one of us will die inside these arms.

Done and done.

2005-06-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

Thank you, dear family and friends, for all your support and love in the months leading up to our wedding and, especially, on the day itself. As we headed off on our honeymoon, we could not stop talking about everything each of you had done to make it so special and personal. We are incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful, generous, thoughtful, and embracing community. We hope we will reflect the joy, hospitality, and faith you have taught us as we begin our married life together. Thank you for loving us so well!

You can see the very first of the great photos from the rehearsal and the wedding taken by Larry Anderson. We'll add more as we receive them!

Love,
Nathan and Kate Bowman Johnston

06.18.05

2005-05-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, friends, the rumors are true.

Kate Bowman and Nathan Johnston
18 June 2005
11 a.m.
Westerly, Rhode Island

Updated! We've now posted details for our guests, plus airport and accommodation information, as well as gauche-but-obligatory registry links. You'll also find answers to some frequently asked questions, from "You're having a barbecue? So I guess I shouldn't wear heels, then?" to "What the heck is a BoJo?"

You can also read all about us and our wedding party, a.k.a. "Team BoJo."

The main thing you need to know is that we want you to be there and we're hoping to throw you a fabulous and fun party. If you suspect we don't have your mailing address, please send it to us so we can make sure to get you an invitation!

This just in! Our wonderful photographer (and dear family friend) Larry Anderson met us in Rhode Island a few weekends ago and wound up taking some test shots at our wedding locations. Click here to see the church, the lighthouse... and us!

Frequently asked questions.

2005-01-30T11:58:00.000-08:00

Pop your own question via email if you don't see it answered here!

Why Rhode Island?
Kate grew up vacationing on the R.I. shore with her family and has fond memories of riding the Flying Horse Carousel (she even got the coveted brass ring once!), which is just down the street from where the ceremony will take place. Her family now has a house at the beach in Westerly, which has just the homey, relaxing feel we wanted for a backyard barbecue reception.

Barbecue? Really?
Barbecue! Really! Neither of us is big on standard reception fare, and a survey of local restaurants revealed Narragansett's notorious Crazy Burger as our dream caterer: they make both meat and meat-free burgers (Kate is a vegetarian), they offer corn on the cob, and they're willing to cook everything up on site with their giant grill! How cool is that.

So it sounds like I shouldn't dress up real fancy then, huh?
We want you to be comfortable, so... wear whatever makes you comfortable. If that's pearls and heels, great! If that's a tie, great! You can always take them off if you feel like a game of beach volleyball. :-) However, you should know that this isn't shaping up to be a black-tie affair or anything--for instance, the bride's dress does not even reach her ankles.

Can my kids come to this event?
Of course! There will be plenty of little ones keeping things lively. We will have some activities planned just for them (pinata, anyone?), and they can also channel their energy into running on the beach. Watch Hill and surrounding areas are very kid-friendly if you want to make a weekend of it; check out Mystic Seaport and don't pass up a ride on the carousel after the ceremony!

Where should we fly into? And where should we stay once we get there?
See Travel and accomodations for more information on this.

Where are you registered?
Uh-oh, I think Emily Post just rolled over in her grave. But seriously, folks--your presence at our wedding is gift enough (we know how far some of you are traveling to be with us). However, we realize that some of you will want to give us something tangible as we start our life together. In that case, you can check out our registries at Linens 'n Things [registry ID#: 000198006464] and Target [registry ID #:010000398700751]. Alternately, we encourage you to make a donation to a wonderfully imaginative aid organization called Heifer International. We already have a lot of stuff, and there are some families out there who could simply use a brood of chickens!

What will your last name be?
We're trying to come up with a creative solution that honors both our families, incorporates both our identities, and expresses the biblical idea that we are "two becoming one." In all likelihood, we will take one another's names, making us Kate Elizabeth Bowman Johnston and Nathan Edmond Bowman Johnston (no hyphen). Collectively, you can refer to us as "the Bowman Johnstons." Or if that's too much of a mouthful, "the Bojos," which is funny as well as succinct.

Where are you honeymooning?
We have no idea. Any suggestions?

Travel and accommodations.

2005-01-29T13:11:00.000-08:00

Westerly, Watch Hill, and surrounding areas comprise some of the most beautiful, most interesting, most relaxing vacation spots in these United States. We hope you'll take advantage of them and stay awhile, if at all possible!

Travel
If you're flying, the closest (and biggest, and nicest) airport is Providence, about 45 minutes away from Westerly. You could also fly into Hartford, but it's farther away and usually more expensive.

If you're planning to drive (or if you're renting a car once you get to the airport), please let us know. Parking is limited near the reception site, so we want to make sure we find enough accomodations.

However, if you decide to stay at the Pleasant View Inn (see below), don't worry about it--it's right across the street from the reception site, and you can just park at the Inn.

Accommodations
There are a number of good hotels in the area, our favorite of which is literally right across the street from Kate's parents' house. It's called the Pleasant View Inn. Luckily, June 18 happens to fall just before "in-season" (read: much higher) rates kick in!

A number of other hotel options can be found at the Westerly Chamber of Commerce and the Misquamicut Business Association. (Misquamicut is a beachy, fun resort town just down the road.)

We encourage you to book rooms as soon as possible. This area is very popular with vacationers at the end of June, and we want you to have first crack at accommodations!

Other activities
Check out Westerly's extremely informative web site for ideas about what to do while you're in Rhode Island, especially if you're planning to make a vacation out of it!

See also Watch Hill and Misquamicut Beach for fun activity ideas, restaurant listings, etcetera.

Team BoJo.

2005-01-28T13:49:00.000-08:00

It just wouldn't be a party without these people standing by our sides. The following friends and family will bear witness at our wedding, and promise to continue bearing witness throughout our marriage. That's a pretty big job, but we think they're up to the task.

In the near future, we promise all the juicy details on these folks. Maybe even some pictures!

Team Bo (standing with the bride)

Jan Bowman - Kate's sister and lifelong co-conspirator

Joanna Campbell - Kate's college friend (and current neighbor, and running buddy!)

Sarah (Hinkle) Jones - Kate's college friend and former roommate

Renee Butterfield - Kate's college friend and former housemate

Team Jo (standing with the groom)

Michael Johnston - Nathan's brotherman

Chris Beers - Nathan's college friend

Josh Weidler - Nathan's college friend

Jeremy Wingert - Nathan's college friend

Matt Decker - Nathan's college friend

WhoWhatWhereWhenWhy.

2005-01-27T11:18:00.000-08:00

The five double-yous neatly summarize everything you could possibly want to know about this shindig.

Who
Nathan Johnston and Kate Bowman. Plus you and yours.

What
A wedding, silly. Haven't you figured that out yet? The exchange of solemn vows will be followed by a party at which you will be encouraged to eat lots of barbecue and frolic on the beach. (We recommend checking out the frequently asked questions to get a better sense of this event.)

Where
The ceremony - Historic Watch Hill Chapel (located at 5 Bluff Avenue in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, for those of you who want to MapQuest it).
The reception - The Beacon, otherwise known as the Bowman family beach house (located in Westerly, RI; email for directions).

When
The ceremony will begin at 11am on Saturday, June 18, 2005. We imagine the reception will start in earnest around 1pm.

Why
Ah yes, the question counselors everywhere love to ask: Why are you getting married? The short answer is that we love each other, we want to share our lives together in an intimate, trothful way, and that we want to legally mooch each other's health insurance. (Just kidding about that last reason. Kind of.) Marriage is a deep form of communion and companionship; as the Ecclesiaste wrote, "Two are better than one." We believe that marriage is a sacrament which prompts each spouse to love and serve one another--and our neighbors--with the love of Christ.

As to why we're having a wedding, well, community is important to us, in case you couldn't tell. A wedding is a chance for everyone in our lives to gather and rejoice together. We want to throw you a big ol' party for loving us, supporting us, and being our family and friends!

Two of us.

2005-01-26T10:47:00.000-08:00

Kate works at Calvin College, where she writes and mentors students in the area of popular culture criticism. She likes coffee even though it's bad for her, and has recently begun training for a 25K race (with her dear friend and wedding party member Joanna) despite the fact that she is not a runner. Go figure.

Nathan is a social worker at the Salvation Army in Grand Rapids, where he helps people find temporary housing and wears a sweet pager whenever he's "on call." He is passionate about breakfast food and makes a mean egg scramble. Sometimes known to ride beside Kate as she huffs along on a run, Nathan is a mountain biker who likes to build his own jumps on local trails.

The two of us met almost three years ago at Sojourners, an organization that publishes a magazine on issues of faith, politics, and culture. We were both interns, which meant we not only worked in the same office but lived in the same community house. This meant things between us were tricky at times, but overall made for a wonderful experience--mostly because of our eight amazing housemates who taught us everything we know about good food, good books, good composting habits, and good red wine.

Nathan asked Kate to marry him on January 25, 2005, at our favorite local coffeeshop, Common Ground. Even though Kate had been anticipating the proposal for awhile, Nate still managed to surprise her. (Proposing on a Tuesday morning probably had something to do with that.) He had also gotten us the day off work, so we played hooky at the Michigan lakeshore and generally floated through the day.

Whither thou goest, I will go. We now live two blocks away from one another in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where we'll return at least temporarily once married. After that, we'll go wherever Nathan gets into divinity school; he moved to GR from DC last year to be near Kate, so now it's her turn to pick up and follow!

Registry info.

2004-12-31T14:03:00.000-08:00

We mean it in all sincerity when we say that your presence at our wedding is gift enough (we know how far some of you are traveling to be with us). However, we also realize that some of you will want to give us something tangible as we start our life together.

In that case, you can check out our registries at Linens 'n Things [registry ID#: 000198006464] and Target.

Alternately, we encourage you to make a donation to a wonderfully imaginative aid organization called Heifer International. We already have a lot of stuff, and there are some families out there who could simply use a brood of chickens!