Love Like Crazy: We Heart Pizza & Beer!

For our rehearsal dinner, we decided to head to our favorite pizza joint in Walker: Benson's! We ordered a few huge pizzas, lots of beer, a few sodas, and a kid meal or two. It was a lot of fun to see our whole bridal party together and to relax after the practice run.

Some of our parents chatting it up.

Ash & Mom cuddle time. Steph and Ash try to be cool while enjoying their water.

Mom and Kelley looking beautiful!

Nic, Ash, and Mom being goofy.


Tera and Josh photo shoot!

Planning a wedding is hard work! (Can you tell from the pic?!) But luckily everything came together beautifully - it was even better than I could have hoped for!!!


Love Like Crazy Recap:

* I teased you with a few of my favorite pics!
* We spent a day or two decorating the hall.
* The bridal party practiced their steps.

Love Like Crazy: Time to Practice!

Friday afternoon was when the majority of our guests started arriving at Horseshoe Bay Lodge. It was great to see everyone socializing in the courtyard, especially those that have never met and those who haven’t seen each other in years. That may have been one of my favorite aspects of a semi-destination wedding: it’s kinda like a mini-family-reunion-vacation!

Jim and Ann (Tony’s uncle and aunt) talking to Mom and Gerry in the background. Also pictured (from left to right) friend Tera, my aunt Paula, Tony’s dad Mark, friend Josh, and Mark’s wife Trish.

Ashley makes her appearance! And our cousin Mandy is there to greet her :)  

More chatting between Mom, Gerry, Jim and Ann. Also pictured are their two boys Sam and Ryan.

Gerry stops to say hello to Jim (his dad) and wife Marge. Jim passed away suddenly while on vacation with Marge is Hawaii during the Tsunami evacuation back in March. We miss him like crazy and we feel so blessed to have had him at our wedding. Hopefully he is continuing to watch from heaven as our life unfolds. Jim and Marge were so in love, such a great example!

Katie, our flower girl, is Tony’s cousin. She made fast friends with my cousin Angie. They were pretty inseparable the whole weekend!


From left to right: Deb (stepmom), me, Ash, Dad, & Kel getting ready for the rehearsal. Look at everyone milling around in the background! So fun!


The bridal party lines up!


Chuck (Tony’s cousin and best man) and Ashley (my middle sister and maid of honor) practice their march. It was pretty windy on Friday, we were all really hoping the wind would die down a notch for Saturday’s outdoor ceremony and champagne toast pontoon ride.


Again with the wind! Bob (Tony’s friend and mentor from Erik’s Bike Shop) and Angie (my cousin) all smiles!


Dad was trying to match his step to mine. Little did he know that during the actual walk, I would be bawling my eyes out and you wouldn’t really be able to see my feet under my dress anyway! A for effort though Dad :)

Dad looks concerned… maybe reality was starting to hit! And I look a little freaked out too!

This pic about sums up the practice run. Tony was stressed because right before we came out to practice, I had been upset about how I didn’t have time to get my hair done and it wasn’t fair because I was supposed to be the beautiful bride-to-be. I’m trying to be the good girl and listen closely to Pastor Mark’s instructions. Meanwhile, Bridesmaids Abby (my friend) and Angie (my cousin) are goofing off in the background. Let’s just say we were happy to head out for pizza and beer soon after this pic!

Love Like Crazy Recap:
* I teased you with a few of my favorite pics!
* We spent a day or two decorating the hall.

Welcome to Tony & Justine's Wedding Week!!!

The wait is over! Welcome to Leech Lake – the land of fun, sun, and relaxation!

We are both so happy and feel very blessed to be able to have our wedding here in the north woods of Minnesota, where we have already enjoyed many special memories. We are especially honored that you have traveled here to be a part of our marriage celebration.

Many years from now when we look back upon this day, we will remember that it was not the flowers, the music, or the food that made our day so special; it is the memories of you – our family and friends, helping to celebrate the beginning of our lives as husband and wife – that we will cherish most. Having you here for our celebration will make our wedding truly wonderful and we thank you for sharing in one of our happiest occasions.

Included in this post is some helpful information and schedule of events. Please take some time to enjoy our beautiful surroundings, play in the lake, and explore the area. We hope that the next few days will be as memorable for you as they will be us.

With much love and appreciation,
Tony & Justine

schedule of events
Thursday, August 26th
Welcome Gathering & Lawn Games
Approximately 8pm

Friday, August 27th
Pre-Wedding Bonfire: Don’t forget your s'mores!
Approximately 9pm

Saturday, August 28th THE MAIN EVENT!
Ceremony at 5pm
Cocktail Hour 5:30-7pm
Dinner 7-8pm
Dance 8pm-Midnight
Bonfire Midnight-whenever!

Sunday, August 29th
Farewell Brunch at IronFire Grille
Anytime between 8-11am

photo sharing
After the wedding, we will be uploading our non-professional pictures (including guest book pictures) to www.tonyandjustine.shutterfly.com. There is no username or password required to access our site. We would greatly appreciate it if you would upload your pictures from the wedding so that everyone can share in the memories and enjoy different perspectives of the event. If you prefer an alternative, you could email us at jmstein22@gmail.com, drop a picture CD in the mail to 1170 Cushing Circle, Saint Paul, MN 55108, or transfer your pics via memory card on Justine’s laptop before leaving town. Thanks!

important notes
• Get some rest Friday night after the bonfire… Saturday we will be up late partying and we want YOU to be there!!!
• Cocktail Hour on the Lawn will be hosted by us and will include Coors Light, Pinot Grigio, and Merlot.
• Reception is a Cash Bar + Free Leftover from Cocktail Hour. It truly is a CASH ONLY bar, no credit/debit cards accepted. There is also NO ATM onsite so PLEASE make arrangements beforehand (the closest ATM is located at the YMart where Hwy 371 & 200 split by the casino).
• There will be a Farewell Buffet Brunch on Sunday morning at the IronFire Grille, $13/person.
• Need your hair or nails done? Contact The Beehive in Walker.
• Hungry? Try the IronFire Grille onsite or venture into town!
• Forgot your swimsuit? Check out Reed’s Sporting Goods in Walker.
• There is free wi-fi throughout the resort, however it works best near the lodge/office.
• Questions/Concerns on the day of the wedding? Try Tony first! ;)


places to eat
Benson’s
Café Zona Rosa
Charlie’s Up North/Boat Bar
Lucky Moose
Village Square Pizza & Ice Cream
Jimmy’s
Ranch House Supper Club
502 at The Chase

things to do
Enjoy ALL of Horseshoe’s Amenities!
Bear Pause Theater
Downtown Walker Shopping
Forestedge Winery
Heartland State Trail
Itasca State Park
Tianna Golf Course/Longbow Golf Course
Northern Lights Casino

Rough Draft of Important Check-in Notes!

Heyo!

We will be making a little flyer that the staff at Horseshoe will hand out to you as you check-in (or if we can manage the logistics, we will have it waiting in your room for you). It will contain a little schedule of events and important notices. Something along these lines:

Thursday Evening:
8pm Welcome Cocktails on the Lawn Outside IronFire Grill

Cocktails

Friday:
5pm Rehearsal at Ceremony Site (Wedding Party and Immediate Family)
6:30pm Rehearsal Dinner @ Benson's in Walker (Wedding Party and Immediate Family)
9pm BONFIRE! Everyone Welcome! Located on the Beach in Front of Courtyard Suites

Campfire

Saturday:
5pm Ceremony
5:30pm Cocktails on the Lawn
7pm Dinner in the Banquet Hall
8pm DANCING!
11pm "Midnight Snack" + More Dancing + Karoke + Bonfires + Awesomeness!

Dancing

Sunday:
8-11am Brunch at IronFire Grill - Everyone Welcome!
11:30am Gift Opening in Family Room of Courtyard Suites
1pm Michele and Gerry's Open House (lunch, swimming, boating, chilling)

Important Notes:
* Cocktail Hour will be hosted by us and will include Coors Light, Pinot Grigio, and Merlot.
* Reception is a Cash Bar + Free Leftovers from Cocktail Hour. It truly is a CASH ONLY bar, no credit/debit cards accepted. There is also NO ATM onsite so PLEASE make arrangement beforehand (the closest ATM is located at the YMart where 371 & 200 split by the Casino).
* Get some rest Friday night after the bonfire... Saturday we will be up late partying and we want YOU to be there!!!
* Need your hair or nails done? Contact The Beehive in Walker.
* Hungry? Try the IronFire Grill onsite or venture into town!
* Do NOT forget your swimsuit - they have an awesome beach!
* Questions/Concerns on the day of the wedding? Try Tony first! ;)

ATM

July 4th at the Lake

Here are a couple pics from Leech over the fourth of July. I need to start using my camera more!

Tony might not be so happy about this one... ;)

Jax patrolling the yard for birds, squirrels, bunnies, etc.

Tony- smile for real! Jus - open your eyes!

Best pic and you can't see us!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! See you at the lake in less than two months!!!

Map!

I made a map! It's for the invites and it shows the general streets and locations once you get to the Hwy 371/200 split. I think it turned out pretty well for my first time attempting something freehand on the computer.

Save the Date!

It is official!

Our wedding will be August 28, 2010 in Walker, MN. With hopefully beautiful weather, we will be getting married on the shores of Leech Lake at Anderson's Horseshoe Bay Resort. You can check out some of the pics on their website, as well as 360 tours of their rooms/cabins.

http://horseshoebayresort.com/

We are sending out Save the Date and Accomodation Info in the upcoming week or two - just trying to collect everyone's addresses :)

Officiants

Do wedding officiants often travel or do weddings off-site? We would like a pastor to marry us but if we get married up north, are we most likely going to need to find a local person? Mostly what I want is someone who we can get to know or who knows us. I don't want to meet the person just once before our wedding day. I want them to know a little bit about us to make the ceremony a little more personal.

So many things to consider! I think we found the place but my mom recommended not putting down the deposit until we made sure someone would marry us there... ?

Where?

We hope to be nailing down a place and date for our wedding within the next two weeks. Pretty sure we are going with having it in Walker, MN.

Only about a month after we started dating, Tony and I went camping in the Boundary Waters and we try to get up north as often as possible (cabins, camping, roadtrips). He loves fishing, except with me because I usually outfish him! ;) Mostly because he is a great teacher! I love being on/near/in the water. Whether its fishing, canoeing, tubing, boating, swimming, etc. - it makes me happy.

We know that having a wedding up north might limit some of our friends and family from attending, but it is truly a place where we feel most like "us" and we will do our best to make it easy to travel to for our guests.

Next week, we are planning on going up there for a day or so and taking a look at five different locations: Chase on the Lake, Hiawatha Beach Resort, Horseshoe Bay Resort, Moondance Event Center, and Northern Lights Event Center.

Another "to-do" for this week is to collect addresses from all our friends and family... ack! Wish us luck! And help us out by sending yours to us via email, text, call, or word of mouth. Thanks :)