Update: 17-March-2021

I'm sure that many of you who find yourself reading this are here because you received our updated save the date/invitation/announcement in the mail recently. If so, please head on over to the RSVP Online page up at the top, and kindly fill out the electronic RSVP form so we know who is coming. With the way things are looking now, we plan to move ahead with our twice rescheduled reception now slated for July 18th (Sunday). We hope to be able to have the reception inside the gorgeous Atrium room, however if restrictions on indoor gatherings are in place at the time, we have retained the option of having tents setup for an outdoor reception. If you already had a hotel reservation at the Inn at St. John's, it has been automatically moved to the new dates, and no action is required of you (unless your RSVP has changed). If you had a reservation at the Hilton Garden Inn, I think it also has been moved, but it wouldn't hurt to just call and confirm. Please note the change from the original schedule: the ceremony will now be held in the chapel onsite at The Inn at St. John's, so there will be no need to travel to the church and then back to The Inn for the reception. It will be just a flight of stairs or an elevator ride from ceremony to reception. For those staying at the Hilton, there will be a shuttle to/from The Inn if you would prefer not to drive (this is recommended if you plan to be drinking that night). We hope to see as many of you there as possible!

Kurt & Sami

COVID-19 Situation Report 13-September-2020

Sadly, things are not progressing as we had hoped by this point in time. As the situation continues to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future, The Inn staff has communicated the probability of rescheduling the reception once again. As such, and faced with the reality that even if we were able to hold the reception this December as currently planned, many people would chose not/would not be able to attend for various reasons, we are currently in the process of rescheduling the ceremony/reception to next July. This both buys us more time for the situation to improve, as well as offers us a backup plan of an outdoor reception if similar restrictions are in place at that time. This is not a decision we make lightly, but we feel like it is the best decision we can make at this time, given the information available to us in the moment. Stay tuned for an official announcement and instructions for updating your RSVP.

Kurt & Sami

COVID-19 Situation Report 17-July-2020

If you haven't yet heard, WE GOT MARRIED! Well, at least in the legal sense, we had a small outdoor ceremony in Webster, New York with only immediate family present. The video is now uploaded to the Google Drive, see the Photo Upload page to watch it. The plan is still to have the full Catholic matrimony and reception in December, both at the Inn at St. John's. We have now confirmed we can get married in the chapel there, which simplifies logistics and, for those who will be staying at the hotel onsite, eliminates the need to drive that night completely. We hope everyone will be able to join us on our new date to celebrate with all due pomp and circumstance.

Kurt & Sami

COVID-19 Situation Report 9-April-2020

Today, the bad news is that the governor has just extended the Shelter In Place order through the end of the month, and yesterday the Archdiocese of Detroit extended its ban on all church functions as well. This means we will definitely NOT be getting married in the Catholic church this April. The good news then is, more than likely this means that our wedding will be rescheduled to the same day as the reception and we will get to celebrate it with all of you, not just the immediate family. We are currently looking into the possibility of having the ceremony onsite at The Inn at St. John's, making transportation less complicated. At this time, we are still going to at least attempt to be legally married on the originally planned date, however that is contingent on being able to get a marriage license from the (currently closed) government offices. That update will have to come later.

Sami & Kurt

COVID-19 Situation Report 31-March-2020

I'll keep this update rather short. Some of you have been asking, so I figured I would inform everyone about the lodging situation. I have been informed by our contact at The Inn at St. John's that if you already had a reservation with them, your reservation has been automatically moved to the new set of dates, and requires no action from you. You only need to call if you need to cancel or add/subtract dates, but the hotel reservations have been shifted relative to the rescheduled reception, i. e. if you had a check-in the day before the wedding and check-out the day after the wedding, that is still the case for December 20th. The secondary (cheaper) hotel information has changed slightly (link and group code updated) to reflect the new date as well; this has been updated on the lodging page, see that for more detail and to book. There will be a shuttle to/from the secondary hotel servicing the reception, at no charge to the guests. We still intend to get officially married on April 24th, however we are not yet sure if we will be able to because of government office shutdowns and Archdiocese mandates. More on that later.

Sami & Kurt <3

COVID-19 Situation Report 25-March-2020

TL;DR: Wedding still on April 24th, may only be 10 people max. Reception moved to December 20th, resubmit RSVP online please.

It is with a heavy heart, that I must post this update. I wanted to hold off on making this announcement until we knew for certain what was going on. With all of the closures that are going on, and the extensions to the existing measures, the end of April is looking more and more uncertain. Also, with an influx of cancellations, even if we are legally allowed to have our reception as scheduled, would it be worth it without a large portion of the invitees? As such, Samantha and I have decided to move our reception to an alternative date, Sunday the 20th of December, 2020. We were offered a limited selection of backup dates, and this seemed like the best option to us. If you had a hotel reservation at the Inn at St. John's, they have informed me that it will be moved relative to the new date automatically, with no need for any action by you. If you need to cancel or change your reservation based on this, then you may contact the hotel directly. With this change in plans, we are not going to resend physical mail-in RSVP cards; we may send out a notice through the mail with updated details, but all RSVP's for the new date will be taken electronically through the online RSVP form on our website. We will retain our current list of attendees, so please inform us whether your RSVP is still valid, or if this reschedule changes anything. We will also be reaching out as the date approaches to people we do not hear from via the form.

With the reception being rescheduled, due to favors and items already ordered with the April date, and being unable to cancel them, we intend to move forward with the actual marriage on the originally planned date. The priest has made us aware that it is possible we may be restricted to 10 people at the ceremony, if current measures remain in place due to sustained ongoing community spread of the virus. As such, we are investigating options for live streaming of the ceremony online, so continue to check back on our website for an update on that. We are also currently investigating the possibility of some sort of vow renewal/unity candle ceremony on the December 20th date for those who cannot attend the original ceremony, especially in the event of a 10 person or less wedding. We are in uncharted territory at the moment, and the rules are yet to be written. We are hoping that most of you who were planning on coming will still be able to join us in December, and that those who have decided not to or were unable to come this April will now be able to celebrate with us on this new date, and that the virus situation will be under control by then and it will be safe to travel and to gather close together with family from across the country, and right down the street. Sadly, because it is advised that we not, and too uncertain because of restrictions across the country, we have been forced to cancel our honeymoon and reschedule it for a later date TBD.

I love you all. Stay home, stay healthy, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap, avoid touching your face with unwashed hands, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap is not an option, and I will see all of you beautiful people this Christmas!

Kurt R. Morse

COVID-19 Situation Report 22-March-2020

I didn't want to post anything until solid decisions are made, but with things moving as quickly as they are, I thought I would make people aware of what might be coming. With a number of last-minute cancellations yesterday, we are now considering the possibility of delaying the reception, with or without delaying the actual ceremony. Again, nothing has been officially changed as of yet, but there is a possibility that the wedding ceremony will proceed as planned, with a severely limited guest list due to current restrictions on the size of gatherings being extended, and the reception being delayed some months until such a time that we can find another date to move it to. I know this is less than ideal, but we must weigh the options and consider the fact that, if we proceed as planned, there is a high chance that many people will not be able to, or will choose not to come and celebrate with us due to the situation, and whether it will be worth it to move ahead with the reception anyway, or to take on the burden (financially, logistically and emotionally) of splitting the ceremony and reception to different days, many months apart. Stay tuned for a decision in the coming weeks.

COVID-19 Situation Report 18-March-2020

Samantha and I understand this is a very uncertain and stressful time for everyone, especially those who have to travel. Believe me, we are both under a lot of stress ourselves, faced with a great many unknowns in the near future and our wedding in jeopardy. I have been told to work from home as much as possible, and Sami has been working herself to death at the grocery store across the street, dealing with all the madness day in and day out.

Now having said that, let me say this. AS OF TODAY, nothing has been canceled/postponed/rescheduled yet. We are looking at the possibility that we may have to reschedule the wedding and/or reception, but this situation is constantly evolving every day, and we are still a ways out. We are closely monitoring developments and will try to keep this site up to date with the latest available information.

AT THIS TIME, our recommendation is NOT for anyone to cancel travel plans and hotel rooms. According to all available information at this time, the wedding and reception are still scheduled to happen as planned on April 24th, 2020. This may change tomorrow, but we still have plenty of time. What IS recommended, however, is to look up and understand all of the cancellation policies of your reservations, and know when the critical deadlines are to cancel for full or partial refunds. Most airlines are being especially accommodating during this global pandemic, crediting airline travel to be rescheduled at a later date. Check with the hotel you booked to find out when the deadline is to cancel and receive a full refund. With all of the available information in front of us, we can make calm, calculated decisions based on the facts and not make hasty reactions to an ever-changing situation.

Lastly, check back here frequently for updates and the latest information. Please try not to contact Sami or Kurt directly before checking here; our schedules are very fluid and hectic, and it is very taxing to disseminate the same information individually to the over 125 guests one or two people at a time. We thank you for your patience and understanding through this historic and unprecedented time, and appreciate your support, which will invariably help us weather this storm.

Yours in ___kai___,

Kurt R. Morse