AMANDA & MICHAEL: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2020

SLB: short for Sassy Little Bee, which is long for Amanda, the copper-clad wedding planner who never turns down a gluten-free baked good

MCH: short for Michael C. Hayes, everyone's favorite painter of beautiful ladies (not Michael Hayes the pro-wrestler), well known for his unpredictable wardrobe and currently sporting an epic lockdown beard

In 2013, thanks to the dating site OK Cupid and a nudge from a friend, we met at a Starbucks in Escondido and bonded over working conventions and being art-directed by clients. By some miracle in all the time since then, with both of us working from home and pretty much living the quarantine life since before it was cool, we haven't managed to get sick of each other. There have been countless Comic Cons, camping trips and cats (so many cats), lots of patience and support, plenty of challenging times survived, and always love. 

Mike proposed during our anniversary trip to San Luis Obispo while retracing our steps from one of our first and favorite road trips. He got down on one knee on a beach near Hearst Castle, it was just us, a total surprise, and perfect in every way. 

So now we're getting married in December, moving to Montgomery in January, and ready to take on all the excitement the next chapter of our life together may bring!! 

Saturday, December 12, 2020

If we had to sum up this year in one word, 'unpredictable' sure does hit the mark. Everyone we know, ourselves included, has had their "normal" turned upside down, but that doesn't stop love! Never ones to back down from a creative challenge, we've rolled with the punches and planned a small, extra meaningful wedding day and hope that you can be there to celebrate with us. 

Here are the highlights: 

• Our ceremony will start at noon, followed by some adult beverages
• Lunch will be also served, as well as ample desserts. 
• Our guest count is not expected to exceed 20 people, including the two of us
• Seating for the ceremony and lunch will be grouped by household, or those who request to be seated together, to maintain physical distancing. 
• Full disclosure, neither of us is heartbroken that dancing is not permitted. (Thanks, 2020!) Great music and one another's company will have to suffice as our entertainment for the afternoon.

(Already making sacrifices to the Gods of Technology for this part to go smoothly.)

If you prefer to not attend in person, we fully support your decision! We'd still love to have you as a virtual guest for our livestream ceremony (the alternative wedding-attending option for our friends and loved ones who are unable to be there with us that day), and check out the details below on the Farewell Parade, too.

We are still working on the specifics of the livestream so make sure to include your email address and phone number on the RSVP form. The livestream link and instructions will be sent as soon as they are finalized. 

Since we don't want to leave without seeing the faces of the folks who didn't make the guest list like you VIP's did, we're having a Farewell Drive-By Parade after lunch. For parade members, this is strictly a stay-in-your-car event, but the two of us will be out there to greet everyone (luckily already wearing our best attire) and fanciest masks. Please don't judge the amount of emotional support donuts we may need to get through this part.

During that time, you're welcome to stick around at the lunch, or come hang out with us for the parade, or head home if you prefer. More details about the Farewell Parade will be emailed once they are finalized.

If you'll be attending in person feel free to tag wedding day pics with #SLBnMCH2020! 

If you are joining us from home, we fully expect you to take photos of yourselves celebrating with us remotely! We might just award the best dressed virtual attendees for excelling in categories such as: 

• Most style
• Best dressed couple or family--and yes, your pets/kids count as +1's
• Best 2020 themed attire
• Casualwear
• Freestyle

Also, since we're not having a "normal" pre-pandemic type wedding, you won't be able to come interrupt us while we're trying to eat our dinners for hugs and congrats. Our sympathies for that loss. As an alternative, we're requesting that you record a video message for us and send it to our "Card Box" at SLB.MCH@gmail.com. (Large files can be sent via Dropbox or Google Drive to the same address.) We won't open this mailbox until after the wedding, so you can send them at any time. 

***Just in case you were thinking you could get away with skipping this part, here's your guilt trip. We have had a good amount of time to process our big move but it's still  ridiculously emotional to be leaving San Diego and the hardest part--actually driving away-- is yet to come. The video messages you send us will help ease that transition and be tremendously meaningful for us to take with us to Alabama. We love you dearly and being able to bring you 2,000 miles away with us would mean the world! ***