CEREMONY & RECEPTION

Ceremony

Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church
8345 Talbert Avenue (between Beach Boulevard and Newland)
Huntington Beach, California 92646

http://www.svdphb.org/svdphb/


Reception

SeaCliff Country Club
6501 Palm Avenue
Huntington Beach, California 92648

http://www.seacliffcc.net/

WEDDING PARTY

Wedding Party

Maid of Honor
Blaire Nakano - sister of the bride

Bridesmaids
Cary Groseclose - friend of the bride
Natasha Mackey - friend of the bride
Nicole De La Torre - friend of the bride
Nicole Peaslee - friend of the bride

Best Men
Charles Daye - father of the groom
Dimitri Ioakim - friend of the groom

Groomsmen
Ben Kou - friend of the groom
Dana Nakano - brother of the bride
Jimeel Hamud - friend of the groom

HOTELS

HUNTINGTON BEACH HOTELS
Huntington Beach is a fun, hip beach community on steroids. This is where the ceremony and reception will be held. The hotels listed below are a 5-minute drive to the reception at SeaCliff Country Club and within walking distance to Main Street Huntington Beach where there are lots of restaurants and surf stores.

Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa
21500 Pacific Coast Highway
Huntington Beach, California, 92648
(714) 698-1234
http://huntingtonbeach.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp
The newest hotel is the Hyatt. This is where we will be staying the weekend of the wedding. It has its own self contained “surf village” that looks like a ski village at the beach. There are several stores, restaurants, and beach rental facilities at this hotel…very convenient with a beautiful ocean view, but pricey.

Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort
21100 Pacific Coast Highway
Huntington Beach, California, 92648(714) 845-8000
http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/HUBWHHF-Hilton-Waterfront-Beach-Resort-California/index.do;jsessionid=1833159956E4A082D1032BA1C4A2B1DB.etc24?ctyhocn=HUBWHHF&brand_id=HI&brand_directory=/en/hi/&xch=5760955,XEMQKW151EPHWCSGBIWM22QKIYFC5UUCWaterfront-Beach-Resort-California/index.do;jsessionid=1833159956E4A082D1032BA1C4A2B1DB.etc24?ctyhocn=HUBWHHF&brand_id=HI&brand_directory=/en/hi/&xch=5760955,XEMQKW151EPHWCSGBIWM22QKIYFC5UUC The Hilton is right next door to the Hyatt on PCH. It is a very classy place, but is older and smaller than the Hyatt. The size might actually be a plus because the Hyatt is almost TOO big. If you can stay here for considerably less than the Hyatt, it would not be a bad way to go, considering they are in the exact same location.

NEWPORT BEACH HOTELS

Newport is one city south of Huntington Beach. It is a pretty posh town and a fun place hang out or go eat. The hotels will be more expensive here, but probably less crowded and provide a more “mature” atmosphere than Huntington.

Marriott Newport Beach Hotel & Spa

900 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, California 92660

(949) 640-4000

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/laxnb-newport-beach-marriott-hotel-and-spa/

This is where Anthony's parents will be staying. It's right across the street from Fashion Island (see our Shopping section) and convenient to the beach AND freeways (because it’s on the border with Irvine.) In addition, it recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation.

IRVINE HOTELS
Even though you will probably fly onto John Wayne airport in “Santa Ana”, you will pretty much be in Irvine. We do not know a lot about these places, but they are all pretty nice because they cater to the “business class” crowd and host numerous conferences and conventions due to their proximity to the airport. Also, these hotels will be closer to the freeways, while the Huntington places will be deep in the city and next to the beach, which makes it hard to get out and explore the rest of the area. Another consideration may be the crowds and room rate premiums attributed to Labor Day weekend. This will be a bigger factor in Huntington and Newport Beach. If you have any questions about Irvine, just ask and we’ll answer them the best we can.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g32530-Irvine_California-Hotels.html

COSTA MESA HOTELS
Costa Mesa is a great option, particularly during the holiday weekend. Costa Mesa has a more “urban” feel to it, which makes it great for access to restaurants, shopping, and the freeways. It is also pretty central in Orange County, close to John Wayne Airport, and has a number of affordable lodging choices. Try to stay near the Newport border or near South Coast Plaza.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g32253-Costa_Mesa_California-Hotels.html

SHOPPING

There is a lot of great shopping in the Orange County area. Here’s a few tips to help plan any shopping safari you may want to embark on! Here’s a link to all of the malls in Orange County: http://www.orangecounty.net/html/shoppingcenters.html

Malls and Entertainment Centers

South Coast Plaza
http://www.south-coast-plaza.com/ is a great mall in Costa Mesa with a good variety of high-end stores as well as more “down to earth” places. The complex is HUGE and requires a lot of walking, but it’s worth it!

Fashion Island
http://www.shopfashionisland.com/ is another high-end oriented shopping center in Newport Beach. This is an outdoor shopping center, which should be a lot of fun in late August. More for walking around and people watching than actual shopping…unless that’s just the way you roll!

The Block in Orange
http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=1236 is an outdoor shopping/entertainment center that is popular with the younger crowd.

The Irvine Spectrum
http://www.shopirvinespectrumcenter.com/ is similar, but is more mature/family oriented. The Spectrum also has a couple of department stores and sit-down, traditional restaurants. However, I think the Block has more stores…

Triangle Square
Yet another option is Triangle square in Costa Mesa. http://www.trianglesquare.com/ It is currently being redesigned, so we will add more information as it becomes available.

Alternative Shopping

Main Street Huntington Beach
Everyone should spend a few hours on Main Street in Huntington Beach! http://www.stockteam.com/HBGuide.pdf
It will likely be packed during the holiday weekend, but there are a ton of great shopping and dining options, plus a real California beach atmosphere which is priceless. http://www.stockteam.com/huntington-beach-film-video.html

Orange County Swap Meet
If any of you have ever spoken to Anthony’s mom for more than ten minutes, then you have heard about the Orange County Swap Meet! http://www.ocmarketplace.com/ It is a HUGE market place that will (probably) be open the day after the wedding. Anything you can think of is for sale there, including cars and houses! Lots of walking and will probably be very warm during mid-day hours…dress accordingly!

The Lab
http://www.thelab.com/ is supposed to be the “Anti-Mall.” We don’t really go there, but who knows…it could be cool!

Melrose Avenue
The world famous Melrose Avenue is in Los Angeles near Hollywood. http://www.seeing-stars.com/Shop/Melrose.shtml It offers some great people watching and some of the coolest and most original collection of stores in Southern California. If you are around for an extended stay or just heading up to L.A. anyways, you should stop by and check it out!

THEME PARKS

Disneyland (Anaheim)
Knott's Berry Farm (Buena Park)

A couple hours drive away...
- Sea World (San Diego)
- San Diego Zoo (San Diego)
- Wild Animal Park (Escondido - San Diego area)
- Legoland (Carlsbad - San Diego area)
- Magic Mountain (Valencia)

OTHER THINGS TO DO

Beaches
Salt Creek State Beach, Dana Point
Doheny State Beach, Dana Point
Huntington Beach City and State Beaches
Balboa - includes Balboa Beach, Balboa Pavilion, and Balboa Island

Movie Theaters
Century 20 Bella Terra Theaters
7777 Edinger Avenue, Huntington Beach

Pierside SurfCity 6 Cinemas
300 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach

Edwards Metro Pointe 12
901 South Coast Drive, Costa Mesa

Our Story

Liane Nakano, my better half, was born and raised in Orange County, California. She has a younger brother, Dana, and a younger sister, Blaire. Her parents, Sheri and Gary, were also born and raised in Southern California.

As for me, I was born in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina and have since lived all over! I’m an only child. My parents, Alice and Charles, and I have lived in Southern California on two separate occasions totalling over twenty years. My parents currently live in a suburb of Sacramento.

In 1998, Liane and I both began our freshman years at the University of Southern California. Liane was playing soccer for the Trojan’s and I played regular football…just kidding, sweetie. During our first semester, Liane and I met during “study hall” in the athletic department. I kid you not, I used the “you look familiar, do I know you from somewhere” line…and it worked! We became instant friends, and began dating in 1999.

In 2002, Liane graduated and took a job with Triage consulting in San Francisco. Because of my red shirt season, I had one more year to go. This marked the beginning of the long distance chapter of our relationship. In 2004, I got into the University Of San Francisco School Of Law and promptly moved up to “The City” as the locals call it. We moved in together for the first time and it actually went really smoothly.

At this point in the story, you may put two and two (and two more) together and realize that Liane and I had been together a very long time, and yet no ring. We are both oddly old fashioned in that I did not want to ask her to marry me until I could completely take care of her. With that being said, in 2007, during my final semester of my third year of law school, I received a job offer. That very same day, I bought Lee a ring.

On Mother’s Day of 2007, we drove down to the Ritz Carlton Laguna Nigel on our way down to San Diego. We used to walk around the Ritz in college because they have beautiful grounds by the beach and they didn’t charge us…we were usually broke, after all. On one of these “dates”, I picked Liane a yellow flower while she wasn’t looking and gave it to her. For some reason, she has kept that single dried up flower after all of these years. During this trip to the Ritz, I told Lee that I was going to pick her a few flowers and that she could pick the best one. I picked two and brought them back to the bench that she was sitting on. (The picture is from date in question) The first one was identical to the one I picked for her several years ago. The second one was not as “cute”, and she said that the first one was still her favourite. I told her to hold on a second, got down on one knee, pulled out the ring I had purchased a month earlier, and asked her “how about this one?” She started crying and the rest is history…