Poplar Hall

Wisconsin Reception

Vintage Gardens

California Reception

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Redwood Café

Fall

Our Wedding

In the early summer of 2020, the world was changing quickly… toilet paper shortages, shelter in place orders, social distancing, remote learning and work from home… understanding what a pandemic was and how to get through it was a struggle everyone was trying to work through. Existing between a number of apartments in Emeryville California was a tiny, dedicated dog park. This dog park is where a small group of dog owners were doing the best they could to find balance between keeping their pets exercised and entertained, while respecting and following all of the new protective measures that were trying to prevent the spread of Covid-19. But when the gate to that dog park was locked as part of those expanding protective measures, everything changed. This group of owners, barely knowing each other, needed to find alternate ways to exercise their dogs. With the active shelter in place orders, most people were stuck in their homes, leaving the neighboring human park largely uninhabited. This is where our story begins… At 5pm each day, in that human park adjacent to the closed dog park, these neighbors began to meet up to let the dogs play together while socially distancing from each other. Adult beverages may or may not have been involved, but this daily meetup was dubbed “Yappy Hour” by a few of the regulars, and quickly became a bright spot in their daily lives, not only for the humans, but the dogs as well. Friendships were forged, and a small “quaranteam” network was made between these neighbors. Group dinners and board game nights happened in various forms over the following months, which paved the path for Walter and Ashley to meet. Ashley started having a regular pizza and wine night with some of her closest neighbors and their dogs. After some subtle flirting during a number of Yappy Hours where Murphy and Coco had been playing together, Ashley invited Walter to join them for their now semi-regular event. After an evening of pizza, wine, and some games with neighbors, the two took their dogs for a final potty walk of the evening where Walter asked “Is it ok to hold your hand?”. Ashley agreed, and from that night forward the two have spent nearly every day together, building and growing a relationship against all odds during some of the craziest times in both their lives, and in recent history.

Our Origin Story

Our Story

Photos

Wedding Party

Q + A

Wisconsin Travel

Hotels:We have an event block reserved at the <a href="https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1691088885034&amp;key=GRP&amp;app=resvlink" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Courtyard by Marriott Appleton Riverfront</a> for a discounted rate. This hotel is next to the venue, and shares a parking lot, so it is strongly preferred. There are a number of other hotels with a wide range of amenities in and around the Appleton area for your convenience. Transportation:Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft can be used. We recommend planning ahead and booking a ride in advance to ensure availability. Parking:There is free parking in front of the venue on a first come, first serve basis. There are other free lots in the area that can also be used. Please confirm by reading signage in the area that you park. Air Transportation:The closest airport is Appleton(ATW). However, Green Bay(GRB) is also relatively close at approximately a half hour drive away.

California Travel

Hotels:We recommend the following hotels in the area:Residence Inn - 2901 Healthcare Way, Modesto, CA 95356209-382-8850<a href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/modmr-residence-inn-modesto-north/overview/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">marriott.com</a> Holiday Inn Express - 4300 Bangs Ave, Modesto, CA 95356209-543-9009<a href="https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/find-hotels/select-roomrate?fromRedirect=true&amp;qSrt=sBR&amp;qIta=99636972&amp;icdv=99636972&amp;glat=META_bingha_us_desktop_EN_MODPA_localuniversal_1_USD_2023-07-29_default_1902000123_hotel_A__5_2&amp;qSlH=MODPA&amp;qRms=1&amp;qAdlt=2&amp;qCiD=29&amp;qCiMy=062023&amp;qCoD=30&amp;qCoMy=062023&amp;qrtPt=197.10&amp;setPMCookies=true&amp;qSlRc=KEXN&amp;qRtP=IDAP0&amp;qSHBrC=EX&amp;qDest=4300%20Bangs%20Ave,%20Modesto,%20CA,%20US&amp;dp=false&amp;cm_mmc=bingha_us_desktop_EN_MODPA_localuniversal_1_USD_2023-07-29_default_1902000123_hotel_A__5_2&amp;msclkid=76973f591f0418b0e66f5b23dfc9cee9&amp;srb_u=1&amp;qRmFltr=" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ihg.com</a> Ground Transportation:Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft can be used. We recommend planning ahead and booking a ride in advance to ensure availability. Parking:There is free parking at the venue. Air Transportation:All major airports require an additional drive after arrival to get to Modesto. Sacramento(SAC) is the closest airport major airport. Please keep in mind that this airport is roughly an hour away by car. Oakland(OAK) is roughly an hour and 15 minutes away by car. San Francisco(SFO) is roughly an hour and a half away by car.

Travel

Things to Do

Registry

Ashley & Walter

Ashley & Walter

Photos