The Avery Hotel

Rehearsal Dinner

Our Lady of the Sierra Catholic Church

Wedding Day

Wedding

Reception

Laura sat next to Stephen&nbsp;in Shakespeare class 12 years ago at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.&nbsp;While she did not read all the required texts, she did spend many hours chatting with Stephen.&nbsp;By March they were dating.&nbsp;After graduation,&nbsp;Stephen and Laura parted ways as Stephen&nbsp;moved&nbsp;to California for law school and Laura stayed in Nebraska for work and later medical school.

After spending years apart, Laura and Stephen met again three years ago&nbsp;when Laura visited San Francisco for a&nbsp;conference.&nbsp;(Laura definitely knew Stephen lived in San Francisco when she submitted an abstract to the conference...)&nbsp;They met for coffee and then&nbsp;began&nbsp;exchanging emails daily, discussing topics big and small.&nbsp;Stephen visited Laura&nbsp;while she lived in Salt Lake City for residency, and then&nbsp;Laura moved to California for fellowship.&nbsp;For the first time since college, Laura and Stephen lived in the same city.





On a beautiful hike at Point Reyes this summer, Laura and Stephen decided to become a duo. Now they are getting married!

Our Story

Wedding Update

As you may have anticipated, our wedding weekend will not go on as planned due to a worldwide pandemic.&nbsp; Who could have predicted such a thing when choosing a wedding date?&nbsp; At least it will be memorable!&nbsp; We still plan to get married on April 25th, 2020&mdash;however it will be a small gathering consisting of Mary Francis, Sally, and Alex as our witnesses. We are extra fortunate to have siblings nearby (and at least one has a backyard where we can celebrate and still practice 6ft distances).&nbsp;

We do not want anyone to travel right now to keep everyone safe. 

Even though the pandemic is changing our plans, we're still very excited to get married.&nbsp; And we aren't giving up on our wedding weekend.&nbsp; We still want to have our wedding celebration with family and friends&mdash;including the ceremony and the reception&mdash;but we're going to delay that part of the celebration for a year and aim for June 2021 as a one-year anniversary wedding vow renewal.&nbsp;&nbsp;Understandably, we don't exactly have those details worked out&mdash;ideally we'd like to do the same wedding weekend we planned, just a year in the future.&nbsp; All of that will depend on what the situation looks like over the next few months.

We hope you are all staying safe and making good decisions.&nbsp; Regardless of how things change over the next year, know that we love you and will celebrate with you even if we can't celebrate in person this year.

On our wedding plan

With so many in our family living far away from each other, we wanted this to also be an opportunity for everyone to gather and spend time together.&nbsp; A wedding that is also a family reunion.&nbsp;&nbsp;We rented a house in Avery, CA called the Avery Hotel and will have full use of the property from April 23rd (Thursday)&nbsp;through April 26th&nbsp;(Sunday).&nbsp; We plan to be there throughout that time and would love for family and friends to join us in celebration of our marriage and family.&nbsp;&nbsp;

See the&nbsp;<a href="http://willoughbylaporte.com/weekend-plan">weekend plan</a>&nbsp;for more information.

Our Wedding

Update

Please see our <a href="https://www.theknot.com/us/laura-willoughby-and-stephen-laporte-apr-2020#wedding-update">wedding update</a>.

Why Avery in April?

We wanted to have a wedding that also felt like a family reunion and 
could serve as a way for our spread out family to spend time together. Laura is currently in her last year of pulmonary critical care 
fellowship at UC Davis in Sacramento, CA. The last week of April was her next scheduled vacation and therefor a great time to get married. 
It is incidentally also the week of Laura’s birthday, so if you’re in 
Avery on Thursday, there may be ice cream!&nbsp;

With so many family traveling from out of state, we wanted to bring them to a unique and beautiful place they might otherwise never see.&nbsp; Calaveras County is home to <a href="http://www.redwoodhikes.com/Calaveras/NorthGrove.html">Big Trees State Park</a> and a row of small 
towns winding up the mountain:&nbsp; Angels Camp, Murphys, Avery, Arnold. On
 a map, they look further apart than they really are -- each is ~10 
minutes up the mountain from the last with Big Trees at the end. Avery 
is the location of the Avery Hotel where the rehearsal dinner and 
wedding reception will be held and where the wedding party will stay.&nbsp; 
Arnold is the location of the church, Our Lady of the Sierra. The drive
 between the towns is green and beautiful with national forest on all 
sides. We hope you enjoy the area as much as we do.







The <a href="https://averyhotelca.com/photo-gallery">Avery Hotel</a> is more historic boarding house 
than a hotel and will serve as a central meeting place. We have the 
place to ourselves from Thursday through Sunday.&nbsp; Everyone is invited to use it as a central meeting place, 
somewhere to hang out and stop off between activities. We will also 
have the rehearsal dinner and wedding reception here. You are all 
invited to join for as much of the weekend as you can.&nbsp;

Thursday - April 23, 2020

We (Laura/Stephen and any friends/family who are in Sacramento) will be driving up to Avery, California in the late morning/early afternoon to check in / get the keys to the Avery Hotel<a href="https://maps.google.com/?cid=1439772977545859343"></a>.&nbsp; The afternoon can be spent hanging out, visiting local shops in Murphys, going to a vineyard nearby, helping with wedding decorations. Family/friend dinner at the Avery Hotel for anyone who is in the area.&nbsp; It is incidentally also Laura’s birthday so there may be ice cream! There will definitely be boardgames and cozy fireside chats.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Friday - April 24, 2020

In the morning, we are planning on going to Big Trees State Park to hike around and enjoy the trees.&nbsp; Depending on the weather, we may have a picnic lunch before heading back to the Avery Hotel. If it is cold/rainy, we anticipate a warmer lunch back at the house.&nbsp; The wedding party will need to go to the rehearsal at some point in the afternoon. Everyone else is welcome to stay at the Avery Hotel to play games or hang out or check out one of the many other options for activities in the area.&nbsp; See our <a href="http://willoughbylaporte.com/details#things-to-do">things to do list</a>.

Saturday - April 25, 2020

Day of the wedding!&nbsp; There will likely be lots of bustling and getting ready at the Avery Hotel.&nbsp; The morning is yours to do as you please -- visit the list of things to do for ideas or venture out on your own.&nbsp; The wedding will be at 2pm at Our Lady of the Sierra in Arnold.&nbsp; After the wedding, proceed back to the Avery Hotel where there will be drinks and hors d'oeuvres before the reception and dinner.

Weekend plan

Details

Photos

Wedding Party

Registry

Q + A

Alternatively, there are many vacation rentals by owner (VRBO) and Airbnb options in the area that would be a great choice for a cozier stay between family and friends. The area surrounding Avery includes Arnold (further up the mountain) and Murphys and Angels Camp further down the mountain. If you need any help finding the right place, please let us know. The prices are similar to hotels in the area so definitely take a look.

VRBO  (vacation rental by owner) or Airbnb

If you are coming from out of town, we recommend flying into the Sacramento airport and then driving by car to Avery. It is a 2.5 hour drive to Avery, but the drive is very scenic. San Francisco is another option for airports, but anticipate a longer drive and heavier traffic. &nbsp;

If you are interested in carpooling, please contact Laura or Stephen with your arrival and departure&nbsp;plans.&nbsp; We will try to connect you to others who are interested in carpooling.

Sacramento International Airport

We think the best option for a hotel would be The Best Western in Angels Camp. It's a 25 minute drive from the Avery Hotel and ~35min from the church. The drive from Angels Camp to Avery is beautiful with great big evergreens and winding roads. We will be adding additional options for accommodations so check back for more information. We are still trying to work out an option for a group rate at the Best Western, but they have not followed through on what they initially told us regarding a group rate so we'll be expanding the list options. We'll update when we have more information. April is not the busy season so finding a place to stay should not be too difficult, and we are happy to help anyone who is looking.

Best Western Cedar Inn & Suites

Travel

We have the place entirely to ourselves from Thursday at noon through Sunday morning.&nbsp; It's more a big house than hotel, and there's plenty of space to hang out and spend time together.&nbsp; If the weather is nice, the covered porch would be a great place to have a conversation.&nbsp; If it's cold, come inside and sit by the fire.&nbsp; We'll have board games and snacks and there's even a pool table if anyone wants to arrange a friendly tournament.&nbsp; If you want to help out with wedding things, we'd love a hand with decorating the reception area and arranging flowers.

Avery Hotel - Come hang out with us!

We would recommend the North Grove hiking trails for everyone.&nbsp; Many paths have boardwalk, and the trails are&nbsp; well-maintained and flat for an easy walk through some of the biggest Sequoias.&nbsp;&nbsp;There are more difficult hikes as well if you are adventurous.&nbsp; We aren't sure yet what the weather will be like, but even if it's chilly or there is snow, the North Grove trails remain open year round.&nbsp; We're planning on hiking as a group Friday morning.&nbsp; It's near the church so if you want to go for a walk through the trees before the wedding, that would be another good opportunity.&nbsp; The park fee is $10 per vehicle for parking.

Calaveras Big Trees State Park

If you enjoy wine tasting and want to visit a vineyard, this would be a good place to go.&nbsp; Although we have not gone to many vineyards despite living in California for several years, Alex took us on a vineyard tour near Sacramento, and it was an entertaining&nbsp;experience.&nbsp; Check out their website for more details.

Ironstone Vineyards

We haven't visited these caves yet, but I think they look spectacular.&nbsp; It's definitely on my list of things I'd like to do.&nbsp; In April, the&nbsp;Mercer Caverns open daily at 10:00 a.m. with the first tour departing at 10:30 a.m.&nbsp; The last tour departs at 4:30 p.m.&nbsp; Admission is $18 for adults. $10 for children ages 3-12. The website reports&nbsp;there is a group rate available for 10 or more people.

Mercer Caverns

From the town website: &nbsp;Established during the Gold Rush by the Murphys 
brothers, this historic town is now a thriving hub for wine, culinary 
experience and culture in Calaveras County.

Truly it is a pleasant walk through old houses and store fronts.&nbsp; There are odd little shops and places to eat. &nbsp;We like the ice cream at <a href="http://www.yomamasicecream.com/">Jo Mama's</a> and will have it at the rehearsal dinner if you want to wait.&nbsp; Laura has received multiple recommendations from patients that <a href="https://murphyspourhouse.com/">Murphys Pourhouse</a> as the best brewery in town.&nbsp; And for those who like history, there is a history museum, <a href="http://murphysoldtimersmuseum.com/">Murphy's Old Timer's Museum</a>, that also does free <a href="https://visitmurphys.com/historic-walking-tours/">historical walking tours </a>through town at 10am on Saturdays (but call ahead for the tour&nbsp;209-728-1160).

Downton Murphys, California

This is more aptly&nbsp;called a gold rush museum
 as it contained far more than carriages with many exhibits, great staff
 and gold panning. &nbsp;We&nbsp;stopped by here on one of our trips&nbsp;while 
planning the wedding.&nbsp; &nbsp;It was fun and informative -- we would 
definitely recommend panning for gold b/c the explanation of the 
technique from the man who works there was fascinating.&nbsp; The employees 
were fantastic and really care about California history&mdash;one man was 
super disappointed in our lack of gold rush knowledge but forgave us 
once he learned we grew up outside California. The gold rush&nbsp;is 
apparently very well-covered in California elementary schools.

Open from 10am - 4pm.&nbsp; General admission for adults $7, children (age 5-11) $3.&nbsp; Gold panning experience $5.&nbsp; Mary Francis did not find any gold, but the explanation and demonstration of the technique was really interesting.&nbsp; If it's cold out, you may want to spare your hands a dip in the water as it's outside.

Angels Camp Museum & Carriage House

If you come on Thursday or Friday, we hope you'll have time to see some of the beautiful nature and interesting sights in the area including Stanislaus National Forest, Historic Downtown Murphys, and more. To help you find the right events, we've put together <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fi4cOtGVvO-dq8ol5YyBTKf7fm7x0JRa&usp=sharing">this map</a> of hikes, hotels, and other&nbsp;places to visit nearby!&nbsp;&nbsp;

Murphys has the highest concentration of <a href="https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=restaurants&find_loc=murphy%27s%20california&l=g%3A-120.4537244599735%2C38.14334897537231%2C-120.46651323255651%2C38.13322280981564&sortby=recommended">restaurants</a> (with lots of good reviews).&nbsp; If you're looking for somewhere to eat out&mdash;we'd recommend trying a place in Murphys.

Laura & Stephen

Laura & Stephen

Photos