After the long wait for photos, I hate to disappoint you, but unfortunately I'm only able to post a few pics from our photographer, Bruno. The files are just too large (MB-wise) to post on an online sharing site like Flickr without reformating them to smaller files. So I'm only able to share a few of our favorites below. Enjoy!
Photo by Bruno Andrews
Assuming anyone still reads this...
While you wait, check out the new poll question on the sidebar -->
And if you've already answered the poll question, check out a few pics from Troy's cousin, Michele. We really like the abstract one of us walking down the aisle and the one of Angie's dress from the back (while we're dancing). Thanks again, Shelly (in the words of Uncle Wayne).
Update: Thanks to the 5 of you who are still stopping by our blog!! Just think, if Troy's grandma had the internet, there would be 6 of you!!! We'll have a link up soon to the best of the best from our professional photographer (and friend), Bruno!
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We are getting so close! It really is crazy. Six months ago this day seemed so far away. Actually, just one month ago this day seemed pretty far away. But its just around the corner now.
We wanted to check in one last time before the big day. We have honestly been so blessed by many of you contributing your God-given talents and time in helping us plan our wedding and reception. We are currently pulling together all the little things and are so excited to see everyone and celebrate with you all.
Who would you rather dance with at the reception?
Maybe you haven't noticed, but there is a poll in the right sidebar where you can vote to answer this question. It's just for fun, so go on, vote now!!
View Larger Map
As a convenience for our out-of-town guests who will be making the trip for our wedding, I've created a map on Google Maps. You can get to it by clicking here, by clicking "View Larger Map" above or by clicking the quick link on the sidebar.
That will lead you to the interactive map where you will find the church where the ceremony is being held, as well as the reception location, both of which are marked by the blue placemarks. You'll also find written, door-to-door directions from the church to the reception site.
I've also marked the Comfort Inn, where we've set aside a block of rooms for our out-of-town guests. Don't forget to make your reservations by February 29, 2008 in order to secure the discounted rate.
In order to get detailed driving directions to any of these locations, simply click the blue placemark and enter your starting location under the "Get directions" area of the bubble that pops up!
It's a super cool feature and we hope you find it helpful and useful.
Houlihan's
27 West Chocolate Avenue . Hershey, PA 17033 . 717-534-3110
Great place to have a nice dinner in a casual atmosphere. Highly recommended by the happy couple. Angie usually orders the Stuffed Chicken Breast, while Troy usually struggles to decide between the Chipolte-Smoked Chicken Enchiladas and the Chicken Parmesan.
The Chocolate Avenue Grill
114 West Chocolate Avenue . Hershey, PA 17033 . 717-835-0888
Excellent menu with fresh and creative sandwiches, wraps and dinners. Plus a great atmosphere! Closed Sundays.
Panera Bread
1178 Mae Street . Hummelstown, PA 17036 . 717-533-5242
A great spot for lunch. Panera also has a great selection of breads and bagels as well. And it's right next door to the Comfort Inn.
Jo-Jo's Pizza
1150 Cocoa Avenue . Hershey, PA 17033 . 717-534-2533
Great subs. Great pizza. This is our choice for best local pizza joint!
Cocoa Perk
1130 Cocoa Avenue . Hershey, PA 17033 . 717-312-1444
A local coffee house and cafe -- for all your caffeine fixes!
Neither of us grew up in the Hershey area. We both came here to take our first jobs, moving into mostly unfamiliar territory. However, in the 5+ years that we've both lived here, it has truly become home to us. Unless the Lord would move us, we can't imagine leaving this area. It's just such a neat little place. It's also the perfect place to visit! If you're coming from out of town and have time, why not stay an extra day and make a long weekend out of it? Here are a couple ideas to get you started on things to see and do!
There are a million places to stay in and around the Hershey area -- everything from a quaint bed & breakfast, to the high-end Hershey lodges, to every chain hotel you can name. So we took the pressure off of our guests by carefully looking into and selecting the best value (based on service, comfront, perks, price and ratings by previous guests). May we suggest...
Comfort Inn - Hershey
1200 Mae Street . 717.566.2050
Directions
Room Details:
Non-Smoking Room with 2 Queen Beds
Hertlein/Mouer Wedding Discount Rate: $76.00 + tax
Price includes: Complimentary Breakfast, Indoor Heated Pool
Check in 3pm . Check out 11am
Cut-off date to make a reservation at the discounted rate: February 29, 2008
We hope that you have enjoyed getting to know the bridal party over the last several months. It was our wish that you would get to know a little bit about them and how they have touched our lives before attending the wedding in March. Hopefully you have had as much fun reading the posts as we have writing them.
We also wanted to take a post to tell you just a little bit about ourselves...for those of you that might know Angie, but not Troy, or vice versa.
The Groom
Born: August 18, 1975 - Waynesboro, PA
Birth Order: Oldest
Siblings: 1 - Kevin
Education: Waynesburg College, University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Occupation: Attorney (United States Dep't of Agriculture, Office of the General Counsel)
Favorite Food: Mexican
Favorite Movie: The Village
Favorite Book: The Signature of Jesus, Brennan Manning
The Bride
Born: May 25, 1979 - Frenchville, PA
Birth Order: Oldest
Siblings: 2 - Adam & Amanda
Education: Lancaster Bible College, Penn State University
Occupation: Music Teacher at Hershey Christian School - Angie teaches choir, band, and general music to middle school and high school students.
Favorite Food: Sid's Cheesesteak
Favorite Movie: The Princess Bride, The Matrix
Favorite Book: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austin
So that's just a tiny peek into our lives. If you'd like to know more about either one of us, check out our personal blogs (follow links in the sidebar). Again, thanks for stopping by our wedding blog and check back often for updates.
Sarah Lynd . BridesmaidJim Shearer . Groomsman
After watching that video, what more can I say?Little Known Fact: During their days at Waynesburg College, Jim and Troy co-founded Q.P.T. (Quality Play Time) -- an hour between lunch and their next class where they engaged in the higher pursuit of mastering Nintendo's Excitebike.
Rachel Rineer . Bridesmaid
Josh Cales . Groomsman
Danielle Reider . BridesmaidMeeting a fellow country music fan doesn't happen too often, so when it does there is an immediate connection between you and that person. Add the fact that you both enjoy basketball, are single (well I guess I can't qualify for that anymore), graduated from Lancaster Bible College, and hate long meetings...and you have a FRIENDSHIP.
Over the past two years I have had the privilege of getting to know Danielle and have appreciated so many things about her. She has taught me much about Christ-like character without even knowing it.
Here are some of the things I have gained from my friend...
1. Her positive attitude no matter what the circumstance (whether teaching a class with more than 15 sixth-grade boys or squishing four high school girls in her car for a 1 1/2 hour car ride to a basketball game).
2. Her smile and joyful attitude towards everyone.
3. Her care and concern for her students.
And the list goes on! Thanks for making me laugh, being such a positive influence, and sitting through all those girls basketball games with me:) I am glad you will be standing by me on my big day too!
Kiaya & Kiera Mouer . Flower GirlsAnd wait till you see them in their flower girl dresses!!
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Max Davis . Ring Bearer
I remember as a kid never wanting to hear the mushyness about my parents (i.e. how they met, where they went on their first date, how they got engaged). I mean, I was grossed out even seeing them kiss :)......which is why there was always the comments of "Yuck" and "EWWW" from me and my siblings everytime they did (sorry mom and dad:).
Now that I am engaged and about to marry and begin my own family, I found myself thinking several months ago about how I don't even really know the story about my parents. Yeah, I think I had heard it in my adolescence, but my semi-conscience brain at that time of my life probably didn't really comprehend the significance of it and the story had been forgotten.
So I questioned my mom a little bit about it the other day and found out the following. As with all good love stories, I feel that it is worthy to share and for all to hear.
My mom and dad grew up about 20 miles from each other in two rural towns in Western PA. They attended high school together, knew of each other, but were not really friends and didn't talk much. What they do seem to remember of each other during those days however is "Those green knee socks" that my dad swears my mom wore everyday; and that, in the words of my mom: "He was such a country bumpkin". So how did they ever get together?
Well apparently one weekend my mom's roomate asked her to come along on a double date with her to meet the brother of this guy she was seeing. So my mom agreed and they headed off to the movies where she encountered "the country bumpkin" -- dressed in cowboy boots and a jean jacket. Yeah Dad!!! Instead of watching the movie they talked the whole time (which doesn't suprise me given my mom :), but I would have never guessed my dad would have been much of a talker.......well, I guess he could have been listening.
So from there I think some flirting continued, love notes may have been exchanged and in a little over a year, they were engaged and married. Several years later, I was born!
My parents taught me a lot about their love story though the years growing up with them. I saw that even though things are not always easy, you work through them, you turn to God for wisdom and love each other most importantly through God's love.
Today my parents are living without any of us kids and I hope they are finding the times they did back at the beginning of their relationship to just really enjoy each other.
I love you both so much and am so thankful to have two Godly individuals unite to guide me into the person I am today.
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October 6, 2007
This was a pretty big day in the immediate Hertlein and Mouer families. That's right...it was time for the parents to meet.
Angie's parents -- Lee and Beverly -- would travel from Frenchville (PA) to Hershey.
Troy's parents -- Rick and Debby -- would travel from Waynesboro (PA) to Hershey.
At 6:00 p.m., all would converge on Fiesta Mexico.
As you would suspect, everyone was feeling a bit nervous that day. Not that any of us actually thought there would be any problems; but its just that whole "meeting new people thing" and worrying about breaking the proverbial ice and carrying conversation.
Here's the play-by-play:
Troy's parents arrived a bit early and were seated prior to 6pm. Angie's parents arrived promptly at 6pm -- thankfully the PSU football game was already in progress and they were able to breeze through State College on their way to Hershey. We met Angie's parents outside and walked them into the table where Troy's parents were seated. What ensued were handshakes and a hug between our mothers. After which there was a bit of chit-chat, and then it was time to review the extensive menu -- a welcomed reprieve from the pressure of making conversation.
After the orders were placed, the talk changed naturally to wedding plans and such. Followed by talk of Rick & Debby's grandchildren, college football, our other family members, pets, baseball (Yankees v. Red Sox -- yikes!!), rubber plants, compliments on the food and atmosphere of Fiesta Mexico, Frenchville, and pretty much anything else normal people talk about!
After all plates were cleared and drinks re-filled one last time, Angie and Troy were able to sit back and finally relax as we watched our mothers discuss who knows what from across the round table, while our fathers discussed various aspects of their jobs. As it turns out, they work in similiar fields and were actually able to understand what each other do (although no one else does)!
From here on out, it should be pretty smooth sailing...
August 10, 2007
I proposed to Angie inside Heinz Chapel, which sits on the University of Pittsburgh's campus. The chapel was significant to me because I'm a Pitt alum and have long-admired the beauty of this chapel. The chapel, and Pittsburgh itself, was significant to both of us because last summer -- before we were dating -- I gave Angie and her sister, Amanda, a detailed list of sites to see in Pittsburgh when they were in town for a concert. Although I suggested they visit the chapel, they couldn't find it.
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