Wedding Information

We have finally set the date after much searching for a suitable location for our wedding!

The wedding will be held at Starved Rock State Park in Illinois on August 25th, 2006. Yes, this is on a Friday, not Saturday. Sorry! But we are happy to have an opportunity to get married in such a beautiful place.

Accommodations

There are cabins and a lodge in the park, we are holding 33 rooms there. Additional lodging is in Oglesby. We are holding blocks of rooms at the Days Inn (815) 883-9600 $71, and a Holiday Inn Express (815) 883-3535 $88. When you are making reservations, be sure to tell them you are with the Ploplys-Judd wedding. Camping is also available within the park. There are also a few bed and breakfasts in the area.


Attire
We have received a lot of questions about what people should wear to the ceremony and reception. The ceremony site is a short walk, and it will probably be hot, and the path could possibly be muddy. Be sure to wear sensible shoes. For ladies, cocktail dresses, sun dresses are fine. Men could wear business casual-khakis and button up shirts. Just no shorts, t-shirts, or jeans. (Laura says no cowboy boots, but I think they are okay.--Matt).


More to come soon...

Getting There and Away

Getting There and Away

Starved Rock State Park is the green area South of the Illinois River. You can see that is close to the junction of interstate 39 & 80. It is about 1 hour 25 minutes South of Rockford on I-39, and about 1 hour 40 minutes from Chicago via I-80. Click here to get directions from MapQuest.

Air
The closest (and probably cheapest) airport is Midway (MDW) 88 miles, then O' Hare (ORD) which are about 95 miles away. Rockford also has an airport.

Land
Of course car rentals are the easiest way to get to and from the airport, however we encourage all of our guests to carpool. Please share your flight information as a comment to this post to coordinate with other guests.

Due to limited parking at the ceremony site, there will be two trolleys to take you and from the ceremony site and the reception site.

Council Overhang -- The Wedding Ceremony Site. There is a short, easy hike from the parking area to the Council Overhang, about 5 minutes. It will be a short ceremony in the woods along a natural limestone amphitheater formed by a waterfall (no longer flowing). Please avoid high-heels as the trail is not paved. See a map of the Park.

Remember that there will be two trolleys waiting at the Starved Rock Lodge to take you down to the wedding site at 4:00 PM.

Rain contingency plans: the ceremony will be moved under the limestone overhang where we will remain dry. Ushers with umbrellas will escort you along the (possibly) muddy trail. Don't forget to wear sensible shoes for the trail.

Our photographer is Howard Kier of Magical Moments Photography. We had an engagement session while visiting Saul and Betty in Rockford last May. You can view and purchase prints at: http://www.mmpix.com/gallery/G_Judd/index.html

The login is: laurajudd
The password is: mattjudd

enjoy!

Logistics and schedule of the Wedding

Logistics and schedule of the Wedding

Friday:
Ceremony at Council Overhang 5 pm
There will be two trolley busses meeting at the Starved Rock Lodge to take you to the ceremony site. See info sheet included in the invitation. Matt and Laura will have a photo session with the photographer immediately after the ceremony.

Reception at Starved Rock Lodge 6 pm
Shuttles will return you to the lodge. An open bar and appetizer will be available. Matt and Laura will be arriving shortly.

Dinner, Dancing and Drinks until 11 pm

Saturday:
Breakfast Gathering 9 to 11AM
Will be available at the Lodge, serving some juice, coffee, and pastries.

Sunday:
Matt and Laura leave on honeymoon early in the morning.

Wedding Registry

We really don't expect or need any gifts. Instead of a gift you could make a donation (of any amount) to Gambia's school children through the Peace Corps scholarship Fund. About $60 can send one girl or boy to school for a year! There is also a Peace Corps site for donations to volunteer projects. Nothing else would make us so happy.

For those who prefer to give us a gift, we are commissioning a local artist at Utah Artist Hands to make us some pottery: plates, bowls, serving dishes. There is a web page up that allows you to purchase pottery items here: http://www.utahands.com/weddings/mattnlaura/mattnlaura.html

We are also registered at Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wedding/3PQTJIDT8TTCA We would prefer presents sent to our home address, as we will not be returning to Illinois after our honeymoon.