Where do I start..? I first caught sight of Tenaya in 8th grade; and being as shy as I was, that’s all I did do that year was see her around. I had friends who liked her and who knew her so I was able to be around her that way. So, high school rolls around, still my eye was set on Tenaya. I didn’t get up the nerve to talk to her finally until a couple weeks before freshmen yr. ended. I remember it so vividly.. after much hesitation and having anxiety attacks I walked over to where she got out of Spanish class went up to her and smoothly said, “ hhhhhhhiiiiiiiii” then walked away. Smooth move huh? No way! I thought it was over after that. Turns out, we started dating through hook-ups of good friends like my best buddy Chris and Sara. So to wrap this up, we dated twice from freshmen yr. to junior year. Throughout high school Tenaya just kept getting prettier, hotter, and more attractive. So since it was our senior year and I was a stud on the basketball court, it just makes sense that I date the hottest girl at Windsor High; and that is just what I did, again. The only difference is that we haven’t broken up and instead we are getting married. Our story is a funny one to tell and I am still amazed that I was able to reel in such a prefect girl as Tenaya. I love her so much and appreciate all that she’s done for me; being a wonderful friend, girlfriend, fiancé, and then finally Wife. She has filled my life with so much happiness. Her family is amazing! They actually like to sit around and talk. I love them just as much as my family; they give me comfort, another family, and the food in the fridge. Years ago, our story wasn’t so clear, but now our eye’s are set on June 28th, a day where we end one story as individuals and begin another as The La Dows.
Our wedding will be held at the Villa Chanticleer in Healdsburg. We will have a ceremony where because of size limits and because we both have big families will be a family only ceremony. We wish we could include those close to us as well but can't. The ceremony will take place in the garden area of the Villa. It will be warm, with beautiful music, beautiful people, and probably a couple of “happy” tears shed (so bring your own tissues please). After Tenaya Penney becomes Tenaya La Dow, those invited to the ceremony will be joining us in a dinner. So we will not only have full hearts, but full bellies as well. After the dinner, we will meet with everyone during the reception where we will have great music to dance to (provided by DJ’s Ben & Amy Smith) old school and new, we will enjoy the chocolate fountains with sweets to dip into, and taste our wonderfully decorated cakes. That’s right, plural; 12 cakes all individually decorated to the nines! These cakes will taste great, I guarantee it! Oh, back to the dancing part of the night, we really do encourage all those who are in attendance at the wedding to feel the rhythm of the music in your body and let it out on the floor. When lots of people are dancing it makes the whole night so much more enjoyable. Tenaya and I along with our families have put much time and effort into this wedding and we are sure it will be a day all of us will remember the rest of our lives. Don’t miss out, this is going to be awesome!
Our reception will take place inside the Villa Chanticleer of Healdsburg around 7pm. There we will do the tradional reception of delicious and neatly decorated cake cutting, loads of dancing (and yes we do want to see you shake your groove thang), and meeting all those who came (hopefully). We will have a couple chocolate fountains with sweets to dip in, and a few desserts to enjoy (not scarf down).
The day after the wedding the newly Mr. and Mrs. La Dow will fly to New York and explore the Big Apple for a day especially Madison Square Garden which Stephan is very excited about! We will then take the Princess Cruise to Puerto Rico/ Bahamas for a wonderful and adventurous week which does include all the food Stephan dares to eat! We chose this grand excursion because we want to travel to a place where we most likely won't be able to visit again. So please family and friends, visit our travel website where we are registered and help get us on our way to an exciting and loving new marriage!
We are so very grateful for all those who will take the time and energy to be able to make it to our wedding and reception. The relationships we form with friends and family are very special to us, so seeing you at our celebration will be most honored. We are so blessed to be loved by so many. We are very excited and anxious for our honeymoon and have looked forward to it for a long while now. If you would like to make a gift to help us out with our honeymoon please visit our wedding website. Tenaya and I have been looking forward to this day for many years, and finally it has come. Again, thank you for your efforts to join us in our celebration of our new life together and we hope to see you on June 28th!
