Welcome!

By admin | Published: February 24, 2010

…and thanks for stopping by Nelson and Jamaica’s official Love Party site.
No dates present
We’re looking forward to our celebration and in the meantime, we’ve tried to pull together all of the information and resources here, in one place. You can find stories about us and our Love Brigade (aka wedding party), the events we’re planning, venues and transportation, our registry, photos and more. Check back often for updates on our day-to-day planning and don’t forget to check out our forums if you still have any unanswered questions. Stay tuned!

Posted in welcome | Tagged , | Comments closed

We did it!… With your help

By jamaica | Published: July 5, 2010

I need to pack for Hawaii, so I will keep this brief… The Love Party is officially over and it was more amazing and magical than we could have ever imagined. It was a crazy three day extravaganza of celebration, music, and incredible moments. And the only reason it was so fabulous was because of our incredible friends and family who gave their all to make it the most memorable weekend of our lives. Thank you – especially to the Love Brigade for bearing the majority of tasks and responsibilities throughout the weekend – but also to ALL of our friends who stepped in and did whatever they needed to do to help all weekend long. We feel like the luckiest people alive and we are thrilled we could celebrate this incredible occasion with all of you. We were honored by your attendance and participation.

Thank you. We love you.

We will post photos and more when we are back from Hawaii in a week!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Oh my goodness! Don’t forget the…

By jamaica | Published: June 29, 2010

Hello!

Can you believe the Love Party starts this week. I can’t!! Really, can we pause time please?

We are so looking forward to gathering with all of you soon and I wanted to put up a post on what not to forget for the big weekend. Here goes:

1. Layers! It is 56 degrees right now in SF. In Santa Cruz it will be warm during the day, cool at night. Yes, it’s California, but you need layers. Several. Bring them.

2. Flashlight! The roads around Sequoia are pitch black at night. You will want a flashlight!

3. Dancing shoes! Just spoke with the fabulous Dalton Mountain Gang again and dancing on Sunday will be a blast. This will be dancing that EVERYONE will want to get in on, so bring shoes that let you groove.

4. Flat shoes for the ladies (for the ceremony). I said this in an earlier post, but you really, really do not want to wear heels to the ceremony. Have your dancing shoes in your bag and flats on your feet! The ground is uneven and stilettos will sink like they are in quick sand.

5. Your yoga mat (and yoga clothing)! That’s right I (Jamaica) will be teaching an all levels vinyasa flow class in the main lodge on Sunday morning at 10 am.

6. Your fab vintage duds. I CAN’T WAIT to see everyone’s outfit at the Gatsby party – it may be the part of the weekend we are looking forward to the most. AND we will be performing our first dance at the Gatsby Party, not on Sunday. It’s not too late to RSVP for the Gatsby party if you haven’t!

7. Your stories of Nelson and Jamaica. The Saturday night BBQ will be an open mike where you will have the chance to share any stories you would like about the couple. If you have a toast, this is the night for them (there won’t be any toasts on Sunday…)

Can’t wait to see you all soon for celebration and more. As mentioned before, please contact us with any questions – especially on lodging. There is still plenty of room at Sequoia and I know the process is confusing. Remember, you can register for one night or just breakfast as well by emailing them directly! Let us know if you are having problems.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Lodging help needed? Let us know…

By jamaica | Published: June 20, 2010

Well, we are in the final countdown now, and we know many of you are making final arrangements for travel and lodging. We hope you haven’t had any trouble making lodging reservations through the Sequoia website (http://www.sequoiaretreatcenter.com/Wedding_Jamaica&Nelson.htm). If you have, please let us know and we can help!

Also, please know that you can stay for just one night at Sequoia as well and you can just come for breakfast on Sunday or Monday morning. We requested that Sequoia include these options on the website, but they never materialized, unfortunately. You can email Sequoia directly for either of these options.

Again, please let us know if you are having any reservation trouble! We look forward to seeing you soon.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Tails and Silk… Prepping for the Gatsby Party

By jamaica | Published: June 6, 2010

Hello all! We really can’t believe that our big party is less than a month away!

Well, as we are busy with the final plans, we wanted to give you some resources for preparing for the most elegant event of our celebration: the Opening Night Gatsby Gala. There are so many great places to get inspired online and in vintage stores wherever you live. We have recently discovered a couple great spots in San Francisco to find great vintage clothing and accessories. Check out the forums for details on these locations. Don’t worry about finding a ‘costume’ – just find a something you feel fabulous in! We can’t wait to see you there.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

What says love like great live music…

By jamaica | Published: May 9, 2010

There is nothing that sets the mood like music… and we are thrilled to be featuring two wonderful groups as part of our Love Party. With the focus on the Party part of our event, these are groups that we found by going out on the town. We liked them so much we asked them to play a part in our big weekend. Here is a little about the two groups:

Gaucho will be playing on Friday night at the Opening Night Gatsby Gala. They are a ‘gypsy jazz’ band that take inspiration from many forms of jazz. When we listen to them, we hear French jazz of the ’30s, New Orleans dixieland, and a bit of danceable Americana. Their music is energizing, shoe-tapping, and transports you to a smoky European club circa 1929. If you want to catch them before the big night, they play every Wednesday at Amnesia on Valencia from 8 – 10 pm. Go and you may see us there!

Dalton Mountain Gang is a bluegrass band based in Fresno, California that was recently named Northern California’s Bluegrass Band of the Year and 2009 Emerging Artists of the Year. These guys are seriously incredible musicians that will keep us all dancing and clapping into the night on Sunday at the reception. For our event, they will be integrating a caller for some real-deal square dancing. That’s right – square dancing. So bring your dancing shoes and prepare yourself for some world class pickin’ and dancin’.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

What’s a Love Party??

By jamaica | Published: March 14, 2010

So you get this email from your old friend/relative/colleague asking you to come to a ‘love party.’ What the… you wonder. Is this a wedding? A commitment ceremony? A concert? Just a giant bash? The Love Party is actually all of these things!

Here’s why we are calling our celebration a Love Party.

  • Our celebration will be bigger/longer/and more fun than the usual wedding. Think love! Think big! Think party! Calling it a wedding would just be inaccurate.
  • We are supporters of equal rights for all, including equality in marriage. We don’t feel right celebrating ‘marriage’ until it is a right that can be legally granted to everyone – including our gay and lesbian friends.
  • There are so many traditions/expectations/rules associated with ‘a wedding.’ We don’t subscribe to 90% of these and we don’t want these expectations to hold us back from celebrating our love and commitment in our own unique way with our community and family.
  • Turns out we are kinda hippies. What’s says love more than a love party?

We hope this answers (rather than creates!) questions. If it makes you more comfortable to call it a ‘wedding,’ feel free – just don’t expect a bachelor party, white dress, or bouquet toss!

Posted in welcome | 1 Comment

Site is live!

By admin | Published: March 14, 2010

We’ve finally finished all the pieces and the site is live. Hooray! We look forward to your feedback and comments.

Posted in Updates | Leave a comment

Forums live (and more)

By admin | Published: March 9, 2010

Things are shaping up nicely and the site is almost done… The forums are up and running now. You can access them here or by clicking on the link in the menu bar. Also, I’ve installed a special theme for anyone viewing this site on their iPhones – everything should automagically optimize for the smaller screen now. Let me know if you have any suggestions or run into any issues.

Posted in Updates | Leave a comment

Our first post!

By jamaica | Published: March 4, 2010

Well, planning is well underway. We have our site, our band, our caterer, and even our clothing! But it still feels like we have 10,000 details left to figure out. Stay tuned for updates on the wacky world of love party planning…

Posted in Updates | 1 Comment