Hotel Ivy, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Minneapolis

Kick off the weekend!

Wedding Ceremony + Dinner

Lumber Exchange Event Center

Wedding Reception Concert

Our Wedding

Q + A

Marissa and Chad's story is a perfect example of how two people, from different places and different lives, can come together in the most unexpected way and find that they fit together perfectly. It all started in line—literally. Most people meet online these days, but Marissa and Chad met standing in line, on the sidewalk outside the Lumber Exchange in downtown Minneapolis. It was a beautiful evening, and Marissa, who was living in Fargo at the time, had come to Minneapolis a day early for a vacation. Her friend Kay, who was living in the Twin Cities with her fiancé Jay, invited Marissa to come out with them and catch a local band that was playing downtown that night. It was the kind of spontaneous decision that would set the course for something unexpected. Chad, too, was out that night—on a whim. He’d seen that one of his favorite bands was playing and decided to go check them out again. When he arrived at the venue, he ended up in line behind Marissa, Kay, and Jay. As they slowly moved toward the entrance, Marissa took notice of Chad. Without missing a beat, she turned to him and said, “You’re cute, what’s your name?” It was a simple conversation starter, but it was enough to kick off something far more meaningful. As they continued talking, Marissa mentioned that she would be flying out the next afternoon. Chad, curious, asked how she planned to get to the airport. She explained that she was going to Uber from her sister Trisha's place, but that Trisha was in Fargo visiting her boyfriend Caleb. That’s when Chad saw his opportunity. Without hesitation, he offered to pick her up for lunch and take her to the airport. It was a generous and thoughtful offer, one that Marissa secretly thought was&nbsp;very&nbsp;nice. She accepted, and just like that, their connection was made. Over the next few days, they exchanged a few texts. Chad followed up with an even more thoughtful gesture—offering to pick Marissa up when she returned to Minneapolis and take her out to dinner. Not wanting to keep Marissa away from her sister, he even suggested that Trisha join them. Marissa was touched by how considerate he was, and Trisha happily joined in. The next day, Marissa returned to Fargo, but their connection only grew stronger. They continued texting and talking, and as they got to know each other better, they found they had more in common than they initially realized. Over the next several months, they met up whenever they could—sometimes in Fargo, sometimes in Minneapolis, and sometimes in between, like at her cousin Bradi's wedding, or a weekend getaway in Menahga, or even camping in Itasca State Park. Then came a moment that sealed it for Chad—just a few months after meeting, Marissa joined him on a trip to London to pick up a plane and bring it back to the U.S. That was when Chad knew, without a doubt, that Marissa was one&nbsp;cool&nbsp;chick. As their relationship deepened, they discovered they enjoyed a lot of the same things. They went to concerts together, spent weekends camping, traveled to far-off places, played games, took walks, and hosted parties with friends. But what they truly cherished the most was simply being with each other, no matter the activity. Eventually, Marissa made a big life change—she transferred jobs to Minneapolis, something she never thought she would do. But it was a move that brought them even closer, and as they say, "the rest is history." Over the years, they have continued to grow closer, sharing in countless concerts, trips to new places, and many quiet moments together. A few years ago, Marissa made another big change—she “retired” so they could travel more and enjoy their time together with Chad’s varied work schedule. Together, they’ve traveled to a dozen countries, explored many states, camped in beautiful places, and shared countless games and laughs. Their relationship, born on a sidewalk outside a music venue, has flourished into a partnership built on shared passions, deep love, and a desire to experience life side by side.

We met "in line"...

Our Story

Photos

Chad's daughter Sydney is our "Best Person".  She is the most important person in our lives and we are honored to have her stand up with us as we say "I Do".

Sydney

Scott & Yandé are our closest friends that we met together after we met each other.  Yandé and Chad are the same person at their core, as are Scott and Marissa.  Clearly, we know how to match with not only our perfect partner, but also with perfect friends!

Scott & Yandé

Brett is Chad's "favorite" brother and someone we both look up to.  Brett had an incredible career in the Navy with an impressive range of jobs from nuclear engineering to leadership training spanning nearly 30 years and retired as a Command Master Chief. He currently lives in Ivor Virginia with his wife Dawn and youngest daughter, Emmy while his oldest Daughter Kayla lives in Denver with her husband Tommy and kids Jackson and Ellie and his middle daughter Gretchen lives in Mound with her daughter Sylvie.  We are honored that he has agreed to be the officiant for our wedding.  We can't think of anyone else we would want to help us join our lives together.

Brett

Marissa is the luckiest girl in the world and the apple of Chad's eye. ;-)

Marissa

Chad is the luckiest man in the world and the apple of Marissa's eye. ;-)

Chad

Wedding Party

The Hotel Ivy is connected to the Ivy Residences, where Marissa &amp; Chad live. This is one out of our two room block options (room block expired August 1). The Ivy is located just 8 blocks (15 minute walk) from the Lumber Exchange. If you want to stay close to us, this is the place! Parking is either valet at the hotel, or there are public ramps across the street for approximately $15-20/day.

Hotel Ivy, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Minneapolis

The AC Hotel is connected via the parking ramp to the Lumber Exchange and its our other room block option (room block expired August 1st). If you want to stay closest to the reception venue, this is the place! Rooms can be reserved under Johnson and Menne Wedding. Parking is available for $40/day with in &amp; out privileges in a ramp connected to the hotel and Lumber Exchange.

AC Hotel Minneapolis Downtown

Other great hotel options that are close to either us or the concert venue include: the Hilton Minneapolis (right across the street from our home), Embassy Suites by Hilton Minneapolis Downtown (1 block away from the concert venue), and The Westin Minneapolis (2 blocks away from the venue).

Other Hotel Options

Travel

Watch the Twins play the Padres at Target Field this weekend. It's a wonderful stadium and one of only 2 in the U.S. that you can visit the organist; be sure to visit "Sue Nelson" at the Twins Pub on the 3rd floor behind home plate. It's one of our favorite things to do downtown in the summer.

Minnesota Twins

This is an interesting museum along the river, near the stone arch bridge that shares some history of Minneapolis and the history of the flour mill over the years.

Mill City Museum

This is a fun part of downtown that has lots of great bars and restaurants, as well as some shopping, breweries (Fulton, Modist, Pryes, Inbound, Storm King, etc.) and some really nice rooftops (Hewing, NOLO, Graze) to enjoy the views and the weather.

North Loop

Grab a pint on the rooftop patio of Brit's Pub, or better yet, join in some lawn bowling on their rooftop lawn! This iconic bar/restaurant has some great events throughout the year and is always a fun place to go just a couple blocks from the Ivy.

Brit's Pub

Puttery is a sleek, adults-only-mini-golf bar located just two blocks away from the AC Hotel &amp; The Lumber Exchange. Enjoy three 9-hole themed indoor courses, automated scoring, food/ drinks and fun vibes!

Marissa & Chad

Marissa & Chad

Wedding Party