Many Thanks!

Well, the wedding was over two weeks ago and PO and I have returned from our week long honeymoon and are back into the swing of things. Our BIG DAY turned out so perfect and really was the most fun I've had in a long time! Paul and I both agree that it was seriously the best day ever. Our wedding was nothing fussy, just a lot of love and a lot of fun. . . which is all we ever wanted!

Words can not express how grateful we are to have such wonderful family and friends. To everyone who traveled to the coast to celebrate with us, who pitched in to help, and who made our day so special. . .  we can't thank you enough!!!  

XO,
Paul & Mary Olvera

We're getting close!

The wedding is 5 days away and Paul and I are both getting excited! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to RSVP, check out our wedding blog and send all their love and support our way, we really appreciate it. We're looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday for the BIG DAY. All of our plans are in place and we're ready to tie the knot and enjoy the party!

The Reception

After the ceremony on the beach, guests are welcome to head immediately to the La Selva Beach Clubhouse. The drive is approximately 7-10 minutes and parking is available behind the Clubhouse. Drinks will be available immediately upon arrival. Dinner will be served 'buffet style' at approximately 3:00. The menu will consist of authentic Hawaiian food. There will be a buffet dessert table with a variety of treats to choose from after dinner as well as a variety of soda, beer and wine. We have the facility rented until 10:00 pm and plan to celebrate the night away!

(Of course, please refrain from drinking and driving and designate a sober driver or call for a cab in advance.)

The Ceremony Location

The beach we will be getting married on might be a little tricky to find! The access is tucked between two residential homes on Via Palo Alto Road. Once you find parking (there should be plenty of it on the street) take the staircase down to the beach! The ceremony will start around 1:00. We are doing things pretty casually, there will be no seating (only a couple of chairs for any elderly or other people unable to stand for a 1/2 hour or so.) After the ceremony we will be taking pictures on the beach, so guests are welcome to stick around and enjoy the scenery, or head immediately to the La Selva Beach clubhouse to get the party started! The staircase is a little steep. . . going down is easy, but coming back up is a little more rigorous. Also, please note that there are no restrooms at this location.

The Invitations!

Everyone should have received their invitation in the mail by now. If we sent you a 'Save the Date' email and you have not received your invite, please let us know! We're looking forward to seeing everyone in October!!! 32 days and counting. . . 

To RSVP, email us at maryandpaulsbeachwedding@gmail.com 

or call (209) 334-4025. 

What to wear?

Since the ceremony will take place on the beach, in the sand and next to the waves it's important not to come too over dressed. Honestly, shoes are optional! Also, since it will be October, make sure to bring something to cover up with in case it's chilly. We may have fog, we may have rain, we may have sun shining skies, it's all up to the weather gods! As for the reception, ladies, feel free to put on heels. . . but no one will care if you're in your flip flops. Paul and I want our wedding to be a casual celebration of love and an excuse for all of our friends and family to come together and have a good 'ol time, so wear whatever you feel comfortable in! 

RSVP

The invitations were dropped in the mail today, Tuesday, August 30th!

In order to keep things 'green' as well as save on supplies and postage, we are requesting that guests RSVP by email or by phone.

You can email us at maryandpaulsbeachwedding@gmail.com or call (209) 334-4025 to let us know whether or not you will be able to join us on October 15th. For those who can come, we look forward to seeing you then!

Update

88 days and counting until the wedding! While our to-do list is a mile long, we are slowly but surely checking things off one by one. We have an awesome Hawaiian restaurant who will be doing the food. I still haven't found the perfect dress, but I won't start to stress about that until we get closer! The invitations will go out in the mail at the end of August. Last weekend the girls all got together and we made the favors. I can't wait for everyone to see them, they are super cute :) We've ordered and received our wedding bands, which are quite unique I must say. We settled on a beach to hold the ceremony but had to search high and low to find out the name of it. Turns out we will be getting married on 'Beer Can Beach' in Aptos, California. If that's not hillarious, I don't know what is?! I found a local orchid dealer to purchase the flowers from, so I am happy to get that situated. Like I said, we are plugging away with plans slowly but surely!

Thanks so much for stopping by our wedding blog and taking the time to keep up to date with happenings! I hope everyone will be able to make it to the coast in October to celebrate our special day with us :)

Photo Gallery!

Accomodations

Paul and I are calling our wedding 'semi-destinational' because guests can choose to venture to the coast just for the day, or stay for the whole weekend! It's up to you. The ceremony is going to be held on the beach in Aptos and the reception will be at the La Selva Beach Clubhouse. There are plenty of accommodation options in the surrounding areas. Here's some recommendations of places to stay if you decide to make it a weekend trip!


Hotels
Best Western Seacliff Inn, Aptos
Seascape Resort, Aptos 
Comfort Inn, Santa Cruz
The Dream Inn, Santa Cruz
Rio Sands Motel, Aptos
Best Western, Capitola
Sand Rock Farm Bed & Breakfast, Aptos
Holiday Inn Express, Watsonville


Camping
Sunset State Beach
New Brighton State Beach
Santa Cruz Harbor RV Park
Santa Cruz KOA, Watsonville


House Rentals
Vacation Rentals By Owner, Santa Cruz
Vacation Rentals By Owner, Aptos
Vacation Rentals By Owner, Capitola
Vacation Rentals By Owner, La Selva Beach
Vacation Rentals By Owner, Watsonville


Please note that most of these recommendations are based solely on word of mouth and internet searches. We have not personally visited each and every site so we are unsure about rates, services and quality of each suggested facility listed. For additional recommendations, suggestions or reviews of accommodations in the area, visit Yelp.

Gift Registries

What we want most for our wedding is to have all of our family and friends together! More than anything, we consider your presence to be our present. That said, if you really would like to get us something tangible we are registered at:


Target

Crate & Barrel

Or, if you are one of our crafty loved ones, we'd love if you considered making us something!


Thank you,
Mary & Paul

Stuff to do!

Travel to the coast for the day on Saturday, or come for the whole weekend, it's up to you! You will find that there is so much fun stuff to do in Santa Cruz for the whole family, you might want to stay a few days! Here's a few hot spots we recommend;

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - The most popular destination in the area! Enjoy the rides at the boardwalk on Saturday or Sunday during October and the bowling ally and arcade are open all week long.

Natural Bridges State Park - Make sure to bring your camera and a picnic lunch! October is the perfect time to check out the monarch butterfly natural preserve located within this state park.

Lighthouse & Surf Museum - Check out over 100 years of surfing history in this lighthouse-turned-museum that overlooks Steamer Lane, an internationally known surfing hot spot!

Mystery Spot - This enigmatic place draws curious visitors who come to witness its gravity-defying properties. Visit their website here for more information!

Santa Cruz Harbor  - Home to a number of our favorite restaurants such as The Crows Nest which features nightly entertainment, Cafe El Palomar Mexican Restaurant and the Harbor Cafe, an excellent 'hole in the wall' spot for Breakfast or Lunch.

Downtown Santa Cruz - Great for shopping during the day or going out for drinks at night! We recommend 'I Love Sushi', Lillian's Italian Kitchen and Hula's Island Grill if you are looking for a bite to eat.

Seabright Beach - One of our favorite beaches in Santa Cruz! While you're there enjoying the gorgeous scenery, stop in at Seabright Brewery for a cold beer and have a bowl of their awesome seafood bisque!

Wine Tasting in the Santa Cruz Hills - There are three wineries all located within minutes of each other in the gorgeous redwood hills. Barghetto Winery, Hunter Hill Vineyards and Soquel Vineyards all have tasting rooms, friendly service and great wine!

Capitola Village - This quaint town just south of Santa Cruz is a tourist hot spot. Stroll around, do some shopping, but make sure you while you are there to stop at Margaritaville for some chips and salsa, and of course a margarita!

Typically the Santa Cruz area has great weather in October, and you don't have deal with all the tourists since it's off-season. Of course these are just a few things we can recommend to do while you are here. More info on hotels and accommodations coming soon!

Our Story

Paul and I met in 2007 while working together at Innovative Structures, a commercial construction company located in Modesto, California. There was an instant connection between the two of us and little did we know that our friendship as co-workers would blossom into an amazing relationship!

I moved in with Paul in January of 2008. In November of that year Paul started a new job as an estimator and project manager for Greg Carpenter Concrete. By February of 2009 we had bought a home in Lodi and we have been enjoying the small town ever since! I continue to work as an office manager/bookkeeper for the same company where Paul and I met and I also keep busy with my side business doing interior design and decorating.

We both strongly value our relationships and the time we spend with Paul's children, our families and friends. In our spare time we love being outdoors and spend a lot of time together riding bikes, kayaking, camping, going on road trips and hanging out at the beach! We love going on 'adventures' (as we like to call them) and are looking forward to many more together as husband and wife!

 Pismo Beach, April 2010

Contact Us

Please feel free to contact us at maryandpaulsbeachwedding@gmail.com if you have any questions about our upcoming wedding!

Or you can pick up the phone and call us at (209) 334-4025!

Save the date!

October 15th, 2011

La Selva Beach, California

More information to follow! 

The Proposal

After being together almost three years, Paul and I got engaged on Friday, September 24th 2011 in Yosemite National Park!

We took off for the weekend to go stay at my family's cabin which is located in Foresta, just inside the park. We arrived Friday and had a day planned of site seeing in the valley. Little did I know that Paul had a small box containing a ring hidden in his backpack the entire time, waiting for the perfect moment to propose!

Moments after we took this picture we walked across a foot bridge over a meadow that looks out to Half Dome. Paul got down on one knee, dug around in his backpack, pulled out the ring and asked me to marry him!

More info coming soon!

Make sure you check back later for more information about our October 15th wedding in La Selva Beach, California!