After being a couple for over four years and living together for more than three years, we decided in early September 2003 that we were really going to get married. We wanted to marry before the end of the calendar year for the unromantic reason of taking advantage of tax benefits. This didn't leave very much time for preparation.

Our initial idea was to have a beach wedding. However, facing the practicalities of dealing with the Dept. of Beaches and Harbors, and the very likely prospect of chilly or inclement weather in mid-November, we wrote off that idea. We still wanted something casual and fun, and eventually settled on the Caltech Alumni House as our site.

To start off our laid-back wedding theme, we sent out invitations (158K PDF) by email, and requested an email RSVP. The event was billed as a "Wedding Picnic" but in fact we ended up having a great barbecue.

One major decision we had to make was who would marry us. We investigated "mobile officiants" who come out to any location to perform marriages, but were not really comfortable with that idea. Instead, we decided that we would be married in a civil ceremony the day before our Wedding Picnic. During the event, we would have our own personal ceremony and be "married" by our close friends.