Weddingbee Blog

Hello again, hive. I’d first like to introduce you to my amazing fiancé. A self-proclaimed surf junkie, Mr. Hot Tea feels most at home in the water. While on vacay, locals and tourists alike are impressed with his surf-ability. Check him out at one of his favorite spots in Cabo:

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He’s been surfing for almost 25 years and has at least 50 more in him! That would put him at over 90 years old, and I know he’ll get there because longevity runs in his family. When he’s not on a surfboard or planning his next warm-water trip, Mr. Hot Tea loves Cowboys football, poker with the boys, and a good round of golf. Hot Tea fun facts: 1) he’s never made the surfing pilgrimage to Hawaii, and 2) although he’s never owned a dog, he has a strange affinity for all things beagle. He says it’s because Uno the beagle won “Best in Show” in the 2008 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, and I say it’s a little weird. We all have our quirks, I guess.

This one’s for Mr. Hot Tea:

Image via whynotad.com

The next member of our family is our fuzzy feline friend Ollie the cat. He loves to sleep, eat breakfast at 6 AM, and snuggle. We have thousands of photos of this looker, and it goes without saying that he is VERY spoiled. He is also very terrible at hiding…

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Last but not least, there’s me, Miss Teacup. I’m learning to embrace my true spirit as a girly girl after previous careers in the Navy and consulting for the federal government.

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My favorite hobby is sleep, which makes me an obvious choice as Ollie’s snuggle buddy, but less so for making his breakfast. An introvert in extrovert clothing, I’m questing to undo 34 years of type-A conditioning.

I’m also over-analytical, which is great for researching and compiling information (Google search—heeyy!) but less so for decision making; hence the reason wedding planning is such an overwhelming task for me. Thank goodness for Mr. Hot Tea! He makes decisions when I cannot and takes wedding tasks off my list with a cheerful heart. I’m a lucky girl! He also has the patience of a saint…teaching me to surf is no picnic, but at least I look the part:

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My vision for our wedding would be Tiffany and Kate Spade meet Martha Stewart for a beachy fun day in Santa Cruz. When I asked Mr. Hot Tea to describe our wedding in five words, he came back with “I love my Teacup forever.” Do you see why I’m marrying this man?! He also wants our wedding to be fun-filled festivities with family and friends.

Mr. Hot Tea is a cradle Catholic, and I am a recently baptized convert. Though our spiritual experience vastly differs, we support and encourage each other’s faith and attend mass together regularly. Our ceremony will take place in the church where his parents were married, his father and grandfather are buried, and we have joined as parishioners. The church rests in the valley of the Santa Cruz mountains, and its charismatic and joyful priest solidified our choice to get married there.

Our full Catholic mass wedding will include the Filipino veil, cord, and coin ceremonies. We also plan to give our parents Hawaiian flower leis as a symbol of honor and respect.

The historic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk serves as our reception site, and I can’t wait to take photos on the roller coaster! I’ll also dance a wedding hula choreographed especially for my groom.

I’m constantly processing the details of our upcoming nuptials and invite you to peek into this late-blooming bride and groom’s roller-coaster ride to the altar. Giant dipper required!

Image via Mercury News / Photo credit: Mark Barnes of Santa Cruz County CVC

Whew, that’s a lot of info to digest! Not to worry—we’ll slow things down over a cup or two going forward.

How about you? I’m excited to get to know you all better! What common ground do you share with us?