River Oak Lodge

Wedding Day

Wedding

Reception

Grand Sierra Resort and Casino

Day After Pool Party

Our Wedding

Their Story

Their journey began at a little&nbsp;restaurant in San Diego called Kitchen4140.&nbsp;

During Ali's&nbsp;first week on the new&nbsp;job, John&nbsp;&nbsp;was hired as the new back-of-house chef, and it&nbsp;was instant chemistry between them.&nbsp;Ali even&nbsp;called her mom and gushed about the cute new chef!&nbsp; Shortly after, John gave Ali&nbsp;his number, written on a piece of receipt paper from the register.&nbsp;Though Ali knew that sparks were flying, she still&nbsp;contemplated whether or not she should text/call John and decided to consult her cousin's Kyle and Madison. Kyle offered his lion-hearted advice to&nbsp;"leave him hanging for a minute" while&nbsp;Madison, with the genuine purity of a young girl,&nbsp;said "text him now".&nbsp;&nbsp;Ali went with Madison's advice, a decision she will be grateful for&nbsp;until eternity.&nbsp;















Before their first date Ali was so nervous she told her best friend and&nbsp;roommate,&nbsp;Crystal, to randomly&nbsp;“ be at the place where we were meeting” &nbsp;and "be surprised that we are&nbsp;there too". The foolproof plan was never necessary as their&nbsp;first date proved what they&nbsp;may have already known, that this was something special. Within two weeks, they&nbsp;knew they&nbsp;were going to marry each other and would be together forever.

How they met

After 4 years of dating, on&nbsp;December 28, 2017, John popped the question at the Grand Canyon.&nbsp; It was Ali’s first time there and John's first time as an adult. They decided there was no better way to truly experience the full beauty of the Grand Canyon then watching the sunrise. They woke up at&nbsp;5am, snuggled into their&nbsp;warmest clothes,&nbsp;prepared some coffee and Baileys, and braved the&nbsp;&nbsp;25 degree&nbsp;weather.&nbsp; Overlooking the Grand Canyon watching the sunrise was a memory they would never forget but a memory that would only get better.&nbsp;

After the sunrise, Ali mentioned that she needed to visit the ladies room which was quite a bit away. John insisted that they walk to one last point called Mather Point Amphitheater before heading out. As they sat alone&nbsp;looking out at the majestic sights, Ali noticed a girl in high-heel boots&nbsp;taking selfies on one of the edges of the canyon. In a flurry of both concern that the girl was going to fall to her death and anger at the pure stupidity of her actions, Ali urged John to hand her the binoculars, but only received the reply,





"Turn around..."





Amidst the chaos, there was John, down on one knee. Though the proposal itself is a bit of a blur, one thing is certain...Ali said "Yes".&nbsp; After putting the ring on with happy tears streaming down her face,&nbsp; Ali looked endearingly at her new fiance and said: “we really have to run to the ladies room!”.&nbsp;&nbsp;







And here they are today!

The Proposal

Our Story

Details

Ali & John

Photos

Aaron Koutsky

Crystal Kolos

Jen Hipp

Patrick Schwartzkopf

Madison Hipp

Daniel Contreras

Tim Briggs

Emily McCormack

Kyle Hipp

Kaila Prins

Peirce Cheney

Kim Crosson

Jacob Harman

Shelly Diluccia

Carter Hipp

Siena Rose Hipp

Taylor Hipp

Wedding Party

Q + A

Registry

Call <a href="tel:1-800-648-5080">1-800-648-5080</a> before 5/16/2019 to book your reservation.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ask for the Hipp Wedding Room Block OR use the Group Res ID THWB.&nbsp;&nbsp;

You may also book directly using the Passkey link at&nbsp;<a href="https://book.passkey.com/event/49859656/owner/16854/home">https://book.passkey.com/event...</a>Rates:Friday & Saturday: $139 + taxes and feesSunday: $84 + taxes and fees

Shuttle available to/from Reno International Airport and&nbsp;Grand Sierra Resort .&nbsp;The shuttle departs the airport every 30 minutes, from 4:45am to 12:15am. Pick up is from the exit located at the far end of baggage claim area.

Airport Shuttle (RNO)

Rental car options are available at the Reno Airport

Rental Cars

Additional taxi and ride share options (Lyft, Uber, etc.) are also readily available.

Taxis & Rideshare

Travel

The Grand Sierra Resort includes an array of amenities including bowling, a&nbsp;driving range, go-carts, multiple pools, nightclubs, gambling, ultimate rush bungee, restaurants, a movie theater, and much more!

Take a short drive from Reno to Lake Tahoe to some of our favorite spots and where Ali grew up. Lake Tahoe is around a 40 mile drive from Reno and if you haven't been we highly recommend making time to go! Tahoe is very special to us and here are some of our favorites:

SQUAW VALLEY





Host of the 1960 Winter Olympics and voted as North Americas best ski resort, Squaw Valley represents the spirit of outdoor adventure. Take the tram up to elevation 8200 feet and take in the beautiful views of the Sierra Mountains and Lake Tahoe.&nbsp;







EMERALD BAY





A national natural landmark located in the southwest corner of Lake Tahoe. Known for its brilliant panorama views of the mountains and glacier carved granite. &nbsp;The park&nbsp;features amazing hikes by Eagle Falls and the Vikingsholm, a 38 room mansion. Emerald bay contains the only island in Lake Tahoe, Fannette Island.&nbsp; Tahoe's most photographed and popular location.&nbsp;







DRIVE AROUND THE LAKE&nbsp;

It's a great way to see it all!&nbsp;The drive is&nbsp;about 72 miles from start to finish.&nbsp;







KINGS BEACH&nbsp;

Kings Beach is a&nbsp;funky little beach town. &nbsp;Lined with old hotels and cool shops. Kings Beach has great beaches&nbsp;to take a cool dip in the crystal clear waters. There are numerous places where you can rent kayaks, boats, and&nbsp;paddle boards.&nbsp;

Lake Tahoe

Reno on its own has an abundance of fun things to do. There's a reason they call it the biggest little city in the world!&nbsp;

DOWNTOWN&nbsp;RENO





Downtown is buzzing with 24/7 entertainment. Home to big named casino resorts. Stroll from casino to casino and test your luck on the tables. We recommend The Row which consists of Silver Legacy, El Dorado, and Circus Circus. Or cruise over to the Truckee River which boarders downtown to&nbsp;check out the white water kayak park.&nbsp;



VIRGINIA CITY



Step back in time to the old west. Virginia city is an mining town, with salons, shops, museums, mine tours and restaurants. Also know for the V &T railroad steam engine which takes visitors through the high desert landscape dotted with old mines.&nbsp;

Reno area

Things to Do