ring to rule them all...

Here's a pic of Noel's awesome wedding ring,
which finally came on October 8th.

It was sorta weird after the ceremony when the photographer had us take the "stare at the ring" pictures. We mostly were just laughing. Plus, I really thought it was weirder that Greg had a ring because ever since I was 12 and my Dad bought me a ring in Israel and blessed it in Cana (asking for grace in purity and also praying for Greg-only we didn't know it was Greg at the time but you know what I mean), I've basically had a ring on my my "ring finger". The Israel ring was lost in a tragic river intertubing accident, the details of which will not be released at this time.

Anyway. Here are more photos of the symbol of Greg's vow. It's nice to have now. And to know it looks good with or without the engagement ring. PS. --I'm sorry that they are not the best pics. Very difficult to shoot very shiny, tiny things with my poor little lens.

wedding pictures!

Click here to view our online gallery. There are some really good ones...and many of guests so check it out! And if you couldn't come, now's your chance to check out what was missed. A couple notes: the photos are not in order so don't worry if you see it jump around a lot.

Thanks, hope you enjoy them! More on the Pfeifers soon! We've been busy busy but do promise an update very soon.

we're ba-ack

Special thanks to all who came to our wedding to show their support! We had a really great time and felt very loved.

Here's a sneak peek (mostly with the help of pictures from my Uncle Brian) of photos from the wedding:

Chicago Transportation

How to get around in Chicago

Metra

your ticket to ride between Chicago and suburbs or between suburbs and suburbs.
be sure to watch the schedules. If going between Chicago and Wheaton area, use the Metra Pacific West Line. Chicago-Evanston is the Metra/Union Pacific North line. Be sure to beware the inbound and outbound trains have very different schedules depending on the day. This is an actual train and is more expensive than the El, though it is pretty cheap still and weekend passes are available.

The "El"

You should ride the El at least once while in Chicago, we think it's really fun. Plus it's a good way to see the city. Our advice for El transport is to pick up a schedule with the colored lines on it as soon as possible. Each line is a different color. Most converge in "the Loop" which is what Chicagoans call the inmost downtown area of Chicago. So, if you hear it, now you'll know. And if you use it, you'll be welcomed :) Please note: the El does not travel to Wheaton. It does travel to Evanston. The El is nice because it runs for many more hours than the Metra and so you don't feel as bound by its schedule. You can also find a stop close by nearly anywhere in the city. The Red & Purple lines go north to Evanston area. For the wedding, we recommend taking the Purple all the way to the Noyes St. stop in Evanston. Then it's a straight 3 block walk to Sheridan, go right and less than a block to the chapel. Image of an El ticket:

Bus schedules for Chicago can also be found at the CTA website where the El schedules are.

Chicago part deux

Okay, so other than the first fun thing you should do in Chicago, there are many fun things to do in this toddling town.

Chicago City Pass
-access to 5 of Chicago's attractions: Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, Museum of Science & Industry, Adler Planetarium, either Sears SkyDeck or Hancock Observatory. All are great, though, yes, I'm sure you all also have museums and planetariums where you are.

Go Chicago Card
similar to above.

Hancock Observatory
A great view of Chicago. The Signature Room on the 95th floor offers really great views while you eat or there's a lounge/bar on the 96th floor. Reservation are not needed but I think they're recommended especially wanting to go during peak times on a weekend.

Untouchable Tours
Did you know Chicago was home to many of the famous mob bosses and to many great gangster wars? Well, this 2 hour tour gives you a taste of gangster life in Chicago, taking you to all the different territories and famous locations, complete with sound effects and the greatest tour guide ever. A really fun tour, to be sure.

Millenium Park/Grant Park/The Bean/Buckingham Fountain

A nice, free attraction. You can view "the Bean", a new attraction to Chicago but a great place for pictures. A huge park with gardens, spitting fountains and a big open concert section complete with a huge lawn perfect for relaxing or a picnic. The week of the wedding is "blockbuster week" and has a few different music events happening: http://www.millenniumpark.org/documents/BlockbusterWeek.pdf

Chicago, chicago that toddling town...

Chicago, chicago Ill show you around - I love it
Bet your bottom dollar youll lose the blues in chicago

If you do one thing in Chicago, it should be the Architectural Cruise. It will be warm but not too warm and the lake will be beautiful. The cruise can be a little pricey (though worth it) but if you have AAA, you can get a good deal. We have been on the cruise twice and love it. Chicago is known worldwide for its architecture and the cruise highlights all the great parts about it. Bring a notebook for notes!!! We also recommend the lake and river cruises as they offer amazing views of the Chicago skyline from Lake Michigan. Bring a windbreaker as it is the Windy City and all.
Links to Architectural Cruise info:

Complete Chicago Boat Tour Comparison Chart
The One We Usually Go on--through Chicago History Museum
Through the Chicago Architecture Foundation

If you do more than one thing, we have a few more suggestions...but that will come in the next post!

Lost?

If you find that you no longer have a directions or info card and you need one, please let me know and I will send you these. T-11 days, looking forward to seeing you all!

symbols of our vows

We bought the RINGS to rule them all! It was quite a process but we FINALLY decided (too bad we're so picky and such bad decision makers). Here's the conversation we had regarding the final decision. It's pretty funny...

Noel: which one did you pick?

Gregoire: 2=http://www.antiquejewelrymall.com/r1161.html

so that's the one fate chose

Noel: and how do you feel now that it's chosen?

sometimes that's the indicator

Gregoire: pretty good.. means i don't have to feel responsible anymore ;-)

Noel: if you get that one and then you go...oh, nevermind, i didn't want that after all

okay, well, ya know, it's just your wedding ring so it's probably good you're so flippant about it.

Gregoire: i do like it.. it's just a big decision, and i've lost so many rings in my life that i'm nervous about that as well

Noel: oh, yeah

well, you don't have to wear it to work if you don't want

if it helps, i've lost nearly every ring i've ever owned

except this one

Gregoire: not wearing it is how i lose it =P

Noel: not if you just don't put it on in the morning and you keep it in its box

Gregoire: i'm trying to not be flippant

Noel: is that one the cheaper one?

Gregoire: heheheh

yes

Noel: cuz that makes me feel better

Gregoire: i love you

frugal you

Noel: we're going to tattoo it, so if it gets lost, we'll just leave it

till we're independently wealthy

;)

Greg's ring:



Noel's Ring (which unfortunately will not be here in time for the wedding):



please note: the sapphire ring in the middle is not her ring.

a pic of the engagement ring for memory:

BBQ Wedding Shower

August 3rd was our grand ol' shower. It was really fun--a BBQ and pool party all-in-one! Oh yeah, plus we received presents. Unfortunately, there weren't many cameras around so there are only a few pics (mostly of the pool). But, the pics are here, if you wanna steal a look!

Pack it up, pack it in

So, August 2nd...we moved! Well, let me re-phrase...we moved all of my stuff into our new apartment. But, we also made a detour at Greg's and picked up his big furniture with a minor stop at a neighbor's garage sale to buy more stuff! (who can resist Pampered Chef dishes for $8?)

Thanks to all who made our move possible and for helping make it a quick time.
Please continue to use the 807 Webster address in Wheaton as we have not yet put in forwarding orders and packages will be much safer to leave on the porch of the house. Thanks!

"engagement" photos

Just like us to procrastinate...but anyway, here they are...taken a mere 8 months after the actual engagement. But at least we're a little tanner and didn't have to wear 42 layers of clothing.

If you've seen The Dark Knight, you may recognize the bridges and some of the streets. Hooray for Chicago movies!

Thanks for checking them out. Comment here under "anonymous" if you have anything to say.

Greg turned to me last night and said, "We're in the wilderness now!" At my confusion, he said, "You know, 40 more days and 40 nights." So, may we walk through it more gracefully than the Israelites did.... Thanks for your support!

reply cards!!!

Hello dearest ones,

So, reply cards were due yesterday. This is your reminder to get your in if you have not yet done so. Thanks, we get so excited to go check out the mail everyday. And we know several people have not yet turned them in, we're watching you!

Thanks. Talk to you all soon. Hope you're coming to the wedding.

PS--If you're having trouble picking a song, just write as many as will fit or e-mail them to us. If you can't come, you may still do a song request. Thanks.

Hotel info!

We were out abode hunting the other day and noticed a well placed hotel that we thought we'd tell you all about. It's Fairfield Inn Lombard, located on North Ave. It's very near to the 355 tollway...so that's nice...and on North Ave. so close to 294/290 as well. They are not very expensive, are AAA members and also have continental breakfast!

Anyway, it looked pretty nice and so we wanted to share. We still didn't block off rooms just because probably not enough people will be staying but the rates seem decent anyhow and are still open for that time period. So, there ya go.

ZGallerie ammendment

Z Gallerie has been having some issues lately...so we haven't been able to put the coffee table on that we want. It's the Addison one if anyone is interested in getting it. :) But, again, that's more of a collection of gift cards item.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that we have been having issues with getting things on the actual registry so we also have a "wish list". If you go to Zgallerie.com and login as pfeifllins2008@gmail.com, the password is wedguest. It's not attached to any credit card or anything and is already set to go to Noel's home address (which is where we're storing all our booty). It doesn't have ALL of the things already on the registry, just some additions.

Thanks to all for your support!

Where to sleep?

We did not block off any cool hotels. Our reason is simple: Chicagoland is very big and you may wish to stay in any number of posh locations depending on your interests.

Most places in downtown Chicago are great places to stay, they are just very expensive. So please feel free to stay there and ask us any questions you might have about the hotel but we are not listing them here as they are generally so expensive.
So, we will merely give you some suggestions of where to stay varied by your interests.

1. North Shore Chicago's perks: very close to the wedding and reception locations, not too far from the airport and certainly close enough to the city to hop on public transportation to see the sights.

• Fairfield Inn Chicago Glenview - $69-$109
  
• North Shore Visitors bureau suggestions
• Anti-recommendation: Some friends of ours had a rather bad time at Holiday Inn Skokie/NorthShore

2. O'Hare Airport area perks: As soon as you get in, you don't have to navigate Chicago tollways to get to your temporary abode. Also, not too far from the Wedding and Reception sites. Probably not the best option for those who fly into Midway (ie Noel's fam and others who use Southwest :) )

• SpringHill Suites Chicago O'Hare by Marriott - $109-$159
• here's a map of other Airport hotels

3. Western suburban perks: If you are in the wedding or helping with the wedding, you should stay out here. Carpooling will be easier, etc. While there is no out-of-towners event planned at this time, Greg and I dwell out here in the 'burbs so it's more likely you will see us if you are staying out here. Downside is that it is not the most convenient for getting into the city nor to the wedding & reception. Is about 30-45 minutes from O'Hare, 45 from Midway. Lombard, Oakbrook, Glendale Heights, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn all of these are names of suburbs near where Greg and Noel will live (wherever that will be).

• Springhill Suites by Marriott Chicago Elmhurst - $99-$109
• Wyndham Drake, Oakbrook $99-$109
  
• Hilton Suites Oakbrook - $107-$147
• Comfort Suites Oakbrook - $109 - $169
• Hyatt Place Lombard - $129 - $179 (a very cool posh hotel- Greg's mom stayed here once)

************If you find a good place to say, please share it on here in the comments (just comment under anonymous).*****************

Special thanks to Jennifer Green, b-maid, for her work on this.

invitation party

This is how our invitation making/my 25th birthday party went:

General revelry and more importantly, chili eating. Thanks to my Dad for supplying us with the sustenance and making my birthday party awesome.

Yay for Micaela Pritts, an important part of the evening's festivities...as well as her mom, Lisa,and the always suave, Michael Johnson

Family! Thanks for helping, hey, and that's one of my bridesmaids, my sister, Hope.








More family! I love my Dad and his chili. :)

Let the invitation making commence!



The uniqueness to each and every invitation! It's fun to play with colorful ink and stamps. (And no, Mink is not a hand model...but if anyone's an agent, I'm willing to lend her hands out :) )








Ray, our map designer, is also great with his hands...and a paper cutter. He hand cut each and every reception/direction card. He's also in the wedding! Thank him when you flawlessly traverse the streets of Chicagoland on your way to the wedding.

Sarah admires Chris' aptly placed embossing powder.

(don't we all really?)

The feather cutters, labelers, invitation gluers, and handwriters! So very important to the process...all of whom are also incredibly photogenic. If Brad didn't cut feathers so well, we would fire him...for not letting his photogenicicity shine. He's in our wedding party, Jenn, the belle next to him is also in the wedding and Sarah (of whom there are many more pics) is also a b-maid and of course, those good looking peeps on the right as well....

Sarah has never been photographed before. So she decided to make up for lost time.

Such a happy and scary couple.

Possibly my favorite photo from the evening. See? Isn't he suave? At the very least, creative. And yes, ladies, feel free to ask for his number :)

Speaking of scary...

Also scary...I like how Brad's face is pretty much the same in this as the last. Oh well...it's better than the lovers faces they usually make when photographed together.

The sibs...sorry you couldn't make it, Al!

The almost finished product. But, then, you know how the finished product came out. Hope you enjoyed the invitation. And the picture show.

Registry

Okay, so, Greg and Noel are excited to begin their life together. However, they realized in the process that they really began their individual lives a few years ago and so have accumulated lots of stuff. They have found that they do not need more crap and to prove this, they are even going to hold a garage sale in July (stay tuned those of you in the area).

However, Greg and Noel's biggest need is for furniture...couch, coffee table, bed side tables...etc. Because of this, the registry may seem sparse. Of course, they do not believe anyone will buy the couches and coffee tables on the ZGallerie website but they get a discount after the wedding simply for having it on the registry. However, there are a few smaller items on the ZGallerie site. BUT, gift cards to ZGallerie are appreciated. However, they have also registered elsewhere because hey, it's always fun to open items, too!!!

Please please please do not feel the need to buy Noel and Greg a gift. They really will live just fine without a gift from you and would be perfectly content just to have you at the wedding or to see you sometime soon if you can't make it.

But, if you would like to get a gift, they have registered at:

ZGallerie--mostly for furniture, password: guest (yeah, we know, why even have a password?)

Bed, Bath and Beyond--most things fall under the "beyond" category

Target-- not a lot here but everybody loves Target :), check back as they will likely update this as the wedding approaches

Location, location, location

Where would Noel and Greg choose to do their swanky exchanging of vows?
Here, of course. "Here" being Chapel of St. John the Divine on Seabury Seminary's campus, which is on Northwestern University's campus in Evanston, IL.

Reception will take place at the lovely Winnetka Community House...or see this

Our invitation making party (pictures to follow soon) happens on Friday so then we'll put up some scans of invitations involving times and other pertinent info. Thanks!

Introducing...

the Mantourage and the Ladies in Waiting:

-George. brother of the groom. USMC [insert impressive sounding rank here]. Guitar Hero master. Jacksonville, NC

-Sparky. aka Alex Parrish. ex-step-brother of the groom ("brother" for short). UMD Senior! College Park, MD

-Andrew/Michael Collins. brother of the bride. Pele impersonator. Poli-Sci major at Incarnate Word. San Antonio, TX

-Andrew Unger. whipping boy of the groom. Canadian ex-patriot. NES all-star. youth minister extraordinaire; MBI grad. Wheaton, IL

-Ray Wu. son of the groom. Artistic wizard/creative genius. kung fu jedi AND Chinese (read: dangerous) Wheaton, IL

-Brad Pritts. fellow servant of Church of the Resurrection. philosophical revolutionary; new dad! bald by choice. West Chicago, IL

-Hope. sister of the bride (though, looks nothing like the bride- except in smile). itinerant baby-sitter. Wheaton College Bio Senior (i.e., for hire, but not in biology). carol stream, IL.

-Al. other sister of the bride. Queen of the animal kingdom. mother of ethan (nephew of bride). not engaged to Greg. San Antonio, TX.

-Mink. aka Rachel Mink and Grand Minksta Flash. monastic flirt. C.S.Lewis aficionado. wheaton, IL.

-Jenn. slashie award winner of the bride (roomate/co-worker/bridesmaid

/confidante). champion of psycho-social justice. wheaton, IL.

-tri*Sarah*tops. blossoming fellow LOSTie. prayer consultant of bride. lover of the au natural (not as in naked but as in trees). wheaton, IL...but c'mon y'all, her sweet home? Alabama!

Sometimes a bridesmaid (but gets to keep the title honorarily), sometimes a missionary to India:
-Carrie. fellow LOST freak of the bride. ex-boss. she's crafty (that's Beastie Boys, Greg!). Settlers of Catan annihilator. Mother of leyroy and i-pod (unofficial nephews of bride). carol stream, IL.

Welcome!

Thanks for visiting our page. Don't despair. We are adding more information soon. We just want to acclimate you to using this for all things Greg and Noel's wedding. Registry info and other tidbits coming very soon. Check back often.

Be looking for invitations in late May/early June.

Thanks again for loving us and supporting us as we take the plunge into marriage!

A couple features to be aware of:
*Comment us, we'd love to hear from you. Just post under "anonymous".
*Check the right column, underneath the picture, to browse by subject heading.
*Check back for info on places to go, things to see, fun in Chicago.

Happy Birthday, Greg!

Greg turns 26 today...into his "late" 20s...
Be sure to leave him birthday wishes!

Save the Date!

We just hit the 6-month mark!

So, mark your calendars:

September 7th, 2008


(Thanks to Greg's mom for creating the Save the Date magnets)