Chaos Love: love, life, design and more.

Wow! Our wedding got blogged! We're famous-like! The wonderfully bizarre Offbeat Bride, a site dedicated to unusual, non white-dress weddings saw our pictures on Flickr and featured us on their blog. Cheers to them for loving our wacky ways!

Posted in: chaosboy, chaoslove, internet, wedding on July 30, 2007 at at 6:13:00 PM 0 comments    

So, finally all our planning has come to fruition.

Early on a grey Portland Saturday, Christine and I were joined by our family and friends in our little space-themed ceremony and became husband and wife. Everything went perfectly and we couldn't have asked for anything more (well, maybe a more spectacular sunrise, but what can you do?).

Our costumes - lovingly made by Linda, Christine's dad's fiancée - were absolutely fantastic and admired by everyone. As you can see in the photo above, Christine looked super cute in her "future manga" suit. The ceremony itself was short and simple and our friend Kevin did a great job as our Alien Overlord ... in one of those "only in America" moment, he signed up as our non-denominational minister on the internet in the weeks leading up to the ceremony. The Universal Life Church simply asks for your name and email address and then ordains you via email! This is becoming increasingly popular here, as more and more people want a friend presiding over their wedding, rather than an impersonal judge or minister. Kevin certainly looked the part in his huge cloak and weird alien glasses.

It was wonderful for me to have my parents come all the way out from Australia for the ceremony, and although it probably wasn't quite the wedding they imagined for one of their sons, they really got into the spirit of things. Dad even donned a white radiation suit to greet us in, looking like a scientist from Area 51!

Before we knew it, the wedding was over and the next stage of our life had begun! After all the planning and hoop-jumping to get to this stage, it almost felt anti-climactic for it to be over so soon, but we definitely enjoyed the moment. Now I have to get my residency application in to the US Government ASAP (before the application fee rises three-fold to over $US1000 at the end of July!!) and the process will be complete... finally!!

There are lots of pix from the wedding in both our Flickr accounts, by the way, so feel free to take a look!

Posted in: chaosboy, chaoslove, portland, wedding on July 27, 2007 at at 12:50:00 AM 0 comments    

Thoughts on getting married tomorrow.

I would like to tell myself that nothing will be different when Cam and I get married. We will continue living on just as we have before. A day that we have made a vow will only reinforce what we already know and feel about each other. Or will it?

Marriage has its connotations. Unlike dating when there is always the question lingering if anything will become of it or not, marriage is the top notch; the end of the line; the end of the great search. And its relieving of course. The both of you are on the same page now. You can sit back and completely relax on the other person knowing they will not just get up and walk away.

Marriage had never appealed to me. I agreed to it because it was a government requirement in order for Cam and I to be together. I cherish my freedom. But thinking into it further, the concept is a seed that can grow in your brain, it becomes bigger and consumes you and you must wonder... why didn't I do this sooner? Why couldn't I have met Cam like 2 years ago? Where would I be? Certainly ahead of where I am now!

So in conclusion, Yay for getting married! Yay for us! By being together, we can now collaborate on great projects, trips, get great jobs, and expand our little new world. Now that the questioning is over, we can finally move forward!

And as for a main answer on why Cam and I are dressed as astronauts... A: because we are beginning an exploration into the rest of our lives and B: the ceremony won't be boring as hell when we force everyone to watch it.

Posted in: chaosgurl, general musings, wedding on July 20, 2007 at at 3:57:00 PM 0 comments    

We have a venue for our wedding! The ceremony will take place at dawn (around 5:45am) on the 21st July, 2007 at the grandly named James Wood Hill Park, set high atop Rocky Butte, an old volcanic plug. It has spectacular 360° views with the Cascades arrayed to the east and Portland itself to the west. If the day is clear, we should be able to see from Mt Rainier in the north to Mt Hood in the south... truly majestic!

We had originally planned to hire Council Crest Park in the hills to the south-west of Portland, but it proved to be unavailable for that day. S after a little research on the internet, we decided upon Rocky Butte and booked it immediately, sight unseen. So the next day, I jumped on my bike and went to have a look. I had to walk my bike up the last mile or so, as the road to the top is rather steep, but the views are certainly worth it, as you can see from this stitched panorama:



Try clicking and holding inside the movie to scroll from one end of the view to the other. You can also zoom in (Shift key)and out (Control key or the PC equivalent!).

The initial view is to the north and the panorama scrolls anti-clockwise to the west, past Portland International Airport (PDX) on the south bank of the Columbia River to Portland itself to the west. The Cascades run all the way from the south to the north on the eastern side, although all the major peaks are unfortunately hidden by cloud in this picture. The Columbia River runs through the spectacular Columbia River Gorge to the north west.

Posted in: chaosboy, photography, portland, wedding on June 11, 2007 at at 10:15:00 AM 0 comments    

Ever since Cam has arrived, we have been inseparable. I have no reason to get away and do things on my own, maybe except to post a blog or something. Even when I'm working, Cam will be there to take me to lunch and be there to escort me home or to dragon boating practice. We have cruised this city up and down and have had the best time doing it. We have settled in so naturally, I feel like we have been together for years. Everyone says we are so cute and we have been nothing but stress-free and smiles.

Today was even a better reason to be all smiles! As characterless as it was, we retrieved our Marriage License today! It was almost a bit too easy, as we both filled our the form and paid our $60, but we had been waiting to do this for months, nearly a year! The Multnomah County center for all those legal situations that require you to walk into bright silent waiting room and fill out some form or another, was where we had to go. The woman behind the glass contrasted greatly with the hostess at the restaurant we went to afterwards, who was full of glee for us! We drank mimosas and beer in the sun and toasted ourselves for being the luckiest couple in the world.

Now we had to get down to business and actually plan something for this inevitable wedding of ours. Like most brides to be, I have been sucked into the obsession of what I will be wearing. The ceremony planning can wait until I know that Cam and I will be in perfect galactic suits. I was absolutely thrilled to pick up a pair of these super moon boots at Future, in downtown Portland.


My rough sketches of my dress have been cleaned up a bit to show how the main dress will work, without all the accessories attached to it.


And Cam will be at my side as my strapping young space pioneer.


Together, we will rule the universe!

We bought a super cute DV camera last week and we are prepared to document this journey as only 1080i can. So far we have mastered filming the neighboring kitty that skittishly runs around the courtyard but we are getting better. I feel for sure, with our powers combined we will be able to create a project that will captivate audiences all over.

Hehe. Well that enough of my talk for now. Gotta go before the compy decides to suddenly shut off at any moment....

Posted in: chaosgurl, chaoslove, wedding on May 31, 2007 at at 4:34:00 PM 0 comments    

The wedding of Cameron Gregory Booth to Christine Alexandra Garcia will take place on July 21st, 2007 at a yet to be determined location in Portland, Oregon. The ceremony is only for immediate family, so Christine and I designed this awesome announcement to inform all our other relatives and friends of the situation. They're being printed up as we speak and will be sent out very shortly.

Posted in: art, chaosboy, chaoslove, wedding on at at 3:45:00 PM 0 comments    

There are probably some of you out there who have read Christine's last post and are now sitting there scratching your head. "Is she serious?", you're asking yourself. Or, "You can't do that for a wedding!" Well, here's what I think about the matter...

One of the things that I love most about Christine is that she sees the world through unconventional eyes. Doing things the same as everyone else is not for her. And it has a wonderful effect on me, because it makes me look at things differently as well, question why things should be done just because that's the way things are. And her vision of our wedding as space opera is just such an example of that. At the very least, there's a lovely metaphor of the exploration of our future lives together to be had.

Now, I've done the traditional wedding: itchy grey suit and tie for me, (admittedly lovely) white dress for my ex-wife, marriage celebrant in the beautiful grounds of the family property in the Southern Highlands near Sydney, the whole nine yards. It was a great day and everything was perfect, but I don't want or expect this to be replicated with this wedding. I - like Christine - am after something new and different, something that sums up our adventurous spirit and the way we want to live our life together. Free. Exciting. Unrestrained.

I think it fair to note here that if I had come up with something for this wedding by myself, it wouldn't have been as "far out" as what Christine is imagining. But her enthusiasm for the idea is so infectious, that I can't help but be excited by the idea myself. And getting Christine enthused and passionate about the ceremony itself is very important, because in a lot of ways I don't think she ever imagined herself as getting married at all.

It's easy to think is that Christine isn't taking the idea of marriage seriously, that this is just some kind of big joke to her, but nothing could be further from the truth. Christine and I have talked extensively about the responsibilities and promises inherent in a marriage, and she is fully aware of all of these things. (In fact, I've probably made extras sure of her comprehension because of the way my first marriage collapsed.) It's just the actual ceremony that she worries about, and being able to shape it the way she wants is very important to her. Her need in this case is far more important than mine, so I'm up for whatever makes her happy.

In the end, it doesn't matter to me what we wear or do, as long as the legal requirements of the State of Oregon are met, and - more importantly - as long as we truly mean what we say when we exchange our vows. The external appearance is fleeting; it's what's in our hearts that truly matters.

Posted in: chaosboy, chaoslove, wedding on April 13, 2007 at at 3:20:00 AM 1 comments    

I thought I would take this time to fill you in on this "wedding" that will be taking place this July.

It will be a different mix to most weddings and it may be hard to call it a wedding at all and more of a performance art piece. The idea of organizing a wedding sounds as boring as talking to grass... which I don't do often and hardly recommend. SO. What I have come up with is a project in which Cam and I will be celebrating our new life and expressing the exploration which the years will bring with Portland as our unexplored frontier. We will be prepared for this challenge, dressed in full astronaut suits ready to take on whatever the day may throw at us.

With equipment of a DV camera, small trampoline, and our small crew we will set out on the town. What we hope to create is a short montage film of Cam and I appearing many places within and out of the city, running, jumping or just sitting on the MAX. The footage will be edited later and slowed down in order to create effects of weightlessness and freedom. Scenes will include sunrise above the city, playing cricket in a park, riding the MAX, skipping over a bridge, and then eventually the ceremony.

THE CEREMONY will include Cam, myself and Kevin Marcott as our alien pastor. Communicating through an alien tranlator, Kevin will speak in his alien tongue which will be repeated in English throught the translator. Cam and I will exchange words (in English for the family) and then from there we may be sucked into the mothership and taken to a far off destination that has not yet been disclosed, but probably a pub of sorts :D

Cam and I may begin the filming process a week or so in advance so the family will not have to follow us for an entire day participating in our crazy hijinks. The exact date will be posted as soon as Cam gets around to getting his VISA and actually landing in the country first. Details are still being processed but now you can rest easy that the situation is not up in the air. LOL! Pun totally intended!

Posted in: chaosgurl, chaoslove, wedding on April 11, 2007 at at 1:10:00 PM 0 comments    

When my previous wife (Sian) and I separated, I somehow managed to keep hearing about her life. I didn't want to, it just seemed to keep happening. And every time I heard a new little snippet about her post-me life, I would feel the blood begin to rush to my head, and I'd get flustered and red, furious, angry, sad and bitter all at the same time.

So it was very interesting today when I was having lunch with Sian's brother Cecil and his partner, Krithia... For on their fridge was pinned an invitation for Sian's wedding, which had happened just a few weeks previously. But far from feeling these horrible emotions that I have felt before, I basically burst into a great big grin: I simply didn't care what she did with her life anymore. I didn't say anything about it to Cecil and Krithia - there was no need to - but I just felt completely at ease and relaxed about this turn of events. With this, I truly know that I have left this part of my life behind and am ready to venture forwards with Christine.

It's just funny that this closure comes just as my Visa application process is coming to an end - talk about timing!

(I still can't stop smiling!)

Posted in: chaosboy, wedding on April 7, 2007 at at 1:38:00 AM 0 comments    

CB: Chaos Gurl's previous post regarding Convention vs. Fun in weddings has got me thinking a bit. As you may or may not know, I have been previously married, and that wedding ceremony was one of those "conventional" weddings with suits, the white dress and all that tradition that she mentions...

So where does that leave me? Does this previous wedding become the "wrong" kind of wedding, to be denounced as boring and uber conventional? Should I go out of my way to make our wedding different and unusual, just to turn my back on this past?

After a bit of thought, I don't think I need to worry. My previous wedding was "right" for the time, place and relationship I was in then - it suited us as a couple. We enjoyed planning everything together and had a fantastic day with our family and friends and I wouldn't have changed a thing.

But Chaos Gurl is a completely different person to my ex-wife, and by that alone, our wedding is going to have a character that suits us as a couple. I also know that I have a different outlook on life than I did back then – more outgoing, more adventurous and more confident – and this also will have an effect on our wedding.

I know that I don't want to revisit the past, or replace it with a newer, but almost identical, present. I want to experience new things, try different approaches to life and Chaos Gurl inspires me to do that every day. I have nothing to worry about.

Posted in: chaosboy, chaoslove, wedding on February 10, 2007 at at 2:19:00 AM 1 comments    

CG: So I went to a rockin fashion show called Doom Town and it was rather low budget but entertaining in the least! I was hoping to get some wedding dress ideas of sorts when i dropped my camera in the crowd. With a drink in my other hand, I managed to collect the memory card and battery that fell out. When reassembled, it didn't turn on. Then the event started. The styles were made of cheap fabrics and second hand clothing, but some of the ideas gave me inspiration to draw some things later on...

In the meantime there is a rockin' boutique in Newtown, a million miles away, that has incredibly stylin' and inspiring designs!! I am aiming for this lovely green number with the feathers. I have my own mods planned for it in my head.

As for my camera, it dried up after falling in someones drink on the floor I believe, and it works now. It had better! I've had this camera for years! At least 4! Kodak needs to recieve some sort of award for that!

Posted in: chaosgurl, portland, shows, wedding on February 9, 2007 at at 11:35:00 PM 0 comments    

CG: I've never paid attention to weddings. They are odd, medieval-like affairs, with traditions that must be obeyed and families that must sit on their own designated sides. There is always a cake, there is always a ring bearer, there is always a white dress amongst black suits. I think people are getting the hang of getting away from this convention, but after scourging the internet, those people all seem to be in Australia. Maybe its that cool and laid back atmosphere that people just feel the need to put together something a little off track. And I'll get back to that...

The idea of an anti-wedding is appealing but the law says that we must go through the motions in order for my Cameron to stay in my country. Would we get married if the US Govt wasn't standing in our path? Maybe, maybe not, but we would be together anyway, and it would still be perfect.

So with this Blog, I plan to explore a bit more of this conventional vase that we find ourselves in and how we can crack through it but still keeping it in one piece.

Posted in: blog, chaosgurl, chaoslove, wedding on February 8, 2007 at at 8:51:00 PM 0 comments