We can’t begin to express how much fun we had celebrating with you all, and hope you enjoy checking out the photos from the weekend, especially the photos of dancing at the reception - seriously, you all brought your A-game! (Yes, Eric, Steve, Josh and Maureen - we’re talking about you!)

And while you’re cruising through the photos, we thought this song might be an appropriate soundtrack to enjoy.

Getting Ready

The Ceremony

The Reception

There are plenty more photos on Flickr, including shots from the engagement party, rehearsal dinner and so many others. If you have photos you’d like to share, simply upload them to Flickr and tag them with “rqwedding.”

And once again, all the wedding photos are courtesy of our fantastic wedding photographers, Nate and Rissa with Balance Photography.

With love,
Qui & Ryan

A FEW “BEST OF” PHOTOS
[Image credits to our amazing photographers Nate & Rissa from Balance Photography.]

With that in mind, we hope you enjoy this taste of what’s to come:

And hey, if you have suggestions on awesome tracks that absolutely must be played at the reception, drop a comment below and let us know!

• Crate & Barrel (kitchen stuff)
• Bed Bath & Beyond (bed stuff, bath stuff and beyond stuff for the kitchen)
• Ten Thousand Villages (a few things from the global village. Qui will weep with joy if you hook us up with World Market gift certificates)
• REI (some camping stuff)

• Aneda Girlfriend
• Someday Someone
• Hopeful
• NEW! Shee Wilbefound

We love our friends, and hope you all meet and fall in love at our wedding. Hip Hip Hooray!

P.S. Hot tip for future brides you might know: Don’t have your wedding dress shipped as parcel post via USPS. Suck it up and pay extra for Fed-Ex. This lesson is courtesy of “Things Qui Learned The Hard Way.”

We’d love your suggestions on where to register, since that’s next on our list. We’re also about to start planning the honeymoon, so feel free to pass on tips. A tropical setting with good hiking would be ideal!

Thanks for the crazy love.

Qui

I’ve embedded the clip of the surprise party, and skip to about the last 10 minutes of the video clip to enjoy the surprise:

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Looking back . . .

The story begins years ago, in the lesser-known Washington city, Spokane. Colorado-native Ryan was out there, wrapping up undergrad at Whitworth University. Qui and several of her closest friends had just migrated to Spokane for a graduate program at the same school. (Qui, who had graduated from Messiah College a year earlier and was living in PA, went along for the move.)

We met through a professional networking group, as if often the case with public relations geeks. So we networked. A year later, we went on our first dates, had a mind-boggling blast on each one . . . and Qui promptly picked up and move to Spain. She never returned to Spokane, instead opting for a spontaneous relocation to the other Washington - DC. Clearly, we kept in touch. Ryan followed her six months later. And the rest is history, baby!

Let’s Do This Thing!

We got engaged on November 15, 2008, and will start “our blessed union” only six months later in the nation’s capital. The district has been our home for four years. Our life here is in many ways atypical of what you see on TV. There’s more to this city than black suits, pearls and politcos, and we are psyched out of our minds to share “our” DC with you. Keep reading for info on our wedding day, which features two of our favorite things: parks and community. (And champagne.)

4 pm (New Time! No longer 3pm. We told you this might happen…)

Did you know DC has more park land per square mile than any other U.S. metropolitan city? We can’t remember the source of this data, but let’s just take it as a fact. We heart DC’s parks!

We are planning to wed in Meridian Hill (a.k.a. Malcolm X) Park, “America’s first national park for the performing arts.” If you ask us, the park is one of DC’s best kept secrets, reminiscent of Paris. Resplendent with terraces, statues and cascading fountains, it’s easy to overlook the teensy drawbacks, like the occasional drug deal and loud siren. Beauty has its price.

Meridian Hill is situated just a few blocks from Ryan’s house in Columbia Heights. Because it’s a state park, a permit is required for all public events held there. We’re in the process of nailing that down, and of course, praying that it will not rain on our parade.

If all goes smoothly, we’ll all meet at the south end for a simple, sweet ceremony. Ryan’s father, Paul Moede, will officiate. Our crazy talented friends Tyler and Maureen Kumakura will perform a song we love dearly, and lead us in a little sing-a-long (a hymn of praise, naturally).

• Plan B: If it rains, the ceremony will be held at our reception location (see below).
• Please note: Due to park restrictions, seating will be provided only for those 12 of you who truly need chairs. We’re really sorry about this, and promise to refrain from an epic, 60-minute affair.