May 18th, 2013 - Our Wedding

May 18th, 2013

The Girls Getting Ready

 Our First Kiss as Husband and Wife

 We Did It!!

Jeff, Jason, and Stephanie

The Girls

The Bridal Party

Cutting the Cake at the Reception

Wow! What an amazing day we had on May 18th, 2013. The day was peaceful, we shared tons of laughter with friends and family, and love. Jason and I are so thankful to everyone who was able to witness our love in our picture perfect wedding. We feel very blessed to have the wonderful support systems of our families and friends. For those of you who were able to share in the moment or for those who shared in spirit, Jason and I thank you for the encouragement and well wishes in our new life together.

 

With Love,

 

                                                  Jason and Stephanie Shields

Wedding Rehearsal

The Archer Family



Jason and Stephanie

                                            The Archer Kids

The Rehearsal evening was beautiful! We all went down to the beach at 6:30 and found our spot and were able to take a few family pictures. Afterwards, we had a Mexican Fiesta with taco, chips and salsa, and margaritas. It was a perfect night before all the festivities began!

6 Days and Counting...

 Snacks have been bought for the car ride

And the packing has started

Last Minute Wedding Details

Today we have only 6 days until the wedding, but for Jason and I that means 3 days until we leave for Florida! The next 3 days consist of: packing, hair cuts, nail appointments (for me), car maintenance, boarding the dog, cleaning the house, last minute shopping, and much more! It seems like we have been planning for so long and I can't believe it's almost here! In 6 days, Jason and I will be husband and wife!



30 Days!

I missed the blogging by a couple days, but we are just shy of 30 days until the wedding! We are still working on final details including our vows, car arrangements, and how in the world we are going to fit all of my stuff into one vehicle :)

A few things that you DON'T need to bring: beach towels, beach toys for the kids, chairs and umbrellas can be rented on the beach, and food and drinks (unless you have special dietary requirements).

Remember to pack: sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, a light sweater or jacket in case it gets chilly at night, and a light rain jacket.

We ask that you PLEASE DO NOT BRING GIFTS to Florida because we will have limited space in our vehicle and we won't be going home right after the wedding. They can be mailed to: Jason & Stephanie
                                               4903 West Portland St.
                                               Springfield, MO 65802

If you are flying into Fort Walton Beach, we need to know your arrival time so someone can pick you up from the airport! Please get with Stephanie or Jason so we can plan accordingly.

Stay tuned for details on things to do in Destin, but pay attention because a couple of the activities require a reservation by next week! I will get that posted ASAP.

Stephanie & Jason

RSVP

By this time, I am hoping you have all received the wedding invitations! I would love for everyone to RSVP as soon as possible so we can get a head count for catering, gifts, and living arrangements. I know some of you have verbally told me "yes" or "no", but my mom has her own system to keep track so simply checking the appropriate box on the RSVP would be VERY helpful. 

Also, since this is a destination wedding we know that not all of our friends and family will be able to attend, so we will have a celebration at Mom and Dad Archer's in June. Stay tuned for details.  

60 Days...

60 Days Until the Wedding!

Without spoiling the surprise, I worked this weekend on part 1 of my gifts for the wedding party. I had an great partner in crafting the project, my awesome neighbor and friend, Missy. Thank you for all of your help!!

I also found out that my wedding dress will be shipped to Texas on March 29th and then shipped to St. Joseph, so I will have my first fitting in April :)

Mom and I were busy this past week - we finalized our caterer, flowers, and table arrangements around the house for the reception. It's starting to feel very real!

Invitations

Mom is busy with cutting...

Gracie decided she wanted to help too!

 

Mom and I spent Saturday and Sunday assembling the invitations! My mom did most of the work - printing, cutting, and stamping to get it all ready; I just had to address each invitation! The invitations should be mailed out within the week, so keep an eye out!

Registry Questions Answered!

After my Bridal Shower, it was brought to my attention that is has been difficult to find Jason and I on the registry at Target. Since we are getting married in Florida, it thinks we live in Florida - when you search try to just search either Stephanie Archer or Jason Shields in FL (not MO). I have a picture of us so you know it is us!

We are also registered at www.myregistry.com - when you go to the website click on the search bar on the top of the website and just type in Stephanie Archer or Jason Shields (give it a minute) and then a drop down bar will appear with our names.

Please make sure you either select what you purchased online or at Target have the cashier scan the blue sheet so we only get what we need!

Thank you in advance - Stephanie and Jason

Bachelorette Party!

 

Kelly and Jymme-Lyn also out did themselves when planning my Bachelorette Party! We had a great day full of EVENTFUL activites. Thank you ladies for all who came out to celebrate with us!

Bridal Shower - Springfield

 

This past Saturday Kelly and Jymme-Lyn threw a Bridal Shower. We had a beautiful shower filled with lots of pink decorations and great friends and family. Thank you to all who were able to come!

Block of Rooms

The invitations will be mailed out soon, but I've had several questions regarding hotel accommodations in Destin. We have 10 rooms blocked off at:

The Holiday Inn Express at 108 Hutchinson Destin, Florida. You can call 830-654-9383 and tell them you are with the Archer/Shields Wedding Party for the discounted nightly rate. This will be available until April 17th.

Wedding Rings

One BIG item off the checklist - our wedding rings!

The Past 2 Weeks

We've had a busy two weeks around the Archer/Shields household. The first week of February I left for an advanced training trip in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The weather was very cold and snowy, but I met a lot of great people from our sister stations and have learned a lot of great techniques that will help me get to the next level in my career.

Then when I got home I received a beautiful invite for one of my Bridal Showers, hosted by Jymme-Lyn, Kelly, and Mom Archer. I .also received my first bridal gift from my wonderful friend/old boss Judy Jowett.

Valentine's Day was a busy but wonderful day for us. I received these beautiful flowers, candy, and bubble bath at my office today. I got Jason a Calloway golf shirt and shorts, Cake Pops, and a "coupon" book with fun activities for us to do together. We grilled steaks, sauteed veggies, and scallop potatoes, and wine for dinner. Then we watched one of our favorite shows together. It was a PERFECT night!

That same day was "dooms" day for Rusty - it was the day to get neutered. I took him to the vet in the morning and he was NOT excited, but the vet said he did just fine. Rusty is doing great, although not listening to the instructions of the vet on not jumping, playing rough, etc... :)

2 Year Anniversary

January 28th was a special day for 2 reasons. First, that was Jason's 27th Birthday and second, that was the day we met 2 years ago. For those of you who don't know our "story" here it is...

On January 28th, 2011 Jason went out to the Piano Bar downtown for his 25th birthday with a large group of friends after eating at one of his favorite restaurants, Haruno. As many of you know Jason doesn't like large crowds or going out downtown.
I also decided to go out downtown for one of my friends birthday on that same night and at the same bar. And as my friends know, I also didn't frequent the "going out" scene either. With the help of our friends, Jason and I ended up exchanging phone numbers that night and the rest is history. Jason called me 3 days later and we talked for 4 hours the next several days (this was during the "Blizzard"). 

I am so excited that in 96 days I will get to marry my best friend in front of our closest family and friends. I could not see myself spending the rest of my life with any other person. The picture above is part of my Anniversary present - I must say that Jason is a great listener. He knows how picky I am, but always surprises me with the perfect gifts. On our 2 year anniversary this year I told him I didn't want to make a big fuss so I came home to a steak dinner, wine, clean house, beautiful flowers, and a lovely card. Exactly what I wanted!

Cheers to many more anniversaries and birthdays.

From our home to yours - Jason and Stephanie

Invitations, Catering, Parties, and More!

The past few weeks have been very busy! Mom and dad Archer came down two weeks ago to start the invitation process. We went to a local invitation place called Paper World and realized we will just make the invitation ourselves! I think we will have a more enjoyable experience. I am excited to get the invitation out within the next 3 weeks! I don't want to spoil the surprise but here is a little teaser...

We are also looking at our choices for catering. We are going to have a buffet style with appetizers, main course, and dessert for our guests. We want to stay local and take advantage of the fresh seafood, but also have food that I will eat ;-) Who knew how difficult it would be to pick out food?!
 
Jymme-Lyn, Kelly, and mom have been busy planning a Bridal and Bachelorette Party for Springfield on March 2nd. It will all be a complete surprise for me so no spoiling if you know the details!

As of today, we have 96 days until the wedding, so the pressure is on for all the last minute details!

Announcements

I am hoping that everyone has received our wedding announcements! Here are a few other pictures that didn't make our announcements, but we had a blast taking pictures so I wanted to share! You can also look at our Facebook pages for ALL of our pictures.

Also, we have officially registered at Target and www.myregistry.com

*Pictures taken by Isaac Wever at Rutledge Wilson Farm Park.

Welcome!

Good morning everyone! We know that not all of our friends and family will be able to attend our destination dream wedding, so this will be a great way to keep everyone up-to-date on recent activities and information during this exciting time for us. If you will be able to make the trip to Florida, I will also be posting links with hotel information and fun things to do in the area. Keep in mind, Jason and I haven't been to Florida, so if anyone has been to Destin, we would love feedback to share with others! Here is a little more information about our wedding:

• Ceremony will take place on May 18th, 2013 on the Tarpon Beach access at promptly 6:30pm
• We will have a beach house within walking distance to the ceremony site
• The reception will be held at the beach house after the ceremony
• The attire for the ceremony and reception is casual to business casual dress plus NO SHOES REQUIRED to enter the ceremony :)
• A rehearsal dinner will take place May 17th - details will follow soon

As you can see, we are still in the planning process, but this will give you an idea of what to expect. I will have a finalized schedule of group events (optional) with provided food and addresses for the reception and ceremony site very soon!

I would also like to mention that our destination dream wedding would not be possible without the help of our amazing families, especially Mom and Dad Archer, Kelly, Jymme-Lyn, and all our wonderful friends who have given us great suggestions during the planning process!

Stephanie Archer and Jason Shields will be getting married on the sandy beaches of Destin, Florida on May 18, 2013.