Minnesota Wedding
We're legally #murried! What the what! How did we get here already?! On Saturday, September 2nd, 2017, Chris and I were wed at Cancer Survivor's Park in downtown Minneapolis and had an Oktoberfest style party to celebrate. Our day was perfect <3.
In true 2017 fashion, we started Labor Day Weekend celebrating the love of our dear friends Jon and Natassja! They got married on Friday, September 1st and had the most beautiul wedding at the JX Event Venue in Stillwater, Minnesota. I was lucky enough to be part of their special day and witness the coming together of two of the best people I know. Look at how stunning Natassja is!
Photography: Kelly Jo Photo
Waking up on Saturday, the 2nd, was surreal. I don't think Chris and I ever thought much of our civil ceremony since our wedding in Germany is what we're counting as our "real" wedding. But we woke up that morning so excited! Not only because we were going to be legally husband and wife, but because we had this huge party where we were going to see all of our friends and family. It was hard to believe that the day had come!
After Chris got the rest of the hay bales deilvered to Lake Ann Park, we headed to downtown Minneapolis with Hugo in tow for our civil ceremony at Cancer Survivor's Park! We chose this location because it is a beautiful, small plaza across from our first home at 222 Hennepin Apartments and as an homage to Chris' dad, Jerry, who fought and beat cancer's butt. [insert fist bump emoji here].
We were joined by immediate family, including both of our Grandmas, which meant the world to us. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and it felt so special to be "home" in downtown and surrounded by our loved ones. Our service was officiated by the Honorable Judge Gina Brandt and she was incredible. She was so sweet and kind and did a wonderful job. Chris and I got surprisingly emotional [remember, we hadn't given much thought to this part]. I think it was in large part due to how great our Judge was. She gave great advice and had us say very meaningful vows. That's where I got choked up. It was such a surreal moment. I was trying to listen to the Judge's words, but look at Chris and capture a mental snapshot of him in that moment, then listen, then take it all in again. It was truly one of the most special days of our lives.
I am so thankful that one of my best friends, Alyssa, is an amazing photographer and was able to capture our civil ceremony. Follow her amazing work on Instagram - @alyssakristine_. Here are some of the pictures from that unforgettable day.
After our ceremony, we headed home, scarfed down a quick lunch, and sped up to Lake Ann Park to get the Al Klingelhutz Pavilion decorated and ready for our big "send-off" party! I want to give a big shout out to my parents, Chris' parents, Chris' brothers Nate and Shawn, sister-in-law Sonja, my sister Katie and brother-in-law Dan, Aunt Diane, friends Jake and Emily, and friends John and Lauren for all of their help in setting up! We had an amazing crew and could not have done it without you all!
We got so lucky with how beautiful the weather was. Our Oktoberfest party was a hit! We had yard games, DIY photobooth with Oktoberfest props, a beer garden with Oktoberfest and German brews, an Oktoberfest feast all thanks to Divine Swine Catering, and delicious German chocolate cupcakes by Farina Baking Company. Thank you to everyone who came out and celebrated with us! It was seriously the most perfect day and we're so lucky we got to spend it with our closest friends and family. Here are some fun pictures from our party!
After our party-goers left, our pavilion looked so cool with the lights strung and the flags hanging. Chris and I finally got a moment with each other and so we cued up our song, "She Lit A Fire" by Lord Huron, and we had our "first dance". It was a really sweet moment in the quiet after a roaring beer hall-like atmosphere.
I'd like to give a big shout out again to my parents, Chris' parents, Aunt Diane, and my Uncle Paul and Aunt LuAnn for being so helpful in the teardown. Thank you!!!
After everything was done, a few of us headed up to the infamous High Timber Lounge [or is it Lodge ;)] to continue the party and bring down the house with some karaoke. Those who know me, know I love a good divey karaoke bar and #HTL doesn't disappoint. Chris had never sang karaoke in his life and his first time was our wedding night. We got up and sang "Love Train" [not knowing any of the words except the chorus] and got nearly the entire bar to get up and conga line! Big thanks to Alisa and Ashley for getting the crowd going a la the 3rd of July Chanhassen Street Dance.
It turned out to be the perfect way to cap off our night -- and for the sake of everyone involved, no pictures will be posted from this portion of the night. :)
After our blissful weekend, we had to turn around and get Chris ready to move to Dublin. We got him all packed up and sent off on Tuesday, September 5th. Our place is furnished, which made packing a little easier, but with the help of Ziploc vacuum seal bags, he was able to take a week's worth of clothes, bed spread, pillow, bath towels, and his robe. With my expertise of being a woman who tends to overpack, we were able to shove it all it in his suitcase with lots of stomping, pushing, and prodding :).
When Chris first got to Ireland, it was a bit hard to connect since he didn't have a phone plan yet. We could only talk when he could connect to wifi, which wasn't set up in our place yet, so Chris had to either call me from the office or the pub [Guiness included]. Once he got his Irish bank account set up on Friday, the 8th, he was able to get a phone plan and wifi set up in our apartment. That has made it so much easier! Of course there is the time zone difference of 6 hours, but at least now we can text and talk whenever and wherever. [pro-tip: if you happen to be out on the town until 3:00 a.m., you can call Dublin to say "good morning!" ... not that I would know or anything ;)]
Chris has been enjoying his time so far in Dublin! He said our place is awesome, he loves his 3 minute walk to work, and he's managed to find a few sports bars that play American football. I think his favorite part so far has been golfing some of the nicest courses in Ireland - The Royal Dublin Golf Club and Powerscourt Golf Club.
A few of the funny quirks Chris has reported so far:
- He has to turn the hot water on and off with our hot press
- To use the outlets, he has to switch them on
- To use the stove, you turn it on and all the burners light up and you select which burner you want to use
- The milk isn't pasteurized [found that one out with some chunks in his morning cereal...]
- The weather can go from sunny to rainy to sunny in a matter of 5 minutes
- Drying clothes in the sun on our balcony works pretty great
On Friday, the 8th, our movers came to the house to pack everything up. It had taken my mom and I nine hours to organize and inventory all of our stuff and get it ready for the move. We were a little freaked out were going to be over our weight limit, but we turned out okay -- woohoo! Our stuff was sent via airplane on Saturday, September 16th and will be ready to be moved into our Dublin apartment this week. Chris has gratiously agreed to wait to let me decorate! :)
This last week has been crazy busy with getting stuff done to prepare for the German wedding and move to Ireland, but I have all the big stuff done [sold both cars!]. My friends also threw me an improptu bachelorette/going away party that was SO fun! We had dinner at Red Rabbit downtown Minneapolis and then hit the bars. I love them!
One week and counting until we all leave for Germany! There is not much left to do, which feels amazing. I think we've all worked our tails off to make all of this happen -- and it definitely shows! Every day I feel very lucky for all the support and love that I feel. Chris and I have decided if Germany is half as fun as our Civil Ceremony and Send-Off Party, we're in for a GOOD time! #ihardtmurray
Cheers! xo
