I love my husband

It's been so busy, that I forgot to tell you that Russell and I got married on September 13, 2013 in Pioneertown, California. It was the best day of my life, and I'm pretty sure Russell had a lot of fun, too! It was a secret wedding--we only told a few family members and a couple of friends about our plans. Our friend Arie Haze of L.A. Wedding Woman devised the plan. 


We got married on the second day of the annual Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven Campout concert event. The only other Crumbs (Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven fans) who knew about the wedding were my bridesmaids Miss Trixie, Julie, and Judy. The band members were in on the secret, and we wouldn't have done it without the blessings of their manager Velena "Boss Lady" Vego.

If you look closely in the above photo, you can see that the wedding officiant (Arie Haze) is dressed as a Day of the Dead bride, one of the bridesmaid's (Julie) is dressed as a Canadian hockey player, and the best man is holding a Mexican puppet. This is because the wedding took place during our annual costume group photo event. Every year bandleader David Lowery and album cover artist Michael Wertz announce the costume themes. This year the themes were Canada vs. Mexico on Friday night, and Hawaii on Saturday. Arie tricked everyone into attending the wedding by saying she wanted to get one last shot in front of the guest house on Mane Street. (Yes, it's spelled "Mane" Street.) I had been wearing a hand painted Virgin of Guadalupe jean jacket and a Frida Kahlo flowered headband during the earlier photos, and Russell changed out of his Mexican Hockey League shirt right before the ceremony.

 

Here's a picture of author Cynthia Linville and me posing in our Mexican outfits.

Photographer Bradford Jones had the band members sign our wedding vows as a souvenir. (I get giddy when I think about how cool it is that the members of my favorite bands know our names!) Frank Funero the drummer said he wants someone to deliver a baby at next year's event.

Here is the thank you note I wrote to my Crumb (Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven) family:

Thank you to my Crumb Family (and my husband!) for your love and support. You have been my lifeline for years. You carried me through so many hard times that it made sense to share the happiest day of my life with you. Thank you to Velena Vego, David Lowery, and Johnny Hickman for letting us hold the wedding during Campout. We owe you about $20,000. There are so many people to thank that I don't know where to start and I hope I don't forget to mention anyone. Thank you to Arie Haze for the wonderful idea. Thanks to her team at LA Wedding Woman for giving us the world's most stress-free, yet meaningful, wedding. Thank you to my maid of honor and dear friend, the beautiful Miss Trixie Martha for selflessly working her tail off to make sure everything ran smoothly. In addition to giving me an amazing makeover and talking me out of wearing Spanx, Miss Trixie herded my family and made sure everyone was in the right place at the right time. Even though she wasn't feeling well herself, she made me go to the doctor on the first day of Campout to have my bronchitis treated. Thank you to my bridesmaids Julie and Judy for being such amazing friends and for helping Miss Trixie and Arie with all the behind the scenes work. Thank you to Jeff and Jason for the beautiful music at the ceremony. Thank you to Camper Van Beethoven for playing our favorite song New Roman Times during sound check and providing us with the most amazing first dance experience. I was so happy I cried. Thank you to Bradford Jones for being such a thoughtful photographer and friend. Thank you to Kevin Olson for catching our first dance on video and for the superb hospitality. Thank you to Chris LeRoy for inviting me into the family and giving me the best friends on earth. I love you all.

I am the luckiest woman in the world. Thank you, Russell!

ps. And thank you to my mom and grandma for sharing the special event with us--and for keeping it a secret.