Zion Lutheran Church

Wedding Rehearsal

Weber's Boutique Hotel & Restaurant

Rehearsal Dinner

Our Wedding Day

Ceremony

Cocktails & Appetizers

Reception

Welcome!

We hope you will use this site as a resource to plan for your weekend getaway, or full-blown summer vacation to Michigan in July 2021. Get to know us and our wedding party, and get ideas for where to stay and what to do while you're here! Feel free to reach out to the couple with questions, but please check the website first. We look forward to sharing our day with you! Registry &amp; RSVP links are avaliable at the tabs above. Please check back regularly for announcements as we approach the wedding!

July 1st Update--------------------We are excited to see you all in Ann Arbor! There are a few details we would like to remind you of in advance of the wedding. 3:30 - 3:50 pm: Guest arrival at Zion Lutheran Church. Doors close at 4 pm sharp!5:00 pm - 6:00 pm: Break time! We ask that guests please&nbsp;depart from the church lobby no later than 15 minutes after the ceremony concludes. This is a great time for out-of-town guests to check into their hotels, or take a quick nap.6:00 pm: Cocktails &amp; Appetizers&nbsp;begin in the&nbsp;Atrium Ballroom of Weber's&nbsp;7:00 pm: Bridal Party enters&nbsp;7:10 pm: Dinner The suggested dress code for the ceremony &amp; reception is cocktail attire. Please refrain from using all phones and cameras during the ceremony. Plan for a late night! The bride and groom will be staying until midnight to enjoy the late night snacks, open bar, and dance floor with our&nbsp;favorite people! Safe travels, and see you all soon! Love,Rachel &amp; Adam

Please see "Livestream Info" page for details.

Ceremony Livestream

Our Wedding

Our Story, According to Adam

I remember first seeing Rachel when she was sitting in the back corner of the auditorium during a Sunday afternoon church service. Sitting where she was, I assumed that she was new, checking out our Church for the first time. Being a Young Adult ministry leader at the time, I asked one of my fellow leaders if she would be willing to connect with this supposed new attendee. This leader responded that this young woman wasn’t new, but had recently begun attending, and that her name was Rachel, a graduate student studying engineering at the University of Michigan.Moving forward, I saw Rachel at a number of church events, but just couldn’t see how a graduate student, and a man recently employed in corporate business, would meld well. Fast forward to a Sunday potluck in June, where I was having a blast playing lawn games, eating some good food, and enjoying community with friends from Church. Among those in attendance was Rachel, and we ultimately connected. Outside of introducing ourselves, we spoke about concerts, mustard, and comedy shows. We exchanged numbers when we discovered a mutual interest in seeing Jim Gaffigan perform, and agreed to attend the show together. It was at this point that I noticed how beautiful she was, and that she had a similar sense of humor as I did. I began to consider asking her out on a date. After returning from a trip to Las Vegas with friends over the Fourth of July, I decided I wanted to get to know Rachel better before the Jim Gaffigan concert in a few weeks. I nervously asked Rachel on a date, which she thankfully accepted!&nbsp;It was during this first date that I did something I never had before… ordered and ate a vegetarian pizza (Rachel had no interest in the meat pizza with sausage on it). This was one of many attempts I made to impress Rachel over the next few months. I agreed to attend a Brad Paisley concert with her in Cleveland in September, only 2 months after our first date. Ask any of my friends at that time, they would tell you that I couldn’t stand country music! A few weeks later, I saw the horror movie “IT” in the theatre with her. I hated horror movies AND clowns, but I went anyway (and embarrassed myself beyond measure with all of my high pitched screams). In October, I took her to one of the nicest steakhouses in Ann Arbor, 3 months after our first date. It was go hard, or go home for me. Fast forward to our first road trip together to Tennessee in 2018, when she first met my parents on our way down. Their approval of her was very important to me, and I was admittedly a little nervous. I quickly realized I had nothing to worry about when this introductory lunch consisted of her and my Dad nerding out over radios… while mom and I awkwardly let the conversation flow. From that time forward, I knew that Rachel was a woman that was not only worth pursuing, but someone I could envision spending the rest of my life with.&nbsp;After Thanksgiving 2019, I decided that Rachel was the only woman in the World that I wanted to marry. I bought a ring (on sale, because Rachel loves sales), and planned to propose after returning from a Caribbean Cruise in February 2020. Unfortunately, COVID happened, which ruined a number of proposal plans. Ultimately, I grew so frustrated with plans falling through due to the COVID pandemic, that I decided in May that I couldn’t wait anymore, and needed to handle things myself! Rachel was planning on throwing a birthday party at her place, and I decided to hijack this party, and make it a proposal celebration. I wore shorts and flip-flops to convince her not to be suspicious, and even planned a romantic weekend in Detroit the following week to trick her into thinking the night would only be a birthday celebration. I proposed as we played a group game with her closest friends, and she made me the happiest man in the world when she said yes!

Our Story, According to Rachel

June 2017. For the first time in 5 summers, I wasn’t moving apartments or dorms, or traveling to an internship. I bought a tent after my last final, sent a group text to the girls from church, and off we went. On our way home from a long weekend campout in Traverse City, Audrey asked if I had ever talked to Adam Brody. “He’s cute I guess, but I don’t know much about him.”Fast-forward two weeks, and I arrived at the Villarreal’s for a cookout. I was standing in the kitchen and could see Adam through the back door. He was wearing his white Xavier t-shirt and backwards ball cap, yelling something at his Can Jam opponent. I wasn’t really looking to date anyone at the moment, and he was a church guy. Once you go on even one date with another person from church, everyone knows. It was a risk.As I looked outside, he smiled at someone on the porch. “This is it. You’ve made it. He’s your husband, and I want you to remember this moment when I told you so. No evidence, no logic, no excuses,” I heard loudly in the front of my head.Ummm, what? That’s ridiculous, this isn’t high school. It must be nerves.“You heard me.”It was the same voice that told me to go to Oklahoma. The same voice that told me to move to Michigan. The same voice that’s always been there, church or not. I hadn’t heard it in awhile, but it had been right before.“Okay. Here we go, I guess.”I proceeded to tell Adam about how much I enjoy country concerts, mustard, camping, and comedy. This time, I was going 100% me, right off the bat. If that didn’t scare him away, maybe it was worth the risk of a church relationship. He liked only one of those things, but seemed really sincere. The next day, I invited him out for beers “sometime”. He replied: dinner, this weekend. Apparently boldness goes both ways.July 7th, 2017. Downtown Ann Arbor. One of those fancy “Italian” (70% pizza) restaurants that are worth the money for exactly zero grad students. I’m a modern woman, and I believe in splitting the bill on the first date.“Yes, could we have the focaccia please? And I’d like a Coke,” he immediately told the waiter.Who orders appetizers RIGHT before eating actual dinner, let alone at a place where the pizza is $25? If this was going to be annoyingly expensive, I was at least going to get a pizza I really wanted. (I have since embraced the concept of appetizers, thanks to Adam.)“I think I want the truffle pizza, or the one with pesto. What do you like?”“Well...honestly I think pizza isn’t really a meal without meat.” In my opinion, there is no food grosser than Italian sausage. This was going south fast. “But I would much rather have the truffle one than pesto, so let’s go with that.”I later found out this was his first voluntary veggie pizza, ever. His father was impressed, and his best friend told him to run. (He has since changed his mind.)After the predictable get-to-know-you questions, we discovered that we both like to talk, and it had been over an hour. It began to thunder outside. Adam groaned, and I got excited. It was the first storm in almost a month, and there were floor-to-ceiling windows in the restaurant! No true meteorologist could resist a peek. His expression changed from one of pleasant small talk to genuine curiosity. Despite my asking thrice if he was sure, he paid the bill, and we decided to go for cocktails. We continued talking for almost five hours. Neither of us knew where the time had gone, nor had we had a better night out in quite some time.&nbsp;The rest of that fall was a whirlwind. Adam agreed to go with me to a Dustin Lynch/Brad Paisley concert in Cleveland, on all of the roller coasters at Cedar Point, and see the horror movie “IT” in theaters. He wanted to do none of these things, but I never knew since he accepted with a smile each time. He chased me until Christmas, and yet I still hadn’t committed to an official relationship since in my previous experience they usually didn’t last through the holidays. This almost-relationship did, and he’d seen the real me. He passed!The next spring, Adam insisted that I accompany him to his brother Matt and Lauren’s wedding in June. I was excited that he thought highly enough of me to invite me to such a special occasion, but I also had to meet his whole family at once. After the intimidation faded, I saw how happy and proud Adam was to have me as his date and introduce me to his aunts. For the first time, I began to imagine a serious future with him.Shortly after, he whisked me away to Hilton Head for the best vacation I could have dreamed of. I didn’t get many chances to travel as a kid, and when I did it was to see family.&nbsp;I traveled much more once I got to college, but always in the cheapest way possible. He treated me to jet skiing, a ropes course, a beautiful resort, and one of the top three best dinners I have ever had at an amazing jazz club. The resort forgot a few extra items he had paid for, and he showcased his negotiation skills by getting a free night as compensation! He apologized repeatedly for becoming frustrated and ruining the “ambiance”, but I’m still glad it happened since it’s one of his most attractive qualities I had yet to see. We had our days booked solid and I enjoyed every minute, but I came back exhausted. I began to come around to his idea of naps and “rest”, which I eventually learned is not, in fact, wasting time.The next spring, after a very tough year in grad school, I graduated with my Master’s and made the difficult decision to pass up a great job offer in Texas to stay in Michigan. As much as I love change and adventure, I couldn’t imagine leaving my friends, my community, and Adam for a job. I had been working toward my chosen career since I was 8 years old and had the Texas job in the works for awhile, so most of my friends and family didn’t know what to say when I disclosed my decision to stay. None of them wanted to see me hurt, but despite their doubts, they supported my decision and wished me the best.Later that summer, we went to Canada on a campout with the Mayers’ over the fourth of July weekend (un-American, we deserved it, I know), where we got brutally attacked by swarms of thousands of mosquitos (this is not an exaggeration, we have proof) for over twelve hours of backpacking. We hiked a total of almost 20 kilometers after bailing on camping in the backcountry. Did I mention this was Adam’s first backpacking trip? We came back on our dating anniversary and he didn’t speak to me the entire day. I had to stifle the thought that this was it--the last straw.In time, he came around. By the holidays we were stronger than ever before and ready for 2020. We managed to return from our first cruise a week before the first confirmed case of COVID-19 emerged in the U.S. After several months of stay-at-home orders and quarantines, it began to warm up outside. We planned several camping trips together, bought an inflatable kayak, and went out to make the most of a crazy year. I decided that my birthday in July was a great excuse to finally host people, and I invited 10 friends to dinner and games back at my apartment. Adam told me he arranged a special weekend in Detroit following my birthday, so I planned the party for the weekend before. He had told me previously that he would “never propose in anything less than a suit and tie”, so when he showed up to my place before dinner in shorts and flip flops, I was sufficiently convinced the proposal would be next week. The first game we played was Fishbowl, which is a round-by-round combination of Catch Phrase, Password, and Charades. We had played this game countless other times at church events and other parties, and I thought nothing of the card that said “engagement” since several of our other friends had recently gotten engaged or married. By the time we got to the final [Charades] round, I pulled the “engagement” card first, motioned toward my ring finger, and everyone froze. I got a few wrong guesses, and was starting to get impatient with my team. After a few seconds, Adam spoke from behind me, “Maybe this will help you out.” He was on one knee with a beautiful ring and asked me to marry him! I accepted of course, and our friends brought out the hidden champagne and homemade dessert to celebrate. It was such a fun night, and although it turned out to be Plan C thanks to COVID, I wouldn’t have it any other way.I am so happy that Adam was brought into my life at exactly the right time, and I have never met another person I trust so fully. I can’t wait to start our life together as a team, and I am so thankful that we have so many great friends and family with whom to celebrate the beginning of our marriage. Here’s to forever!

Our Story

Registry

Ann Arbor

The nations largest Art Fair is back on for three days July 15-17, 2021! Come to Ann Arbor before the wedding to enjoy several streets full of booths from local and national artists, live music and the great food in downtown Ann Arbor. Make sure you have enough room in your suitcase to take a few things back with you!

Ann  Arbor Art Fair

We encourage you to head to some of our favorite spots in downtown Ann Arbor for amazing day &amp; nightlife! Including: Mani Oysteria &amp; Bar: Adam &amp; Rachel's first date (July 7, 2017) Bill's Beer Garden: A graduate school &amp; young professional's outdoor favorite featuring many exclusive Michigan beers Blimpy Burger: The greatest diner burger you'll ever have, but make sure you follow instructions when ordering! Frida Batido's: Cuban street food restaurant with amazing churros &amp; shakes! Cherry Republic: If you can't make it UP North this trip, check out this little store to find out what makes Michigan the Cherry State The Last Word: If you're looking for a nightlife recommendation, this cocktail &amp; appetizer Speakeasy is a hidden favorite of all Ann Arborites. Make a reservation beforehand, and note that is is actually a true prohibition-style Speakeasy--there's no signage outside. Follow Google Maps to find your way to live jazz and a 20 page spirit menu!

Downtown Ann Arbor

The Huron river sits just north of downtown Ann Arbor about 10 minutes from the hotel blocks. Argo Park offers tube rental for the Argo Cascades or kayak rental for the full river float (~1.5 hours) with a free shuttle back to the start. This is a great activity for adults and kids alike, and you can bring your own food and beverages on the river! We float the cascades &amp; the river in our kayak at least once a month in the summer.

Huron River Tubing & Kayaking

Detroit (45 min from Ann Arbor)

The Henry Ford Museum is our favorite attraction for first-time visitors to Detroit. It is the largest indoor-outdoor museum in the USA, boasting one-of-a-kind collections such as: the presidential limousine of John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln's chair from Ford's Theatre, the Rosa Parks bus, and many other historical exhibits. It includes many interactive and imaginative exhibits on the history of innovation in America, and it a great place to take both children and teenagers. You don't have to love cars to feel inspired here!

The Henry Ford Museum

The Detroit Historical Museum is one-of-a-kind. It sends visitors back in time through the evolution of the Detroit area, including real cobblestone streets and fur trading from the 18th century, 19th century stores, an interactive auto assembly line, toy trains, and emersion in the prosperity, culture, and tension of the 20th century. It is a very unique experience, and has something meaningful for the whole family!

Detroit Historical Museum

Founded in 1885, the Detroit Institute of Arts has one of the largest, most significant collections in the USA. In addition to outstanding American, European, Modern and Contemporary, and Graphic art, the museum holds significant works of African, Asian, Native American, Oceanic, Islamic, and Ancient art. You will be blown away by Diego Rivera's 4 wall, 27 painting Detroit Industry Mural!

Detroit Institute of Arts

Traverse City Area (4 hrs from Ann Arbor)

Sleeping Bear Dunes is the most popular &amp; unique summer outdoor destination in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. In additional to the famous Dune Climb, There are numerous water activities, including kayaking, tubing, and jet ski rental, as well as countless beaches to enjoy. We go camping at the state or national parks near the shore annually, and it never gets old!

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Traverse City is known for its cherries---so don't forget to try some! There are countless wineries on the Old Mission Peninsula, as well as farms with U-Pick cherries, blueberries, strawberries, and more. The beaches &amp; lighthouses there offer a picturesque view of Lake Michigan. Book a room at a bed and breakfast on the Peninsula for the perfect relaxing Michigan vacation!

Old Mission Peninsula: Wine & U-Pick farms

Craft beer is all the rage around the country now, but it got its start in Michigan! Downtown Traverse City has several quaint riverfront streets full of shopping, gift shops, and tastings. Downtown is also home to the first locations of the famous Michigan chains Grand Traverse Pie Co. and Cherry Republic Co. Rachel's favorite breweries, North Peak &amp; Shorts, also call Traverse City home.

Breweries & Shopping

Things To Do

FAQs

Livestream Link: https://youtu.be/TDeol3aVRMc

Start: 3:45 pm EDT/ 2:45 pm CDT
End: 10 minutes after the conclusion of the ceremony (approximately 5:10 pm) 
 
Thanks to declining COVID cases &amp; widespread vaccine availability, we are thrilled and incredibly thankful to be able to have a full-capacity, restriction-free wedding in Ann Arbor! However, we understand that some of our guests may still have circumstances which may prevent them from attending our wedding in person.
 
We will be having a ceremony streaming option for friends &amp; family who are unable to attend in person from 4pm -5pm on July 17th. It will be run by the hosting church, Zion Lutheran - Ann Arbor.
 
Please note that this will be a stationary live stream, not a Zoom call. Although the bride and groom are happy to include our loved ones watching from afar, we will not be able to interact with any guests on the livestream on the wedding day.

Livestream Info

If you would like to utilize one of these options, please book your hotel by June 17th! There are limited rooms remaining, and after that date, we are required to release our room blocks.

We are holding the reception at Weber's, and your private room could be just upstairs! We recommend this option for anyone looking for convenience &amp; comfort.Our block rate is for either King or Two-Double rooms. Reservations may only be made by calling the phone number listed above and mentioning the Norris-Brody wedding.

Weber's Hotel

-FULL- The Hampton Inn is directly across the street (4 minute walk in the daytime) from our reception venue, Weber's. We recommend this option for anyone needing a room for a party of 3 or larger.Our block rate is for Two-Queen standard rooms, but King rooms are available for the same rate by request. Reservations should be made by clicking on the group website link below. If you prefer, you may also call the hotel directly and mention Norris-Brody Wedding.

Hampton Inn & Suites Ann Arbor-West

We recommend flying into Detroit if you do not plan on driving. DTW is between Detroit &amp; Ann Arbor, approximately 25 min from the hotel blocks (see map link below). Delta &amp; Spirit Airlines have hubs in Detroit, so we encourage you to check their prices for nonstop flights!If you do not wish to rent a car or take an Uber/Lyft, there is a shuttle service to and from the airport to downtown Ann Arbor for $12 each way available here: <a href="https://www.theride.org/services/airport-service" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.theride.org/services/airport-service</a> (you will need to take an 8 minute Uber/Lyft or an AATA bus from the transit center to the hotel. Feel free to reach out to Rachel if you need more information on this.)

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Travel

Rachel^2 met in 8th grade & became best friends in high school. They have remained close for 13+ years! Rachel currently lives & works in Philadelphia as a pediatric oncology nurse.

Rachel Gilden

Rachel & Taylor met through Gamma Phi Beta Sorority at OU and later became Big & Little sisters. Taylor recently passed the Oklahoma Bar and is beginning her career as an attorney.

Taylor Freeman Peshehonoff

Audrey & Rachel met through Antioch Community Church in Ann Arbor. Audrey set Adam and Rachel up, and they met at a cookout she hosted! Audrey is also an engineer & Gamma Phi alumnus (Texas A&M) currently working in Tech in Michigan.

Audrey Villarreal

Rachel and Amber met through Cody, Amber's fiance &  Rachel's classmate in grad school at U of M. Once Amber finally moved to Ann Arbor after P.A. school, the double dates, game nights, and river floats became a staple for life in Michigan!

Amber Durnil

Allison & Rachel met at Antioch Community Church in Ann Arbor during Allison's summer co-ops with Toyota, and now she is also a full time engineer in Ann Arbor. There is never a dull moment in their friendship, with or without Allison's 90 lb. Goldendoodle.

Allison McGowan

Meredith and Rachel met through David, Meredith's husband & Rachel's research groupmate in grad school at U of M. They have traveled the world together, with a stronger friendship and plethora of stories to prove it! (Ask her, we promise you'll laugh.) Meredith is also an engineer currently working in  Ann Arbor.

Meredith Mayers

Katie & Rachel met in 3rd grade through Girl Scouts. Surviving middle school via nearly a hundred childhood sleepovers makes a friend for life! Katie currently works as an animal health researcher in Manhattan, KS.

Katie Boreas

Michael and Adam met at Xavier, and were roommates all 4 years. Their friendship was solidified when Michael broke Adam's collarbone during their freshman year, running down a dorm room hallway. He currently works for Google, living in Detroit. 

Michael Gilmour

Matt is Adam's twin brother.  Clearly not identical, we will leave it to our wedding guests to determine who is better looking. Matt works as an Engineer in St. Louis, but is always a phone call away! 

Matt Brody 

Scott is Adam's younger brother. Adam and Scott grew up with similar interests in music, where Scott was far superior (ask him to sing, you will be blown away). Scott works in Human Resources, living in Cincinnati. 

Scott Brody

Winston and Adam met at Xavier, and were roommates all 4 years. Adam fondly looks back on the sushi dates that they would go on while rooming together. Winston works in Finance, living in San Francisco. 

Winston Fuetter

Adam met Nick during their freshman year at Xavier, and lived together for 3 years. Adam has always been amazed by Nick's vast knowledge of film, and was one of Adam's closest friends at Xavier. Nick works as a cinema equipment technician, living in Los Angeles. 

Nick Bergeman 

James and Adam met at Xavier, and lived together for 3 years. James livened up Adam's life throughout the years they have known each other. Adam also admires James' interest in potatoes. James works as a software engineer, living in South Carolina. 

James Neyer 

Nathan is Rachel's younger brother. He currently works in Kansas City in supply chain, and will become Adam's only immediate family member who can beat him in one-on-one basketball.

Nathan Norris

Rachel & Cody met  when they both went to the same wrong room on the first day of microwave circuits class at U of M, and they've been buds ever since. OU/UT rivals can be friends after all. (Boomer.)

Cody Scarborough

Brent and Adam met at Xavier, and bonded over their love of Cincinnati sports. If you need to know one thing about Brent, it is that he  enjoys (and really looks forward to) Buffalo Wild Wings. Brent is in law school, living in Cincinnati. 

Brent Raines

Wedding Party

Photos

RSVP Deadline Has Passed! 

Please contact the Bride &amp; Groom directly for any changes to your plans.

Rachel & Adam

Rachel & Adam

FAQs

What about COVID-19?

Will there be an open bar?

What do I do during the gap hour between ceremony & reception?

What should I wear?

I'm a guest flying in, should I rent a car?

Will there be a shuttle?