The Howard

Wedding Day

Wedding

Reception

Our Wedding

Written by Steven:&nbsp; We are a Tinder success story!&nbsp;Back during Christmas of 2018 we matched when we were both in Wisconsin for the holidays. Tanner was not being responsive enough since it was his birthday, but I was PERSISTENT (surprised?) and eventually got Tanner talking, and then we never stopped. The first time we were going to meet, Tanner was supposed to come visit me in Minnesota, but there was a snowstorm and he wasn't comfortable making the journey. Since the storm in MN&nbsp;was over, I&nbsp;decided to go to Oshkosh and meet him (again, PERSISTENT!). I&nbsp;showed up at his door with flowers, and he's been hooked ever since.&nbsp;

How we met

Written by Tanner:&nbsp; Our proposal was my turn to be impatient!&nbsp;We had talked about wanting to get married, and Steven was taking too long for my liking. We were getting our apartment ready for Christmas, and I&nbsp;wanted my Christmas trees (yes, multiple. Don't act surprised!) from back home, so we met my mom at the Leinie's Lodge in Eau Claire on Saturday, November 16, 2019. We went back to MN&nbsp;and I&nbsp;told Steven that I&nbsp;had a surprise for him, but we had to get the tree decorated first. We finally finished decorating at 1 in the morning, and then Steven was like 'okay, gift time!' I&nbsp;was super anxious and not quite ready, so I&nbsp;made him wait a little bit while I&nbsp;finalized everything and gave myself a pep talk. I&nbsp;had him come into the living room and handed him a note, and told him to read it. Then he opened the box that was with it, and I&nbsp;had made an ornament for the tree saying 'will you marry me?' and he looked up and I&nbsp;was on one knee in front of him crying. Obviously, he said yes, so here we are!

The Proposal

Told by both: T:&nbsp;Eloping was my idea!&nbsp;We were supposed to wait to actually get married until I was finished with school, since that was the financially smart option with financial aid, but then Starbucks changed a few things with their college program so we found out we could move the wedding up. We started planning, and I started getting stressed so I&nbsp;said 'what if we elope?' S:&nbsp;I&nbsp;was SO&nbsp;on board. Neither of us are great at being on time, so elopement meant that we wouldn't have to have a ceremony, or the stress that came with it. After making sure Tanner was SURE&nbsp;SURE&nbsp;that he wanted to elope, we talked about when.&nbsp;We were planning to visit Alexandra in Denver since she just bought a house and wanted us to bring&nbsp;Hazel and Navey, so the timing worked out perfectly. As mentioned, we LOVE the mountains, so we figured we could get married with a gorgeous backdrop. Plus, Alexandra is an amazing photographer, so we knew she could do our photos.&nbsp; T:&nbsp;We got Alexandra's thoughts, and since she loved the idea, we went for it!&nbsp;We planned from MN, booking flowers for us and Alexandra, and flower collars for the dogs, a mountain themed s'mores cake, outfits, and we were super excited for the plan. We headed on the road trip to Colorado (with minimal problems - thanks for behaving kids!). We decided to actually 'get married' on the 13th as a nod to my girl, Taylor. We got our marriage license, Alexandra became a ministress, and we headed up the mountain! S:&nbsp;We got to Brainard Lake (outside Boulder, CO), and walked around getting an idea for photos and where we wanted to say our vows. We got some photos around the lake because it was beauty all around us. Then we decided we wanted to say our vows in the water on a rock with the mountain in the background. Lighting was PERFECT&nbsp;(great planning by Alexandra), but the water was cold. We ran back to the car to grab a couple things, and on the way back to the spot, we saw a moose!&nbsp;Tanner had been DYING&nbsp;to see a moose the whole trip, We went back to the spot, said our vows, popped the champagne, and that was it - we were officially married!

The Elopement

Our Story

Details

Photos

Alexandra and I&nbsp;(Steven) met during college, and after graduation she moved to Denver. I (and subsequently Tanner)&nbsp;fell in love with the mountains when going out there to visit, and it's what made us decide to elope there!&nbsp;Alexandra is a saint of a best friend who not only photographed our elopement (those photos!! IG:&nbsp;@alexandrademopoulosphotos), but hosted us (and the handful that is Hazel and Navey)&nbsp;while we were there. She even got her ministress certification while waiting for us at the city building&nbsp;&nbsp;to sign off on our&nbsp;&nbsp;marriage.&nbsp; We couldn't have chosen a better person to be a part of every aspect of our marriage.&nbsp;

Alexandra Demopoulos

Kristi and I&nbsp;(Steven)&nbsp;met in college through Kristi's (now)&nbsp;husband, Nick. Nick and I worked together at Best Buy, and as soon as Kristi and I&nbsp;met, it was clear we were going to be the best of friends. In fact, we're basically soulmates (sorry Nick &&nbsp;Tanner!), but, ya know...she's not a man!&nbsp;Kristi and Kelli and their husbands Nick &&nbsp;Andrew have been my Minnesota family for years, and I&nbsp;can't thank them enough for welcoming Tanner into our squad with open arms. Family dinners, sing-along movie nights, and nights with very fuzzy memories make us love and appreciate Kristi more than we could ever express!

Kristi Gustafson

Kelli and Kristi are twins (duh), so she has been a part of my (Steven's) life for almost as long as Kristi has. All the same feelings we have towards Kristi are the same for Kelli, but the biggest difference is that we love how much we can conspire and plot with Kelli. She's watched and listened to almost every true crime show there is, so she's&nbsp;the first person we would go to if we ever needed to run from the law or have someone 'taken care of'. Don't worry, she's the sweetest person you'll ever meet, as long as you're on her good side!&nbsp;

Kelli Cook

Elise and I (Tanner) met in middle school at Webster Stanley. We took choir together, and we&nbsp;had the same friend group,&nbsp;but we&nbsp;didn’t get close until high school and later. Maybe this is because one of us hated the other in middle school?&nbsp;Who knows on that one!&nbsp;Like Noel, Elise was incredibly excited for me when I&nbsp;met Steven, and even they could tell he was something different when I&nbsp;started talking about him.&nbsp;My life would be dull without her, especially in my younger years with our Friday night Main Street adventures starting at Peabodies and ending at Molly’s! The next step for us will be when I convince her and Greg to move to Minnesota so we can hang out all the time!

Elise Rucker

Noel and I (Tanner) have been best friends since second grade when we met at E. Cook. She has been by my side through everything for as long as I&nbsp;can remember. Noel is always up for an adventure,&nbsp;whether that is a trip to Target &&nbsp;Home Goods, a getaway to&nbsp;the Dells,&nbsp;or just going to&nbsp;Players for their house chips (with homemade ranch - even though Steven insists that it's Hidden Valley) followed by a stop for ice cream! She was incredibly&nbsp;supportive when I told her I was moving to Minnesota to be with Steven and start a new adventure, and we have loved seeing her and the Simon family every time we are back in Oshkosh or when they come to visit us!

Noel Simon

Wedding Party

Q + A

Registry

0.5 miles from the Howard (closest to venue)Rooms must be booked by calling. The block pricing is $139.99 for Friday and $129.99 for Saturday for either a king bed or 2 queen beds

Best Western Premier Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center

3.3 miles from The HowardKing rooms are $109 per night for Friday and Saturday, queen rooms (two beds) are $119 per night. Rooms can be booked by calling or visiting this link: https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?ctyhocn=OSHGIGI&amp;groupCode=CSWED&amp;arrivaldate=2022-09-30&amp;departuredate=2022-10-02&amp;cid=OM,WW,HILTONLINK,EN,DirectLink&amp;fromId=HILTONLINKDIRECT

Hilton Garden Inn Oshkosh

4.6 miles from the HowardRooms must be booked by calling and have 2 queen beds. Room rates are dependent on the schedule for the Packers - if they have a home game that weekend, this is the rate. If they are not playing in Green Bay, rates are $149 per night.

Cobblestone Hotel & Suites - Oshkosh

Travel

Great little restaurant in downtown Oshkosh - try the Pulled Pork Sandwich with smoked gouda cheese!

The Ruby Owl Tap Room

Another restaurant in downtown Oshkosh - Players chips with homemade&nbsp;(according to Tanner) ranch!

Player's Pizza & Pub

A great little brewery in downtown Oshkosh

Fifth Ward Brewing Company

Another great brewery close to where Tanner's grandparents live

Lion's Tail Brewing Co.

Our venue also has a bowling alley in the basement -&nbsp;great option&nbsp;if you need something to do Friday night!Fun fact:&nbsp;it's also where we had our first date!

Great stop for coffee or breakfast in Appleton

Tempest Coffee Collective

DRIVE BY ACTIVITY ONLY! Please don't disturb the people that live there now, but this was where Tanner lived the first time he and Steven met!

Tanner & Steven

Tanner & Steven

Registry