Directions and Tips

Hey hey!!! It's almost here!

We discovered tonight that some people's GPS leads them to a random house if they use the address given below. So when you're entering it into your GPS, try to enter "Sandpiper Boat Ramp, Polk, Iowa". Or if its helpful, we are on the south side of Hwy 415, just on the east edge of Polk City, next to the Marina.
 
If you are able to locate the Sandpiper Boat Ramp on your GPS or on Google Maps, that's awesome. The shelter is right before the ramp, on that same road (McBride Drive). So you'll enter the park, go by a little brown welcome building, and the shelter will be on the left. We'll have signs to help.

OR I have the latitude and longitude:    41.754651,-93.710843

So if you copy and paste that in Google or Bing maps, it will take you to exactly where you need to be!

41.754651,-93.710843

Consult the maps below as well. We will have signs on Hwy 415 that point to the turn-off and there is a brown sign that says Sandpiper on it.

Polk City natives are also very friendly and if you find yourself at Casey's, they'll point you in the right direction!

We can't wait to see you all! Hopefully the weather cools down a bit!

Love,
John & Em

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Quick wedding update: I've been checking the extended forecast numerous times. (almost obsessively) Right now, after an unseasonably cool and dry August, it looks like it's going to be hot and rainy on the big day. :(

If it rains ... Well ... It rains. :) We will move the ceremony to the shelter and make it work. Be prepared for mud volleyball instead of sand volleyball!

Until then, pray for sunshine!

We are 9 days away and getting more and more excited. Rain or shine, I know we will have a blast!

Hotel Information

Hey everyone!

For those of you traveling from afar, we have blocked off hotel rooms at two different hotels. 

The first is the AmericInn, located at 1610 SE Oralabor Road in Ankeny. This is approximately 8-10 minutes away from our ceremony/reception site. Their number is (515) 964-2004.

AmericInn Room Rates:

$102.19 for a room w/ 2 queens or 1 king

$130.99 for a 2 room suite with a king bed

(not including tax)

 To get this rate, you must book your room by August 9th. 

The second hotel is the Best Western Metro North, located at 133 SE Delaware Avenue in Ankeny. This is approximately 10-15 minutes from our ceremony/reception site. Their number is (515) 964-1717.

These rooms are $76.49 for a room with two queens or 1 king. (not including tax)

To get this rate, you must book your room by August 16th.

Venue Maps & Info

Greetings!

We thought it might be handy to have a few maps of the general area to show you where our wedding and reception will be. The physical address is: 7101 NW Polk City Drive, Polk City, IA 50226

Here are two maps to help you visualize where Polk City is (click to enlarge):

Here is a closer aerial of the actual site:

I've labeled a few key areas.

1) Parking
2) Bathrooms
3) Playground
4) Shelter - The shelter seats about 200 people and has two fireplaces. We should be set for any weather Mother Nature decides to throw at us!
5) Horseshoe pits
6) Ceremony site - This is just an open field where we will set up the ceremony site.
7) Sand volleyball court
8) Ball field

John and I both wanted our wedding to be a representation of us and how we like to live and have fun. This means playing in the sand and sun and just having a good time with friends and family. So please relax and enjoy yourselves!

Wear comfy clothes to play in. We will have supplies ready for kickball, horseshoes, sand volleyball and other outdoor games. If you're unsure, at least bring a change of clothes. We certainly plan on changing out of our wedding attire and into sporty clothes for some volleyball!

Welcome!

Hello! If you're here, that means you've received our Save the Date! This blog was created as a way to communicate details about the 'big day' to our guests. Here's what we know so far:

1) Date: Saturday, August 31, 2013
2) Location: Sandpiper Recreation Area in Polk City, Iowa (10 miles northwest of Des Moines)
3) Okay ... So maybe we just know the date and location at this point. We're working on the rest!

We will get hotel information posted soon. We will also settle on a time, but I would expect mid-afternoon.

Keep checking back for more info!