July 30, 2016
Saratoga, CA
If it wasn't for the tenacity of one of Natalie's former roommates, this wedding would have likely never happened.
Natalie and Andy were initially scheduled to meet at a joint birthday party at Stock in Trade on July 13, 2013, until "The Freak" Tim Lincecum decided to reappear for the Giants and throw a no-hitter, which delayed Andy's arrival. Natalie, unimpressed by Andy's lateness, decided to move her party to another bar.
Luckily for Andy, he got another chance two days later, when Natalie's roommate invited her to a happy hour at The Comstock Saloon. With Natalie's 29th birthday only a couple hours away, they enjoyed each others' company (and a few Lady Drinks) until they could officially celebrate! It was during this time Andy was able to get Natalie's number and ask her out on an official date.
Natalie wasn't sure about the first date (probably rightfully so), but after dinner at A16 and drinks at Ristobar in the Marina, Andy's charm and stories of "growing up in the forest" began to win her over. It was at this point that they started to see A LOT more of each other!
The beginning of August brought the Outside Lands music festival to San Francisco. Natalie had never attended before and decided to tag along with Andy and his "colorful" group of friends. During the festival, Andy started referring to Natalie as his girlfriend, which she was happy to hear.
After a long vacation in Australia and Fiji with her roommate, Natalie arrived back in the US ecstatic to see Andy. Absence made the heart grow fonder, and it was at this point that the feelings they had for one another were amplified. After just three months of dating, they couldn't hold those 3 words in any longer.
This story is still in dispute between the two, and an agreement hasn't yet been reached!
Andy's side: Clearly Natalie was starting to play a significant role in Andy's life, because after just 1.5 years of dating, she convinced him to move from San Francisco (his home for nearly 10 years) to Menlo Park and back into suburbia.
Natalie's side: Andy got a new job in Palo Alto and was commuting via bike and Caltrain every day. Seeing how miserable his commute was, Natalie (reluctantly) proposed that it was time to move south, where they would both be closer to work.
For those that know Natalie well, it was no surprise that just 17 days after moving to Menlo Park, they adopted a sweet, but utterly crazy, cat named Neko (a name chosen over her shelter name, Tenaya). Throughout most of the time this website was built, Neko made sure to add several of her own edits in the form of free flowing keyboard walks.
Far before this day, it became very clear that Andy was completely infatuated with Natalie, and it wasn't hard for him to envision spending the rest of his life with her.
Before hearing about the proposal, it helps to know about Natalie's 30th surprise birthday party. While Natalie appreciated the gesture, and had an amazing time at the party despite the initial shock, from that point forward the rule was no more surprises. So for the proposal Andy had to stay true to this rule and dropped plenty of hints about what was about to happen.
When Natalie woke up on Friday, June 12th, she was presented with an agenda of the things that were going to take place throughout the day (mani/pedi, blowout, makeover, etc.) that ended with an adventure away from home for the weekend.
While Natalie was getting pampered for the day, Andy was closely watching Karl the Fog, who is infamous for blanketing San Francisco in June and ruining schedules for all San Franciscans. Originally, Andy planned to propose at the Marin Headlands, overlooking the city where they fell in love. However, it became abundantly clear that Karl had other plans, and a last minute change of location had to be made. The Palace of Fine Arts has always been near and dear to Andy & Natalie's hearts as it was the view from the apartment where they first lived together in San Francisco, and was fittingly the place where Andy asked Natalie to spend her life with him. By now, we all know what her response was.
We can't wait to have all of you celebrate our wedding with us. Get ready to party and enjoy the great outdoors in lovely Saratoga, CA!
San Francisco was an amazing place for us to grow close. Check out these photos!
She said yes at the Palace of Fine Arts. Our first official "home" together!
