cake), Lakers games begin (hello Kobe), Day Light Savings (horray 1 extra hour), and the wedding day gets closer (hello married life). Our planning is underway. Locations have been scouted, a photographer has been booked, and the guest list is taking shape. We have many many more things to organize and plan! So while a season fades, another one will come shining through.
As far as wedding bands go, my dream would be to have one of my favorite bands play my wedding, or I'd settle for the rehearsal dinner. I would pick a band that was great live, one that we have history seeing, and whose songs would resonate with us. 311 makes the short and "sweet" list.
