We’re Getting Married….Again!
Paul & Emily
Saturday, September 28th, 2024
3:30 pm – Little Girl’s Point Park
Ironwood, Michigan
2024 Updates!
We were so excited to celebrate our marriage with you last September but the universe (and Covid) had other plans!
Although we decided to legally tie the knot last year, we still want to celebrate our union with our nearest and dearest. Please join us for our Wedding/One Year Anniversary Weekend this year – September 28th, 2024.
What’s the same: place, time, and purpose!
Our vendors, venue, officiant, and family have all been generous enough to keep all of our original plans in place, just 364 days later! Our wedding will still take place at one of our favorite places – The Lodge at Little Girl’s Point Park on the shores of Lake Superior in Ironwood, Michigan.
What’s different: the year (obviously), our health (knock on wood), and a few logistical details.
How many people actually get to do a full dress rehearsal of their entire wedding week?! We chose to take this as an unintended “perk” and have adjusted a few logistical details to make things run smoother for our guests this year.
One of the big changes is that we’ll be sending out physical invites as well to help some of you with the RSVP and detail tracking! Keep an eye on your snail mailboxes in August! If you’re not sure if we have your current address (if either you’ve moved in the last 12 months or you never received your Save the Date card last year) please contact the bride or groom of your choice and update us! RSVPs are also available via our online page.
Another change is that this year one of our local hotels will be offering a discounted rate if you book a room from our reserved block. This will be offered at The Great Northern Hotel in Mercer, WI. The rooms will all be located on the second floor – no elevators available so plan accordingly. To book a room in this block, please call the hotel (discount not available online) and ask for a room in the LaFourest/Conway block! Rooms must be booked before August 28th to be eligible for discount. As a note: Mercer is approximately 40 minutes from our wedding venue.
When & Where
Date
Join us on the last weekend of September as we celebrate the early Fall colors!
September 28th, 2024
Time
Our wedding will feature an afternoon ceremony with an evening of dinner and dancing to follow.
Ceremony 3:30 PM
Reception to Follow
Where
Both the ceremony and the reception will take place at The Lodge at Little Girl’s Point Park on the shores of Lake Superior in Ironwood Township, Michigan.
The Lodge at Little Girl’s Point
E1946 Lake Rd, Ironwood, MI 49938
Ceremony and Location Details
Little Girl’s Point Park, Ironwood Michigan – site of the ceremony and reception.
Once upon a time, many years ago, a couple was visiting Wisconsin when they – as they often do – decided to randomly get lost on the scenic backroads of the Northwoods. In doing so, they stumbled on a charming little county park named “Little Girl’s Point” and a charming not-so-little lake named Lake Superior (Anishinaabeg-Gichigami in the local Ojibwe Anishinaabemowin language). Taken by the beauty of the area, the woman naively remarked to the man “if we ever did get married, we should have our wedding in a place like this.” Little did she know that the young man was nervously planning to propose before they returned home to Texas!
It’s been several (many) seasons since that first visit, and life got in the way of wedding planning for a few of those years. After many travels, multiple job changes, a small pandemic, and a cross-country move our heroic duo decided to finally make things official. In all of the years since their initial visit, this spot on Lake Superior has remained one of their favorite locations. They’re excited to share it with you for a spectacular wedding weekend!
Other Weekend Events:
Friday Night – Meet & Greet plus Open Mic – The Pines Restaurant, Mercer WI – Instead of a traditional rehearsal dinner, we’d like to invite all of our friends and family to join us and get to know one-another at a pre-wedding party Friday night. We’re very excited for people from different parts of our worlds to meet and we can’t wait to introduce you. Our good friend Liz Mathias will be hosting our musical open mic needs, so you’re welcome to either bring an instrument or let us know your instrument needs in your RSVP.
Address: 5234 U.S. Hwy 51, Mercer, WI 54547
Sunday Brunch – The Lodge at Little Girl’s Point – 10 AM. We’re so excited to see everyone that we thought we’d take one more chance for a big visit! Join us Sunday morning for an informal brunch to wish the newly weds well and enjoy a little more time with your new best friends! After brunch, sit back and enjoy a performance by the Old Pine Road Band, as Paul pulls himself away from schmoozing to play bass and sing with his pals David Walters and Max Weirauch!
Address: E1946 Lake Rd, Ironwood, MI 49938
Monday & Beyond – If you haven’t noticed yet, we really enjoy where we’re living and we’re excited to share it with you. In lieu of a traditional honeymoon, we will be enjoying the week post-wedding visiting with anyone that is still in the area. Depending on attendance, we may plan for group hikes and nature walks, fishing expeditions and, of course, cheese tastings. Let us know if you’ll be in the area!
Plaidurday – October 4th, Ironwood MI. Staying the week? You’ll be here to join us for Emily’s favorite local holiday – Plaidurday! Put on by the city of Ironwood along with the hat manufacturer, Stormy Kromer, this is a local street festival celebrating all things plaid. Hats? Textiles? Plaid-themed drink specials at the local coffee shop? I think you can tell why we love this day. Bonus – you may be able to see Paul’s band play at a local venue!
Travel Details
Our wedding may be out in the middle of the woods, but we promise it’s not nearly as remote as it seems! Here are some of our recommendations for regional airports and alternatives:
By Air
Closest To Our Venue, Most Unique Experience – Goegebic County Airport – IWD
Airlines Served: United and American (via Denver Air)
Distance to Venue: 19 minutes
Distance to Mercer: 38 minutes
This local airport has a daily flight connecting to Chicago (ORD) and Minneapolis (MSP), Sunday – Friday (No Saturday flights!). Fly via United or American Airlines and they will automatically connect you through to their partner, Denver Air. If you like air travel that includes the word “quaint” then this is the option for you! Paul recently flew through here and reported an incredibly pleasant experience! The airplane had about 54 seats and, despite rumors, passengers were not required to help push the plane to get a running start. This airport is small but modern, clean, and safe! Note: To book fully through American Airlines you may need to call or book through a third party site like expedia.
Important to note:
There is no Uber/Lyft/rideshare from this Airport. Rental Cars can be arranged ahead of time via Red’s Rental Cars. (The website might seem questionable but we promise this business is great to work with!)
We’ve been told that while you can use Frequent Flier miles for your flights to either Minneapolis or Chicago, the final leg will not be covered by these programs.
This airport is very near a number of ski-resorts that may offer excellent off-season rates.
Closest Regional Airport – South, Most Convenient Experience – Central Wisconsin Airport – CWA
Airlines Served: American Airlines, Delta, Avelo
Distance to Venue – 2 hrs 45 minutes
Distance to Mercer – 2 hours
This regional airport has regular connecting flights to Chicago (ORD) and Minneapolis (MSP) via American and Delta. Rental cars are available at the airport via most major national rentals (Avis, Budget, National and Enterprise). Rideshare is available via uber and lyft to local Wausau hotels.
Important to note: There is a “Wausau Downtown Airport” near this airport. This is NOT the airport you want to fly in and out of. If it’s a hangar with a sign that says “Airplane Rides Available Today!” you’re at the wrong airport.
Closest Regional Airport – West, Prettiest post-airport drive – Duluth International Airport – DLH
Airlines Served: Delta, United, Sun Country
Distance to Venue – 2 hrs 18 minutes
Distance to Mercer – 2 hrs 45 minutes
This regional airport has the most frequent amount of flights of the three airports listed here. Car rentals are available via Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise and National. Looking to make a long weekend of it? Duluth is a gorgeous, artsy town on the shores of Lake Superior with a vibe that reminds us of Austin, TX circa 2003. Fly in a day early (or out a day late) and enjoy the city before heading east through the Northwoods!
Important to note: Although Duluth Airport does technically have a rideshare service, it is not recommended. Plan on renting a car or meeting up with someone you know!
By Land
Regional Road Tripping – If you’re the road-tripping type (like us!) may we suggest a flight-drive combo? Chicago, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee are all a less than 6 hour drive to our area! If you take this approach let us know and we can suggest some of our favorite Roadside Attractions to see along the way!
Road Trip – Advanced Level – Have you ever been stuck on i-35 and thought “I’d like to spend even MORE time here”? Good news! To get from Texas to our venue it’s a simple “Drive north, turn right when the highway dead ends!” experience. If you want to really travel in style, may we suggest hauling a Uhaul trailer and 2 dogs?
Highway headaches aside, this is a great way to see a cross-section of the midwest and we’d love to share some of our favorite stops along the way if you’re up for it!
By Sea
Our venue is technically accessible by boat, ship, and canoe but we strongly recommend you get your travel directions from someone other than us land-lubbers! If you do plan to sail here via waterways please let us know, that sounds thrilling! I hear the Mississippi is around here somewhere…
Important to Note: It is, in fact, possible to get “sea sick” on a lake. Just fyi.
Lodging and Local Point of Interest
There are many places to stay in the stretch of the Northwoods between and around Ironwood and Mercer. We suggest selecting lodging location based on your personal travel preferences.
Looking for group rates or discounts?
We have a limited number of rooms held at the Great Northern Hotel in Mercer, WI. To book one of these rooms, please call the hotel directly and let them know that you would like to book a room in the LaFourest/Conway block. These rooms will need to be booked prior to August 28th in order to be eligible for the discount.
Want to stay close to the venue?
We recommend an AirBnb or hotel room in the Ironwood, Michigan / Hurley, Wisconsin area.
Want lots of room and scenic views?
Look in the Ironwood, Wakefield, and Bessemer (all Michigan) areas for off-season Ski Chalet rentals.
Want to stay in our home town?
Although we’d love to host everyone at our cabin, our little property isn’t quite large enough to accommodate that! But if you want to stay in town near us, look for lodging options in Mercer, Wisconsin. We recommend the Great Northern Hotel or Cranberry Inn.
Want to stay a little farther south? If you’re flying in and out of Central Wisconsin airport, you may prefer to stay at a hotel in Minoqcqua or Woodruff – this will be roughly half way between the venue and your airport.
Looking for a place west? If you’re flying in and out of Duluth, we recommend a hotel in the Ashland area – this will be about halfway between the venue and your airport.
Registry
Thank you for your thoughtfulness!
In summer of 2022 we were fortunate enough to move our (two) fully-furnished adult lives to Wisconsin and into an (already) fully-furnished Northwoods Cabin. As such, we have little need for the traditional “starting out” requests that you may think of for newlyweds, please don’t feel obligated to provide a gift!
With that in mind, we recognize that our friends and family may still want to offer a token of celebration and we’re grateful for those who wish to celebrate in this way with us. If so, we encourage those wishing to gift to either choose a small item you love from your favorite local retailer or donate to one of the following two causes in our names!
GSafe Wisconsin - www.gsafewi.org
This excellent Wisconsin-based nonprofit provides educational resources, student support, and training materials for LGBT youth in the Wisconsin area.
As members of the LGBTQA community with backgrounds in both education and public service, we think it is especially important to make sure that all youth are provided with educational environments where they can be their true selves.
Celebrate our love by making a small gift to help make the world a little friendlier for the youths we once were!
Lucy's Fund
In July 2023 we said goodbye to Emily’s first fur-baby, Lucy. Lucy was the sweetest, kindest, furriest dog you ever met. Despite being a true master of the “power mope” and an absolute hoarder of any trash she was allowed to get her paws on, Lucy was at her core a generous soul and we’ve decided to honor that with this donation fund.
In memory of Lucy, we are making a donation to our local vet, Northwoods Animal Hospital, that can be used to ease the financial burden of preventative care for those in need. We invite you to join in this donation as your wedding present to us – (online donation option to come, in the meantime please contact Paul or Emily if you are interested in this!)
Celebrate With Us!
We will be sending physical invitations but you are able to RSVP now via our google form!
Please RSVP even if you did so last year, we understand that people’s plans may have changed!