Marissa and Peter's Wedding

What a whirlwind of a past two weeks this has been!  First, and foremost, Seth got a new job!  Hooray!  His old employer really wasn't a good fit for him (or anyone else apparently since they have such a high turnover!), so Seth had been looking for a new job for the last few months.  He went in for an interview with a new company, MarketSmart, on a Friday morning, and got offered the job that same evening...they must recognize that MegaSeth talent within :)  Seth gave his notice and has been enjoying some much deserved time off before starting his job next week.

The timing couldn't have been more perfect either, because he didn't even have to use vacation for our trip to L.A.  Speaking of which, we had such a good time!  For those who don't know, my sister Marissa got married to her new husband Peter.  We first met Peter (who is such a great guy!) in January when Seth and I went to visit them during New Year's.   And before we knew it, their wedding weekend arrived!  On Thursday, Dad, Seth, and I headed to BWI and were off to L.A.  We arrived pretty late, but not too late to avoid a stop by In-N-Out Burger - yum!  When we got to our hotel, Marissa had nice welcome bags awaiting us (which made me realize how many small details we still have left to take care of - yikes!) and it was time to rest up for the weekend ahead!

Friday was the rehearsal dinner.  But before that, Dad, Seth, and I headed to Santa Monica Pier for a stroll and then ran to Beverly Hills for lunch.  For those who aren't familiar with the Real Housewives, Seth and I are huge fans - and our favorite season was Beverly Hills.  For lunch, I made reservations at my favorite housewive's (Lisa Vanderpump) restaurant called Villa Blanca, which is right by Rodeo Drive and all the craziness that is Beverly Hills.  Although Lisa wasn't there, the food was good and I was happy to hear that she was off filming a new season <3

Villa Blanca <3

Pepe Roman and Mista Seth on Via Rodeo Drive

After a busy morning, we headed off to the rehearsal dinner and it was so much fun!  The entire wedding weekend actually took place in Marissa and Peter's backyard.  They have been constructing a guest-house/party room in their backyard and doing a lot of landscaping changes to get ready for this, and it looked wonderful!  The soon-to-be newlyweds hosted a delicious buffet and a top-shelf, open bar :)  The highlight for me was the toast that Dad gave ( click the link to watch http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100113388969569&comments) - who knew Pepe had that in him!? :)  Anyway, it really was fun to have all of the family together and to get to visit with other friends and family.

A hand-drawn family tree was part of the decor!

The Wedding Party at the Rehearsal Dinner

After a fun night rehearsing and partying, the Big Day had finally arrived!  We had some time before the ceremony, so Dad, Seth, and I headed to Manhattan Beach to try some fish tacos and enjoy the beach (before heading back to lame, East Coast beaches!)  Soon enough though, we were changing into our wedding clothes and off to the ceremony.  Marissa (as did all of the bridal party for that matter) looked beautiful and the ceremony was short, sweet, and screamed 'Marissa!'   They had so many nice little touches - from mints in the bathrooms, to a live band, to delicious food - which helped the evening to turn out wonderful...2 thumbs-up!  During her toast, Marissa even gave a shout-out about our upcoming wedding - so thoughtful!  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and danced the night away til we couldn't dance anymore!   

As Husband and Wife - Marissa and Peter...Congratulations!!!

Joe and Marissa gettin' down to the music!

The Lovebird Cake - yum!

After all was said and done, all still wasn't said and done :)  Marissa and Peter hosted a farewell brunch for all of their family and out-of-town guests - YUMMM!!!  Brunch may well be my favorite meal, so to have an omelet station, delicious pastries, and fresh juice/coffee is heaven!  After stuffing our faces to the max, it was time to say our goodbyes and head to LAX for our flight home.  

Brunch Time :)

Dad forgot his salad fork...so he improvised with his fingers :)

Well, that about sums up Marissa's Wonderful Wedding Weekend.  We had such a good time and are so happy for Marissa and Peter, and to them we say "Bendiciones!"  And now, only 18 days til we see them (and hopefully you!) again for our big, fat, Utah wedding!!!