It's not for everyone, but for us, we wouldn't want to live our lives and set our roots anywhere else. So when this girl from San Pedro, CA and guy from Arlington, TX decided to tie the knot, we invited our family and friends to see and experience some of the things we love about Venice. As we celebrate four years today, and now share even more of the things we discover about the neighborhood through our latest adventure (you're reading it!) we decided to flash it back to 2010 and get a little weepy with a bunch of photos and a few special songs from the day.

If anyone out there is exploring options for events in and around Venice, we're happy to share recommendations. Email us! 

The girls all gathered at the Erwin to get ready in the morning. The hotel overlooks the Boardwalk and is just off Windward Ave. so we were able to walk over and take our "Abbey Road" shot under the Venice sign before we left for the Smog Shoppe, where the ceremony and reception were held. With a wedding party as big as ours, a party bus was in order, so we reached out to Alice The Wonder Bus, which is painted in artwork by the local muralist Chase. They were more than happy to give us a lift and even surprised us with a cooler of chilled Champagne.

Finding a venue that was actually in Venice was our biggest challenge. (Four years later, people are still trying to solve this dilemma.) But when we found the Smog Shoppe in Culver City, the story behind it, the eclectic decor, and our family's love for restoring classic cars made it a perfect fit. Later we discovered that longtime local architect David Hertz was also involved in the early planning and designs of the venue. One of our brothers made that Venice sign as a gift using plywood from one of his construction jobs and Christmas lights. It still hangs in our backyard and we light it up at every dinner party.

One of our best friends, Joe Crosby, was kind enough to do the honors of making us a Mr. and Mrs. Another dear friend read Bukowski, and Grandma led a prayer and blessing. That's right –Bukowski and prayers – same ceremony. Another one of our talented bros cleaned up his sweet Cadillac and parked it at the front entrance to greet guests. When we were finally announced "The Reeds" we kicked off the festivities with this song, had our first dance to this one, and ended our perfect day with this one. 

Thanks for taking this little trip down memory lane with us friends. All photos by Drew B Photography.