I LOVED Marta’s whole personal style and the fact that she chose a fun flirty short dress that suited her perfectly. And burgers for dinner! That’s my kind of people. Thanks to Scott Stater for having me along to second shoot.

The Los Altos History Museum
www.losaltoshistory.org
51 So. San Antonio Road
Los Altos, CA 94022
(650) 948-9427

Possibly the most exhausting part about wedding planning. When you first get engaged, exploring the many beautiful venues seems like a fun way to spend a weekend.

But then you get hit with reality. And reality is all about logistics. No bathrooms on site? Noise restriction curfews? No parking available? Shuttle service required? $20,000 site fee?!

I’m not going to lie, it started to drive me bonkers having to juggle so many different needs and wants versus financial and logistical restraints. It also made me really really sad and stressed out, which has been such an incredibly unfortunate byproduct of planning a wedding. A wedding is such a happy culmination of everything wonderful and lovely in a person’s life. The planning for me, not so much.

We looked at the gorgeous ranches, wineries, estates and historical sites available in Northern California. And I fell in love with so many of them.

Durham Ranch, Annadel Estate, Carneros Inn, Black Swan Lake, Diablo Ranch, Headlands Center for the Arts, and on and on. EVERY SINGLE ONE of these venues is stunning and amazing and I would love to get married there. But ultimately we decided that Northern California would be such a logistical challenge for my family, nearly all of whom are in Los Angeles where I was born and raised. I said goodbye to these venues with a bit of reluctance. But onward!

So. Maybe Central California? We looked into the amazing Holman Ranch, the super unique and rustic Los Laureles Lodge and still we kept shifting further south. Ok. Santa Barbara then! Close enough to LA without being IN LA which for several reasons, we wanted to avoid. Helloooo land of stunning private estates and gigantic price tags. Right, so Los Angeles it is.

And here I went into hyperdrive. I feel confident in saying that I have pretty much looked at every non-hotel venue in the Los Angeles area. From Simi Valley to Palm Springs, I’ve researched them all. So you would think the decision would then become easy, right? But the sheer number of venues was overwhelming and there was always *something* wrong. Several venues were 100% booked for 2012. Some venues had crazy restrictions. Some venues had impossible parking situations. And others just had a terrible failure of communication. But to be honest, it was my bizarre issue with finding the PERFECT place that was such a stressful force and the real reason it’s taken so long to find a venue.

Because I really 100% believed that there was this venue out there that was perfect, beautiful, spacious, super affordable, conveniently located, allowed me to bring my dogs, and was operated by kind people. I thought, if I just look hard enough, I WILL FIND IT.

We had a couple of false starts, contracts nearly signed when something happened to derail the whole thing. Thousands of dollars in hidden fees unannounced til the last minute, finding out that bugs swarm the property during the day, only specific caterer and DJ allowed (no thanks!). And the budget, always the budget to consider. Maddeningly numbers floating in my head at all hours of the day.

As months went by and more and more people kept asking me WHERE?? WHEN?? I started to have these wild ideas pop into my head. What if we found a tree tunnel and got married there? Lake Como, we have to get married at Lake Como! Maybe George Clooney will lend us his villa? I think I was loosing it.

Nothing is ever perfect. And my Mom told me, “No one cares where you get married, they just want to be there to see you get married” and that was so true.

Yes, logistics matter. It matters that your guests don’t have to walk half a mile from the ceremony site to the reception site and that they don’t have to use porta potties. It does matter. But not nearly so much as you might think. Or how much *I* thought. So I took a deep breath, I took a step back. And I thought, “Where can I imagine myself getting married?” And I kept seeing one place, over and over. So I think we’ve found our place.

Finally…

I’d only visited North Beach one or two times before, and never gone to Coit Tower at all (I know, I’m a bad SF tourist!). So when Brett & Taylor wanted to do a shoot in this lovely area of the city, I was excited to roam the area. It’s such a unique little neighborhood.

Love this last one. Gorgeous light!

Airplane tickets booked, a darling apartment in the 6th arrondissement has been rented out, and Tony and I are learning our way through basic French via a Nintendo DS game (My French Coach). We are SO ready for Paris!

It’s funny, France has always been one of those places I’ve wanted to visit, but never urgently. I never yearned for France, or gave it much active thought. I never would have considered myself a francophile. There are quite a few other places in the world that I had placed higher on my list of MUST VISIT places than France. It was just one of those “Oh it would be nice to vsit” sort of places for me.

But somehow in the past 2 years or so, Paris has crept into my subconscious. Maybe it started with Julia Child. I devoured her memoir, My Life In France (I can’t recommend it highly enough) and came to admire her tremendously. And her Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons (chicken in mushroom cream sauce) recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking is SO so good. After that came The Sweet Life in Paris by the charming food blogger, David Lebowitz. It’s really one of the most hilarious reads ever. I kept reading out loud parts of it to Tony and then catching myself mid-sentence with wild guffawing. There was also Lunch in Paris – A Love Story, A Paris Wife, and Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast. One book after another.

And this past year, Midnight in Paris ended up being one of my top films of 2011. In the same way Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona moved and inspired me to go to Spain, Midnight in Paris enchanted me. It made me think, I *have* to go there.

Paris has seeped into my life. And so we decided that since we have some free time in May, let’s just go for it! I’m so excited and also a little nervous. Paris has been so romanticized and the expectations are pretty high. I’m simultaneously ramping up my excitement and spazzing out, while also trying to keep my cool and be more nonchalant about the whole thing.

If anyone has any recommendations for things to do and see in Paris, please leave a comment!

This wedding was so special to me. It took place several months ago, and since then I’ve held the wedding close. Tucking it away in a corner of my heart and reflecting on it often. I am so thankful to Kate Harrison for allowing me to come and be her second shooter for the day, because it was truly a privilege to witness this wedding.

JR & Lauren blew me away with their stunning intelligence, their eloquence, their unabashed dedication and affection toward each other and to their family. They are just truly excellent human beings. There was so much honesty and authenticity to their wedding day, and I’m not overstating things when I say that their wedding made me want to be a better person. It’s funny the way lives can cross paths. How lucky am I to have been able to very briefly meet such extraordinary people on such an extraordinary day.

Seriously, such a beautiful family!

So here’s my list of favorite reads from the last year. These aren’t necessarily the the most high brow literature books, since sometimes my tastes run everywhere from Sci-Fi to contemporary to trashy vampire Young Adult fare. But just the books I enjoyed reading the most.

Cleopatra – A Life
by Stacy Schiff
Brilliant historical account of one of history’s most intelligent, resourceful, and ruthless leaders. And a story that has never really been properly told. As a feminist, this book was a joy to read.
Quote:

“Cleopatra stood at one of the most dangerous intersections in history; that of women and power. Clever women, Euripides had warned hundreds of years earlier, were dangerous.”

Born to Run : A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
by Christopher McDougall
This book as the potential to be life changing and I think it should be recommended reading for EVERYONE, even if you utterly hate running. Trust me, it’s good.
Quote:

“You ran to eat and to avoid being eaten; you ran to find a mate and impress her, and with her you ran off to start a new life together. You had to love running, or you wouldn’t live to love anything else…We were born to run; we were born because we run.”

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand
by Helen Simonson
Utterly charming. I could not stop grinning over every dry English quip, each clever turn of words and phrases.
Quote:

“You are a wise man, Major, and I will consider your advice with great care–and humility.” He finished his tea and rose from the table to go to his room. “But I must ask you, do you really understand what it means to be in love with an unsuitable woman?”
“My dear boy,” said the Major. “Is there really any other kind?”

Bel Canto
by Ann Patchett
One of the most lyrical and beautiful books I’ve read in a really long time. Just utterly exquisite and will probably end up as one of my favorite books ever.
Quote:

“Carmen prayed hard. She prayed while standing near the priest in hopes it would give her request extra credibility. What she prayed for was nothing. She prayed that God would look on them and see the beauty of their existence and leave them alone.”

World War Z
by Max Brooks
The BEST zombie book ever. Not that I’ve read a ton, but it was so thorough, almost historical or sociological in its writing. A zombie book with real intelligence.
Quote:

“Most people don’t believe something can happen until it already has. That’s not stupidity or weakness, that’s just human nature.”

Looking for Alaska
by John Green
One of the best Young Adult books I’ve ever read. Just so smart, thoughtful and well written. If I had read this as a teenager, I think it would’ve been like what Vonnegut had been for me at that age, a book that completely helps to shift and shape your world paradigm.
Quote:

“Thomas Edison’s last words were ‘It’s very beautiful over there’. I don’t know where there is, but I believe it’s somewhere, and I hope it’s beautiful.”

“They love their hair because they’re not smart enough to love something more interesting.”

Blind Assassin
by Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood is one of my favorite authors, and I think she outdid herself on this one. Even better than my previous favorite, The Handmaid’s Tale. This was like a showcase of truly genius level talent.
Quotes:

“Farewells can be shattering, but returns are surely worse. Solid flesh can never live up to the bright shadow cast by its absence. Time and distance blur the edges; then suddenly the beloved has arrived, and it’s noon with its merciless light, and every spot and pore and wrinkle and bristle stands clear.”

“Women have curious ways of hurting someone else. They hurt themselves instead; or else they do it so the guy doesn’t even know he’s been hurt until much later. Then he finds out. Then his dick falls off.”

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot
I am not a huge science buff, but despite the plethora of scientific information in this book, I was so hooked. One of those books that I think all people should read, since the history and implications are so far-reaching.
Quote:

“You know what is a myth?” Bobette snapped from the recliner. “Everybody always saying Henrietta Lacks donated these cells. She didn’t donate anything. They took them and didn’t ask.”

Art of Racing in the Rain
by Garth Stein
I love dogs, and so I love books about dogs. Cheesy? For sure. But I can’t help it. Books like this, and Story of Edgar Sawtelle, A Dog’s Purpose, Marley and Me, etc, they all make me weep.

“People and their rituals. They cling to things so hard sometimes.”

Vampire Academy
by Richelle Mead
Yes, I sometimes read trashy vampire chick lit. No, I don’t feel guilty about it. And at least this one has a main female character who is a trained fighter and bodyguard. It’s bad, but in such a good way.

“The only thing better than imagining Dimitri carrying me in his arms was imagining him shirtless while carrying me in his arms.”

The Imperfectionists
by Tom Rachman
I’m not usually a fan of short inter-connected stories, but I LOVED The Imperfectionists. Funny, wry, poignant.
Quote:

“If history has taught us anything, Arthur muses, it is that men with mustaches must never achieve positions of power.”

Unbroken: A World War II Story Of Survival, Resilience, And Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand
One of the most spectacular true stories I’ve ever read. It blew me away, not just the sheer terrifying amount of trials and tribulations, but the heart and humanity in it. I was sobbing by the end.

“Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and oxygen. The stubborn retention of it, even in the face of extreme physical hardship, can hold a man’s soul in his body long past the point at which the body should have surrendered it.”

The Sweet Life in Paris
by David Lebovitz
I picked this up as a nice easy read, from one of my favorite food bloggers. And it ended up being a witty, funny, and supremely informative book on all the joys, frustrations, and quirks of being an American living in France.
Quote:

In a country where there’s such an emphasis on fine dining, whose good food is celebrated not just here, but around the world, it’s stupefying why Parisian coffee is so vile that fed-up French food writer Sophie Brissard described it as “donkey piss.”

Bossy Pants
by Tina Fey
Not only is this book hilarious, but Tina Fey’s humor is just so intelligent. So sharp, and quick. And rooted in so much common sense.
Quote:

“Some people say “Never let them see you cry.” I say, if you’re so mad you could just cry, then cry. It terrifies everyone.”

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
by Barbara Demick
I have a strong interest in North Korea, not just because my Grandpa was originally from North Korea before he escaped during the Korean War, but because I have always had a fascination with dystopian society. This was an incredible and haunting look into the lives of defectors, both in North Korea and out of it once they escaped.
Quote:

Dr. Kim couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen a bowl of pure white rice. What was a bowl of rice doing there, just sitting out on the ground? She figured it out just before she heard the dog’s bark. Up until that moment, a part of her had hoped that China would be just as poor as North Korea. She still wanted to believe that her country was the best place in the world. The beliefs she had cherished for a lifetime would be vindicated. But now she couldn’t deny what was staring her plainly in the face: dogs in China ate better than doctors in North Korea.

The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern
Enchanting is the only word for this book. But do yourself a favor, stay away from reading too many reviews beforehand!

“The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it, no paper notices on downtown posts and billboards, no mentions or advertisements in local newspapers. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.”

And because I actually wrote up a post a year ago and never posted it, here’s my list of favorite reads from 2010.

Never Let Me Go
The Book Thief
Ender’s Game
Water for Elephants
Suite Française
Pillars of the Earth
Hunger Games Series
Dune
The Namesake
Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Medium Raw
The Glass Castle
My Life in France

And a shoutout to the worst books I read in 2011, Ready Player One, Inheritance, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.

Here’s to another year of great books. What have you been reading lately?