Here she comes!

Leaving on a plane in the morning...Sara is heading back to the homeland of MN.
Mike gets on a plane Weds morning.

Fun times.

Maps...Maps...Maps...

Let us know at saraaugi@gmail.com or mcnorseng@gmail.com if you want pdfs giving directions to the venue, etc.  We were going to have them as downloadable attachments...but honestly we can't figure it out on this site.

Go Michael Phelps!

6 days away to wedding.  So excited to see everyone.

(here is an update from the mother of the groom.)

Sara and Mike lightning round

We have had a lot of individual e-mail questions this week from people...
Making up for last nights missing blog post we are going to take the opportunity to answer a few questions and reply to a few comments.

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"IS THERE A DRESS CODE?"

-No.  Sara is going to be wearing a re inspired version of her grandmother, Elda Augusine's, wedding dress from the late '20s, early '30s.  It is vintage lace and if you are feeling festive, we love to see a few 20s/30s outfits in the mix. If not, anything from a polo to a suit or from a skort to an evening gown is perfect! Right now, 77 and partly cloudy during the day and 59 at night is the forecast.

"PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE THE MACARENA!"

-A dear friend of ours from Brooklyn, Dave, aka DJ Sorrysosloppy, aka DJ Duck Duck, aka DJ von Baron will be spinning actual records at the wedding.  This is not an ipad playlist, nor cds, but the real deal...actual vinyl   He is going to mix in some hits from all the generations, as well as some obscure surprises.  Special requests will be hard to honor as he only brought about 100 essential lps from his collection.

"IS THERE ANYTHING HAPPENING ON SATURDAY THE DAY AFTER THE WEDDING?"

-We will be visiting where Sara's family is staying in Rice Lake (Currier's Lodge) in the morning, and then heading to visit Mike's family in Chippewa Falls in the afternoon.  If you'd like to stop by either you are more than welcome.  Just let us know at the wedding.  We will post maps in the coming days.

Bacon and booze

Hillsdale is located in Barron County.  Barron County is one of the two remaining "prohibition" counties in the state.  That means it is going to be a dry wedding.  We are so sorry to let you know at this late of a date...

We kid.

We kid.

There will be plenty of wine and beer options.  We feel however that it is worth noting that there will be no liquor served.  So if the hard stuff is your drink of choice, we encourage you to do the celebration Camp Randall-style...tuck a flask in your sock!

[side note:  Barron County also has a ban on dancing.  But that is one rule we shall break.]

The Curious Water Tower...

We are putting off talking about beer, wine and spirits for one night to discuss a topic that many have asked about.... the curious water tower on the hanky from our invitations. I am from Minnesota, Mike is from Wisconsin, and we met in Brooklyn. The outlines of MN and WI seemed like an easy fit, but easily identifying Brooklyn is a bit trickier.  A common site in Brooklyn is a wooden water tower on the tops of buildings, about as common as an open fire hydrant in the summer in Brooklyn. We thought it to be a quint yet appropriate representation of where we met. 

Parking or driving your stagecoach

Gomer Fritzberguson left the enchanted barn, August 11th, 1912.  He got pulled over to the side of road on his mule.  He took a terrible photo. 

We are using the story of Gomer as a lead in to the next blog post.  Cars, shuttle, and booze.

There will be a shuttle picking up those staying at the Turtle Lake Casino at 2:30/2:45 the day of the wedding.  That shuttle will be making two trips back to the Turtle Lake Casino the evening of the wedding.  11:30 and 12:30.  For those of you planning on staying at Turtle Lake and or parking there, this is probably the safest and best option.

For family and friends staying elsewhere, please let us know if you also would like to use the shuttle and or a ride home.  And we will attempt to arrange.

Cars left at the barn should be picked up the following morning as early as possible, because there is going to be another couple tying the knot the next day.

Tomorrow's post, and much to the happiness of Gomer's legacy...beer, wine and spirits.

First and foremost, apologies for the lack of updates to the wedding blog. Social media is not our forte. We do however throw a darn good party! So we have our priorities in order.

But, in an effort to join the modern world, and keep everyone up to date on the party in less then two weeks, we are going to attempt to make a blog post once a day for the next seven days.

Today's topic:  So those seeds we sent...

We have gotten reports back that some of those seeds may not have actually been dahlias.  Some grew in to hollyhocks...some into sunflowers...and we even got a few reports of jalapenos.  Just a tip, don't trust discountseedsexpressnextday.com.

If by the devine stroke of luck however you were able to plant your seeds and dahlias did grow, kudos to you, your green thumb is to be admired.  We would love for you to share them with all.

We will have some mason jars set out to show off your prize winners.  Also, any pink or yellow flower is welcome. 

Tomorrow...the all important shuttle bus.

Gifts

Gifts

We have been to enough weddings that we know the conversation must come up.  We want you to know that it is not expected, and we can't wait to just see you all. We have been very blessed to have such supportive families, health, and love. We will also be calling New York City home for the near future. The apartment will be modest (tiny) and storage is not really an option. So.... we have decided that instead of a traditional registry, we would ask you might consider one of these 3 options.

1) A CHARITY

Hiawatha Homes: http://www.hiawathahomes.org/make-a-gift.html
Paul David, Sara's brother, lived in a Hiawatha supported home for many years. Both of Sara's parents were very active with the organization and their mission. Hiawatha provides a nurturing, active, and supported lifestyle for people with special needs and was so important in Paul's life.

NAMI: https://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=Donate&template=/customsource/Donation/GeneralForm.cfm
National Alliance on Mental Illness. We have both been touched by the effects of mental illness. We feel that it is a highly worthy cause, and NAMI is an organization that reaches out to an often quieted voice.

2) A GIFT CARD

We feel that we are having a bit of a destination wedding. We both will be flying home to New York, and bringing along items will be difficult. We will have 1 closet, 2 cupboards, and half a trunk. We would ask that gift cards be considered as another option as we can gather the supplies for our new home here in New York.
Two places that we love: Target and Macy's

3) A HONEYMOON REGISTRY

We are going to spend a wonderful week in Maui after our wedding celebrating our union. We can't wait! If you would like to contribute to our week go to: http://www.travelersjoy.com/mikesarawedding

Hotel Reservations

We have been having a little trouble with hotel reservations, but I think we have found the final combination of hotels! Above is the map between (A) Turtle Lake Resort and Casino, (C) Rice Lake and (B) our wedding venue, The Enchanted Barn.

St. Croix Casino in Turtle Lake is the closest to the Enchanted Barn and is a nice option for people to stay. Unfortunately, they don't allow Mike and me to block rooms. Currently, April 27th, there are 100 rooms available. Call 800-782-9987 to make a reservation. The Standard rooms at $55/night Thursday and $67/night Friday and Saturday.  The Suites are $95/night Thursday and $120/night Friday and Saturday. The address is 777 Highway 8/63, Turtle Lake, WI 54889. http://turtlelake.stcroixcasino.com/hotel/accommodations.php

Microtel Inn and Suites in Rice Lake, WI has 15 rooms on hold. There are 9 double beds at $85/night Thursday and $93/night Friday,  and 6 single suits for $89/night Thursday and $97/night Friday.  Please call 715-736-2010 to make your reservation.  It is located at 2771 Decker Drive, Rice Lake, WI 54868 and is right off the highway.  http://www.microtelinn.com/hotels/wisconsin/rice-lake/microtel-inn-and-suites-rice-lake/hotel-overview

There will be a coach shuttle bus leaving St. Croix Casino in Turtle Lake and heading to the wedding venue (The Enchanted Barn) in Hillsdale, WI and returning guests later that evening. Please email us if you need to be picked up from the Microtel or another location at saraaugi@gmail.com.


In addition, the plan is for the Augustine/Buck families to stay in Rice Lake and the Norseng/Stalle families to stay in Chippewa Falls. Contact Jo Ellen Augustine or Chris Norseng for specific information on the reservation details for the two families.

Save the Date

Welcome to our first wedding blog post. We thought this blog could be  a running post of updates, pertinent information and perhaps a joke post here or there.

We started the preparation and sent out our Save the Dates! Some didn't receive them though so let us know if you too missed the mailing. Mike and I are so happy about the impending marriage and are having a great time with making the little tid-bits. The first step, Save the Date. We posted some photos of the stamps as words are only so interesting. . .