Christine & Anders

Saturday October 7, 2017

Missoula, Montana

2824 days 23 hrs 56 mins ago

Story

It all began with a video game...no surprise there for anyone that knows us! In the Spring of 2010 we were first “introduced” while playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on Xbox live. Not exactly romantic! Anders lived in Montana and I lived in Florida.

We remained friends and would still occasionally play different games together across different platforms throughout the years. During the Summer of 2012 I noticed that Anders had been playing A LOT of a game I was interested in called Dota 2. At that time it was in an invite-only beta and pretty difficult to get into. I would message Anders and ask him questions about the game, and he promised to send me the first invite he (or one of his friends) received. At the end of November, I got an invite and he offered to help me learn the game as soon as I was ready.

For anyone that doesn’t know much about Dota: it is an incredibly hard game to learn and an even more difficult game to master! It’s also frustrating (and kind of boring) to play with people whose skill varies so much from your own.

Even though I was absolutely terrible in the beginning, Anders would spend hours with me every night playing against bots and teaching me the intricacies of the game. By February, we had a routine - every evening after I finished work and Anders finished class, we would hop in a Skype call and spend the night just talking and playing video games (sometimes with friends and other times just the two of us)!

By the time Summer rolled around again, we were trying to find a good time to meet and in November 2013 I flew to Bozeman for the first time. After less than a year of being long-distance, we decided we wanted to move in together and I flew to Montana for the last time at the beginning of July 2014.

After that, we got our first apartment together and our first dog - the very lovable, Molly! We only lived in Missoula for seven months before Anders accepted a job offer at Google and we moved to California.

On a warm, sunny day in July, Anders proposed during a hike. It was absolutely perfect! Now, we’re planning a wedding back in Montana and we’d be absolutely honored if you would come celebrate with us!

TL;DR: Call of Duty.

Tidbits

How did Anders propose?

We were hiking at the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in California. Anders caught me off guard while I was re-applying sun screen and yelling at Molly.

What is your favorite activity to do together?

We still spend most of our time playing games together!

Where are you going for your honeymoon?

We will be heading to Kauai a few days after the wedding.

Which heroes are your favorites in Dota 2?

Anders favorite hero is Earth Spirit (OSFrog) and Christine's is Teemo.

Who is better at video games?

Christine is pretty much the best at everything except for Dota 2 since Anders has played way more of it.

Schedule

Friday, October 6, 2017

Pre-Wedding/Rehearsal Dinner

5:30 PM

Anders parents will be hosting a casual dinner/get together after the conclusion of our rehearsal. Everyone who is in town for the night is welcome to attend!

Dinner, drinks, and dessert will be served!

Dress Code

Casual

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Wedding Ceremony

5:00 PM to 5:15 PM

Wedding Reception

5:15 PM to 11:00 PM

Missoula & Travel Info

Hotel Product

Hilton Garden Inn

Rooms have been reserved at this hotel for your convenience. Please use the link provided to directly book online using our special rates. If you'd prefer to call and book your rooms, please reference the "Windell Wedding".

The Hilton is pretty centrally located (right on Reserve St.). It's only about a 10 minute drive from the venue and downtown.

There is a complimentary airport shuttle service available - make sure to arrange pick-up with the hotel prior to your arrival.

Link
secure3.hilton.com/en_US/gi/reservation/book.htm
Phone
406-532-5300
Hotel Product

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Missoula - Edgewater

Right on the Clark Fork River and in downtown!

The hotel has a complimentary airport shuttle service if needed: Courtesy Phone in Baggage Claim,Advance Shuttle Reservations: (406)728-3100, Daily Schedule: 24 HOURS every hour on the hour.

Phone
406-728-3100
Hotel Product

Wingate by Wyndham

The Wingate is super close to the airport but a little further from downtown - about a 15 minute drive.

There is a complimentary airport shuttle service available - make sure to arrange pick-up with the hotel prior to your arrival.

Phone
406-541-8000
Hotel Product

Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown

Right in downtown! The Holiday Inn is within walking distance from a lot of great shops and restaurants. It is slightly further away from the venue, but only about a 20 minute drive in light traffic.

Phone
406-721-8550
Hotel Product

Gibson Mansion B&B

Plane

MSO Missoula International Airport

MSO is a rather small airport and only has a handful of non-stop destinations - you will likely have to take a flight with at least one layover.

There are seven different rental car agencies available inside of the airport (a list can be found on the MSO website).

If you will not be renting a car while in Missoula, you can utilize one of the two taxi services or, depending on where you're staying, take advantage of the hotel's shuttle service.

Missoula Green Taxi (406) 728-8294
Yellow Cab of Missoula (406) 543-6644

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Q & A

Hopefully this section will answer most of your questions! If you still have a question that isn't answered below, feel free to reach out to Anders or Christine (or either of our parents). We will be updating with more information as the wedding gets closer.

When will invitations be sent out/when is the RSVP deadline?

Invitations have been sent. If you received a Save the Date last year, but have not yet received your invitation please let us know! It may have been lost in the mail and we will get another one sent out to you ASAP. We would appreciate your response be sent to us by September 13th.

I am coming from out of town. Where should I stay?

Wherever you'd like! We've listed a few options on our website, but there are several more hotels available in the Missoula area along with a small selection of places to rent via Airbnb. In addition to the room blocks mentioned on the "Missoula & Travel Info" page, we have a few more discounted hotel rates that can be viewed at

Will there be any activities happening that I need to know about?

Yes! Since most of you will be coming in from out of town, we want you to enjoy yourselves as much as possible! Please check out the "Schedule" page as we get a little closer to October for a list of all the events we will be hosting before and after the wedding. We would love to have you at all of the events, but please do not feel obligated to attend if they're an inconvenience!

Is the wedding indoors or outdoors?

The ceremony will be taking place outdoors (as long as the weather cooperates), however we will be transitioning inside for the reception.

Where should I park?

The venue has a large gravel parking lot immediately when you turn into the gate. Parking is free.

What will the weather be like?

Don’t worry about snow! Typically during early October, temperatures during the day tend to fluctuate between 50-65 degrees, while it dips to 35-50 degrees after sunset. The reception will be taking place indoors (and there will be heaters and a fire pit on the patio to keep you warm as well). We recommend preparing for this cooler weather however, it could be a bit warmer.

What should I wear?

The ceremony and reception are both semi-formal, but we want you guys to be comfortable! The ceremony will be taking place outdoors and depending on the weather it might be a little chilly - make sure to have a jacket handy just in case it's too cold for you. The bride would like to request that no one else wear a white wedding dress, and if you'd like to avoid looking like the bridal party refrain from wearing burgundy.

What kind of shoes should/shouldn't I wear?

Please keep in mind that the parking lot is gravel and you will have to walk across some grass to get to the ceremony location which will be held outside.

What time should I arrive?

The ceremony will begin promptly at 5 PM. We recommend aiming to arrive between 4:30-4:45 PM so you have plenty of time to get settled and grab a seat.

Is it okay to take pictures with our phones and cameras during the wedding?

We have hired an amazing photographer to capture our day, and we'd like to kindly request that you refrain from taking your phones/cameras out during the actual ceremony. Feel free to take as many pictures as you'd like once the ceremony concludes!

Will there be food and drinks served?

Yes to both! Appetizers will be served during cocktail hour after the conclusion of our ceremony and dinner will be served promptly at 6 PM. The bar will begin serving drinks once the ceremony is over.

What if I have a dietary restriction?

Please notate any allergies or dietary restrictions on the back of your RSVP card or on the online RSVP form. If you forget to put down the information, feel free to reach out to either of us and we'll make sure our caterer's receive your information and prepare your meal properly.

Is the bar an open bar or cash bar?

A little bit of both! We are hosting a ton of local beer and wine selections for you to enjoy (including some of our personal favorites). Liquor will be available as well but will need to be purchased with cash.

Will there be dancing?

Yes! Or at least some amusing interpretation of dancing. Just don't expect the bride and groom to be doing too much of it (bad dancers).

What time will the reception end?

We will be kicked out at 11 PM!

Will Molly (and Misha) be at the wedding?!

We would love to have them there, but we'll have to wait and see if Misha is well-trained enough to attend!

Will last names be changing after the wedding?

Christine will be changing her name after we return from our honeymoon.

Who did the art on your Save The Date?

The amazing Kate Whitmore

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