The Theme: Tropical Citrus

I have always dreamed of having a tropical wedding.  I always imagined that I would be surrounded by beautiful Hawaiian flowers on a beach with my loved ones in a small intimate gathering.  What I love SO much about our tropical citrus theme is that it fuses the nature loving country style that is Ernest with the care free tropical Island theme that is me.  It's amazing how seemingly disparate the two concepts are and yet fuse together so well as if they were meant to connect if only for our wedding day.  I have done a lot of research on these two themes and have found so many beautiful ideas I'd like to share with everyone.

The Venue: California Citrus State Historic Park

9400 Dufferin Ave
Riverside,  CA  92504
(951) 780-6222
Directions

During one of our very first dates, Ernie took me to the California Citrus State Historic Park to show me the orange groves.  I remember that I picked an orange and he got mad at me and said that we could get fined for it so I had to drop it on the ground instead of eat it.  On our way out we passed the Sunkist Center.  When we walked inside he turned to me and said, "This place would be perfect for a wedding."  I laughed at his comment and countered, "I'm not getting married at a park!" The irony isn't lost on me that the first place I thought of to "seal the deal" was that rustic orange grove I was once too snobby to even consider!  It makes me realize how much we have grown as a couple and how lucky I am to finally realize its true beauty.  Here are some photos of the venue to enjoy:

The Engagement

Many of you know Ernie and I have been with each other going on seven years.  Now, recently I did an internship teaching Geometry at Schurr High School with Ernie's master gardening friend and carpool buddy Ms. Vivian Nakano.  One day Vivian tells me that she got certified online to officiate her daughter's wedding.  Then she told me to tell Ernie that she can marry us.  SO.  I went home that night and told Ernie what Vivian said and ended with, "...so what do you think about that?"  Ernie replied, "I like that idea what do you think about that?"  I think I dropped my fork or at least dropped my jaw a bit then repeated, "I like that idea what do YOU think about that?" I'm not really sure how many times we repeated it back and forth, but it ended with a, "So...should we tell our folks that we're getting married then?"  And the next day I called his mom and said, "I think I proposed to your son last night!" She was ecstatic.  The rest has been a whirlwind of planning.

  

   

I've decided to write about our wedding plans for the big day for everyone to see.  I hope you enjoy it!