The Engagement!

A week before Thanksgiving Day Dan and I had been planning a fun outdoor adventure for before the big dinner. We planned to drive to Calvert Cliffs, it is said that because sharks lose their teeth often they will wash up on shore and that Calvert Cliffs is the best place to find them buried in the sand. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed the two hour drive there and the amazing 2 mile walk to the beach. There were crunchy leaves on the ground, the bright sun shining down on our shoulders, and we had the pleasure to meet and pet three great dogs!

We arrived at the beach and sat at a picnic table right near the water, for a bay the water had some really great waves, it felt so nice to hear them crash along the wall of the cliffs to our left and to wash up on shore to our right. After lunch Dan looked at me with a smile I knew meant he was up to something! He said, "I have something very important I'd like to ask you." Which made me smile from ear to ear because I knew what he was going to ask, and I knew that he had picked the perfect moment. When he asked if I would spend the rest of my life with him I responded with a great big "Yes" which I am sure surprises no one.

We spent the rest of our time at the bay watching the waves wash up on shore, taking pictures to remember our special Thanksgiving day, and searching for sharks teeth (we found none).

We returned to the house just in time for dinner and the whole family was so welcoming, so excited, and so happy to hear of our engagement. It felt so nice to be welcomed into a new family so whole heartedly!

The Discovery!

We had been discussing marriage for the past year, only recently to discover that next year would be a really perfect time for us tie the knot!
   
We began some initial planning, looking into venues, and writing a pro/con list for holding the ceremony on either the west coast (near my family) or the east coast (near Dan's family). Things got really complicated and  frustrating, and I decided that this was not how we wanted to remember our big day!
   
This was when I began to look into elopement ideas, there is a Hitching Post in Idaho, another in North Carolina. But they didn't quite fit the adventure aspect we were looking for. We looked into pulling a Pam and Jim (from The Office) and eloping at Niagara Falls, but that was far more complicated than the TV show made it appear, the Captain cannot marry couples on the ship. I kept up my search though, I just new there had to be something out there for the wild couples. And then I found it.

Petaluma California's Rivertown Revival!

This summer festival has a wedding booth, where 20-25 families can sign up to be married for just $5!!! The festival has a steam-punk feel, people from all over come in costume, ride amazing bikes in an amazing fashion, build boats of all sorts for the river and dance dance dance!!

As this idea grew more and more appealing, we began to rethink it all. Because Dan and I are always together eloping would be a fun adventure, but it wouldn't feel like we were celebrating if we just eloped and then went home... we wanted to celebrate with the families and friends that we love so much!

This lead us back to which side of the country we would hold the elopement reception, who to invite, and where to have the darn thing...

This was when we decided that we would come see all of you. We decided to make a trip out of it, a honeymoon and wedding in one that would be one trillion times more fun than a single wedding night, and even less expensive than a traditional wedding!