Thank you to everyone who has RSVP'd your attendance. Mike and Shelley have secured the final numbers and are now in the final phase of planning. Yesterday afternoon they met with the Judge and fine-tuned the ceremony. Everything is coming along nicely for a fun-filled casual day!

After nearly 2 months, the fire near Big Sur is finally 100% contained and local parks and businesses are re-opening. Thankfully Mike & Shelley's original plans still stand ... barely. The ceremony location is open to the public, though nearly the entire rest of the park burned through. The reception location is also open to the public, though the fire damage is apparent all the way to the street where the pavillion is. For those of you not familiar w/ Big Sur, you won't see her in her grand glory, but you will be privileged enough to see her in a unique state!

If you are traveling to Monterey from out of town and need lodging accommodations, please make it a point to reserve your room by September 1st. The kind folks at La Quinta will keep the rooms for us until that date, after which all remaining rooms will be released to the public at the normal rate. Visit "Lodging" in the main menu for more details.

This summer the central coast of California has been innundated with countless wild fires. One such area afflicted by a current fire (Basin Complex Fire) is right between the two state parks that will be utilized for Mike and Shelley's wedding. Currently neither facility is affected. To keep up to date on the status of the fire please visit the Los Padres National Forest current conditions web page. Hopefully this fire will be under control soon and no further buildings or businesses are threatened.

Just to be clear, children are welcome and Mike and Shelley very much encourage you bring them given the casual and carefree nature of the bbq reception.

Thanks very much to those of you that have already RSVP'd. Your early reply has been very helpful. Expect to see official invitations arriving in early-mid July.

There's no turning back now! Shelley's mom had this short blurb posted in Fairlawn, Ohio's local newspaper, the West Side Leader.

Save-the-Date cards were mailed today! Also, 20 rooms are reserved at La Quinta Inn in Monterey. Visit the Lodging web page for more information.

Mike's good friend (and attendant for the wedding), Dave, was visiting from Indiana this past weekend. He's a photography enthusiast so he took some fun photos of Mike and Shelley to be used for 'save-the-date' announcements. They're looking to get those sent out by mid-late March. If you'll be traveling from out of town for their wedding, be on the lookout for the card!

While back in Ohio for the holidays Shelley managed to find a dress for the wedding! Staying true to her personality, the dress is very simple and non-traditional. Shelley has always made efforts to be unique and be one step out of line w/ trends and the masses. This dress nicely complements those continued efforts. No preview of the dress, though! You'll have to wait for the big day and pictures to follow.

Hoooooray! Mike and Shelley have secured a photographer! Their good friend Kate, an aspiring photographer, has agreed to take pictures of their special day. This is a good agreement for everyone. Kate gets continued exposure and practice and Mike and Shelley secure an event photographer at a reasonable cost.

Shelley's parents were in town for the Thanksgiving holiday so Mike and Shelley drove them down the Big Sur coast to show them the locations they have in mind for the wedding ceremony and reception. Pictures are available for viewing in the "Pictures" section.

Mike put in for his vacation to fall from October 3-5 (plus, hopefully, a few more buffer days). So if all goes well with wedding location reservations, it looks like the big day will be October 4, 2008!

Mike and Shelley spoke with a friend, Judge O'Farrell, about presiding over the wedding ceremony. He's game for marrying them assuming he's available on the date. If not, he volunteered other judges that would be more than willing. Mike and Shelley are really hoping Judge O'Farrell is available because all three of them are connected via their friend Brenda.

Mike and Shelley's name and date are now listed with the events coordinator for the California State Parks Big Sur region. They are a little early in the planning game, but figured it can't hurt to get in their queue. They will hear from them in a few months (probably January) and proceed with planning and use permits. For a sneak peek, the web page banner is what one sees from the ceremony location! Check out the "Event Locations" button for more information.

Mike and Shelley recently ate Chinese food for dinner and Shelley's fortune read "Pleasures await you by the seashore." How fitting since they plan for the event to be on the coast.

It's official! Mike and Shelley are engaged! Now that the word has been spread to most everybody and congratulations have been received, its time to get down to business. They are looking to get married in early October, 2008 in California along the Big Sur coast. Ideally, the ceremony will be small with just immediate family. A much larger, casual bbq/cook-out reception will follow. Save the date and keep early October open!

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