Emm and Andrew are getting hitched!

A Series of Rather Fortunate Events

In the Beginning....
May 19, 2013

It begins, as all good things do, with the right combination of the Internet and drink. We met online, messaged for a week and then had our first date at 8:23 at Elsie's downtown. After several promising dates, Emm ran off to China for the summer, leading to questions about Andrew's invisible girlfriend. But thanks to Andrew's noctural habits, they talked often while Emm was away and were officially a couple when she returned.
But Wait! There's More!
2013–2015

After dating for a year, Emm and Andrew moved in together. We enjoyed living downtown, getting to know each other's friends and family, and hanging with our pet rats. We took a trip to Slovenia (milk vending machines!) and several to New Jersey (highway slalom! and old-timey gas stations?). Through all this, we explored strange new food, indulged in frankly odd humor, and grew as individuals and a couple.
You want MORE‽
2016–2017

The relationship well underway, Emm once again fled to the other side of the Pacific (ostensibly to conduct "research" for something called a "Fulbright Scholarship"). Curious, Andrew followed along, lured by the prospect of meat buns and fresh sushi. Having triumphed over the difficulties of a long-distance relationship, it was only a matter of time until that one fateful day...
We're Engaged
May 08, 2017

We rented a motorcycle and rode an hour south to Mt. Zao, a stratovolcano on the border of Miyagi and Yamagata prefectures. In front of the Okama Crater Lake, sheltering from howling winds and near-freezing temperatures beside an old Shinto shrine, Andrew proposed to an unsurprised, but otherwise delighted Emm. As Andrew had introduced Emm to motorcycles in the first place, and Emm brought Andrew to Japan, this seemed quite fitting.

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Lodging

Figure out where to put your feet up.

Santa Barbara severely restricts AirBnB and other individual rentals, so we’ve arranged a number of hotel blocks. Details below!

The Upham Hotel and Country House

1404 De La Vina Street
Santa Barbara CA 93101
www.uphamhotel.com

The Upham is actually the oldest continuously running hotel in all of California, with a touch of Victorian charm. This bed & breakfast has two locations right across from each other, both of which are an easy walk to both wedding venues. Breakfast, wifi and parking provided; there’s also Louie’s Restaurant on site.

Call 805-962-0058 and ask for the Simpson-Burk Wedding to get the discounted rate.

Rooms start at $279
-Wedding block reservation: $20 off any room Friday and Saturday, $40 off on Sunday

The Eagle Inn

232 Natoma Ave, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
www.theeagleinn.com

This lovely inn is located near Lower State Street and is just a few blocks from the harbor, which makes it a favorite of Emm’s parents. Complimentary breakfast, wifi and parking provided. It’s a 5-10 minute drive or a half hour walk to our wedding venues (and the central downtown area), but you can also take the downtown shuttle up State Street.

Call 805-965-3586 and ask for the Simpson-Burk Wedding to get the following rates:

Room with standard queen: $239
Room with standard king: $269
Room with two queen beds: $339

The Wayfarer

12 E Montecito St
Santa Barbara 93101
www.wayfarersb.com

The Wayfarer is Santa Barbara’s gorgeous hostel, located right on Lower State Street. Complimentary breakfast and wifi as well as free use of their communal kitchen 24/7. Parking $15 per night. Like the Eagle Inn, it’s a quick drive, a nice walk or a shuttle ride to the wedding venues.

Call 805-845-1000 and ask for the Burk-Simpson Wedding to get the following rates:

Private rooms (1 king or 1 queen w/ fold out bed): $315
Bed in hostel room (1 room w/ 5 beds booked for us): $65

Motel 6 Santa Barbara - Beach

443 Corona Del Mar
Off S. Milpas Street
Santa Barbara CA 93103
www.motel6.com

This is a pretty sweet Motel 6: just a block from the beach, in the midst of a bunch of fancy hotels. It’s off Milpas Street, another artery of Santa Barbara that is currently revitalizing, but already has several great Mexican restaurants. This hotel is a bit farther away, but an easy 10-15 minute drive, so we’d recommend you plan on having a car if you stay here.

Call 805-564-1392 and give group code M000100475 for discounted rates:

Rooms with 1 queen or 2 full beds
Friday: $180-192 (depending on number of people)
Saturday: $240-262
Sunday: $125-140

Cabrillo Inn At the Beach

931 East Cabrillo Blvd
Santa Barbara CA 93103
www.cabrilloinn.com

The Cabrillo Inn doesn’t do wedding blocks, as they are the least expensive hotel on the Cabrillo Boulevard, which overlooks the beach. However, as of late February, they had no reservations for our wedding weekend, so feel free to give them a try! Like the Motel 6, this is a little more out of the way, but would be fine for people with a car.

Call 805-966-1641 to make a reservation:

Room with 1 king: $199
Room with 2 queens or 1 ocean front king: $249
Room with 2 queens, ocean front: $279
*They also seem to offer group reservations for 3 rooms or more, which might give a discounted rate. See here for more information

Transportation

Airports

Los Angeles Airport (LAX)

LAX is a major airport and United hub, so it’s generally where Emm and Andrew go to fly. Los Angeles is about 2 hours south of Santa Barbara, but it really depends on the traffic, so if you’re renting a car, you’ve plenty of options, but fair warning! If forgoing a car, you can also take the Santa Barbara Airbus, which stops at every terminal before heading up to Santa Barbara County. It takes 2.5-3 hours and stops at the Hyatt in Santa Barbara.

Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR)

Burbank is in north Los Angeles and thus a little closer to us. While the airport is smaller than LAX, it has two key advantages: 1) Southwest Airlines flies from here, and 2) it’s right on the train line, so you can take Amtrak up to Santa Barbara, as John and Sue occasionally do. The Santa Barbara train station is very close to The Wayfarer and the Eagle Inn as well as the beach, so you’d have a very pretty ride! They also have 11 rental car companies on site.

Santa Barbara Airport (SBA)

Santa Barbara Airport is small but lovely, and recently renovated. Like Emm’s university, it’s actually in Goleta, but only 15 minute drive from downtown Santa Barbara. It’s generally expensive to fly into Santa Barbara, and we usually don’t find it cost effective to take the short (but scenic!) flight from LAX to SBA. However, if you’re likely to have to transfer anyway, flights going through Denver or Phoenix can be quite reasonable. SBA has seven rental car companies on site, but you can also take a bus downtown or honestly, just let us know and we’ll try and coordinate a pickup.

Getting around Santa Barbara

Driving

Cruising around Santa Barbara is generally pleasant, except when it’s raining (Emm frequently grumbles about SoCal drivers and their inability to handle rain). We’ve got a few tips, though:

-Santa Barbara has a lot of one way streets going N/S. Chapala and Anacapa flank State Street, Chapala heading north and Ancapa south, and are key arteries
-Avoid driving on State Street whenever possible (Lower State by the hotels is generally not bad). Between tourists, pedestrians and left turn regulations, it’s annoying!
-Street parking is plentiful, but there are plenty of public lots on both Chapala and Anacapa every few blocks, which are quite reasonable. In fact, there’s one right next to the Canary!
Downtown Parking Lot Map

Public Transportation

For a small city on the West Coast, Santa Barbara has some decent options for getting around. Downtown Santa Barbara is pretty walkable, but there’s also an excellent bus system which Emm utilizes frequently. Even more fun, there are open air shuttles going downtown and along the waterfront, both of which pass by many of our hotels.

Registries

We're really happy to have all of our favorite people come together at our wedding and join us in the revelry! With all of the travel and effort you're putting in to our union, we really don't need any gifts. However, if you're determined to gift us things anyway, here are some of the items we either need or have been coveting :)

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/wedding/share/HouseBuddy
Bed Bath & Beyond: https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com:443/store/giftregistry/view_registry_guest.jsp?registryId=545801397&eventType=Wedding&pwsurl=
Honeyfund: https://www.honeyfund.com/wedding/HouseBuddy

The Wedding of

Emm Simpson
&
Andrew Burk

Welcome! We're looking forward to seeing all of you on our special day! Scroll down for details, lodging, registries, and more. And hit the RSVP button if you haven't already!

Ceremony & Reception

Wedding Ceremony

Reception