Peter and Brooke's Florida Wedding

New Pics

2007-10-11T10:58:00.000-06:00

In the previous post I have a slideshow that I keep updating with new pictures, so you can look at that again to see new pics as I get them. After receiving all these pics from everyone I am not sure how we all had time to speak or actually interact! The week was WELL documented - thanks everyone!
Peter left today to head into the elk camp in Ennis. I will join him Friday - Sunday, along with 3 of my girlfriends to help set it up, cut wood for the winter, haul in all cots, tents, stoves, etc.
We are looking forward to it - it is a beautiful fall in Montana and we are in "happy newlywedded bliss." We hope to see some bears and snow this weekend!

Wedding Pics

2007-10-10T15:50:00.000-06:00

Here are a FEW pictures, just from Pete and my camera. Many more are coming, and much better ones, but this will give you an idea.

Thanks everyone for making this the BEST week of our life. Truly amazing and it was because we had so many amazing people to share our excitement and love with.

We're MAARRRRIIIIIEEEEEDDDDDD!!!!!!!

Red Tide and Doggie Farewells

2007-09-28T10:17:00.000-06:00

Since this might be the last post before we leave tomorrow, I have to give a quick tribute to our kids- Brutus, Gaucho and Oliver. We left them this morning in the great care of Loni and Marni. I am devastated that we can't stuff them in our bags and bring them - as I am sure Brutus could find LOTS of rocks and shells on the beach to chase, Gaucho would lose his mind with all the swimming and laps he could do in the ocean, and Oliver would provide hours of entertainment for everyone with his ever-eventful antics.

I can only imagine how cute they would be wearing white tulle and bows at the wedding. So, here are my boys... We will miss you!

This morning, Peter with his super-cute new haircut for the wedding and Oliver and Gaucho (who need no haircuts and are always dashing)

Brutus pouts alot. This is him pretending not to care that we are leaving him for a whole week.

In other news.... The "Red Tide"
For all the flatlanders and mountain people, we will give you a quick oceanic science lesson (I am not even sure that is a word). We recently got an email from Ron "calmly warning" and preparing me for the sea conditions for the week. He said that fishing may be rough and the water may be affected by what is called a "red tide." Our little friend Wikipedia defines this phenomenon as:

"Red Tide" is a common name for a phenomenon known as an algal bloom, an event in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column, or "bloom". These algae, more specifically phytoplankton, are microscopic, single-celled protists, plant-like organisms that can form dense, visible patches near the water's surface. Certain species of phytoplankton contain photosynthetic pigments that vary in color from green to brown to red, and when the algae are present in high concentrations, the water appears to be discolored or murky, varying in color from white to almost black, normally being red or brown. Not all algal blooms are dense enough to cause water discoloration, and not all discolored waters associated with algal blooms are red. Additionally, red tides are not typically associated with tidal movement of water, hence the preference among scientists to use the term algal bloom.

The term "red tide" is often used in the United States to describe a particular type of algal bloom common to the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and is also called "Florida red tide". This type of bloom is caused by a species of dinoflagellate known as Karenia brevis, and these blooms occur almost annually along Florida waters. The density of these organisms during a bloom can exceed tens of millions of cells per liter of seawater, and often discolor the water a deep reddish-brown hue.

The most conspicuous effects of red tides are the associated wildlife mortalities among marine and coastal species of fish, birds, marine mammals and other organisms. In the case of Florida red tides, these mortalities are caused by exposure to a potent neurotoxin produced naturally by Karenia brevis, called brevetoxin.

Now, we are not quite sure what that means other than: 1) doesn't seem like we can do much about it... 2) reddish-brown is a nice "hue" and can look lovely in pictures 3) Brooke won't wear her red bathing suit in the water, just in case she can't be seen and drowns.

Ha Ha . . . No officiant?

2007-09-26T16:16:00.000-06:00

Funny story - Peter left Saturday to fish with Jim Wofford (the man who I thought was marrying us). They're having a grand ol' time in Colorado as I am tending to the minor details of our blessed event in a short 3 days. Really no big deal, not too much to do at all, but the one detail that I had left to Peter was to coordinate with Jim and make sure he had applied and received his Universal Life Church, online ordination and that he had an "idea" of how we wanted the ceremony to go.

Well, here goes the conversation with Jim today on the phone:
Brooke: "Jim, would you like me to give you word-for word what you are saying or did you have something special in mind that you would like said?"
Jim: "Uh, word for word would be good." "Exactly how much did you want me to say?"
Brooke:   "Well, you are the officiant / minister, so most of it, and I can give you an outline and script if you prefer."
Silence...
Jim: " I thought I was just speaking at some point and saying a quick something."
Brooke: "You did get the online ordination right?"
- chuckle chuckle-
Jim: "Uh, no."
Brooke: "Are you kidding me here? Didn't Peter tell you how to do that? He said you had it 'all taken care of'  a month ago."
- more chuckling-
Jim:   "I thought he was kidding."

So... needless to say, I got online IMMEDIATELY to make sure that Jim could still get his free online ordination from the Universal Life Church and marry us in Florida in one week.

Answer is: he can.

He can even buy a "minister kit." Not sure what a "minister kit" entails but it sure sounds like it could be out of a Wes Anderson movie.

I had a moment (only one in which I have panicked to date) when I honestly thought all of our friends and family would be arriving in Florida to see us say "vows" just for the heck of it, they would not have been legal, and Peter and I would have had to go to the courthouse here in MT when we got back!

I also had a brief visual of this nice looking african american minister, Rev. Wesley Forbes of www.marryusrev.com (seriously- check it out). The Reve was second in line had Jim decline our offer (that never really took place) to marrying us a few months ago. The Rev was about to get a frantic call from the bride-to-be in Montana.

Ah, fun times.

Marriage lesson #1: Don't leave key/important communications to Peter from this day forward.  Amen.

no Katrinas, Leonards, or El Nino's please

2007-09-24T15:11:00.001-06:00

I have been getting many questions related to "what to wear" and "what will the temps be like?"

Given that I am clearly not God, I can only give my best guesstimates... but I really like NOAA for a weather update (click link here). They give a nice 7 day outlook, usually pretty accurate.

As for dressing- CASUAL! We are not going to be going to any fashion shows or fancy places. We hope to go out in the evenings if we feel inclined and it sounds like the bars and restaurants we are interested in are pretty laid back. I think the days will be sunny and warm, not particularly HOT, but it might be cooler in the evenings, especially with ocean breezes.

I hope the weather will be ranging from the 70's-80's while we are there.

Above is what we DO NOT want to see... you all remember our dear friend, Katrina?

Cold Feet?

2007-09-22T13:34:00.000-06:00

No way! We seem to keep getting that question and the only reason my feet are cold these days is because it is officially Fall in Montana! The mountains are capped with snow, the down comforters are on the beds and our mornings require slippers and fleece. It will be a very welcome change of scenery in Florida in less than 1 week!
Peter left today for the equivalent of the "the last supper" fishing trip. I would never dream of keeping him from his great buddies or fishing, however I think he feels that this is his last chance as a truly "single" guy to take a road trip.
Peter is driving to Fort Smith, Montana to meet up with a friend from college, Matt Means to fish for 2 days, then heading south to Walden, Colorado to fish with Jim Wofford on the South Platte. The descriptions I get of where they will be are: "big.. BIG fish." That's enough for me.
Peter returns on Thursday to do one final day of guiding and then we will be off on Saturday!
My friends Laurie and Jeannette threw me a nice party / shower on Thursday night. It was really elegant and lovely. You can see the pics and hear more at: www.brookeandpeter.blogspot.com.
Tomorrow Laurie and I will run a 1/2 Marathon (13.1 miles... don't forget the .1) in Bozeman! It was my goal to do before the wedding and it will also be Laurie's 33rd Birthday! I hope I can still walk when it is all said and done. Wish us luck and see you all very soon.

Anyone have any insight as to the weather in Florida yet?

Countdown to the Big Week!

2007-09-17T10:47:00.000-06:00

Wow! We cannot believe that we will be in Florida, sipping mai-tais on the beach in less than 2 weeks! As we have talked to all who are coming, our emotions are high and it is VERY difficult to concentrate on much else. However, we are both putting our noses to the grindstone and working hard at our jobs until we leave - there is much to do in the fly-fishing and sustainable development worlds!

Peter and I have had fun writing our vows and envisioning the ceremony ... Peter is determined to have me walk down
the isle (sand) to the "come my lady, come come my lady, be my sugar
pie, honey.. baby" song! We will see about that one! Any other ideas?
(please....)

Clark is hard at work with the job of marinating some tequila in pineapples and jalepenos for some very yummy "jalapeno margaritas." They take 2 weeks to prepare and he has been instructed to make a double batch for the week! Clark is also in charge of music and speakers for all you dancers!

Kerri (mom) and Jim have been world travelers this last month and are currently in Georgia right now. They are going back to Oklahoma and quickly re-packing the van and heading to the wedding. They will be bringing a great assortment of games- volleyball, bocce, etc., and of course making sure Brooke has not left out details of cute
napkins, serving utensils and blenders!

We have made plans for the kids (Oliver, Gaucho and Brutus) to stay with cousins Loni and Marni while we are away. We would much rather have the gals at the wedding with us, however, we are so grateful to have such great dog-sitters for our boys.

For an idea of what will be happening and who will be arriving when:
Saturday night, Sept 29th:
Clark and Amy will arrive in JAX before Peter and I at 11pm. They will be picked up by a kind Orum family member.
Sunday, Sept 30th:
We will check into the Wedding Beach House and do the appropriate shopping for food and libations. Kerri and Jim arrive that afternoon, as well as Scott, flying in via Vegas (rough life dad... Montana, Vegas and Florida in the same month... Who's running the business?)
We can do whatever we want this day... probably include some getting acquainted with the area and staking out beds!
Monday, October 1:
Brooke, Peter, Clark and Amy (and whoever else???) will hopefully be kayaking with alligators for a bit of this day.... maybe checking out horseback riding on Amelia Island?
Tuesday, October 2:
John, Joellyn, Micca and Josh arrive in the afternoon.
The whole gange will be having a lovely dinner at The Meditteranean Restaurant that evening, courtesy of Ron and Linda Orum.
Wednesday, October 3:
Fishing and site-seeing on the "Mayport Princess" fishing vessel. The boat will take us out to sea (bring your dramamine) and we will hopefully catch some snapper or redfish for dinner that night. I have reservations for 14!
Chuck and Alisa arrive, as well as sister Amy Howell Hoffmann, and of course... the illustrious Jim Wolf!
Thursday, October 4:
Nothing is set in stone. We will see what the mood is and maybe do some site-seeing, hanging at the pool, diving for sharks- you know- beach stuff.
This day Nicole and Teena, Keely, Suzanne, Michal, Jim and Gail, aunts Michele and Susie and uncle Mike will all be joining us! Let me know who needs a ride from the airport!
Peter, Wolf, Woff, and Matt will be fly-fishing this day!
Ladies - what shall we do?
Friday, WEDDING DAY!!!!
Fun, fun party stuff and enjoying all our favorite people on Earth! Thank you for coming!!!

So, that is all that is remotely planned. The rest will be up to us all to figure out when we get there! We love you!

Updates

2007-09-03T10:23:00.000-06:00

A few updates- Jim Wolf, Peter's Best Man, and his wife Molly welcomed their first child, a beautiful baby girl on Sunday morning. Baby Josselyn and Molly will not be in Florida, but everyone else can congratulate Jim when you see him.

This is the most uncomfortable part of the wedding process (in our opinion), however, we are starting to get the inevitable questions "What do you all need?" and "Where are you registered?"
Peter and I have nearly everything we could ever need and are simply honored to have your best wishes and support (truly),
but to help those that want some direction with gifts, we are registered at:

Williams Sonoma - www.williams-sonoma.com
For miscellaneaous kitchen utensils and tools that need replacing or we never had
The Madison House - in Bozeman, 406.587.0587
Joellyn Howell works here and we have a dish set and glassware set aside there. You can call the Madison House if you are out of town.
Home Depot - anyone who knows us well has heard a bit about the constant home improvement we are doing on the house. Any sort of gift certificates from here would be great.
Timber Trails Outdoor - local Livingston outdoor store, 406.222.9550
We are always needing various gear for winter and summer adventures. Dale at Timber Trails is happy to do gift certificates as well.
REI - www.rei.com
Miscellaneous outdoor gear and fun stuff
Bed Bath and Beyond - www.bedbathandbeyond.com
Bedding, towels, etc.

The countdown is on! We cannot wait to see those of you who are coming to Florida in a mere 3 1/2 weeks! I hope everyone is working on their beach tans!

Cin Cin (Celebration)

2007-08-29T13:47:00.001-06:00

Peter and Brooke invite those of you attending the "cin cin" (italian for celebration) in Florida to join us on the evening of October 4th at the Beach House as we celebrate and reenact our 'first date.'

History of the first date goes a little like this: In May of 2005, Peter and his sidekick Brutus knocked on Brooke's front door to ask her to go for an evening walk. Brooke was so impressed by the chivalrous act, that she gladly accepted his first date offer of "dinner" the following evening. When Brooke and her chaperone (Tasha the old husky) arrived at Peter and Brutus' bachelor pad, Peter had a delicious dinner of DiGiorno Pizza and red wine ready. Needless to say, the rest is history and Brooke and Peter have enjoyed many dates and dinners since.

In the spirit of romance and nostalgia (not necessarily fine taste in food) we invite our friends and family to join us on the eve of our wedding for pizza and wine - just like "the first date."
(as you can probably see, this celebration is far from traditional and if you are expecting anything fancy, you probably don't know us all that well)

Peter Proposed Again

2007-08-28T11:44:00.001-06:00

When Peter proposed on May 26th, he didn't have a ring in hand. He had a family diamond to do what he wanted with, but had not had anything made at the time of the proposal. So, since May, we have been having our wedding bands and my engagement ring designed by a local jewelry maker. The day before I left for the Float Trip we got a call that my engagement ring was ready. I didn't dare take it on the trip, as I knew it would be lost (those who know me well can testify to this).
Peter's homework while I was gone was to come up with a fun way to re-propose to me with the sparkling new ring. Well, he did very sweetly this morning. I arrived at 5am this morning after driving for 10 hours across 2 states and as I lay in bed snoring and barely concious, he slipped it on to my finger and asked me to marry him AGAIN. It was perfect and very sweet. I can't wait to show you all the custom designed rings- they are beautiful. And, thanks Joellyn for the beautiful family diamond - I am so honored to wear it.

Let's Get the Parties Started!

2007-08-28T11:02:00.000-06:00

Bachelorette Party #1
There are no words to describe the most amazing bachelorette party in history! I am lucky enough to have a total bad a** friend, Darcy Cook. She organizes a 5-day all girls float trip on the Salmon River each summer. This year we incorporated a "bachelorette / wedding theme" into the festivities. As you can see, this group really needed one more reason to step up the craziness of the trip and really party! I am including only G-Rated family fun shots. Thanks Darc for the best week of my life ... seriously, this trip gives all new meaning to words: fun, relaxation, pampering and hangover! It was awesome. To top it off, Micca came all the way from Oklahoma to join the other 14 Montana gals. That in itself was the best present in the world. So, what will the next wedding party look like? Pete's buddies have some serious planning to do!

The ladies in one of our swim holes...

This is the gang. Fourteen amazing women from Montana and OKLAHOMA!!

Even Freud the Dog is having a blast!

This is Darcy, trip planner extrodonaire and me, Wonder Woman, on Formal Night.

Isn't Micca the prettiest bridesmaid? I can't wait for you all to see this dress in person!!!

Darcy and I working on our tans for Florida...

Wedding Accomodation Update

2007-08-14T14:05:00.000-06:00

We are really looking forward to this week with you all!
Updates: It is fast becoming an amazing group of our favorite (and most fun) family and friends. Many will be staying in the rented "wedding beach house", others are 'pitching' tents in the yard and on the beach, and many of you have made your reservations at nearby hotels.

Our dear friend, Jim Wofford will be marrying us on the 5th (I accidently had the 6th written here...sorry). You will all find Jim to be eloquent, hilarious, brutally honest, and sincere. I have no doubt he will make the ceremony meaningful and memorable. We are so honored to have him be a part of this special day with us. Thanks Woff!

For those of you are still thinking of coming, and have not made arrangments to stay at the "Wedding Beach House" with us, here are some helpful tips. Please call me if you need any help with your reservations.

These recommendations come from our dear family friend Rob & Linda
Orum who live in the area and are helping us make plans.

The following rates are through Travelocity.com:

The Lodge (904-273-9500) Located the closest to the "wedding beach house" .5 miles down the beach. Rates are $297 per night king size bed with ocean front. Pricy but very nice.

The Ponte Vedra Inn and Club (904-285-1111) A long walk or short drive from the beach house approx. 2.0 miles. Ocean front room $370, partial ocean view $260 or across the road at the Inn for $230.
For a discount call Bill Clinton (he stays there), and I'm sure he got a better deal.

The Marriott at Sawgrass (904-285-7777) Located on A1A where the golfers stay during the The Players Championship. Probably a 3 or 4 mile drive from the house. Rates range from $169 to $199 and a suite is $219.

The Hampton Inn (904-280-9101) Located about 4 to 5 miles from the house just off of A1A. Pretty new hotel close to shops and resturants. Rates are $ll9 for King bed, $219 for 2 double beds.

All rates are for a room for 2 adults, Friday October 5th or 6th, without discounts.

Also, several mentioned negotiable rates for a group, if anyone would like to coordinate and get a group rate let me know.

The "Official" Invitation to our Family & Friends

2007-06-22T14:46:00.000-06:00

Please join Peter Howell and Brooke Cottongim for a wedding ceremony on the beaches of
Ponte Vedra, Florida on Friday, October 5, 2007 at 6:07 pm.
We would be truly be honored with your presence.

We will arrive in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday, September 29th and depart Sunday, October 7th. It will be a very "loose" itinerary for the festivities, allowing the entire week to be filled with fun activities and time to relax and enjoy family & friends. All are welcome to join us for any & all portions of the week.

The ceremony will be performed by our dear friend, the "illustrious" and poignant Jim Wofford. The wedding ceremony will be held at the vacation rental home on Ponte Vedra Blvd. This location will also serve as "headquarters" for the week.

We will tentatively plan activities for guests that may include: deep sea fishing (for red fish), sea kayaking, hanging out on beautiful beaches, day trips to Amelia Island and St. Augustine, BBQ's and casual dinners at our rented oceanfront house, visits to local restaurants & bars, spa days at Ponte Vedra Club, and much more!

There are a few links on this blog (side bar to the right) that may help in your planning and accomodation arrangements. There are many other options besides those listed, however we recommend these places for their proximity to where we will be staying. Please call or email (406.580.8256 or brookecottongim@yahoo.com) if you are thinking of joining us for all or part of the week and we can get you a more detailed agenda.

Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) is the closest airport, and Orlando is only 2-hours away if you are looking to make the trip part of a Disney World vacation.

We can't wait to see you and share this time with you. We love you and thank you for being a part of our lives,

Brooke & Peter

"Why Florida in October?"

2007-06-22T12:00:00.000-06:00

We have been asked numerous times why we are leaving beautiful Montana to say our vows. Well... We wanted to keep it small and intimate, get away and create a memorable experience for anyone who comes, it is just as easy for the Oklahoma clan to get to Florida as it is to Montana, and The Beaches are beautiful in October (and the fishing is great!).
Our friend Ron, who lives in Ponte Vedra says the answer to the question "Why get married in
Florida is: "that God made palm trees to show the 'smart people' where to live" and get married.

We have chosen October because... Fishing season will be slowing down and elk season is not quite here.
And, we just can't wait to become husband and wife!