Jeff and Bonnie's Big Event

Wrap-up for the weekend

2008-09-04T23:00:00.000-07:00

Well, finally got my summary of the weekend written up, here are the posts :

Part I - spending the day hanging out, and getting ready for the ceremony.
Part 2 - going through the ceremony, dinner, and nighttime reception
Part 3 - Sunday brunch, and hanging out some more, and the Finish.
Also, our thank you thank you cards are sent. And Bonnie's been hard at work putting photos together.
Once again, loved having everyone get together!

Pictures Online

2008-08-06T00:12:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are links to some friends online albums, I believe some of them have the feature people can upload images as well. :

Big one started by Shane :
http://gallery.me.com/shanerh#100164

A collection from Tom G :
http://gallery.me.com/gilcup#100007

From Bonnie's SoCal family :
http://picasaweb.google.com/rayrad4d/JeffAndBonnie2008

The Bayleys, with their own trip pics

It was interesting to note how collections of photos seemed to centralize around the groups (Shane had the co-oppers, Tom's had ex-Tipp folk). Understandable, and we certainly saw all walks of life interacting, just thought it a notable phenomenon.

Any others have pics? Email em, upload em, or add the links into the comments.

After the Event

2008-07-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

Well, we are here in the glow after the event - what an incredible day, thanks so much to everyone who could make it! From getting in Saturday morning, hanging out for lunch in the afternoon, to setting up chairs and tables, the ceremony itself, dinner afterward, and music and dancing up at the house - everything went flawlessly, especially the weather. Even the whole week, where we caught up with out of town friends, and family, it exceeded our expectations.

We're gathering up pictures from everyone, I'll put up links to online photo albums. Anyone with pics or online galleries, please share!

As requested, here are the words of our vows (for those who missed it or couldn't hear) :

B: I vow to listen to you
J: I vow to communicate with you

J: I vow to not take this life we have together for granted
B: I vow to not be careless with our resources

B: I vow to move beyond good intentions to pursue thoughtful actions
J: I vow to be sensitive to your fears and vulnerabilities

B: I vow to encourage creativity to flourish
J: I vow to encourage health and happiness, laughter and joy

J: I vow commitment
B: I vow faithfulness

J: I vow to be strong in times of adversity
B: I vow to be steadfast in times of poor circumstance and change

B: I vow to be open and true
J: I vow to share with you what's in my heart

J: I vow to honor your views and values
B: I vow to be a part of your ideas and passions

J: I vow to live life fully, not holding back on our dreams
B: I vow to trust, to share, to let go, to allow collaboration

J: I vow that the needs of our family come first
B: I vow to nurture our friendships and peace in our community

J: I vow to love, support, comfort, and cherish you
B: I vow to love, support, comfort, and cherish you

J: I know that you will always be my favorite thing at the eend of every day
B: I know that my heart will always dance at the site of you every morning

As a special bonus, here is the text of our exchange (Bonnie's poem, and the lyrics to my song, "Like No Other")

YOURS & MINE
You have
captivated me
captured me
You are holding me
and not letting go
I am holding you
and not letting go
I have taken fragile strings of trust
and tied them to you
There is no commitment stronger
than the one I have already made to you in my heart
I am wrapped up in this love
tethered, firmly fixed
you can count on this bond.
Alone, I am strong.
With you, I am stronger.
And able to be vulnerable
I am not letting go of me
I am getting you.
And I am giving you me.
You showed me
that’s the way it works
My beloved
You are holding me
and not letting go
I will hold you
and not let go.

LIKE NO OTHER
Like no other love
Lifts me up above, my own
Knows me best of all
With me through my ups and downs

When she shines on me
Each look makes it all OK

Makes perfect sense,
to heart and mind, the moment's fine

Would you?
Do you? I do.

Every day, surprise
See the world through your eyes
So I make my vows
With you I will always be

Love, laughs and tears
Through all our years, you and I

Like no other love

More pics & thoughts to come!

2 Weeks

2008-06-30T22:44:00.000-07:00

Well, 2 weeks out and things are looking great. We have our final guest list, give or take a handful of flaky people (you know who you are!). Vendors contacted, orders placed, pickups arranged. Getting our final plans in order with our officiant and coordinator. We made a trip out there, to show them and take a last look-see on where to put everything and everyone, and check acoustics. Everything was in line, except for the cold cold weather (55 degrees, windy, foggy). It's not like that all the time! But it might be socked in on July 12, be prepared with layers, everyone. We took the chance to scout the path as well, you all should have maps, or a mapquest printout... a few tips : take the Marin Headlands 'tunnel' road (not the coastal road); watch out for the left turn to get to the tunnel (don't follow the Sausalito road too far); go about 1.9 miles after the tunnel, and it's a soft left (road bends but you want to veer off to the left). Parking is rather limited, we're asking people to carpool if possible.
Let us know if you're needing help w/ accommodations, but we're getting more excited about the day!

A few weeks out

2008-06-07T17:28:00.001-07:00

We're getting the final preparations done for the big event! We have our stellar coordinator Vera, our officiant, our entertainment, our furniture, our catering. We've been getting a lot of RSVP's back, and we'll start following up on ones we haven't received yet (thanks to those who've sent in - we realized the postage rate went up after we sent the invites out, but many of the postcards have actually been getting back). Looks like both our families are coming out, which will be amazing to get them all together - some of my kin have never been out to visit California.

For those who are coming in from out of town, and you need help looking for accommodations or tips on site-seeing, please give us a shout out. Looking forward to having everyone out! We sent the card with a map to the place, but here's a satellite view to help clarify, including a look at the highway exit from the 101 as well :

A look at the Marin Suites Hotel

2008-05-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

A few guests have expressed interest at staying at the Marin Suites Inn in Corte Madera. We stopped by there and checked out their renovations, and snagged some pics :

3 Months Out!

2008-04-03T06:24:00.000-07:00

So, we're getting into the thick of the planning, & it's going well! Our invitations are in the works (thanks to my sister-in-law Allison, for the awesome calligraphy!) so those will be out in the next couple weeks, keep an eye peeled.

The Plan

2008-01-08T21:43:00.000-08:00

There will be a formal invitation coming in the spring, but here’s the plan...

We’ve decided that a ceremony and reception just isn’t enough time to enjoy our friends and family, so we’re hosting a two-day event that will start on Saturday, July 12 at 1 p.m. with an informal luncheon at the Marin Headlands Hostel Annex so everyone can meet. Then there will be time in the afternoon for people to talk, enjoy friends and family, go to the beach, join a game on the lawn, see the national park’s historical sights, etc. And then in the late afternoon, gather everyone together so we can exchange our vows of love and commitment in a short outdoor ceremony. Dinner and a celebration to follow that night and a brunch on Sunday so we can close the weekend together.

Jeff and Bonnie

The New Year

2007-12-26T14:20:00.000-08:00

So, we're here enjoying the holidays, hope you folks are, too. Kinda coasting into the New Year, but we're looking toward the busy-ness which will come with getting everything ready (but keeping it manageable). It is time to put our Big Event plans into action! We'll be updating this site at least once a month, probably once a week starting in the spring. Feel free to contact us with questions, or leave a comment, but those who are coming should start thinking about booking a place to stay! We found out that the Marin Headlands Hostel main house where we thought our guests would stay is booked by a church group that weekend (we've booked the smaller, hostel annex for our event, but there's only enough beds to put up immediate family there) so accommodations must be made elsewhere! Here's our short list of local hotels, and some info on nearby Marin Headlands campsites, and federal parks camping.
Talk to you soon!

The Hostel View

2007-10-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

Hotels : local and affordable

2007-09-21T09:26:00.001-07:00

The best option for Saturday night would be to book a bed at the Hostel itself, next door to the ceremony site, if you're OK with the dormitory-like settings. It is the most convenient and affordable location! Individual beds start at $20, private rooms are available for $60.

Otherwise, here are 2 lists of nearby hotels: one list within southern Marin County, and one for the northern part of San Francisco. (All are within 25 minutes' drive, but SF hotels require a trip back and forth across the Golden Gate Bridge). According to our research, rooms here should be available for under $125.

MARIN COUNTY :

Travelodge Mill Valley/Sausalito
707 Redwood Hwy
Mill Valley, CA 94941
415-383-0340

Best Value Inn
155 Shoreline Hwy
Mill Valley, CA 94941
415-332-1732

Best Value Inn
1595 Casa Buena Dr
Corte Madera, CA 94925
415-924-3570

Budget Inn
706 Meadow Sweet Driv
Corte Madera, CA 94925
415-804-6835

Marin Suites Hotel
45 Tamal Vista Blvd
Corte Madera, CA 94925
415-924-3608

Holiday Inn Express, Mill Valley
160 Shoreline Highway
Mill Valley, CA 94941
877-531-5084

SAN FRANCISCO :

Americas Best Value Inn Golden Gate
2322 Lombard St @ Pierce
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-921-4980

Edward II Inn & Suites
3155 Scott St @ Lombard
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-922-3000

Ramada Golden Gate
1940 Lombard St
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-775-8116

Greenwich Inn
3201 Steiner St
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-921-5162

Travelodge Presidio
2755 Lombard St
San Francisco CA
415-931-8581

Travelodge Golden Gate
2230 Lombard St
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-922-3900

Travelodge Van Ness
1450 Lombard St
San Francisco CA
415-673-0691

Travelodge Fisherman's Wharf
1201 Columbus Ave
San Fran CA 94133
415-776-7070

America's Best Inn - Lombard
2707 Lombard St
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-804-6835

Super 8 Fisherman's Wharf
2440 Lombard St
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-922-0244

Save The Date

2007-08-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

Save the Date

Please join us for a celebration
of family, friends and love,
and a ceremony honoring the commitment of

Jeff Johnson & Bonnie Eslinger

Saturday, July 12th
and Sunday, July 13th
2008

The Hostel at the Marin Headlands
Sausalito, California

More Details to Come