Crate and Barrel's Ultimate Wedding Contest

Our love story.

We met 6 years ago, when I was a prospective student getting a tour of his college. My guide was his horrid roommate, but as soon as I got to see the dorms (the sights included my future husband) the tour was over and I had a new escort. He sent me flowers from across the Pacific--I was in Hawaii and he in California--until I moved to LA to attend USC. On Christmas eve in Honolulu, he proposed with our toes in the sand at my favorite beach.

Three important details about our Ultimate Wedding.

The ultimate Christine and Daniel affair is a wedding at a Hawaiian beach front estate on the North Shore of Oahu with the legendary surf and incredible vistas. I'm a food professional, so gorgeous seasonal & local cuisine is a must at the reception, with quirky ideas like mini malasadas (Portuguese donuts) with coffee creme to greet the guests in the morning. My fiance is a cigar buff, so an outrageously cool surprise for him is a person to hand roll cigars for the bridal party and the proud parents, which will also make for some fabulous pictures.

Our everyday dream day.

Game day! Hit the farmer's market early for fresh ingredients, then walk the dog back to our LA loft to get our tailgate in gear. Make lavender lemon drops & pulled pork sliders with homemade bbq sauce, and set out for USC to meet up with friends and old classmates. Drink good beer, laugh, grill up a storm, and head to the game. It's really a dream day if the Trojans have a big win, capped with a victory snack from one of the gourmet food trucks that roam downtown, then snuggle into the couch to catch up on Tivo.