The Devil has a sister

The Devil has his hay

The Wedding Pictures

Here's what you've been waiting for...

http://www.sarahmcallisterphotography.com/proofs/weddings/suzyandryan/

http://www.mcallisterphotography.exposuremanager.com/g/suzy__ryan

Enjoy!

Love Always,
Suzy and Ryan

The Wedding

The Devil Rises

The Location

As this post is being released, Suzy and I are getting married!

For the ceremony, we chose the Oregon coast, at Ecola State Park, for our location because that's where we really fell in love with Oregon.  The mountains, the trees, the ocean, it just seemed really magical when we first stopped here during our trip in May.  And when we came up with this secret wedding, we knew where we wanted it to be.  Of course the average temperature here is 52 degrees, so it's probably a little brisk.  And of course there's going to be rain.  We're in freakin' Oregon!

We've planned to have some photographs done in front of the Haystack Rock, which will be a lovely background for this special day.  And when Suzy "wrecks the dress," it will be at the site of the Peter Iredale.  Of course when we get there, the first thing I'm doing is yelling, "I'm on a boat!"

The rest of our time will be spent in Portland and Vancouver, Washington.  We plan to enjoy the weekend with good food and good times.  We promise to add lots of pictures to this blog.

Love always,
Ryan and Suzy

The Ceremony

For our ceremony, we chose Reverend Tim as the person to oversee the sharing of our vows next week.  He's a really great guy who was willing to let me work on my writing skills for creating the vows ceremony.  That's right, I wrote the whole thing.  Except for Suzy's vows.  And at this moment, even Suzy probably hasn't written those vows...

We will have a photographer there as well.  Sarah McAllister had some of the best photography we saw when choosing someone to capture the moment.  We couldn't be happier with choosing Sarah, and she will also be taking pictures of Suzy "wrecking the dress."  Can't wait to see that happen in November weather.  Let's just hope we remember to pack a coat for Suzy...

The witnesses will be provided by Reverend Tim.  We would love to have our best friends there with us, but because we wouldn't be able to get the parents out there, it only seemed right that it would just be us.  Of course we want all our friends and family there with us, but then it wouldn't be a secret wedding...

And hopefully one of those witnesses can work an iPod Touch as our video camera.  The only thing my Dad asked was video of the ceremony.  And because the iPod is small and light, it saves room in our luggage and still does the job... in 720p!

Less than two weeks... is there still time to panic?

Love always,
Ryan and Suzy

The Bouquet

If you were wondering if Suzy was going to have a bouquet, you'd be wrong.

It's not exactly a bouquet, as it is 4 red roses.

Why 4 roses?  Well, it had to be an even number, per the request of Mama Roy.  And the thought is that it represents... I haven't a clue, but you can ask Suzy that one.  She didn't give me a straight answer, so it's up to all of you to pry the answer from her... but don't forget to tell me, too!

Suzy has already called a local florist to set everything up.  So it's up to me on the day of the ceremony to pick them up while she's getting all dressed up.  How can I mess it up?  I'm sure there are ways...

The Devil

The Rings

Well, here are the rings that we ordered from the same company as Suzy's engagement ring, Brilliant Earth (Can you guess who's wearing which ring?).  Suzy wanted to get something that matched well with her engagement ring and also have my ring look much like hers.  And we feel better that the rings are certified as made in a ecologically responsible fashion.

Side note: When I called the day before they were to be sent, my calling the San Francisco-based company somehow caused the manufacturing division to shift the ship date a day later.  I never knew the power of the phone!

Second side note: When I picked up the rings, I freaked out that there was only one box.  Knowing that I shifted the shipping date, I thought I also shifted the amount of rings in the package.  But clearly I couldn't wrap my mind around the idea that the box could hold TWO rings!  Silly me.

We're getting closer and closer to November 12th!

Love always,
Ryan and Suzy

The Engagement

If you've checked out Suzy's blog, Dr Chop Suey Knits, you've already seen her post about how I proposed to her.  I thought it should be included in this blog, as well.  And I have to add the ending she never included for that long, special day.

After we left DePauw, we went back to our apartment to clean up and get ready for Suzy's special birthday dinner.  We got into the car, got in our seats and waited outside our apartment.  Suzy was confused why we were waiting, but it became clear as my best friend, Chris, and his wife (future wife at the time) Kendell drove into our parking lot.  What I had originally told Christ and Kendell was that this was a birthday dinner. What they didn't know was that it was now a birthday and engagement dinner!  So they were happily surprised.  There were hugs going everywhere!

For dinner, we went to a Korean Barbecue restaurant and had a great time conversing and eating.  What's never been mentioned before is that one week before we ate there, the restaurant had just passed its health inspection.  Thank goodness Suzy wasn't born a week earlier!  Overall, this was probably one of the most planned and executed days in my life, one of the longest days of my life, and one of the best days of my life.

And of course two-and-a-half months later in July 2009, Suzy lost the stone in her ring!  We finally had it fixed a month ago (that's 13.5 months if you're keeping track of when she lost the stone and we had it repaired).  The stone sets in the ring better than before, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we have a better ring this time...

The Day

As we've waited long enough, we guess it's time to tell you the date of this secret wedding.  The ceremony will be held on November 12, 2010!  Why November 12th?  Well, for two reasons.  One, November 12th is the anniversary of the day we officially became a couple, too many years ago.  Okay, so it was only five years ago, but it seems like we've been together forever (which is a good thing :)  ).  So yes, it's a sweet reason for choosing the date.  The second reason?  Not so sweet.  The date was chosen because it's the same day as our anniversary as a couple, and it was also chosen so Suzy wouldn't have to remember another date!  I'll forgive her on that one because I'm bound to do something stupid in the next few weeks...

Love Always,
Ryan and Suzy

Charities and Donations

Although we really love all the things we've registered for, we also think that some of those dollars could be better spent towards those who need it more, so we've also chosen three charities we feel very passionate about:

The Trust for Public Land

For the charity I chose, I went with an organization that is accredited by the Better Business Bureau as an organization that follows all guidelines for accreditation as a charity.  Also, they're trying to conserve the land that hopefully future generations will be able to enjoy.

Doctors Without Borders

For Suzy's charity, she chose one that provides medical care around the world, for those that can't afford it and probably would never seek help.  For all our health care reform issues in the States, there are those in the world who never ever have the chance for health care.

Your local Humane Society

We both agree that animals are an important part of the family, and rather than donate to the Humane Society of the United States, we would ask those who wish to donate money for animal shelters to donate to a local Humane Society as they are independently run.

To balance out the greed of our registries, our hearts will feel a little lighter if you consider these charities as well.

We're registered!

Well, it took us forever (well, it seemed like it, anyways) but we have registered for our secret wedding.  I think we did enough damage, and Suzy still thinks we own this stuff.  I have to keep telling her, "No, we don't actually have one of those.  We've only registered for it.  You have to wait until the nice people buy the item for you."  Without further waiting, here are the stores where we have registries.

Sur La Table

Bed, Bath, and Beyond

Crate & Barrel

Williams-Sonoma

Macy's

Even though we plan on the ceremony happening a lot sooner, we entered the date of the event as July 9, 2011.  This was devised so there would be more time for people to search, rather than feeling the pressure of purchasing things right away.

Welcome!

If you're reading this, it's either the end of the world or we're finally getting married.  I'd bet on the former.  Okay, but seriously, Suzy and I are starting this blog for you, our family and friends.  While we might not be doing the traditional wedding, we want to keep you involved and up-to-date with all the doings we have going on.  I could on and on and on... sorry about that.  Keep checking back as we post details about registries, the ceremony, and the increasing stress levels as we get closer to that special date.

Love always,
-Ryan and Suzy