Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
Who walks you down the aisle when you come from a divorced family? For 13 years, I switched houses from my mom’s to my dad’s for every week. So I spent about an equal amount of time with both my dad and step dad. They both played, and play, such large roles in my life- so who would walk me down the aisle?
I thought this over for about a week. Would I walk down the aisle with one and have my first dance with the other? Would they both walk me down? How could I make sure that they both felt included and important?
Here’s how I got down the aisle to Mr. Espresso. Read more…
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
Mr. Espresso and I LOVE music. We spend much of our “fun money” on concerts and in many ways, the music we listen to helps define us. Different songs and albums remind us of different moments and travels of our life. I was constantly playing the old Jimmy Eat World album when we started “going out” in high school. “With or Without You” was playing on the radio the day Mr. E pulled to the side of the road in the rain- just to kiss me. Pete Yorn, Smashing Pumpkins, and Sigur Ros remind me of boarding in Tahoe. The new Verve album reminds me of driving up Vancouver Island on our honeymoon. And the music we chose for October 4th, will always remind me of different moments throughout our wedding.
It was incredibly difficult for to choose between live and recorded music for our wedding. So when Brian Stodart said he could do both, and for a reasonable price, we felt like we hit the wedding music lottery. Throughout the entire reception we had folks complimenting us on Brian’s music. A few people even thought he was still dj’ing (during his live sessions) until they looked over and saw him singing and playing- he was that good.
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
I’m so thrilled that Sandra captured Mr. E’s expression when he saw me for the first time. These photos are definitely on my list of favorites. And not just because they’re of my sexy husband (Yay! Husband!), but because they make me feel all silly and girly. I want to show strangers on the street and say, “SEE! This is the man I married! I love him! And look how he’s looking at me!”
I never would have forgotten this moment, but I’m so happy I have these photos to look back on… everyday.
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
I was so happy with how all the details came together at our wedding. The escort cards, the centerpieces, the eclectic mix of wine barrels, apples, and jars. We had a number of guests come up to us and say they’ve never been to a wedding like ours, that it was perfectly “us”… and that they loved it. (Insert jumping with glee espresso bean). All of those sleepless nights of planning payed off. I’ll give you the lowdown on everything later- but have a sneak peek of how it all turned out.
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
Okay- well my secret edition is more of a “Get to Know Me A Little Better” for the Hive. I know you’re familiar with my “Wedding” side… now welcome to my secret side!! Muahahahahaha! (As you can see- this post will showcase how much of a nerd I am.)
Espresso Secret #1: I have an obsession with Cameron Crowe movies. He’s my favorite director and he knows how to put the best and most perfect music into his movies. Elizabethtown, Say Anything, Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky, etc… I especially love the two soundtracks from Elizabethtown- My Morning Jacket, Ryan Adams, Pinback, Tom Petty, ah! All the soundtracks are great! I HEART Cameron Crowe movies!
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
Here it is: Our first wedding day tease. Our rockstar photographer Sandra totally captured everything we were feeling in this moment, and in this place. Get ready for more next week!
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
As I wrote about in my flower girl dress post, we really wanted our flower girl to feel like she was playing dress up. I know weddings can get boring for kids so the more fun we could make it for her, the better.
To enhance the “dress up” theme: I went out on a hunt for some “Wedding Day” presents for her.
I was so excited when I found this tiara, wand, and white boa. I found them all at Claire’s… which is actually a great place to get affordable and fun stuff for young girls.
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
The Thursday before our wedding, my mom and aunt made the trek to the LA Flower District to buy all the flowers for the wedding. I would have loved to have gone with them, but with a new job and little vacation time, the excursion just wasn’t an option. Because I didn’t have a preference as to the types of flowers we’d use for the wedding, I simply told them I wanted a variety of green and white flowers. I wanted the centerpieces to look as though we’d just picked them out of a field. For brides who are more specific with the types of flowers they want, I would suggest making the trip. But my mom and aunt did a fantastic job and I couldn’t have asked for a better selection.
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
I’m finally “officially” back, and I’ve missed you all so much. I was hoping to start recapping sooner- but Mr. E and I just moved into a bungalow from 1916 and the wiring was a bit more complex than we anticipated. But enough with that- let’s get to the good stuff!
Marrying Mr. Espresso under the tall pines is still something I think back on everyday. I remember looking at him at our reception thinking: I can’t believe he’s my husband. I can’t believe this is our wedding happening all around us… I’m so happy. Read more…
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
Mr. Espresso and I are back from our honeymoon! The wedding was perfect… even with showers and 30 degree weather. I had more fun than I’ve ever had in my entire life! And then the honeymoon… even better. Once we get internet in our new house (hopefully by early next week), I’ll be blogging away about everything.
Until then, here’s a shot of us on our Honeymoon in Tofino.
Can’t wait to tell you about everything!!
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
Hive oh my gosh! I have so many things to say and so many emotions running through me right now that it’s crazy! Life is hectic. Life is wonderful. I’m getting married tomorrow! I’m miserably sick! I’m going to live the rest of my life with my sexy hot man! I haven’t even had time to move my stuff over! I can’t wait to have our wedding outdoors in the mountains! Cold weather is moving in on our day and they’re predicting rain and 30 degree temperatures! Ahhh!
Like I said… it’s a bit crazy, and yet… we’re just kind of laughing about it all right now. There are so many variables and built up emotions involved… that it’s all you can really do. And honestly, I really don’t care anymore. Because I’m marrying my best friend tomorrow. I am so, over the top, swirling around, jump to the stars from a trampoline Happy! And I never told you all this, but Mr. E and I have never had sex. We’ve saved ourselves for each other, and after 6 1/2 years of the worst temptation ever… I’m skipping out on my reception early to go have some fun. So rain and snow- you can come over to my day- because I’m leaving to go be with my man!
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
Here’s the story: I put on Made of Honor, started making my seating cards, and by the time the main character was meeting with her pastor for the first time, I was done with them! Now I realize for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, that means nothing. So let me elaborate… I’d say half the movie, maybe not even that far, I was done making the seating cards. So niicceee.
I decided to go with the seating cards around the tree idea that I talked about in August. Here was my inspiration:
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
I’m so so so excited!! We finally received our flower girl dress in the mail. Since before I started writing on Weddingbee, I’ve wanted to get her dress at Monsoon. I saw a Real Wedding in a Martha Stewart Wedding magazine and loved the dresses the bride found at Monsoon. They looked like girls playing dress up, and that’s exactly how I wanted our flower girl Madison to feel.
One problem - they only ship to the United Kingdom… leaving this Pacific Ocean girl sad. So what did I do? I scoured e-bay for a Monsoon dress to my liking, in good condition, and in our flower girl’s size for 6 months!!! A little obsessive I know. My friends and family told me to give up about 3 months ago, but I loved the Monsoon dresses, and the prices were really reasonable for how beautiful they were. Well my loves, my wish came true 2 weeks ago, because the dress finally went up for bid and I won!
Check out our gorgeous flower girl dress. Oh, and the final price with shipping: $38…
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
As we’ve started receiving gifts in the mail, I thought it was about time I wrote about our registry. We’ve registered at four places total, and until last week, we had “too little on our registry”. We’d only registered for things that we “needed”. But with our large amount of guests, I guess we needed to give them some more options. So, we’ve added some stuff to the list and everything is so purty! Here are some of our favorite things from our first registry at Crate & Barrel.
Mrs. Espresso, Corona/Big BearAge and Occupation: 23, Community Services SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 22, Maintenance TechnicianEngagement Date: December 21, 2007Wedding Date: October, 2008Blogging Since: June 25, 2008Venue: Outside a rustic b&b in Big Bear LakeAbout Me: I'm a lover of all things good: coffee, music, travel, rain, and of course- my handsome fiance! I'm a full believer in the "Life is Short," mantra - and therefore, eat lots of dark chocolate. I'm a Geographer by degree and nerd by choice. I cook to the sound of French and Portuguese music even though I speak neither. I love road trips, camping, hiking, and capturing life through the lens of my camera. Take me to Anthropologie and I may never leave. I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, bargain finds, and old movies. Mr. Espresso and I are high school sweethearts and I am so blessed to be this amazing man's future wife.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
