Duke's Malibu

Wedding Day

Wedding

Reception

Our Wedding

&nbsp; &nbsp;I never thought I'd meet my wife&nbsp;on the other side of the chocolate molten cake at Chili's. Especially considering it's my favorite desert there and&nbsp;she didn't have any because of a "lactose intolerance" which is now not a thing.&nbsp;No sparks flew, no glances, only my awkward comments and a half - hearted game of ninja with the group in the courtyard.&nbsp;

&nbsp; &nbsp;Fast forward a year and Victoria's class just finished their orientation, My class decided&nbsp;to throw them a party as an official 'welcome to the school' but also to hit on their women (you can't blame us, there were only 23 in our class). We talked and hit it off in the hallway in front of the bathroom. Chemistry brewed and an air of expectation seemed to fill the atmosphere.&nbsp;



























&nbsp; &nbsp;Our next meeting was on set. I was key grip and Victoria was a 'PA' or 'production assistant'. Another good name for, "Come here and hold this" or "Can you grab some coffee for us?"&nbsp;person. Among the googly eyes,&nbsp;conversations, and game of 'Bread Kittens', there seemed to be a growing fascination. It was more or less ON after that production.

























&nbsp; &nbsp;Call it attraction or&nbsp;chemical reactions that&nbsp;kept our eyes&nbsp; in sync&nbsp;with each other. I could feel the heat as she walked by me.&nbsp;Simple conversations slowed down time.&nbsp;Going about our school lives&nbsp;and seeing each other in the same room. To&nbsp;wait until the moment we finally approach each other,&nbsp;counting the seconds and moving towards each other step by step. "Oh hey! How's it going?", as if we didn't already know it was just now going pretty well.&nbsp;

























&nbsp; &nbsp;In most great stories&nbsp;there's a moment of surrealism. An abnormal situation that catapults the characters through the mundane and into the&nbsp; spectacular&nbsp;unknown.&nbsp;Ours was beer pong.







&nbsp; &nbsp;We were recruited to face off against another team and ended up winning 5 games in a row. We are both really bad at beer pong and still are. Who knows how those games were won, but after that more texting and snap chatting ensued. After that, our first date on a private beach in West Palm. Soon we had a long distance relationship. I knew I had something special, I didn't want to let go of it. After graduating I stayed in Tallahassee as a valet driver until Vic graduated too. We moved across the country and I proposed in Malibu's Staircase&nbsp;beach. Now your reading this. Tomorrow will bring a new sun and new challenges. But I'll always have this old love. Forever and ever, I love you honey.&nbsp;



-Jon

How it all started

Our Story

Tips for staying in Malibu

Tips for lodging in Malibu

There are two ways you can sleep in the area. One way is to find lodging in the area along the Pacific Coast Highway. Hotels and AirBNB's will be more expensive but beautiful, and close to the venue. These have been ranging from $250 - $700 a night.&nbsp;Another, is to stay in the Woodland Hills area. It is more affordable but&nbsp;a little further away. Google maps says 20-30 min at the time of writing this, but these times can increase due to traffic. These prices are ranging from $80-$200 a night. If you stay in this area, allow for an hour of traveling just in case. Also map&nbsp;out how you will be getting to the venue, there are highways to the PCH and other roads are mountainous and will include windy roads that are not recommended for people that get car sick easily. That being said, it can be&nbsp;a really fun drive. If you take a Lyft / Uber, ask your driver to take the highway and not the mountain roads if you aren't&nbsp;into it.













Malibu is a great area with beautiful views and lots of things to do. The Getty museum is located 5 min from the venue. There are great hikes and tons of beaches in the area. All are desktop background worthy picture opportunities. Woodland hills also has many things you can get up to.







Keep in mind, Victoria and I will be leaving for our honeymoon on Sunday.

Tips for renting a car

I would personally recommend taking Lyfts and Ubers during your stay unless you're looking to explore the LA&nbsp;area and go on adventures. If you are looking to rent a car,&nbsp;DO&nbsp;NOT&nbsp;RENT&nbsp;THE&nbsp;CAR&nbsp;AT&nbsp;LAX&nbsp;AIRPORT. I spoke to a Hertz representative and I got very different rates depending on the pickup location. To rent a car from the LAX&nbsp;Hertz location from July 10 - July 14th, would be $743. Whereas the rate for renting a car in the Woodland Hills area would be $270.&nbsp;These prices may change as we get closer to the date, but the essential rule here would be to rent out of Woodland Hills, and not LAX airpot.&nbsp;

Details

Photos

Wedding Party

Registry

Q + A

Fantastic hotel with complimentary shuttle that will take you within 2 miles of the hotel. Great for fun / errand runs. The block of 10 rooms will be for $179/night. Their phone number is: (818) 887-4800. I will be supplying a link to click on to be reserved onto the "Jon Lora &&nbsp;Victoria Cragg wedding block". All reservations must be made before June 10th to get this discounted rate.&nbsp;Here is the link to reserve in my discounted block:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marriott.com/events/start.mi?id=1551386642231&key=GRP" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.marriott.com/events/start.mi?id%3D1551386642231%26key%3DGRP&source=gmail&ust=1551473582354000&usg=AFQjCNExAvQU4HMLvVx1P5YmkBXgYeSJaw">Book your group rate for Jon Lora Wedding Room Block</a>

PLEASE&nbsp;allow for at least an hour trip&nbsp;to Duke's Malibu. Traffic can wax and wane which doesn't make for a consistent trip. If you were previously able to get to the area in 10-20 minutes, it may be an hour the next day. Thats' LA traffic&nbsp;baby.&nbsp;

Victoria & Jon

Victoria & Jon

Travel

Warner Center Marriott Woodland Hills