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When we first decided to have a wedding our first decision was that we wanted it to be in alignment with our values. We met in a graduate program where we both received Green MBA degrees then started a New Media Agency for Sustainable Brands, Earthsite.net. Our clients include Real Goods Solar, San Francisco Dept of the Environment, and the Green Festival. In addion to this site, we also founded GreenMaven.com , the Green Search Engine.
In our daily lives we do the best we can to conserve energy, reduce waste, and save water. We drive a Prius and walk locally as much as we can. We shop locally and buy organic food and support social justice causes. When we travel we pack lightly and really learn from the culture we are visiting and avoid being just another ‘tourist’. It seemed only natural that we would also have an "Eco" wedding :)
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 We met a few years ago in our first semester of graduate school in a program called the Green MBA. It was a very joyous time as we were both in a transition in our lives. Being students together was a fun and memorable time. We thank our teachers and fellow classmates for honoring us as we came closer together during this time.
For those of you who may be wondering.......it all began in a rather innocent way (as all relationships do right?). We had arranged a carpool to school and we started getting to know each other in the long drives to and from school. Then one night early in the first semester while we were at Golden Nectar Farm a bunch of us decided to go for a late night stroll in the orchard together......
It was a beautiful night and we found ourselves dancing under the moonlight. We were a happy bunch and so excited to be in this innovative program together. We danced and the rest is history!
"Joey has a black belt in aikido and his dancing style reflects this. When we placed our hands together I felt an energy I had never felt before. I was instantly drawn to Joey and felt that he had a spirit that reflected my own. One that is joyous, bright and full of hope. We found ourselves dancing under the grapevines and feeding each other grapes. How romantic! When I look back at that night I feel so excited that we are now married. Funny thing is when I first started the Green MBA my intuition told me that I would meet my husband there.....and I did" --Stacie
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 When we first started planning our wedding, we talked about where and when it would be. Even though Stacie is from the East Coast (New York state) originally, she has lived in California for almost half my life. It just seemed natural that since we both live here that we would have the wedding in California. This made Stacie a little sad because she knew that meant that many people from her family, most especially her grandparents, would probably not make it. Being the brilliant person that he is, Joey said "Let's have an engagement party!"......
We were already planning a trip to visit family in October so why not? Stacie's parents did a great job of helping prepare for it. We rented a banquet room at a local restaurant and gathered 35 of Stacie's family friends for an evening of fun and shared a big meal together. The great thing was that all of Stacie's grandparents were there.
Stacie's dad gave us a treat of telling the story of the day we got engaged. Wecalled him using Skype video. The biggest surprise was when Stacie's older brother Steve played the Kermit the Frog song "It's not Easy Being Green" and had us dance to it. Everyone laughed and had a great time!
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 We had the pleasure of attending our dear friend's Jesse and Jory's wedding in October of 2006 at a magical place called "Shambhala Ranch " in Ukiah, CA. It was a beautiful and inspiring wedding. For a couple of months after, as we began to search for wedding locations, we kept thinking back to our time at Shambhala. One day Joey went for a hike with Jesse and came back very excited about the possibilty of having our wedding at Shambhala. Stacie asked Joey, "Do you want to get married at Shambhala?" and his eyes lit up with great excitement....
We decided Shambhala was the place and that night we were like kids giddy with excitement that we had known all along that Shambhala was where we would wed. Thanks Jesse and Jory for finding such a wonderful place!
Shambhala Ranch is a very special place in Mendicino County about 3 hours north of San Francisco. The name “Shambhala,” comes from a legendary Himalayan kingdom in Tibet where there was a harmonious society. Shambhala is a Sanskrit term meaning "place of peace/tranquility/happiness".
Shambhala Ranch and the surrounding Comptche countryside it is located upon have been considered spiritual not just since the Ranch's beginning, but from long, long before. During the Stone Age, migratory Pomo Indians travelled especially through this area for its sacred aspects -- such as the abundant natural hot springs -- on their way to the nearby Mendocino coast, where they would harvest fish, seaweed, and acorns. Along the way, they stopped for the various marvels provided by Coyote (their creator). One such stop was the "Living Waters," a stream near Shambhala they believed had curative powers.
We feel blessed to have found such a sacred and honorable place to have our wedding ceremony.
For more information visit Shambhala Ranch's website .
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We chose this date as it represents a time in history that will only happen once. And our 70th wedding Anniversary will be on 07/07/77!!
From a spiritual perspective, here are some of the reasons the number 7 is considered sacred. Given that neither of us subscibe to a particular religion but consider ourselves holistic and spiritual people we would like to honor all beliefs of the world....
* In the Bible. The number 7 is a perfect and important number.
* From the Jewish perspective: The number 7 is prominent in the Torah and the Zohar. God rested on the seventh day of creating earth, and hence, sanctified and deemed Sabbath on day seven. There are seven blessings over the wine are recited under the huppa during the marriage ceremony.
* From the Catholic perspective: There are Seven sacraments, we have Seven Deadly Sins (Lust, Gluttony, Avarice, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, and Pride) and Seven Virtues (Chastity, Moderation, Liberality, Charity, Meekness, Zeal, and Humility).
* From the Christian perspective: In the New Testament, Jesus tells Peter he must forgive "seventy times seven."
* From the Native American and Wiccan traditions: Their are 7 directions: east, west, north, south, Above, Below and Within. There are 7 sacred ceremonies.
* From the Hindu tradition. There are 7 energy centers in the body called chakras. They represent both physical and energetic centers and they are: root, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, crown. In the Hindu wedding ceremony, the most important part is Saptapadi, the 7 steps around the sacred flame as 7 blessings are chanted.
* From the Japanese Shinto religion: There are "Seven Lucky Gods" who preside over fortune.
* In mythology: Innana, the Babylonian Goddess Queen of Heaven, had to descend 7 levels to the underworld stripping her jewels, clothes, crown, and ego (7 items in all) along the way in order to rescue her beloved Tamuz from the depths of hell.
We thought this would be a unique date. After we set the date we found out that this was the most popular date probably in our most recent history for weddings.
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Our Story 
