For Our Out-of-Town Guests

We have reserved a block of rooms at the Hyatt Place hotel in Columbia, SC. Mark and I stopped by to see it; the rooms are quite large but cozy, with a divided sleeping/sitting area, including:

• 1 king or 2 double beds
• A comfy sectional couch (extra pull-out double bed)
• Bathroom with large outside vanity
• A mini refrigerator
• Ironing board/iron

With the extra pull-out bed, one room can sleep up to 6 people. There is a complimentary cold continental breakfast.

The second-to-best thing about the Hyatt Place is its location--about 2.5 miles/8 minutes with traffic from the church, and also right off the interstate I-26. Most importantly, it is NOT in the middle of the incredibly busy shopping district (Harbison Blvd/Columbiana Dr/etc.--enter at your own peril right before Christmas!).

The VERY best thing about the Hyatt Place is the rate: $69/night for 1 king or 2 doubles. This is a large discount, so be sure when you book a room to mention the Moore-Boerckel Wedding. If you book a room online, enter G-MOBO into the box for Group/Corporate #.

Hyatt Place-Columbia
1130 Kinley Rd.
Irmo, SC 29063

803-407-1560

columbiaharbison.place.hyatt.com

Our Wedding Party

Matrons of Honor
Rebekah Moore Schloemann
Emily Moore Wylie
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Best Man
Wyn Boerckel
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Bridesmaids
Monica Boerckel
Katy Ferguson
Allison Foreman
Jeanette Wingate

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Junior Bridesmaids

Madalyn Unseth

Muriel Unseth

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Groomsmen
Joel Boerckel
Ben Garrison
Javier Schloemann
Bryan Wingate
Jon Wylie
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Flower Girl
Lydda Grace Wylie
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Attendants
Laura Melchers
Julia Sarratt
Sara Strout
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Ushers
David Barry

Randy Gelhausen
Matt Parks

Engagement Pictures

The weekend after we got engaged, Mark's brother and sister-in-law, Joel and Monica, visited us in Chapin. We had a great time together! Monica and I went wedding dress and bridesmaid dress shopping while the boys played on the lake. We all enjoyed eating yummy food and going for boat rides.

Monica graciously agreed to take engagement pictures of Mark and me. We are so grateful to her--we thought she would take just a few pictures, but she enthusiastically shot TONS of pictures! (Including our wedding announcement and the banner at the top of this page.) Here are some more:










Thank you, Monica, for your generosity and for the fabulous pictures!

Why December?

Ever since I was a little girl playing with friends at make-believe weddings, or an older girl playing the violin at real weddings, I have wanted to get married in December. To me, it is such a magical time of year, with so much joy, peace, and togetherness--not to mention amazing music, beautiful greenery, and lovely twinkly lights! :)

The celebration of Christ's birth is a wonderful time for Mark and me to start our new life together. We are so excited we can begin our marriage near Christmas! Christmastime means to us "a thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices," as the carol says. Though Mark and I are eagerly looking forward to a happy marriage, we know we can't bring joy and peace to each other--only He can, as we talk so often about at Christmas.

Christmas to us is also a time to spend with family. Our wedding gives us a great excuse to do that ! :) But more than that, we get to start our own little home this Christmas--another family of Boerckels! (How crazy does that sound?!)

The last amazing part of getting married in December...SNOW!!! Growing up in South Carolina, I have been deprived of this wonderful treat all of my life. Snow is just about as rare and as magical as fairy dust, in my book. ;) I would love to have a white wedding... *sigh* But we WILL get lots and lots of snow on our honeymoon, which is a dream for me!!! (Can you tell I'm just a little bit excited?) :D

All in all, Mark and I are absolutely thrilled to be getting married on December 19! We would love to share our wedding with you, but we also understand that this is an incredibly busy time of year. Merry (early) Christmas!

Mark Proposed!

Right after Mark proposed

Pictures from "Our Island"

Our Engagement

Mark proposed the night of July 2 at Lake Murray, where my family lives in Chapin, SC. He wanted so badly to surprise me--and he pretty much succeeded, up till about five minutes before. We took a walk to the end of the point, where there is a long pier leading to a tiny island. (Thank you, Mr. Clarkson, for letting Mark propose on your island!) Earlier in the day, Mark had hidden a vase of BEAUTIFUL flowers behind a tree on the island and also sprayed the entire island with bug spray. (Don't I have the sweetest fiance?)

He would have absolutely, totally surprised me, except...

Clue No. 1: There were no spiderwebs on the pier going to the island. We go on walks to the island a lot, and there are always, always, always spiderwebs on the pier--one of the hazards of living on the lake. No spiderwebs? Maybe SOMEBODY was out here earlier today?

Clue No. 2: "Mark, are you hot? Do you want to go back to the house?" "No, no, I'm fine. We can keep walking for a little bit."--while obviously sweating.

Clue No. 3: Colorful flowers peeking out from behind a tree trunk. Last time I checked, roses didn't grow wild on Lake Murray.

Clue No. 4: While Mark loves to tell me how much he loves me, he usually doesn't expound upon the subject for, oh, fifteen or twenty minutes. That sort of conversation/speech makes a curious girlfriend wonder if a certain question is coming her way.

So, by the time we reached the extremely picturesque setting of the tip-tip-end of the island, I was quite excited. It seemed, though, that Mark couldn't figure out how to transition from the "I love you" part to the "Will you marry me" part. I was just SO ecstatic I was quite impatient. Maybe, if I sat down on the stone bench, Mark would be able to kneel easier than if we were standing up? ;)

(In his defense, it really didn't take that long. To my detriment, I was so excited that I don't remember anything he said after I figured out he was going to propose. Good thing for me, Mark wrote out his "speech" to me in a letter too--he just knows me that well!)

Finally, Mark got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I said, "YES!"

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes! :)