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Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Wedding Day

Wedding

Reception

Fareground

Saturday Family Brunch

our story

As told by Nicole:&nbsp;We met in 2014 on Halloween night (he:&nbsp;a cowgirl, she: space). Ryan had just accepted his first job out of law school in Houston, and Nicole was beginning her Masters of Occupational Therapy in Galveston. What started out slow soon became steady as we explored our shared love of breakfast tacos and British home improvement shows. When Ryan's job and family&nbsp; brought him back to his home state of&nbsp;Colorado in early 2017 we spent a lonesome 10 months long-distance before Nicole joined him in Denver. Ryan proposed on a Memorial Day trip to Houston and now all that's left is the I do's!

we met. we fell in love. it was nice.

As told by Ryan: July of 1988 was the second hottest on record at the time. Of course, by today's standards, it wasn't really that hot at all. Still, if one were to order an ice cream cone at around 2 pm at Bonnie Brae's on University Street in central Denver, Colorado during that particular&nbsp;Summer, one had better plan to finish that ice cream cone by 2:05 pm, or, alternatively, order the ice cream in a bowl (which is, of course, an entirely self-defeating concept).&nbsp;&nbsp;

As most of you will recall,&nbsp;Reagan was in office&nbsp;and&nbsp;nearing the end of his second term. It is speculated that a combination of patriotism,&nbsp;boredom, and a hidden-message in a certain gelatinous candy that we cannot afford to name here&nbsp;had, just nine-months earlier, inspired the President to&nbsp;commission&nbsp;the production of&nbsp;a series of super-babies to continue the Nation's successes&nbsp;in recent Olympics, and otherwise pursue wholesome Cold War-related activities. If only they had conducted more tests on the extremely dependable computing machines of the day, they might have caught the unfortunate, wholly-unexpected&nbsp;iteration that resulted in the personality of one particular male&nbsp;test-case born at Swedish Hospital on July 15, 1988 to unsuspecting participants named [Editor's Note: The next 18 or so pages have been redacted due to an inability to verify any factual basis.]&nbsp;

The mad scientist/40th&nbsp;President is known to have created at least one other specimen that survived the ensuing events [Editor's note: lightning crashes,&nbsp; and&nbsp;the wind howls, HOWLS&nbsp;damn you!].&nbsp; Statistically having to do better on other attempts, this candidate comparatively possessed&nbsp;(and possesses--we assume,&nbsp;wherever she is)&nbsp;greater strength, better speed, higher&nbsp;intelligence, and a more pleasing skill-set, including the voice of a song-bird. Overall, She&nbsp;conducted Herself&nbsp;with a more palatable level of silliness&nbsp;&nbsp;(not that She wasn't silly, mind you, but thankfully&nbsp;She was&nbsp;much less silly than the aforementioned Blip, which most scholars and independent pollsters&nbsp;agree was, and is,&nbsp;just too silly). Most importantly, She&nbsp;was a girl (obviously), and thus, a member of the&nbsp;unequivocally&nbsp;superior sex (obviously). She was born on October 26, 1988, again, to otherwise unsuspecting, but still super-nice&nbsp;parents named [ Editor's Note: Although the next 20 or so&nbsp;pages really is more riveting stuff, it too has been nixed due to unsubstantiated claims.]&nbsp;

Then, one unbelievable thing after another happened. No sane person could have predicted the danger, tragedy, exhalation, loss, and generally middle-class triumphs&nbsp;that undulated through each of these kooky Experiment's lives. Stringing them all together is necessarily the result of madness (cloaked intermittently in the even more unsettling guise&nbsp;of&nbsp;normalcy)! It started when She--a serious and self-assured child--spoke for the first time. At the time,&nbsp;despite being older,&nbsp;He was still figuring out how to gesture toward delicious banana-puree airplanes. But She, Revolutionary Queen-to-be, simply started by saying&nbsp;[Editor's Note: We have deleted the next 450 pages due to grave national security concerns.]

Then, like a bat out of Hell, the Mad Scientist Reagan leaped into the cockpit of&nbsp;his rainbow-powered spaceship, setting a course for Saturn's 83rd moon and cackling, "You may have defeated me, but your children's children will feel the lasting impact of my totally unsanctioned&nbsp;interventions into Central and South America for generations!" And like that, the former 40th President&nbsp;was gone in so many ways, but still here in so many others.&nbsp; But mostly gone in a physical sense.&nbsp;"You Okay?" She asked, lowering the phaser-cannon from her shoulder. "Better now," He said. "Always better when I'm with you. I'm my best me, when I'm with you," He added.&nbsp; "You cheese-ball.&nbsp;Maybe you should stop going places without me, then" She said. "I'm with you forever--that is, if you'll have me," He replied. He got down on one knee&nbsp;[Editor's Note: Wow. We are pretty-confused about what's happening here, too. We are just going to skip ahead, because it looks like on page 502 we find out these characters are almost certainly not&nbsp;Ryan and Nicole (or, are they!?!?!?!).]

And anyway,&nbsp; like Nicole said, we met on Halloween. I love&nbsp;her totally and completely and I&nbsp;know she loves me just the same, too. We have had good times, we will have even better times, and we will have some tough times, too. And that's great either way&nbsp;because we will be doing it together! [Editor's Note: If you made it this far, sorry about that. We should have just directed you to Nicole's summary up-front.]&nbsp;

the long version.

Our Story

Our Wedding

wedding notes

Information

The wedding is&nbsp;cocktail attire. The wildflower center has some natural terrain and at times&nbsp;you may&nbsp;be walking, standing, or dancing on flagstones and gravel. It's Austin, so parts of the day may be hot and sunny- we advise everyone to bring sunglasses and plan accordingly. Can't wait to see everyone's wildflower wedding best!&nbsp;

Please note that the celebration on Friday night will be adults only.

details

austin

Photos

Registry

Liam is a dear friend to both of us, and we agreed that there couldn't be a better choice to feed us our lines on our wedding day. Ever since Liam came on the scene (2011 for Nicole, 2014 for Ryan) he's been inspiring us both with his insightful worldviews and his ability to rock a collared shirt. Liam loves his Longhorns, a well-made cocktail, and lamenting the youth of today. We love having him as part of our lives and are so grateful he agreed to marry us!

Liam McElhiney

Alias: Benny-Bob-Bear, Neb

Almost-certain wedding quote (5 minutes of discussion or more): “Moo-oooove over butter” (sung).&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

5-year plan (probable): First-step, half-marathon. Second-step, mandolin solo to a roaring crowd (we have a big family). Third-step, the world!&nbsp;

Don’t ask about: Wood Brothers concerts.

Ben Gurule

Alias: Dave

Almost-certain wedding quote (5 minutes of discussion or more): “Ohhhhh wiiiiddddllleeeee wynnnneeeyyy wooooo&hellip;.” (sung).

  

5-year plan (probable): Will have two sons entering their teenage years in five years. Check back five years later, but don’t worry, everything will be totally under control--totally. 

  

Don’t ask about: Singing at the wedding (his agent told us it’s a firm no).

Dave Gurule

Tara is my Matron of Honor and bestie of 11 years!&nbsp;During those 11 years we've been through good times, bad haircuts, and a LOT&nbsp;of wine and cheese. Through many life changes, she's been a constant&nbsp;support&nbsp;and feels more like family than a friend. Tara loves tortellini, spoiler alerts, and Elton John, and I'm so thankful to have her by my side!

Tara McElhiney

Alias: Pandorf, Panda-man, B-ryan

Almost-certain wedding quote (5 minutes of discussion or more): You’ll hear his laugh&mdash;everyone will.

5-year plan (probable): Invents new designer line of Hawaiian shirts. You can’t afford one, but you want one.&nbsp;

  Don’t ask about: Road trip betrayals (and related indigestion).

Bryan Pandorf

Jess is the youngest and bravest of the Choe siblings!&nbsp;As a kid she was always trying to adopt every stray animal around, and she still goes out of her way to pet any dog in sight. When she's not serving our country in the Army, Jess loves sushi, outdoor adventures, and pretty much any activity that involves a high element of danger.

Jess Choe

Alias: Antsy T, Uncle T, TC

Almost-certain wedding quote (5 minutes of discussion or more): “We should probably move to the next place.” &nbsp;

  

5-year plan (probable): CutCo CEO (Miracle Blade was not hiring). &nbsp;&nbsp;
  Don’t ask about: His sick Lake Powell pick-ups and Armageddon (unless you want to hear Taylor and I sing the song and recite the entire script, just don’t).

Taylor Durham

Katie and I&nbsp;met in 2009 at A&M and as the "mom"&nbsp;of the group Katie has always taken good care of me along with everyone else!&nbsp;Katie is always ready to listen, even when our friendship has had to cross several state lines. Katie is laid-back, uplifting, and the best at cheesy dance moves!

Katie Howell

Alias: Jarid (pronounced - ha-reed)

Almost-certain wedding quote (5 minutes of discussion or more): “This is my song!” We get it, you can dance. &nbsp;

  





5-year plan (probable): Sleeps-in until 1 pm. Has&nbsp;some cereal. Solves the impending water crisis (we hope). 

  





Don’t ask about: Everything he learned attending law school classes (no seriously&mdash;he went to like four total, so he just won’t have much to say).

Jared Rifis

Mary and I&nbsp;met at A&M&nbsp;in 2009 and she's been stealing my french fries ever since. She is the most loyal friend you could ask for and her adventurous spirit has lead her to some amazing life destinations. Mary loves tacos, traveling, and attempting to embarrass me in public.

Mary Romeo

Lacey was my first real friend in college and an amazing roommate for 3 years!&nbsp;We spent a lot of Taco Tuesdays together drinking margs and eating all of the free chips and salsa. Lacey is creative, dedicated, and one of the best people I&nbsp;know at accomplishing the goals she has set for herself!

Lacey Kafer

Alias: Jed

Almost-certain wedding quote (5 minutes of discussion or more): “You don’t know me.” 

  

5-year plan (probable): Space has no finite concept of “goals.” But, if he is going to stay in space-laser-related-defense, achieving more than a 2/3 success rate at work would be appreciated by everyone else.&nbsp;

  Don’t ask about: Paris with Sean. Most other things (that he remembers) should be fine.

Jed Diller

Rachel and I&nbsp;met in 2011 in Memphis. As fellow Texans&nbsp;stranded in Tennessee, we&nbsp;bonded over how much we missed Mexican food and the Lone Star State. Her bright spirit and curiosity about life bring me so much joy!&nbsp;Rachel is empathetic, an amazing listener, and an all-around beautiful soul.

Rachel Holman

Alias: Ehnis, Shawn

Almost-certain wedding quote (5 minutes of discussion or more): “The literal meaning of life is whatever you're doing that prevents you from killing yourself.” (He’s a real upper!). 

  

5-year plan (probable): Finally finding himself on a road-trip that he totally came up with all on his own.&nbsp;

  Don’t ask about: Paris with Jed; New Orleans.

Sean Ehni

Alias: T, Tim

Almost-certain wedding quote (5 minutes of discussion or more): “I love you, man.” 

  

5-year plan (probable): He’s not like a regular honey mogul. He’s a cool honey mogul. 

  Don’t ask about: Elevator rides in the Colorado State University Chemistry building.

Timothy Gurule

Sam and I&nbsp;met in 2012 when she became Tara's roommate and I&nbsp;unapologetically slept on their couch for the next several years. Sam is easygoing, generous, and one of my favorite weekend morning breakfast taco/bagel/leftovers buddies!&nbsp;

Sam Seley

Alias: K-Ray, Man-Cat

Almost-certain wedding quote (5 minutes of discussion or more): “I am Ryan’s third brother. Yes, the whole thing is kind of hush-hush. Same mom, different dad. It’s a weird story, actually&hellip;” &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;



5-year plan (probable): Kyle will be up for tenure as a professor of general studies at Harvard, or, potentially, Metro State (both, being good schools and ranked very highly in general studies). 

  



Don’t ask about: Tahoe.

Kyle Longwell

Alias: Z

Almost-certain wedding quote (5 minutes of discussion or more): “I’m going to go catch this band later tonight at a real small venue in town. Rowdy Sheepskin. Welcome to join, if you know them.” &nbsp;

  

5-year plan (probable): Yupster 3.0 finally becomes a hit with the masses and you listen to everything recommended on the site. Drumroll: Zach is Yupster. Yupster is Zach. You probably also own his fake fire machine (which is totally better than Comcast’s “Fire” channel).&nbsp;

  Don’t ask about: Penny. Just kidding. Do ask about Penny. He has pictures.

Zach Hauer

Wedding Party

Q + A

The Embassy Suites is a great option if you want to be right&nbsp;in the middle of it all!&nbsp;Located right in the heart of Austin, this hotel is within walking distance to Town Lake and several fabulous&nbsp;downtown restaurants and bars. If you choose this hotel make sure to keep in mind that Friday traffic can be heavy, so leave lots of extra time to get to the venue!

This hotel will release whatever is left of the block 20 days before the wedding so if you want to stay here,&nbsp;make sure to book by April 19th! You must use the below link to obtain the discount.&nbsp;

Embassy Suites by Hilton Austin Downtown Town Lake

Friday traffic in Austin can be heavy!&nbsp;Please look at the route ahead of time and plan accordingly to leave lots of extra time to get to the venue. For example, we&nbsp;recommend giving yourself at least 30 minutes from the South Congress area to reach the venue for the ceremony's beginning at 6:00 pm sharp.&nbsp;One additional note: the exit for the Wildflower Center&nbsp;(La Crosse Avenue)&nbsp;is currently under construction. Guests will need to proceed to the next exit&nbsp; (South Bay Lane)&nbsp;and turn around to get to La Crosse Avenue and the venue.&nbsp;

Important Notice

This hotel is a great option if you want to stay a little closer to the wedding venue. Located southwest of downtown, it's still just a short drive from some great Austin staples like Gourdough's Donuts and Taco Deli!

This room block will give you a 15% discount on their regular&nbsp;room rates whenever you book.&nbsp;You must use the below link to obtain the discount.&nbsp;

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Austin SW - Sunset Valley

If you choose to drive your car to the venue there is a large parking lot. Please make sure to designate a driver and drink responsibly!&nbsp;If you choose to drink and leave your car at the venue it will be safe overnight- security will lock the gates at the end of the wedding and you can pick your car up on Saturday morning.

Driving

Lyft and Uber both operate in Austin, and we've been assured that there are ample drivers in the venue area at the end of the night so calling one shouldn't be an issue!&nbsp;If you have concerns you can always schedule a ride to meet you there- the event will end between 11:30-midnight.

Ridesharing

We have some great hotels, but we also encourage looking into rental options.&nbsp;We recommend staying south of downtown/the river for ease of access to the venue- the South Congress area is a great place to look with lots of trendy restaurants, shops, and entertainment.&nbsp;Keep in mind that Friday traffic can be heavy, so make sure to leave lots of extra time to get to the venue!

Air BNB, VRBO, HomeAway, etc!

Travel

Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake)&nbsp;is hands down one of our&nbsp;favorite features of Austin!&nbsp;Take some time to enjoy it in whatever way you prefer- walk, bike, run, paddle board, kayak, swim, or just find a nice bench and watch everyone else!

Nicole & Ryan

Nicole & Ryan

Things to Do

Lady Bird Lake