Long Beach Museum Of Art

Cocktail Hour

Wedding Ceremony

Wedding Reception

Our Wedding

Our Story

Leslie (Les) &amp; Mary's story began in December of 2024 when Leslie's Mom (Mamma B) turned 93. Les gave a birthday party for Mama B at the Long Beach Museum of Art (LBMA). Ron Nelson, the executive director of the museum, friend of both Mary &amp; Les', brought Mary to the party as his plus 1. Also at the birthday celebration were Josephine Molina and Heather Rudy, both of whom wanted to introduce Mary to Leslie. The fun begins! Although Les had tons of family at the party &amp; Mary knew few people, Mary felt very comfortable with all of the family; and both Les &amp; Mary knew that evening they wanted to see each other again.

The First Date

The first date was a cozy night at the Long Beach Yacht Club. The date went on for 4 hours where Les &amp; Mary talked about everything - sharing their pasts, belief in God, their spirituality, and tons of laughter. Mary in one evening brought much needed laughter back to Les' life. Les knew that first night that she had found someone extraordinary &amp; was excited to get to know Mary better. As Les spent the winters in Tucson, she flew back &amp; forth to Long Beach for many months to get to know Mary.

The Proposal

One sunny Saturday afternoon in beautiful Long Beach, Les took Mary to the same spot where they first met, the LBMA. Surrounded by love and acceptance of family &amp; close friends, Les at the age of 70 got down on one knee (barely) &amp; asked Mary to marry her. Tears of joy &amp; cheers from the crowd were their witnesses, &amp; Mary said yes with a little prompting from the crowd - as she was overwhelmed with the surprise! Les &amp; Mary's love for one another has been a special soulful journey of growth, self-discovery, &amp; daily laughter. Together, they are building a life centered on love, acceptance, focusing on family, friends, &amp; their 3 dogs - Kitson, Kenzie, &amp; Elvis.

Our Love Story

Les &amp; Mary are getting married because their love story has been nothing short of magical. They have found in each other a best friend, a confidant, &amp; a partner in all of life's adventures. Les &amp; Mary share the same values, dreams, and a deep love that grows stronger with every passing day.

Les loves Mary's passion for the Long Beach Community, always giving back in any way she can, serving on multiple boards - always thinking of others with less &amp; selflessly doing all she can to help the less fortunate. Mary's commitment to the Long Beach community, coupled with commitment to her family- especially to her daughter Kristen, &amp; friends is inspiring. Mary brings a smile to Les face every day!

Leslie's strength, resilience, &amp; heart are part of what Mary fell in love with- Mary claims Les' beautiful blue eyes did not hurt either! Les &amp; Mary have cherished all the moments they have spent together over the last year. They are both feeling blessed to have come into one another's lives at their ages:).

The Celebration

Our wedding day is not just about celebrating our love; it's about joining our lives in front of our chosen family. We are looking forward to sharing our vows, bringing our two cultures together, dancing and embarking on our beautiful adventure - with tons of laughter!

Photos

Wedding Party

Q + A

Closest Airports

Long Beach Airport (LGB)4100 Donald Douglas Dr, Long Beach, CA 90808<a href="https://www.longbeach.gov/lgb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.longbeach.gov/lgb</a> John Wayne Airport (SNA)18601 Airport Way, Santa Ana, CA 92707<a href="https://www.ocair.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.ocair.com</a> Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)1 World Wy, Los Angeles, CA 90045<a href="https://www.flylax.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.flylax.com</a>

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

The most convenient form of transportation during your stay in Long Beach will be via car. You are more than welcome to rent a car while you are in town. However, we would recommend using rideshare to arrive at the wedding, as parking is very limited at the venue. There will be valet services available for a select number of cars. However, we would strongly encourage you utilize rideshare services the day of the wedding. Should you prefer to travel via public transit, there is a public transit system available in Long Beach.<a href="https://ridelbt.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://ridelbt.com</a> This is generally a good option for daytime travel, though we would absolutely recommend that you use rideshare services at night.

The City of Long Beach also offers a complimentary and sustainable micro-transit service for Long Beach neighborhoods between Downtown Long Beach and Alamitos Bay – the LB Circuit. The LB Circuit operates Thursdays and Fridays from 4pm-10pm, Saturdays from 12pm-10pm, and Sundays from 12pm-8pm. <a href="https://longbeach.gov/goactivelb/programs/micro-transit-program/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://longbeach.gov/goactivelb/programs/micro-transit-program/</a>

ACCOMMODATIONS

We have arranged blocks of rooms at the Marriott and the Fairmont Hotels in the Downtown Long Beach area, conveniently located within easy travel distance to the Wedding Venue, as well as all the wonderful dining, shopping, and experiences that Long Beach has for you to explore.

Reserve your room at the Marriott Long Beach Downtown using the link below.

Marriott Long Beach Downtown

Reserve your room at the Fairmont Breakers Long Beach using the link below.

Fairmont Breakers Long Beach

Travel

GETTING AROUND

The most convenient form of transportation during your stay in Long Beach will be via car. You are more than welcome to rent a car while you are in town.

However, we would recommend using rideshare to arrive at the wedding, as parking is very limited at the venue. There will be valet services available for a select number of cars.

Should you prefer to travel via public transit, there is a public transit system available in Long Beach. <a href="https://ridelbt.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://ridelbt.com</a> This is generally a good option for daytime travel, though we would absolutely recommend that you use rideshare services at night.

The City of Long Beach also offers a complimentary and sustainable micro-transit service for Long Beach neighborhoods between Downtown Long Beach and Alamitos Bay – the LB Circuit. The LB Circuit operates Thursdays and Fridays from 4pm-10pm, Saturdays from 12pm-10pm, and Sundays from 12pm-8pm. <a href="https://longbeach.gov/goactivelb/programs/micro-transit-program/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://longbeach.gov/goactivelb/programs/micro-transit-program/</a>

SHOPPING AND MORE

For fun places to explore and things to do in the Long Beach area,check out Visit California online: <a href="https://www.visitcalifornia.com/places-to-visit/long-beach/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.visitcalifornia.com/places-to-visit/long-beach/</a>

A Few of Our Favorite Eateries

—: BREAKFAST :—

SCHOONER OR LATER

241 N Marina Dr, Long Beach, CA 90803<a href="https://www.schoonerorlater.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.schoonerorlater.com</a>

PARIS BAGUETTE

81 S Pine Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802<a href="https://parisbaguette.com/locations/ca/long-beach/81-south-pine-ave" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://parisbaguette.com/locations/ca/long-beach/81-south-pine-ave</a>

—:  LUNCH/DINNER  :—

Nico's

"Authentic Neapolitan cuisine with a California twist."5760 2nd St, Long Beach, CA 90803<a href="https://nicosrestaurant.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://nicosrestaurant.com</a>

Nettuno at the Fairmont Breakers Long Beach

"Italian tradition meets coastal California ease."210 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802<a href="https://www.fairmont-breakers.com/dine/nettuno/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.fairmont-breakers.com/dine/nettuno/</a>

Marlena Long Beach

"Driven by Seasonality + Local Ingredients"5854 E Naples Plaza, Long Beach, CA 90803<a href="https://www.marlena-longbeach.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.marlena-longbeach.com</a>

555 East American Steakhouse

"Steaks with extraordinarily bold flavors and buttery textures."555 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802<a href="https://www.555east.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.555east.com</a>

Things to Do

Registry

REGISTRY

Please, no gifts. Our gift is your presence.

In lieu of gifts, we would love if you would considerdonating to one of the following organizations

The Long Beach Museum of Art

Donations can be made online through the below link:<a href="https://lbma.org/support/donate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://lbma.org/support/donate</a>

Donations can also be mailed directly to the museum:

(please do make sure that the check is payable toLong Beach Museum of Art

Long Beach Museum of ArtAttn: Development Department2300 East Ocean BoulevardLong Beach, CA 90803

The Long Beach Rescue Mission

Donations can be made online at<a href="https://give.lbrm.org/Donate/Donate.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://give.lbrm.org/Donate/Donate.aspx</a>

Leslie & Mary