Anne & Pete's Wedding

Ties

2008-11-04T11:51:00.000-08:00

Ties are ready for the wedding:

Don't know how to tie a tie? Here ya go: tie-a-tie.net See you all on Saturday! We can't wait!

Under 3 Weeks

2008-10-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

So our wedding will be here really soon! If you still need accommodations you have a few options:

De Smet (this is the town where most guests will be staying) - Cottage Inn Motel

or Watertown (it's a bit farther away, but the hotels are chains and are newer) - Lodging Options

My bridal shower was this last Sunday at Amanda's house (Pete's sister). Thanks so much to Amanda and Pattie for throwing me such a wonderful shower! Thanks also to everyone who took the time to be there. It was so great to see everyone, and it made me super excited for the wedding :)

One final update: We've had quite a few people ask if kids are welcome at the wedding/reception. The answer is YES! There will be about a million kids there, so don't hesitate to bring your own little rascals :)

See you all in just under 3 weeks :)

Motel Update!

2008-10-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

Super Deluxe Inn & Suites called to inform me that they have filled all the rooms we reserved. Because our wedding is during hunting season (busy season in Eastern, SD), they are full. If you have not yet booked your room, there are a few other options that are also in De Smet.

Cottage Inn Motel
This one is a basic, no frills motel. But it is in De Smet :)

Prairie House Manor
I talked to them and they have 2 rooms left with queen beds. This is a B&B, and it looks super cute!

Of course, there are other options in Watertown, but it is significantly further from Bryant (De Smet is about 12 miles, Watertown is about 40). Several of the small towns nearby also have motels. Pete and I are happy to help, so if you have questions about accomodations, please send us an e-mail or give us a call!

repondez s'il vous plait

2008-09-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

How fantastic that in 2008 the way that we say "Let us know if you're coming!" is a French acronym! If anyone loves acronyms in this world, it's the French. I just think it's wonderful and twisted that we are so used to those 4 little letters that we never bothered to come up with our own system. I guess the literal translation of rsvp is "please respond" and "rp" does not have the sound of importance that "rsvp" has.

All of the above aside, it's really fun to get rsvp e-mails! We get to hear from people that we normally don't get e-mails from. It's also exciting to hear who is going to be able to make it. So, if you haven't already, send us an rsvp e-mail :)

We're getting married in 2 months and other news

2008-09-10T09:20:00.001-07:00

As of two days ago, it is only two months until our wedding. Holy buckets! Plans are going well, and it's starting to feel a little more real every day. I have a dress, shoes, veil, jewelry, and the whole nine yards. I have to say though, it still feels a bit like playing a very elaborate game of dress-up. 95% of the details are all in place and a trip back to South Dakota is planned to get the rest of it figured out.

Invitations have gone out and rsvp responses are starting to come in. Look for your invite in a mailbox near you if you haven't received it yet. Don't forget to rsvp!! Pete and I want to know if you're going to be there!

The Super Deluxe Inn of De Smet called today to update me on rooms. They said they would hold them until October 8th, although it is during hunting season, so I'm sure they're anxious to either fill or release rooms. So if you need accommodations, please call them and reserve a room at your earliest convenience. I'm sure they'd appreciate it :) Information is in the links on the right side of this page.

One Year

2008-08-31T11:54:00.000-07:00

It has been one year since I asked Anne to marry me(and she said yes). It was the day after her birthday last year and I know she was disappointed to not get a ring for her birthday but I didn't want to have her know when I was giving it to her. So I waited until we were walking Fredo around the lake during sunset and asked her then. She was very surprised. :)

The last year has gone by so quick and we have done so much together in the last year. Only two more months and we will be husband and wife. I love you Anne and thank-you for saying yes!

I can't wait to celebrate with all of you in Bryant!

Reception-riffic!

2008-08-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of spending time in Bryant, SD (and I do mean that sincerely), here's an interior view of the Bryant Auditorium. This will be the site of our wedding reception. As you can see, there'll be plenty of seating! :)

Three Month Countdown

2008-08-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

Zut alors! On Friday, August 8th, Pete and I attended the wedding of his cousin Nicole. It was great to be part of Nicole's and Peter's special day, but it also drove home the fact that our own wedding is only three months away. I keep telling Pete that means I only have three months left to change my mind, but we all know that come November 8th I will be there in the big white dress with a big smile on my face :)

I know these last three months will go by super fast. It will be here before we know it, and I'm happy to say that we are more or less ready.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

2008-07-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

Ha! I'm joking, of course. So I've decided to go ahead and make the big name switcheroo once Pete and I get married. So, in preparation, I did a little internet research into my soon-to-be new surname.

Etymology: Ryan is Gaelic from Ó Riain and means 'little king'

Motto: I would rather die than be disgraced*

Famous Ryans: I read through the list, but most of them aren't American. Of the ones that were, the only one I knew much about was...Nolan Ryan :)

*I think the motto is a little bit harsh. I don't think I'm going to be adopting that one :) As George McGovern said, "When you admit you're wrong, what you're really telling people is that you know more today than you did yesterday." I think I'll stick with George on that one :)

Here is the Church and Here is the Steeple

2008-05-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

So not really the steeple. I'll have to post pictures of that some other time, but here is the interior of Garfield Church. Those attractive people you see are me, my mom, and my dad.

Rooms Reserved

2008-04-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

I talked to the friendly folks at Superior Deluxe Inn & Suites in De Smet, SD and reserved a block of rooms for the wedding. (There is a link to their website on the right side of this page.) I've reserved rooms for Saturday, November 8th (the wedding date), and a smaller number for Friday, November 7th (for the wedding party, others in the rehearsal, or anyone who wants to come to town early). There are a variety of rooms available, both smoking and non-smoking. Because it is during the middle of hunting season, there is no group discount. Rooms will be held until October 8th, and please tell them you are with the Welton/Ryan wedding.

Of course, if you don't want to stay in De Smet, there are smaller motels geared more toward hunters that you could try (Lake Norden is probably the closest). Or else there are more hotel options in Watertown, but it is about 40 minutes from Bryant.

Let us know if you have any problems booking the hotel, or need help to find an alternative place to stay :)

Wedding Planning Goal

2008-04-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

When Pete and I got engaged and started talking about what sort of wedding we wanted, there were a few things that we agreed on instantly.

The first was that we didn't want planning a wedding to be stressful. So far, it hasn't been.

The second was that we didn't need a perfect wedding day. There will be no tears or arguments about programs or chair covers. Things will be what they will be, and that is good enough for us. It takes a lot of pressure off and helps keep thing non-stressful.

The third was that we want it to be enjoyable not just for us, but for everyone that attends. To that end, I've found an Onion article on the subject.

This is what I hope my wedding will NOT be like :) :

Wedding Enjoyed By No One But Bride

NEW ROCHELLE, NY-The lavish, 250-guest wedding of James and Mindy Gallagher, held Sunday at the New Rochelle Country Club, was enjoyed by no one but the bride.

The Pictures!

2008-03-16T16:45:00.001-07:00

So the internet is cooperating and here are a few pictures of our honeymoon-to-be in December of 2008. Here's the first place we're staying: Victoria House on Ambergris Caye. It's supposed to be a little more touristy, but not nearly as much as Mexico. We'll get to the Caye by a short plane ride, and then travel between the islands on a speed boat water taxi.

Here's a casita at the hotel like the one we will have:

Here's a picture of the beach from the hotel. (Courtesy of Minette Layne)

After our stay on Ambergris Caye, we will head to Caye Caulker. The entire island is only three miles long. It sounds very laid back and relaxing. Here's a picture of Caye Caulker (courtesy of GoGap).Here's a picture of our hotel on Caye Caulker: Seaside Cabanas.

I'm sure we'll have lots and lots of pictures once we get back.

Honeymoon

2008-03-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

We have officially booked our honeymoon. Plane tickets have been purchased and hotel deposits have been made. Unfortunately, we're getting married right in the middle of fall semester and this lifetime student can't miss more school for a honeymoon. So we're going when we have time, which is over the holidays. We will spend that last two weeks of the year in Belize, returning on December 31st.

We'll spend the first six nights of our trip on Ambergris Caye and the last seven nights on Caye Caulker. I would love to post pictures, but the internet isn't cooperating right now. I guess blogger is having some issues. Maybe I'll try again later :)

Numbers

2008-02-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

I was thinking the other day about how long it has been since Pete and I started dating. That got me thinking about some of the other numbers that define our time together so far.

Years since we met: 7.5

Age when we met: 19 (me), 21 (Pete)

Times we have broken up: 2

Miles between Minneapolis and Missoula, MT: 1,182

Times we traveled 1,182 times to see each other: about a million :)

Noem family reunions that Pete has attended: 3 (he's been to every one since we met, even when we weren't dating :) )

New bikes added to the family since we've been together: 6

Universities I have attended since meeting Peter: 4

Number of plants we've killed since we've moved into our new house: 3

Handsome gentleman dogs in residence at our house: 1

Amount of snow Pete has shoveled in the year we've been at our house: 10 cubic tons
(I'm just making that up, obviously :) but it is a LOT)

Favorite radio stations: am 1130 (me, and that's KFAN), 93x (Pete, and his favorite might be NPR, but I don't actually know what frequency that is, fm 91.1 maybe?)

Days until wedding: 279

Age on wedding day: 27 (me) and 29 (Pete)

The In-laws to be

2008-01-27T22:06:00.000-08:00

Avis:

Here we are in Glacier National Park on a trip Anne, Avis, and I took last year when we were in Montana visiting them. What a great day for hikes and sight seeing.

Ron:

This is after we got off the river after a long day of fishing, not sure how much we caught that day but it is always a great day when you are fishing.

Tom:

Tom likes to stare you down, and lick your face when he caves in. He also likes to chase tennis balls endlessly.

Huck:

Huck likes to chase pheasants and bring them back to you, he also likes to chase tennis balls and can fit like 3 of them in his mouth at one time.

Even though I have spent a lot of time around all four of these guys I can't wait to actually call them family. This wedding is sure sneaking up on us fast!

-pete

Bryant

2008-01-19T21:48:00.000-08:00

On the right hand side of this page you will find a link to information about Bryant, SD, the site of our wedding. It contains a bit of information, but not much. So I'm going to supplement it with a bit of information of my own.

Bryant is the town where my mom grew up. Or I should say, it's the town nearest where she grew up, because she was raised on a farm. It has around 300 inhabitants, I believe. A sign that stood for most of my life (although it has been taken down in the last few years) declared Bryant to be the "biggest little city in the Northwest." At one point it had several markets, businesses, and even a car dealership. Business can be difficult in a small town, so today if you walk down Main Street you will find: a bank, a bar, a cafe, the newspaper office, a movie theater, and a grocery store/motel. The movie theater is owned by the community and run by volunteers. I might be missing something, but those are the main businesses in town. It might seem strange to some that Pete and I have chosen to be married in a small town where neither one of us grew up.

Bryant is where I came in the summers as a child to visit my grandmother. It is where my grandmother and I went to the store, picked raspberries, visited with neighbors, watched baseball, and laughed together. It was the first place I was allowed as a kid to walk around by myself with no questions about where I was going and when I would be back. It is where I walked down the street as a child and people knew who I was without meeting me before because I looked like a Noem. Much of my mom's family live in the area. Bryant to me is a huge meal with egg coffee on Al and Sharon's farm, playing pinball and bumper pool at Larry and Sally's Lake house, or eating oysters at Christmas in Win and Ruth's kitchen.

Bryant is where my parents own a house where they plan to retire. It is the house where we have spent our Christmases together for the last several years. It is where we gather at hunting time every year. It is where Pete used to come to see me, even when we weren't dating, when I still lived in Montana. It has become a meeting place for our family.

Bryant is where Garfield Church is. Even though this church has not been regularly used since before I was born, I have always dreamed of being married here. I'm lucky enough that when Pete saw it, he loved it, too. He didn't see the problems with it, he saw it's charm and he saw solutions. And that's why Pete's the guy for me :)

So anyhow, that's my two cents about Bryant, SD. It is a place with many wonderful memories and great significance for me. I hope that although Pete's time there has been much shorter than mine, it holds happy memories for him, too.

Engaged

2007-10-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

Pete took this picture the day after we got engaged. He has exquisite taste in jewelry :)

First Wedding Purchase

2007-10-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

It's official; we're getting married. And I found the perfect shoes. They're even better in person, because nothing says party like glitter shoes. And now they will sit in my closet and wait for their big day in a little over a year.