Dear Friends and Family, We want to thank you all for your support during these uncertain times. With recent changes to what were our original plans, and the constantly changing regulations of Covid-19, we have decided to move forward with changing the date and location of our wedding. You probably have noticed by now if you are here reading this that the date was pushed up to much sooner, and the location has changed to WI. This is due to us wanting to keep safety as our top priority for ourselves, our guests, and our vendors. We were able to find a venue that can provide both indoor and outdoor accommodation. Planning towards a wedding with the date constantly changing further and further into 2020 and beyond along with asking us to cut our guest list proved to be much more stressful. We are excited to start our married life together, and want to celebrate with our favorite people! With that being said, we decided to go for it, and celebrate our love this year with hopes that the weather cooperates to hold an outdoor ceremony and windows/doors open for better ventilation in the barn. Our vendors are keeping it their top priority to constantly sanitize/ clean the venue and common areas, wear proper protective gear, set up santizing stations, follow all WI Covid government regulations, & help our guests socially distance as much as possible. We are moving forward with this new plan, and we hope you are able to celebrate with us. We want you to know that no matter how you decide to celebrate us, whether from near or far, we respect your decision. If for whatever reason you are unable to attend we understand. You were invited to our wedding because you are important to us, and our top priority is making sure people feel safe at our celebration! Please make sure to RSVP by Oct. 5th. If in the days leading up to the wedding you begin to feel unwell we ask that you stay home, get better, and let us know! With love, The Future MR. and MRS. Blake
Christopher and Shelby both attended the University of Minnesota Duluth - GO DOGS! They did not know eachother back when they were in college, but had many mutual friends. Their story did begin officially in Duluth post college in October of 2017, but it was all thanks to their good friend, Tia Hines. Chris had approached Tia a few months before Shelby and Chris actually ended up having any encounter. He would ask her about the girl she always was with at the gym (Shelby), so Tia offered to put in a few good words! Tia put in the work, and got Shelby to do a little "creeping” of Chris on social media. Shelby and Chris eventually exchanged some words via a social media app when Shelby was on a trip up to Duluth to visit some friends for a homecoming. Chris made the first move and decided to “DM” (direct message) her after a photo she posted about being in Duluth for thie weekend. His opening line was, “Going to Homecoming tomorrow?” Having never spoken before that Shelby was pretty excited to get a message from Chris. Chris just so happened to be on a trip up to Duluth as well for a good friends wedding, AND it was his birthday too! Shelby and Chris exchanged phone numbers, and ended up meeting at Grandmas Sports Garden later that evening (probably the only good thing Grandmas truly ever gave either of them throughout their years attending the bar through college). They parted their separate ways as the night ended, but they eventually went on their first date the following week, and the rest is history! Having met for the first time on Chris’s birthday, Shelby likes to joke that she will forever be “the best birthday gift he will ever receive”.