Lakeside Ranch

Wedding Day

Wedding

Reception

Chapel Tavern 

"After Party" Party

Our Wedding

Keely and Dominic met one fine summer's (well almost summer) afternoon at a small Memorial Day BBQ . Dominic had just started attending Living Stones Church and was learning to overcome his exhausting nature of 'awkward' by (forcibly) hanging out with a bunch of people from the church, all of whom were mostly strangers. Keely had recently returned from a trip abroad that consumed both her thoughts and conversations (it was New Zealand! How could it not?!). Dominic had found his way inside to a circle of people, speckled with familiar faces, sitting on the floor, playing a card game. He began to engage a friend he had met not too terribly long before, when Keely came into the room and ninja'd her way into the conversation (because that is what she is good at). Immediately, Dominic was taken aback by what could only be described as indescribable beauty. Even though she had completely robbed the conversation, and Dominic was sweating profusely (because that's what he does) in the corner, her beauty in that white (also known as cream) headband was etched into his mind. Though Keely at first was intrigued by his wit and rapid form of speech, she eventually chalked this experience up to that which Dominic was all too familiar with; awkwardness. Not even this uncomfortably brief encounter, however terrifying, would discourage him. For the next two seasons (summer and fall to be exact), he kept an eye out for her each Sunday at church. She was sneaky, arguably non-existent (also known as serving in the Kids Ministry). He began to wonder if this girl was but a fragment of his imagination, when one day, she appeared. Just as beautiful as he remembered, though, in a hurry (she was more interested in, well, anything but the commitment coming from guys). If he was going to talk to her, even to say 'hello', he'd have to act now. But, as I'm sure you've guessed, he froze. As he stood off to the side, out of sight and certainly out of her mind, he watched her walk by, leaving only a missed chance and a bruised covered body maintained by the continuous kicking of himself over the next few months. Thoughts of her began to fade and lives continued to roll on, when finally a college/young adult retreat reared its beautiful face the following January. Along with the company of two good friends, Dominic wandered all night into a wooded area (Wood Leaf is the official name) in Northern California. Morning was just arriving and he and his gang were in hot pursuit of a shower and a bed. They were able to find the cabins and settle in, just in time for breakfast. They decided to substitute the sleep with coffee and the shower with filth. Upon walking into the cafeteria, they were greeted by a few friendly faces and escorted to a table with a few open seats. Dominic was relieved to not have to scour the place for a seat, but was soon quite surprised by the beautiful face waiting at the table (not for him of course, for the coming breakfast.) There she was! With a couple of friends, enjoying her morning, well rested from the night before (beauty sleep is a real thing), and anxious for the food that was surely on its way; and he sat right next to her. Unfortunately, close proximity and a shared breakfast weren't enough. He indeed had not won her over with his display of eating skills and the smell of his all night journey. He had to put in some work. He did not, however, alleviate himself from his natural awkwardness and this new mission posed as 'difficult.' Aside from the borderline stalking and the feeble attempts to sit near her, his greatest attempt at making himself known to her was about as romantic as a small boy kicking a piece of ice at a girl he would otherwise assume had cooties . As a matter of fact, that's exactly what happened. And though it didn't woo her, it did capture her attention (not many people play footies with ice blocks). He now existed in her eyes. His first successful attempt to converse with her occurred at a small diner in Grass Valley over lunch on the drive home. He performed his mating dance of sarcasm and joke-telling and she found herself impressed by his ability to banter (the guy had wits). Over the next few weeks he felt himself slip back into the once miserable distance. Soon after, he was encouraged by a leader in the church to pursue her, and he began to act. He started putting in effort to talk to her, and was even lucky enough to be in a class at the church together (where he purposefully sat next to her every time). He asked her for her number, she kindly turned him down only to give it to him later via facebook (it's the 21st century). Texting began and quickly evolved to phone calls. After only a few months (they were actually long months), Dominic was sure that this was the girl; though she would need much more to be convinced... time.

How we met! 

The PreludeIt had been some time now, that Dominic had known he wanted to ask Keely to marry him. He had already picked out the ring with her sister, and picked up a second job to save the money. He bought the ring in April, and immediately began to have nightmares consisting mainly of a particular conversation with Keely's father. After receiving coaching from friends, family, Keely's sister, and oddly enough, Keely herself, Dominic took the plunge and asked Keely's father for his daughter's hand... victory!Not really... He told Dominic "no"... twice. Dominic was defeated, and yet oddly determined. His advisors were shocked, even Dominic found himself stunned. He wasn't sure what to do. So, upon further counsel and prayer, Dominic divulged the stickiness of the situation to Keely, and began to work with her towards a solution. In the end, all it took was his daughter's beautiful batting eyelashes, and time, for Keely's father to offer his blessing. When he did, the planning began and Dominic's gears began to turn. The Plan Dominic had many plans, and plans to make plans, in regard to how he was going to ask Keely to steer the rest of her life in the same direction as his. He thought maybe a hike. Maybe he would have her parents there. He thought maybe he'd throw in a couple close calls to throw her off... he had built this up in his mind over the prior few months as something that HAD to impress her. He began to draw up plans with her sister, in secret, and found this to be the most beneficial of routes to take in the endeavor. Shanelle, Keely's sister, had much insight as to the little things Keely wanted her proposal to include. Whether or not she'd want her family there... would she want people around... or would she prefer just the two of them. All of these details were crucial. As the plan took shape, it was clear that they'd be disguising the proposal as a "surprise" trip to visit Shanelle sown in LA. Dominic proposed the idea of a road trip to Keely, and she began to basically plan the trip herself. Shanelle organized a photographer, a location, a note, and some flowers... she even scouted out the place to decide when might be the best time of day. All of the pieces were in place, all that was left to do was execute. The Play-by-Play The day had come. Keely had planned out what she believed to be a completely real trip to LA to surprise her sister. Both Dominic and Keely were ecstatic for the trip. They made their way over to Rocklin and stayed with some family there. The next day they made their way to Santa Cruz to check out the boardwalk and have lunch. Keely had adventurous plans that Dominic was ill equipped to fulfill. A burger and a few wrong turns later, they found themselves in sour moods as they left Santa Cruz toward the most anticipated moment in their relationship. As they made their way to LA, Keely gave a solid effort to direct the grumpy and tired Dominic, but to no avail... Dominic eventually snapped and decided to be a jerk, and Keely spent the rest of the trip with her eyes closed, either sleeping or pretending to. Meanwhile, Dominic was trying to figure out how to remove the foot from his mouth to apologize. Just outside the gigantic city, they made an effort to reconcile. Thank goodness they did, because Dominic was beginning to think he'd ruined the whole plan. They made their way to the Observatory, which is where Shanelle was supposedly meeting her friend, only they were a bit early. So they stopped and checked out a few stops until the time was right. As they got to the car and began to make their way to the observatory, Dominic began to silently panic about the traffic. They were moving so slowly and he was concerned about beating the sunset. As traffic inched along, and they continued to not find a spot, Keely decided to add to the problem by insisting that she get a few photos of the sunset. As they made it to the parking lot, and the sun was almost gone, Dominic parked the car in a spot that was not a spot, and ushered Keely toward the observatory disguising his angst as excitement to surprise Shanelle. They made their way to a fence overlooking a solid chunk of LA and Dominic put on his hood signaling the rest of the crew to start the play. Just then, a friend of Shanelle's handed some flowers and a note to a confused Keely, and spun her around for better photo angling. After the initial surprise of a stranger inquiring her name and maneuvering her about, she opened the note that read," Love, I love you..." She looked up to a terrified and sweaty Dominic stammering on about fights, and love, and decisions, and then watched him get down on one knee as he asked her, "Keely, will you marry me?" Of course, as you probably guessed given the nature of this story, she said yes, and they spent the rest of the night in an elated state with semi permanent smiles, celebrating the most life-changing decision either of them have ever made.

How he proposed!

Our Story

Details

Shanelle is the best 'sister-friend' there is. We grew up playing house, grocery store and Barbies. Then we graduated to makeup, driving lessons, and boys. Sometime after that we began drinking wine, traveling, discussing our inspirations, adopting health-nut ways and encouraging each other to pursue Jesus. A paragraph doesn't cut it for how influential this lady has been on my life. She is thoughtful, talented, driven and generous. Watching our relationship deepen through our Savior has been a beautiful journey with this wedding being another evidence of it. I could not be more grateful to have her support me, Dominic and our marriage. Gosh, I just really really love my sister, my best friend 

Shanelle Thoreson 

Adam is thee guy. This guy has been my best friend for over half of my life. He lived two streets down from me, and was the guy with whom I'd play hooky in elementary school. We've seen each other through thick and thin, through family drama and loss, through the light and the dark times. He's a fellow brother in Christ, and has probably one of the biggest servant hearts around. I'm privileged to have this guy stand next to me as my best man.

Adam "Buhdah" Lindsey

Iris easily holds the title of my most honest friend! With Dutch blood running through her veins, Iris is blunt, caring and fun. Meeting at our first "Uni flat" party while studying abroad in Auckland, New Zealand, Iris and I continued to grow our friendship long after we returned home. She shared one of the most life changing experiences with me and became my partner in crime, exploring the beautiful country that was at our fingertips. This will be the first time that I will see Iris since we parted ways in New Zealand, roughly four years ago! I am without words for her wanting to cross the pond to be in my wedding (in the Netherlands bridesmaids are not a thing) and beyond excited to see her! 

Iris Van Heerdt

Curtis is my baby brother, who stands about three and a half inches taller than me. He wasn't, however, always standing at such a size advantage.. There were many a time when I had the upper hand as the older brother and exercised my authority generously. We've gone from boys at each other's throats, to best friends who genuinely would do anything for each other, in just twenty two short years. I love this guy, and am stoked to have him up there with me

Curtis "Chubbs" Smith

April and I have a history that extends back to second grade with her admiration of my dad's tie (I am sure this will be mentioned at the wedding). However not until my junior year in high school, did April and I become close friends. She was the first friend who I snuck out of the house with, stayed up way too late and talked way too long while on the phone and more importantly, learned what it truly meant to live out the Christian life. Fast forward five years and here we are entering a new chapter of friendship, becoming respectful wives to godly men! April's heart is big and I have been blessed to experience the love and care that she so freely gives to her friends. Back in high school I imagined prematurely that April would stand in my line of bridesmaids and I can say I am thankful that God has allowed that to come true! 

April Ramos

Nando has rapidly climbed the ranks as one of my best friends over the past few years, and it's been an honor to develop that relationship! From doing life in the trenches together, to mopping him up on the ping pong table, this guy has become one of my favorite people. My hope is to be able to look back on this occasion with him as we wonder how on earth we've already turned fifty, and thank our savior for blessing us with such good friends. Glad to have this guy up there with me.

Alejandro "Nando" Ramos

Annie is lovely and a friend that I met through Living Stones Sparks Church. I vividly remember the first time she came to my community group as we ended up going a bit ballistic over the honey bees peanut butter. I knew we'd be friends after that! Annie not only has impeccable taste, but she's got a loyal heart and witty sense of humor. Annie also attends to the entitled customers of Starbucks in the early mornings with Dom and plays the keys in his church band, Beggars, on Sunday mornings! It's a joy to have a sister in Christ support me and my future husband, individually and together!

Annie Malone

Jake is my dood. One of many, but certainly of the best friends I had in high school. It's been awesome to maintain our friendship through time and life changes, and to be able to count on him still today. We stood together heart broken and injured on the sidelines, and now we get to stand together at the starting line of the rest of my life. He's definitely one of my best friends, and I'm pumped to have him a part of this.

Jake Leighton Lealtad

The guy I know least, yet the guy I hope to know most. My dearest fiancé's big brother, whom she loves, and I appreciate dearly. As the oldest in my family, I understand the relationship that the oldest has with the youngest. One of adoration, guidance, appreciation, and protection (from the oldest' point of view).. The roll Marv has played in Keely's life is priceless. It's been a great honor to get to know him, and now to have him stand up there with me in support of the biggest thing Keely and I have ever done

Marvin-Son Thoreson

The one and only Kelli Kun has been my friend since high school, where we were inseparable enough to be called 'Keel and Kel'. She is one of the most genuine, considerate and fun people I know! Every hang out with Kelli ensures several laughs, many hours later, a few great stories and an affirmation of how much I enjoy her as a person. Kelli also is one of the few people that I could spend months at a time with. We have had our fair share of practice as we've ventured to Wyoming, Seattle, LA and San Francisco! To say the time we've spent together has been memorable, doesn't quite grasp it. I am honored to have her in my wedding to celebrate yet another milestone in my life!

Kelli Kunert 

Valerie is Dominic's oldest younger sister and one lady I look forward to getting to know more and more. She is outgoing and welcoming, which has been a huge blessing while becoming apart of their family. Being a younger sister to a big brother, I can appreciate the dynamic between Dom and Val and I'm very excited to have her stand with us at the alter. Having seen family drama with sisters in law, I am glad to have the tremendous support from Valerie as I take her brother as my husband. It's awesome!

Valerie Smith

Tiffany is Dominic's youngest younger sister and definitely mirrors me as I, too, am the baby of my family. I often get flashbacks from my childhood when I watch Tiffany's reaction to Dominic's overprotective, brotherly comments. She is smart, honest and easily humored, which both Dom and I appreciate (because let's be honest we usually don't get laughs from the audience of our jokes). The adoration Tiff has for her older brother goes without saying and to share this special day with her is an honor.

Tiffany Smith 

Wedding Party

Photos

Registry

Q + A

For any guests who are coming into Reno from out of town, we have nailed down a hotel for you to stay out for the weekend. A block of rooms have already been reserved, and will remain reserved until May 22nd. This is a great option as it is in a great area of Reno and there is a free shuttle service that will not only pick you up from the airport, but it will also drive you to the wedding venue on Saturday. Please follow this link to book one of the pre-reserved rooms:http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/groups/personalized/R/RNOGIGI-TSW-20150612/index.jhtml

Hilton Garden Inn Reno

Depending on where you will be coming from, the directions to the venue will be different. It may be easiest to just punch in the address on your phone if that is an option. However, if that is not the case (because hey, not everyone has a smart phone!) directions to the venue from various places around Reno / Sparks are posted below. Also, a small parking area is located in front of the venue (where two attendants will attempt to squeeze in as many cars in as possible) with additional parking on the street. Since parking is limited, we suggest getting the party started earlier by grabbing another guest or two to join you on the drive. From: Hilton Garden Inn (South Reno):--Head northwest on Double R Blvd--Turn left toward Gateway Dr--Turn left onto Gateway Dr--Turn right onto S Meadows Pkwy--Turn right onto US-395 ALT N/US-395 BUS N/S Virginia St--Turn left onto NV-671 W/Holcomb Ln--Turn right onto NV-671 WDestination will be on the LEFT

From: Downtown Reno--Head west on W 4th St toward N Sierra S --Turn left at the 1st cross street onto N Sierra St--Continue onto Plumas St--Turn left onto W Moana Ln--Turn right at the 2nd cross street onto Lakeside Drive<span class="renderable-component-text renderable-component-text-not-line renderable-component-bold" data-redactor-class="renderable-component-text renderable-component-text-not-line renderable-component-bold">Destination will be on the RIGHT

From: Sparks Marina<span class="renderable-component-text renderable-component-text-not-line renderable-component-bold" data-redactor-class="renderable-component-text renderable-component-text-not-line renderable-component-bold">--Get on <span class="renderable-component-text renderable-component-text-not-line renderable-component-bold" data-redactor-class="renderable-component-text renderable-component-text-not-line renderable-component-bold">I-80 W from <span class="renderable-component-text renderable-component-text-not-line renderable-component-bold" data-redactor-class="renderable-component-text renderable-component-text-not-line renderable-component-bold">Nichols Blvd and N McCarran Blvd--Head west on I-80 W --Take exit 15 to merge onto I-580 S/US-395 S toward Carson City--Take exit 63 for Kietzke Ln--Turn left onto Kietzke Ln--Turn right onto S McCarran Blvd--Turn left onto Lakeside DriveDestination will be on the RIGHT

Travel

In 2009, Reno welcomed its very own minor league baseball team to the city! Whether you're enjoying an afternoon game or one under the stars, the high energy, tasty treats, and fun giveaways will make your trip to the stadium one to remember. Home games will be held June 1st-5th and June 15th-17th. Refer to the website for more details.

Reno Aces Baseball Park 

A perfect summer day in Reno almost always consists of a short 40 minute drive up to Lake Tahoe. Its (chilly) crystal blue waters coupled with a backdrop of the Sierra Nevada Mountains make for one incredible view. Various summer activities at the lake include paddle boarding, boating, swimming, or simply basking in the sun.

Sand Harbor Beach at Lake Tahoe 

Calling all golfers! If you're looking to play a round or even just hit the range, this is the place for you. Call to book your tee time and enjoy a morning or afternoon at one of Sparks's best known and loveliest golf courses.

Red Hawk Golf Course

Did someone say shopping!? Whether you're looking for clothes, shoes, sporting goods, or even just want to find a good place to eat - look no further. The Legends in Sparks has grown and developed over the years and has resulted in a great place to spend the afternoon, especially with its close proximity to the Sparks Marina. For more shopping, please check out Meadowwood Mall and the Summit Mall

The Legends in Sparks (Shopping)

Right in the heart of downtown, Reno is home to the beautiful Truckee River flowing from Lake Tahoe all the way to Pyramid Lake -- more than 120 miles! The river is nestled into Wingfield Park, which is a great place to spend a summer day having a picnic, swimming in the river, going for a nice walk, or exploring the absolutely fantastic dining options within the district. If you're still around during the third weekend of June, be sure to check out the wine walk.

Reno Riverwalk District

The Nevada Museum of Art has been a truly great addition to Reno. With several floors of art, unique exhibitions, wild installations, and awesome rooftop, this place is sure to impress. Don't forget to check out their delightful Sunday brunch!

Nevada Museum of Art

This place seriously has it ALL and guarantees a good time. It offers a huge bowling stadium, its own movie theater, a driving range, an arcade, race cars, a giant swing, and of course gambling. They also have several food options from buffets to fine dining, one of the nicest night clubs in Reno, and several shows. Don't forget about their huge outdoor pool!

Grand Sierra Resort and Casino

The Sparks Marina Park is a great place for an outing! The Marina contains 1 billion gallons of water with a naturally occurring aquifer that replenishes the lake with 2 to 3 million gallons of fresh water daily. All this water is put to good use for recreational activities from windsurfing and sailing to swimming and scuba diving to fishing and boating. Additional activities and facilities include a lineup of special events, a dog park, volleyball courts, playgrounds, and picnic areas.

Sparks Marina Park

Take a "step back in time" with a visit to Virginia City! Years ago, Virginia City, Queen of the Comstock, held the attention of the world with its mining industry for more than half a century, pouring over $700 million in gold and silver into an ever-expanding nation. Nowadays, Virginia City boasts the opportunity for its visitors to relive Nevada's sacred past with its shops, museums, saloons and mine tours.

keely & dominic

keely & dominic

Details coming soon!