What he gave me on Valentines day (the first one)(He's my teddy bear :D)
I think he loves me! :)
The Night we got engaged (and no that's not actually wine)
We're so silly :)
The view when he proposedWednesday, March 26, 2008
Kat and Dave
What he gave me on Valentines day (the first one)(He's my teddy bear :D)
I think he loves me! :)The Night we got engaged (and no that's not actually wine)We're so silly :)The view when he proposed
Saturday, March 8, 2008
What Does A Double Wedding Look Like?
Being that a double wedding is increasingly uncommon, a lot of the ancient traditions and expectations regarding who goes first, who does what, and the recipe for the entire production have faded into obscurity.
Perfect!
Neither of the brides envisioned themselves planning a "typical" wedding with all the traditions in order... in the brides' words: boring and predictable. In ancient territory where the vast majority of charts are lost in the open sea of time we are now free to truly create a unique celebration that reflects our personalities and the relationships the four of us have together.
Here are a couple of articles on double wedding etiquette untangled from the World Wide Web which we found helpful.
Ok, then. Who is going first?
Neither went first down the aisle and even our attendants did not exactly have an order of first and second. Besides the fact that we decided to have a double wedding in the first place, we wished to reiterate to our guests the kind of restored and gracious relationship we sisters have and wish to maintain as well as portray to our family and friends. One couple from Elizabeth's party went first, then one couple from Katherine's, then the next couple from Elizabeth's party, etc. We decided the order of which party entered the sanctuary first by a virtual toss of the coin. For the remainder of the ceremony and the reception the decision on which couple goes first, where that is required, was not consistent and depended on technical and artistic tastes. However, age (Elizabeth is the senior) determined which candle was lit by the mothers first, and length of time engaged (Katherine has been engaged longer) determined that she and Dave would say their wedding vows and be "pronounced" first.
Guests at our wedding saw two concurrent, not sequential, weddings for the most part. Only in certain significant places did each couple take turns (i.e. to say their vows). Even more variation came during the reception when one bride decided to maintain a tradition and the other decided not.
Wow, you two shared decisions in everything? Was that hard?
Yes, very hard. But at the same time it was much easier than we expected. Our original plans did not include another bride at the altar but timing, technical difficulties, and of course, finances, demanded that we at least consider a double-wedding. I'm sure that if we had vastly different artistic and technical tastes we would have never considered it but, honestly, we already agree with a lot of things. We also made a list of important things to us, semi-important things, and entirely unimportant and compared notes. We made the decision to begin planning a double wedding when we determined that our most important things had no overlap! Some of Elizabeth's important things were having certain pieces of music for the ceremony, which piece of music to use for the Lindy Hop showcase, the husband-wife first dance music, and NOT cutting the cake (which she eventually got suckered into doing). Katherine's most important things included the piece of music for the father-daughter dance, which palate of colors to use for the theme, and having certain children for her flowergirl and ringbearers. We agreed at the outset that the other details we would either work out together or in the case of details we didn't care about in the least (e.g. technicalities of reception decoration. yuk! Thanks again Mrs. Feldmann!) we would ask others to take care of.
Even after we decided on the big stuff we still had to figure out the little stuff. We want to emphasize to anyone considering a double wedding that it is not twice has hard a planning a single wedding, it's closer to four times harder. Why? Because you have four families to consider when making plans and as much as people say "the wedding is about the bride" that just is not practical or true in real life. Besides, the fact that every decision must come to a consensus and communicated between the brides and any planners just compounds the already difficult planning process. If anyone reading this article is considering a double wedding, please take that into account. Both of the brides must be 100% involved in the daily planning and communication or it won't go well. Both of the brides must agree to occasionally disagree and work out any differences in opinion.
Yes, there were some bumps and bruises along the planning road but the wedding was positively perfect and any miscommunications were forgiven. We have a lot of unique memories, as do our guests, and we ended up married to the right people (an inside joke), so it was worth it!
Perfect!
Neither of the brides envisioned themselves planning a "typical" wedding with all the traditions in order... in the brides' words: boring and predictable. In ancient territory where the vast majority of charts are lost in the open sea of time we are now free to truly create a unique celebration that reflects our personalities and the relationships the four of us have together.
Here are a couple of articles on double wedding etiquette untangled from the World Wide Web which we found helpful.
Ok, then. Who is going first?
Neither went first down the aisle and even our attendants did not exactly have an order of first and second. Besides the fact that we decided to have a double wedding in the first place, we wished to reiterate to our guests the kind of restored and gracious relationship we sisters have and wish to maintain as well as portray to our family and friends. One couple from Elizabeth's party went first, then one couple from Katherine's, then the next couple from Elizabeth's party, etc. We decided the order of which party entered the sanctuary first by a virtual toss of the coin. For the remainder of the ceremony and the reception the decision on which couple goes first, where that is required, was not consistent and depended on technical and artistic tastes. However, age (Elizabeth is the senior) determined which candle was lit by the mothers first, and length of time engaged (Katherine has been engaged longer) determined that she and Dave would say their wedding vows and be "pronounced" first.
Guests at our wedding saw two concurrent, not sequential, weddings for the most part. Only in certain significant places did each couple take turns (i.e. to say their vows). Even more variation came during the reception when one bride decided to maintain a tradition and the other decided not.
Wow, you two shared decisions in everything? Was that hard?
Yes, very hard. But at the same time it was much easier than we expected. Our original plans did not include another bride at the altar but timing, technical difficulties, and of course, finances, demanded that we at least consider a double-wedding. I'm sure that if we had vastly different artistic and technical tastes we would have never considered it but, honestly, we already agree with a lot of things. We also made a list of important things to us, semi-important things, and entirely unimportant and compared notes. We made the decision to begin planning a double wedding when we determined that our most important things had no overlap! Some of Elizabeth's important things were having certain pieces of music for the ceremony, which piece of music to use for the Lindy Hop showcase, the husband-wife first dance music, and NOT cutting the cake (which she eventually got suckered into doing). Katherine's most important things included the piece of music for the father-daughter dance, which palate of colors to use for the theme, and having certain children for her flowergirl and ringbearers. We agreed at the outset that the other details we would either work out together or in the case of details we didn't care about in the least (e.g. technicalities of reception decoration. yuk! Thanks again Mrs. Feldmann!) we would ask others to take care of.
Even after we decided on the big stuff we still had to figure out the little stuff. We want to emphasize to anyone considering a double wedding that it is not twice has hard a planning a single wedding, it's closer to four times harder. Why? Because you have four families to consider when making plans and as much as people say "the wedding is about the bride" that just is not practical or true in real life. Besides, the fact that every decision must come to a consensus and communicated between the brides and any planners just compounds the already difficult planning process. If anyone reading this article is considering a double wedding, please take that into account. Both of the brides must be 100% involved in the daily planning and communication or it won't go well. Both of the brides must agree to occasionally disagree and work out any differences in opinion.
Yes, there were some bumps and bruises along the planning road but the wedding was positively perfect and any miscommunications were forgiven. We have a lot of unique memories, as do our guests, and we ended up married to the right people (an inside joke), so it was worth it!
California Friends
Tim and Elizabeth will hold a wedding reception at a location To Be Determined in Southern California at a time and date To Be Announced. In general, we are looking at scheduling the reception for the middle of July, give or take a few weeks. If you wish to help with the organization or planning, feel free to contact Tim's mom, Geri.
Watch this page for more information on the reception.
Watch this page for more information on the reception.
Out of Town Guests
Some guests have booked rooms at the Best Western Plaza By The Green in Kent, WA. You can book rooms online here. We are looking into the possibility of getting a group rate (which would probably require you to phone in your reservation.)
Tim's best man, Josh, has offered to host some guys at his house. If you are interested in this, please contact Tim: 425-306-0962
If there is any interest in others (i.e., girls or families) staying at a house, please pass that information along to Tim, and he will see what he can set up on this end.
Tim's best man, Josh, has offered to host some guys at his house. If you are interested in this, please contact Tim: 425-306-0962
If there is any interest in others (i.e., girls or families) staying at a house, please pass that information along to Tim, and he will see what he can set up on this end.
Tim & Elizabeth's Wedding Party
(From L to R) Rachel, me, Cara (maid of honor), and George (Cara's fiancee), posing outside of Bath Abbey, England.
Cara was my second roommate at Northwest University. We laughed together, played together, hung out together, and fought together (AKA: Tae Kwon Do, Judo, and shenai sparring, wrestling matches, etc.). Most importantly we matured and grew closer to the Lord together. She helped me through some of the toughest times in my life with supernatural grace and patience and I can only hope to continue to repay the favor for many years to come.
Tara Holland, my third roommate at Northwest University. At the time I was a Senior in the Nursing program and she was a Junior. A housing arrangement which originally came about half out of convenience, half out of the beginnings of friendship, developed in a deep friendship not only between her and I, but between both of our families. I'm sure we will all stay in touch for a very long time.
(Top to bottom, L to R) Andrew, Kim (bridesmaid), Joshua, Matthew, and Paul Ott. How can I not have my older sister in my wedding party? She is smart, sweet, and so giving of her time and talents. Did you know she designed, created, addressed, and sent all the invitations? What a blessing!
Liana Seim, best friend since 4 years old. Between life struggles and leaving for college at different times, we have drifted apart some but not a lot. But no matter how much we grow and change, we will always have that foundation of friendship.Ringbearer
Matthew, my youngest nephew. He'll do a great job.Groomsmen
Best man Josh Olsen (next to Tim) [friends Chris and Mike also pictured]
David and Joshua Zwicker
Caleb Tonn
Ushers
Paul, Elizabeth's brother-in-law.
Andrew, Elizabeth's oldest nephew.
Josh, the middle nephew. We're so cool, man!Friday, March 7, 2008
Photos - Tim & Elizabeth
April 2007
Northwest University [NU] "Evening"
April 2007
NU "Evening"
April 2007
NU "Evening" (right before Cara and George were engaged)
May 2007
Dinner with Tim's parents in Tacoma
August 2007
Gem Lake Hike
September 2007
Anna & Stephen's wedding
September 2007
Basecamp of Mt. Shuksan with Keisha, Chris, and Mike (taking the picture)
January 2008
Iglooing above Snoqualmie (Matt and Keisha pictured)
January 13th, 2008
Engaged!
January 13th, 2008
Celebrating with my parents
RSVP
To RSVP send an e-mail to harrisdoublewedding@gmail.com or leave a message at 425-793-9381 (the phone number provided in the invitation is out of date).
Please include the following information:
Please include the following information:
- Party name
- Total number of guests attending
Directions
The wedding ceremony will be held at First Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Renton, WA:
The wedding reception will be held at The Rockin' Horse Dance Barn in Renton, WA:
The wedding reception will be held at The Rockin' Horse Dance Barn in Renton, WA:
Stories
Tim & Elizabeth's engagement:
Dave & Katherine's engagement:
Important events leading up to Tim & Elizabeth's engagement
Dave & Katherine's engagement:
Important events leading up to Tim & Elizabeth's engagement
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