A little background about our rings...

The fantastic artist who designed our rings, April Higashi at the Shibumi Gallery, was recommended to us by a jeweler friend of Diana Crain, the ceramic artist who runs the pottery studio at which Adam is a member. We were looking to find a custom-designed engagement ring and we are so happy to have gotten that recommendation!

April listened to my seemingly conflicting priorities about what I wanted in a ring ("Non-traditional, but still clearly an engagement ring; dimension, but no edges; sturdy, but delicate-looking," et cetera). She took into account our concern that the ring materials be ethically obtained, and wrote us a long, thoughtful email about her own concerns on the complex issues of mining and ecological sustainability versus economic sustenance for communities in developing countries. She met with us several times, always making us feel like any of our ideas about the ring were perfectly realizable.

When Adam gave me the ring (after a beautiful proposal at our friends Barbara and Ray's orchard) I was positive right away that it was exactly the ring I wanted. April had managed to create a ring that I hadn't yet been able to quite visualize from all of my contradictory desires.

Of course, she is also creating our wedding bands, which we can't wait to show off to all of you right after the ceremony!

This is the engagement ring, which a year after receiving I still am totally smitten with and can't stop looking at:

Wedding-gifting and registry info

So we've been fielding a bunch of questions about where we're registered from many of you lovely, generous people. We have probably been weirdly evasive about those questions, but that's just because we hadn't really figured out how to approach the whole registry thing.

The thing is: we are blessed with all the household items our cozy little home (with limited storage space) could need. Because we're both pretty adventurous cooks who had lived independently for years before moving in together, we moved two full households into one and feel overwhelmed with gratitude in saying that we can't think of a single household item we need. Many of the items that we treasure have been gifts from one or another of you over the years, and we already enjoy using these so much.

That being said, we request that our guests simply honor us with their presence. We know that many of you are traveling and/or taking time away from busy lives to share that last Saturday in May with us—and for that we are deeply grateful.

We will also set out a little wishing-well bowl for those who would like to drop in any best wishes and contributions towards the Adam and Lorelle Home Improvement Fund (to keep our 1905 cottage together; specifically to help us eventually replace our roof and our flooring). And of course, if there is something you feel particularly moved to gift us, we'd be thrilled to have you surprise us in your own way.

Travel

Airport Information:

Both the Oakland Airport (OAK) and the San Francisco Airport (SFO) are approximately one hour away. The Oakland Airport is slightly closer, smaller, and can have less traffic, so it may be preferable.

There is a shuttle (bus) that runs between Santa Rosa and both the Oakland and San Francisco Airports. If you are staying at the Marriott where we have group rates, it is walking distance to our house, so if you used the shuttle, you could avoid renting a car.

The shuttle costs $32 one-way, and can drop you off at the Days Inn Santa Rosa (about 10 minutes south of us; by the way, I don't recommend staying in this part of town). Information on the shuttle can be found here:

http://www.airportexpressinc.com/home.html

Once at the Days Inn shuttle stop, you can call George's Yellow Cab Company, at (707) 544-4444, to bring you to the Marriott. From the Days Inn to the Marriott, the fare is about $15. Another taxi company, A-C Taxi, can be reached at (707) 526-4888.

The Sacramento Airport (SAC) can be a viable option. It is about one hour and forty-five minutes away, but rarely has any traffic issues and sometimes has the cheapest flights. There is no shuttle from the Sacramento Airport.

Another option is to fly Alaska/Horizon Air for the last leg of your trip. They fly directly into Santa Rosa Airport (STS) (about 15 minutes from our house/downtown) from Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. The Santa Rosa Airport is tiny and makes travel much less time consuming and hectic. Information on Alaska/Horizon Airlines can be found here:

http://www.alaskaair.com/

If you call a taxi to bring you from the airport to the Marriott, the fare will be about $30. Again, those taxi company numbers are (707) 544-4444 and (707) 526-4888.

Rental cars are available at the Santa Rosa Airport, as well as, of course, at Oakland and San Francisco airports.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment here as others may have the same questions, or just contact us.

We are so looking forward to seeing all of you!

Happy travels!