New York City!

We're married!  As mentioned previously, Jenna and I spent a week in New York. It was absolutely amazing. We got off to a rough start, which has now turned into something we can laugh about: we got in late on a Sunday night and our hotel was not what either of us had imagined it being. We were located where Harlem and Manhattan had a love child, and at first glance, it did not appear to a very safe, nor fun neighborhood! Our room was the size of a closet, not to mention our closet was made, literally, or scaffolding! The toilet was so close to the bed that one could person could be on the rock slab we called a bed, and hold the hand of the person in the bathroom. Needless to say, that first night, we were not impressed! After getting a good night's sleep, we embraced our surroundings and realized it wasn't that bad! I mean there was a Starbucks right outside our building along with amazing pizza and the best Thai food we've ever had! 

In New York, you have to file for a marriage license and then wait 24 hours before you can actually get married, so first thing Monday morning we went down to Manhattan City Hall! What an experience that was! Manhattan City Hall is set up like a classy DMV: you go in and get your ticket and wait for your number to be called to direct you to a window. Literally. "Now serving number B-233 at window number 8". So we got our license filed quicker than we had imagined and set off to see the city to pass the next 24 hours! 

New York City is beautiful! I highly recommend visiting if you haven't already. The tourist areas suck (too busy) and the fuzzy foreigners have no regard for personal space, but the city itself is absolutely gorgeous with all of its architecture! We saw a little of everything and more importantly ate a little of everything!

Now for Tuesday morning! Our wedding day! Naturally by the time I'd woken up, Jenna had already gone to Starbucks and was well on her way to getting ready! We went back to City Hall and waited for our photographer. She finally arrived and I just have to say, that this women is phenomenal! If you are ever in the New York area and need a photographer, I urge you to hire Amber Marlow http://ambermarlow.com. She helped make our day amazing! She is so passionate about her work and it shows! We took photos while we waited for our number to be called and then we were led into a "chapel". It was a quaint little room with a purple couch, a podium, and a piece of art on the wall. It was really neat because the far wall was lined with all of the old marriage books that used to be kept. The man who married us was a little man with a boisterous New York accent! We did the traditional vows, which Jenna said 'I do' at every long dramatic pause, where I waited until the end to say my solo 'I do'! Our photographer cried, we kissed and with that the deal was sealed: Jenna is stuck with me FOREVER!  

And with that it was time to celebrate! And celebrate we did! We had amazing beer at a local brewery, had mind blowing chocolate fondue (paired with delicious red wine) at a chocolate bar, and then off to Broadway! The day was everything would could have asked for and more! It was such an amazing experience to have for ourselves and be able to do! So thank you New York, for be so much more progressive than the west coast and allowing people to marry because they love each other, regardless of gender. 

We spend the rest of our week seeing everything imaginable. We were on Good Morning America (Robin Roberts and Sam Champion think I have amazing hair, therefore making me a celebrity!), we got lost and ended up at an amazing Italian bistro, saw Macys, had our picture taken in Santa Land, took a carriage ride through Central Park, and so much more! It was an unbelievable week! 

We returned home to phenomenal love and support from both families, amazing congratulations and hugs from friends and coworkers and a bottle of champagne! Once again, we would like to thank everyone who has supported us! We are so blessed and thankful for everyone in our lives! 

Now its back to planning our ceremony here! And on a high note, our engagement pictures came in today!!!! Can't wait to share those with everyone! 

We're Going to the Chapel!

First off, I should start this by saying that engagement photos were a blast to do! We both had way more fun than we thought we would. I was cold, don’t get me wrong, but it was beautiful day otherwise and we found some beautiful fall foliage and ended with two of my favorite things: wine and cheese! After 2.5 hours of taking photos, we got the chance to just sit down and enjoy some wine with our photographer and his wife. It was a really neat experience to get to know them and an equally great opportunity for them to get to know more about us, considering they are capturing such a special day of our lives. Now I’m just trying to keep Jenna from pestering them to get our photos back quicker, although I constantly catch her checking the website to see if they have been posted!
 
On to the next adventure! Big news: we are headed to New York this Sunday the 4th! We had talked about traveling to New York to get legally married next spring, but now that a handful of our friends will be popping out newborns at that time, we were a bit stressed about how we were going to fit New York in around a plethora of baby showers! Well problem solved! A good friend of mine and coworker got injured at work and due to that her and her boyfriend had to cancel their December vacation. After some deliberation, they decided to give us their airline tickets; the catch was that they had to be used by December 18th. We couldn’t turn down such an amazing opportunity! No amounts of “thank yous” and/or gift baskets can express our gratitude towards are friends who are flying us out there! They are truly an amazing couple and we might now have to name our first child after them something to repay them! J
 
Here’s the plan: we arrive in New York City Sunday night, first thing Monday morning we will jaunt to city hall to get our marriage license and then 24 hours later on December 6th we will head back to the adorable little chapel inside Manhattan City Hall to get ourselves legally wed! I have arranged for a lovely photographer to help us capture our day and more importantly act as our witness (so I don’t have to pay a bum)!  We are super excited for our trip, as neither one of us has ever been there: needless to say, I have been planning out week around the Broadway shows that I just HAVE to see and Jenna is graciously just going with the flow and letting me plan as long as I let her shop at Macys and pretend to shop at Tiffanys.
 
So that’s it for now folks! Next time you hear from us we will officially be Mrs. and Mrs. Brown, well at least in New York, Washington DC, Massachusetts Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iowa, and most importantly in our hearts! That was one my one sappy moment, sorry guys its 6am and I haven’t slept yet!  Have a great day and we can’t wait to share all our New York experiences with you when we return!

The Turmoil of Engagement Photos

Well, folks, there is a lot to catch you all up on, but tonight I’m only focusing on one thing: engagement photos. So we have now been engaged for going on six months, and have yet to do our engagement photos. As much as we are procrastinators, this is not our fault!
 
Let’s rewind to late July. In July, we were given the name of a photographer. We did our research and we LOVED everything he did. Come August, Jenna started conversing with him via email. It was at this time he said that he was super busy and headed to Burning Man, but he would contact us after that to make arrangements. I’d like to take a brief moment to now tell you that I think Burning Man ruins my life. I know a lot of people think it’s the greatest thing on earth, but I just don’t get it! Not only does it make grocery shopping next to impossible all through the end of August and into the first of September, but I’m certain it is due to “The Man” that our photographer never got back to us due to all the “fun” he had. (Thank you for allowing me to rant). Moving on. I’m sure all of you out there are wondering why we didn’t just find someone else, well neither one of us handle change well and when we get something stuck in our heads, that’s the way it has to be, do damnit this was going to be our photographer! Come mid October, I took matters into my own hands and called the photographer, and he answered! I set up a meeting for the following evening and excitedly called Jenna to brag of my success. The next evening, Jenna had a work emergency, so that left me to meet with the photographer alone. So there I sat in the Starbucks inside Barnes & Noble by myself, waiting for a guy, whom I have no clue what he looks like, to show up. Next to me was sitting a man, who I swear, must have had schizophrenia, looking intensely through a book of serial killers while making vomiting noises. Needless to say, I was nervously sweating and cradling my murse like it could protect me from all evil. He showed up finally, and I instantly knew, he would be our photographer, hands down. His work was amazing! I went home, told Jenna all about it and we sent the check and the contract the next day… and then couldn’t get a hold of him again to set up a time to do engagement photos. Remember when I said that Jenna and I get an idea in our heads and can’t stray from it? Well we had our hearts said on pretty fall engagement photos: you know, with the leaves all golden, the grass with still a hint of green, and temperature still pleasant. I’m talking about the week where the leaves are still attached to the trees rather than plastered to wet asphalt, clogging gutters and just plain making a mess of the yard. Well living in Reno, that leaves us a week of opportunity for these perfect pictures to happen and the clock was counting down. After much pestering, we finally set the date for Sunday November 9th. We were elated to say the least; we started planning outfits – arguing over who got to wear obnoxious patterns in which shot- and I had an emergency hair appointment so I didn’t look a like the love child of a badger mating with a q-tip. And then it happened: the weekly weather forecast. Mother Nature is planning to take a dump on our day… literally… it’s suppose to snow. As I sat on the couch watching the howling wind rip the majority of golden leaves off the trees, I became incredibly angry. And by the time I walked out the door to go to work at 9:30pm and there were snow flurries hindering my ability to see due to the water stains on my glasses, I was absolutely livid! I know Jenna was equally depressed over the situation as she had made countless comments regarding our perfect day of photos being ruined by the impending weather. But then as I was walking at work, with no other company besides my thoughts, I came to a realization: it didn’t matter. These pictures aren’t about the fall leaves or how cute we both look in our glasses, these pictures are being taken to depict our love for one another. These pictures are suppose to be proof of everything we have/will overcome, that we can find love and make it last regardless of being gay, that we are breaking the ugly stereotypes.  And that most importantly we have found each other our planning to spend our lives together, regardless of society’s views. Whether it’s snowing, pelting us with ice, or us playing Frisbee with frozen leaves, we love each other, and that’s what will be apparent in our engagement photos. So for those of you who read this and those of you who support us, thank you. We are incredibly grateful. And bring it on Mother Nature because I have a peacoat and Ugg boots that I’m not afraid to rock!

It was not a dressaster!

After putting the deposit down on the venue I thought what better time then to go wedding dress shopping! At first I wanted Cierra to help me pick something out but after she was called into work I took it as a sign and I am very please that she has not yet seen me in my dress- yes I bought a dress!
Today my mom, grandma, older sister and best friend went to Blue Garter Bridal Shop. They were incredible. My little sister was greatly missed but the shop owner let us take photos so she can see what I chose. Of course my mom and I went through picking out dresses that were completely opposite but I wanted to be open to all styles. I went to try on a mermaid style dress with lace detailing and it would not fit past my hips. I was sad thinking this style just wasn't for me. Heidi the shop owner said she had another dress in that style and went to pull the gown. I knew the moment I put it on that would be the dress I would walk down the aisle in. It is WAY more traditional and simple than I planned on going. No lace, no bling, no large train but it fit like a glove. I didn't want to take it off!! My mom cried, D got goosebumps and I felt for the first time truly beautiful. All I could think about was a year from now walking down the aisle to the love of my life- who no doubt will be crying... I added a colored sash and a veil (another surprise because I never thought I would wear a traditional veil). It will be here in five to six months. It was the third dress I tried on and all the other dresses after this one just felt wrong. I put my dress back on and did a little dance, similar to my engagement dance minus the screaming.
SO estactic about finally picking a dress I found a peacock feather headpiece and handmade ribbon and peacock feather flip flops for the big day! I can't wait till my purchases arrive!!
Soon C and I will begin to meet with vendors and get her fitted for her suit.
Thank you to those who joined me today. AND to Stacey who was the first person I called to share the great news.
Here are some pictures of the accessories for the dress (sorry no pictures of the dress that would be no fun!)

My shoes will have different colored ribbon but I can't share all the surprises with you guys...
Love Jen

Here come the brides!

Today is a wonderful day!! Cierra put the deposit down securing our date and venue! We are overcome with joy to announce that we will be getting married at the Nevada Museum of Art on August 5, 2012. We are so excited to finally get the ball rolling. I have already emailed vendors for the photos, cake, and dj companies. If you know of anyone for these services please email us. Once again we want to thank all of our supporters out there. It was a bit dark and gloomy for a bit but Cierra and I are moving past the negativity and planning this day for us. We have also decided that in the spring we are headed to New York to officially get married. Then we will file for domestic partnership here and change my last name. Woohoo!
I guess I should start looking for a dress. If you could only see the look of panic on my face right now. Im sure I will back to keep you all posted on more nuptial details.
With lots of love!
Jenna and Cierra

Here we go!

We know it's been awhile since out last update but Cierra and I wanted to keep all our friends and family in the loop about our upcoming nuptials. We met with the events director at the museum last week and we fell even more in love with the venue! It is absolutely breathtaking. As soon as we put our deposit down we officially have a date (August 5, 2012) and a venue (Nevada Museum of Art). We also found a wedding planner we will be contacting very soon. Karri the wonderful director of events set us up with a photographer and florist. We finally feel like we are starting to put our wildest dreams for this day into reality. We even picked out linens for the reception!
We also wanted to send thanks and warm regards to those who have been supportive through this journey. Being engaged has certainly come with it's up and downs. But we wouldn't be here without your love and support. Thank you for taking part in us starting our lives together. We love you! Stay tuned for more information as we take engagement photos and hopefully plan a little engagement party to celebrate.

When you wish upon a star...

Okay I will stop singing Disney princess lyrics I promise. I can't help but share our GREAT news (yes more good news). Cierra and I have debated and debated about having an outdoor wedding versus indoor wedding. We decided that due to this being Reno, Nevada and the unpredictable weather we always have that we should go indoors. But where?! Clearly going to the local church is not an option for us and neither of us long to be married in a casino with tourists cashing in their nickles. When we remembered the Nevada Museum of Art. It is downtown, beautiful, and completely unique just like us! Then we came back to reality realizing that the venue is probably WAY out of our price range considering we are on our own for wedding costs thus far. But today I emailed the director and it is very reasonably priced. Not only is it reasonably priced but it is inclusive with food and drinks and all the set up (things I will want no part of on the day of wedding bliss). Even better the date we are thinking August 5th- don't mark your calendars yet- is available. We were so excited. I don't think we could envision this actually happening until we decided on a place. We will be taking a tour in the near future to talk shop with the director and hopefully putting down a deposit. YAY!
To show you this beautiful place if you have never been or it's been awhile here are some pictures of the architecture. Let the wedding planning commence!

A Bright Future

Hello Family and Friends!
Cierra and I wanted to create a place to share our thoughts in our new journey. As many of you know we recently got engaged on May 24. We are so excited (a little overwhelmed) about planning our wedding and the future together. Please feel free to leave comments, advice, and check in regularly to see updates on the wedding process. We wanted to thank everyone for the warm wishes and heartfelt congratulations. It means so much to us to have the love and support of our family and friends. May 24 was the happiest day of our lives thus far. Cierra could not have planned more exciting and surprising proposal! I wanted to post the details in case any of you had not yet heard the story.
Tuesday is our usual date night to get out of the house. We went to Zozo's to enjoy some wine and Italian food. After dinner we came home to sit on the back porch and relax. After going inside to change my clothes, Cierra asked me to go out back and turn off the lights. Being the good house wife I am I went out and turned off the lights. Cierra just stood there. Dumbfounded and told me to go  back outside. I said, "Why I turned out the lights?" She said, "Jenna just go back outside!" After returning to patio I discovered a beautiful bouquet of long stem red roses and a scrap book Cierra made for me. As I looked through the book I just assumed this was one of the many sweet things Cierra has done to surprise me. At the end there was a letter from our favorite couple: Stacey and Andy, congratulating us and discussing how difficult the shipping was. A little confused I looked at  Cierra nervously sitting in the chair next to me. She then got down on one knee and said, "You are amazing, I love you. Will you marry me?" She pulled out the dream ring we had picked out in Portland back in March. After saying yes and slipping on the ring I did my jumping up and down dance and screamed (luckily Cierra had warned the neighbors).  We spent the rest of the evening celebrating with friends and family. I felt truly blessed about the positive and warm congratulations we received. Being a same sex couple is not always easy; especially in the conversation of marriage. However the support we have received this week has renewed my faith in love. Thank you all for your warm wishes. Please check back in as I begin to drive Cierra crazy with wedding planning!