Party, Part I

The wedding is coming up! Here are some things you should know.

• Weather permitting, the ceremony will be outdoors. We will provide water and paper programs (a.k.a. fans!) to help you beat the heat. If it’s a little chilly, please bring a sweater. If it’s very hot, very cold, very windy, raining, or looking like a storm, we’ll move the ceremony indoors.
• The ceremony will start at 6:00, so please arrive a little before that.
• The reception will be in the events barn at Cobblestone. The barn is air conditioned – thank goodness! There will be delicious food (Italian buffet) with vegetarian options, beverages (beer, wine, lemonade, iced tea, water, and coffee), and cupcakes.
• At the reception, there will be a photo station with funny props (mustaches on sticks, anyone?). Someone will be manning a camera, but you can take your own pictures if you prefer. We hope you’ll share – upload them, and your other photos, at http://chrisandkatiefritzwedding.snapfish.com/snapfish so we can all see!
• There will also be speeches, dancing, and general partying. We hope you will have a great time.

Can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Musicians Wanted

Are you getting excited for the wedding? We are!

As we get everything ready for the big weekend, we are remembering some loose ends. One is pre-ceremony music. This isn’t absolutely necessary to us, but as you know, it can create a nice atmosphere. We would love to have family and/or friends perform some music as guests are arriving.

If you play a portable instrument or sing and would like to perform, please let us know. It would be between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. for as long as you want (between 30 seconds and the whole half hour!). We can provide a music stand and possibly sound equipment if needed.

Thanks!

State Recognition, Gratitude, & Marriage Musings

We are going to the district courthouse in East Lansing today to get married in the government’s eyes. Even though we don’t consider this our actual wedding, and we won’t consider ourselves married until July 30, we are still extremely grateful for the opportunity to legalize our union!

Did you know that there are over 1,000 statutory provisions that provide benefits or rights to married people? Starting today, we will be able to file taxes jointly, cover each other with health insurance, be each other’s next-of-kin in emergencies, adopt a child together (don’t worry – no plans for that yet!), transfer property to each other tax-free, and much more. We have chosen to join our lives financially and legally, and the state enables that for us. We think that any two Americans should have access to these rights and benefits, regardless of their sex, gender or relationship. Romantic love is wonderful, but shouldn’t be a prerequisite to someone’s legal and financial security, and having an opposite-sex partner shouldn’t be either. If you have the privilege of state recognition for your relationship, please remember to be grateful for it. If you would like to learn more about the need for marriage equality, visit Equality Michigan’s website. You can also donate to support their advocacy work.

On a more general note, we’ve been reading about the history of marriage lately to help us determine what it means to us. Two interesting books are Marriage, A History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz, and What Is Marriage For? The Strange Social History of Our Most Intimate Institution by E. J. Graff. Both authors talk about the origins of marriage as a way to regulate property, sex, and family politics; how every generation fears a “marriage crisis” and the decline of civilization; and how women’s liberation and a more individualistic culture have shaped modern marriage.  Coontz gives a more detailed chronological history, while Graff breaks her stories and arguments into topics (Money, Sex, Babies, Kin, Order, Heart).  No matter what your relationship status, these are great reads that will challenge you to reconsider your views on marriage.

Despite all this critical thinking, we’re still excited and humbled to celebrate our emotional commitment to each other with all of you! With our wedding, we are promising to support each other and grow together, even when it’s hard. Thank you for your support at the beginning of our journey and beyond.

-Katie and Chris

Wedding Theme: Celebrate Michigan

In our daily lives, Chris and I try to support local, independently-owned restaurants and businesses. Buying local, especially local food, is better for the economy (because more money stays in the community rather than going to national or international corporations), the environment (because less fuel is needed to transport the products), and often your health (because food is fresher and more likely to be free of pesticides and other chemicals).  Plus, it’s fun to interact with business owners and employees who really care about their jobs, their communities, and their customers.

For our reception, we’re excited to be serving truly excellent food and drink from the great state of Michigan. You can look forward to:

• An Italian-style buffet from Paesano, a family-owned Ann Arbor restaurant. We’ll work with their chef to create a menu based on local, seasonal produce from Southeast Michigan – fresh and delicious!
• Cake and cupcakes  made by baking genius Mary Rasmussen, owner of the Jefferson Market and Cakery in Ann Arbor
• Wine from Sandhill Crane Vineyards in Jackson, Michigan
• A beer selection including Bell’s Oberon Ale, Michigan Nut Brown Ale from the Michigan Brewing Company, and Labatt’s Blue (Canada is practically Michigan, right?)

We’re trying to incorporate Michigan-owned companies for other elements of the wedding too, like my dress, the flowers, and our rings. It’s not always easy or possible to find Michigan products that fit our budget, so it won’t be a completely MI-themed wedding, but it’s a fun challenge.

To find more Michigan companies and products, visit the Buy Michigan Now website. If you don’t live in Michigan, try searching for “[your area] local first” to find local businesses.

Looking forward to celebrating with you! My mouth is watering already.  -Katie

Welcome!

Hello, family and friends! We created this site to keep you up-to-date on our wedding plans. While some parts are still under construction, here’s what we have in mind.

Events. Both the ceremony and the reception will be held at the historic Cobblestone Farm park/events center in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Friday, July 30, 2010. The Events page of the site has this information for your reference. It also has information on where to stay and the day-after open house.

Philosophy. We have a somewhat unusual view of marriage (which won’t stop us from having a romantic, meaningful, and fun wedding!). We wrote a letter to you to explain it. You can read it on the Philosophy page. Please let us know if you have questions!

About Us. In case you only really know one of us, you can find out more on the About page. We also tell the story of our relationship, including the proposal. Yeah, it was sweet.

Registries. We haven’t registered anywhere yet, but we do know that we would be delighted with several different kinds of gifts, including your smiling presence, a donation or volunteer job in our honor, or a traditional household item. We will try to have this page up in March.

Thanks for visiting the site! Talk to you soon.   – Katie and Chris