Rehearsal Dinner

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Kindly RSVP by March 16, 2022

Our Wedding

Ivan and my relationship story starts with two inner-tubes, two people, and an all-nighter. We had our very first one-on-one conversation while floating around and around on a tiny lazy river of a hotel’s indoor water park. Dordt had sponsored a trip for students who were participating in the Professional Agriculture Student (PAS) competitions and, as many good love stories go, we had been snowed in. That night we stayed up until the sun rose with a few of our friends playing games and talking by the fire. A few weeks passed from that first conversation, where I got just the slightest suspicion that maybe the “Bachelor of the Ag Department” might be interested in me, to when he finally asked me out on a date. By the end of our third date, we had officially started dating and spent as much time together as possible those last few weeks of our Sophomore spring semester.&nbsp; For the next two years we lived in completely different states from one another. At the start of our junior years of college, I continued at Dordt and Ivan moved to South Dakota State University. Though we were in different states, we were only two hours away from each other. And, so, we spent much of the next two years traveling on weekends to see each other, making an effort to spend Sundays at church together, racking up countless hours over FaceTime and texts, and continuing to learn about one another as our relationship flourished. If we weren’t in South Dakota and Iowa, we were in Colorado and California. We traveled by car and plane to spend time with both of our families and see each other as much as possible. Long-distance dating forced us to hone our communication skills, taught us patience, and showed us how blessed we are to now live in the same state (only a field away now!). Jumping ahead to 2021, we were both seniors, prepping to graduate and trying to make the most of the last moments we would ever have as college students. After much deliberation and hours of job searching in six different states, I took an internship position in California and Ivan followed me out here to learn and work on our family dairy. A few months later, on September 7, 2021 Ivan dropped to one knee, pulled out a ring(pop), and asked me to marry him! And so the wedding planning began to gather all of you together for one very special day in our story. What a whirlwind it has been reaching this point and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the rest of our lives. As we put our story into words, we are reminded of how all of you, our friends and family, have been the greatest blessings to us over the years. From helping mold us into the people we are today, to walking alongside us as we travel this path to the altar. You all hold such a special place in our hearts and we hope you will continue to guide and advise us, teach us and show us what it means to put God first in all that we do and say, and continue to cheer us on as we step into this new chapter of our lives as husband and wife.&nbsp;

FAQ: Q: WHY DID IVAN PROPOSE WITH A RING POP? A: I was just as shocked as you are, but the reasoning is so sweet. While we dated, Ivan would joke about proposing with a ring pop and I, thinking it was 100% a joke, would laugh and tell him my favorite flavor was strawberry. As the proposal drew near, Ivan decided that, though he wanted me to pick the ring, he did not want to ruin the surprise of the upcoming proposal. His desire was that we pick it out together because the rest of our lives would be about making decisions and building a life together, and the ring was a great way to start down that path. We were able to experience my indecisiveness, the excitement (and my impatience) of waiting for the ring to be completed, and the absolute joy of reliving those emotions of our proposal when he finally put that ring on my finger exactly 10 weeks later! Q: HOW TALL IS IVAN? A: He claims 6'4"; I believe he is taller than that. And we both want to be right so badly, neither one of us has risked pulling out an actual tape measure and proving ourselves wrong.

Our Story

Photos

Alyssa Vander Woude

Stephen Hoogland

Anneka Vander Woude

Brian Hoogland

Katie Phillips

Phillip Hoogland

Darby Toth

Gerrit Hoogland

Alexis Louters

Michael Vander Woude

Alexa Capule

William Vander Woude

Stephanie DeKam

Simon Vander Woude II

Emma, Isabel, Renn, & Esther

Luke, Case, & Evan

Alyssa Hoogland

Wedding Party

Q + A

Fresno Yosemite International Airport

This will require a little bit more car time after a long day of travel, compare prices to find your best fit.

Sacramento International Airport

Please reserve your room on or before February 17, 2022 to receive our discounted rate. Feel free to call or go online by clicking on this link to book one of our blocked rooms:[<a href="https://www.hiexpress.com/redirect?path=hd&amp;brandCode=EX&amp;localeCode=en&amp;regionCode=1&amp;hotelCode=mcepp&amp;_PMID=99801505&amp;GPC=VAN&amp;cn=no&amp;viewfullsite=true" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vander Woude Wedding</a>] The price for our blocked rooms is as follows:1 King Standard - $159.00+tax per night2 Queen Standard - $169.00+tax per night Hotel Amenities Include:· Complimentary breakfast· Free wired and wireless internet· Free parking· Please see their website for further amenities This rate does require a two night minimum stay.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Merced

Please reserve your room on or before March 11, 2022 to receive our discounted rate. Feel free to call or go online by clicking on this link to book one of our blocked rooms:[<a href="https://www.marriott.com/events/start.mi?id=1641407851959&amp;key=GRP" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Book your group rate for Hoogland Vander Woude Wedding</a>] Please note that this reservation does not include complimentary breakfast.

Courtyard by Marriott Merced

Please reserve your room on or before March 4, 2022 to receive our discounted rate. Hotel Amenities Include:·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Full Hot breakfast buffet·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;24 Hour Coffee·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Free wired and wireless internet·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Free parking·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Refrigerators and microwaves in every room·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Outdoor swimming pool and hot tub·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Onsite Guest Laundry Facility·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;24 Hour Business Center&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;24 Hour Fitness Center·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hilton Honors

Hampton Inn & Suites Merced

Accommodations + Travel

Yosemite National Park

Sequoia National Park

Vista Ranch

We'll let the professionals step in for more fun ideas.

and more...

Things to Do

Registry

Address

12401 E Childs Ave&nbsp;Le Grand, CA 95333 When inputting this address into your GPS, please be aware that it will direct you to a house, which is not the destination. Signs and arrows will be erected at our venue to direct your from the road to our parking lot.

Once you reach the driveway indicated by your maps, you will be greeted by a welcome sign and arrows. Please follow the driveway, past the offshoots to your left and right, all the way back to a barn. Just beyond the barn, you will see our concreted parking lot.   Please be aware that there is additional transportation provided to the ceremony site. Consider arriving early to facilitate this extra travel time.

Venue

Ivan & Aubriana

Ivan & Aubriana

Q + A

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