until the wedding !

MARILYN & NATHAN

Saturday, May 18th, 2024
^{Yorkville, Illinois}

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ABOUT US

WELCOME

Welcome to our wedding website!
Please explore the tabs at the top of the page for further details about our wedding. We will continue to update this website with important information as the wedding approaches, so we recommend you check back occasionally.As we, our families, and friends reside in distant places from each other, it's natural that some of our guests may not be at all familiar with the bride or groom, let alone have had the opportunity to meet her or him before! It's a shame that these circumstances have prevented us from becoming properly acquainted sooner, but we are so excited to finally meet you and have you attend our wedding! To break the ice, allow us to briefly introduce ourselves.

MEET THE BRIDE
^{Marilyn Alvarez}

An artist from Lockport, Illinois, most passionate about character design and analog illustration in a manga-inspired style. I graduated from Joliet Junior College with an Associate in Arts in Fall 2023, though what specifically I want to do with it, or with my life in general… I have no clue. But my goal has always been to somehow, someday, make a stable income doing what I’m most passionate about: drawing beautiful things!Beyond art, I’ve long been passionate about Japanese culture and language and aspire to become fluent someday. I used to dabble in musical composition from early middle school to early high school – a fleeting interest I never expected would have resulted in me meeting my soon-to-be husband!

MEET THE GROOM
^{Nathan Middleton}

Born and raised in Grapevine, Texas. I developed a passion for music in childhood that set me on the path to eventually meeting my bride-to-be. Since July 2018, I've been living in Illinois to be closer to her. I currently work as IT support for Communications Test Design, Inc.

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₂₀₁₃
THE MEETING

(Work in progress!)Nathan and I met on Noteflight, a website where users can create, share, and comment on musical scores. By the time Nathan joined the website, I had already been a member for two years and my work was somewhat popular, despite my lack of understanding of music theory or of what human musicians couldn't Naturally, when he came across my work, he harshly criticized it on those grounds, which thoroughly intimidated me! Nevertheless, I was determined to accept the newfound criticisms gracefully.Soon after, Nathan joined the off-site chatroom I and many other Noteflight composers participated in. At first, talking to him made me nervous, as his cold demeanor made me suspect he didn't like me very much. However, I wanted to be charitable, so I pushed aside my suspicions and pushed myself to be friendly in return, in hopes that he was truly well-meaning.Turns out... he really did dislike me! But once he realized that my "overly saccharine" personality was genuine and I realized that he also had a warm and sentimental side beneath his rough exterior, we very quickly warmed up to each other.

_11.6.2016
THE PLAN

(Work in progress!)

_1.9.2017
THE FIRST DATE

(Work in progress!)Because we had only 24 hours to be together, Nathan jam-packed our day with special activities. We explored every inch of Grapevine Mall and stopped at Build-a-Bear to make stuffed animals for each other, had lunch at his favorite pizza place, and so on, before taking me to meet his family at his parents' house. After a delicious steak dinner, Nathan led me to the piano, where he began to play a familiar melody – the opening to one of my old piano compositions, “Tale of Red Thread.” It was one of the rare “playable” pieces I had completed during my brief stint as a composer, but it was nonetheless extremely difficult to play; I felt bad whenever he made a mistake during the most technical sections, thinking to myself, “Please, you don’t have to do this to yourself for a piece so mediocre!”, but moved nearly to tears each time he powered through it.Though the title and theme of the legendary “red thread of fate” was attributed to the piece retroactively (and a little frivolously), Nathan was fond of it, and so decided to use it as the overarching theme for the evening. After dark, we walked to a nearby park and stood under a gazebo. He got down on one knee – I nervously asked him if he was already proposing to me and we had a good laugh as he clarified the misunderstanding – and tied a red thread ring around each of our fingers (or, rather, attempted to, as the thread slipped off about a dozen times and we had to get on our hands and knees to retrieve it in the darkness) to symbolize our promise to devote ourselves to each other from that day forward. We shared our first kiss, then spent our last few hours together relaxing back at the house before tearfully parting ways at the airport at 3 A.M.

_10.15.2023
THE PROPOSAL

Because we had often discussed the various things we should do "when we get married" since the onset of our relationship, I long anticipated Nathan proposing to me, eventually. I would have been surprised by his impromptu proposal, however... had I not overheard him rush into my parents' house and communicate his intention to propose to me to my dad in a not-hushed-enough voice as I was getting ready in the adjacent room. What I was completely caught off-guard by was his method. Instead of his signature grey hoodie and baggy jeans, he came to the house in his suit and tie (I, in my Crayola-colored sweater and sneakers, teasingly lamented that he was outdressing me for the day); yet, our outing was quite ordinary – eerily so.After leaving the house unceremoniously, we went out to eat – at Five Guys, for a romantic dinner of giant oozing cheeseburgers – then drove back to his apartment, all the while chatting away as always. Nathan had often expressed his desire to deliver a truly spectacular wedding proposal, so while the casual vibe up to that point was exactly what I would have preferred for the occasion, the uncertainty as to what other "spectacular" thing was to come was extremely disorienting. Just as I wondered if I had driven myself insane thinking of all the dreadfully excessive possibilities or dreamt up the mention of a proposal entirely, I entered his apartment and was massively relieved to find the main event waiting for me there.He led me to his office chair positioned directly in front of a bright white monitor littered with thousands of music notes and revealed that he had been writing a symphony dedicated to me for the past two years. Originally, he intended to propose to me when it was complete, but he ultimately decided to show me the one movement that was complete so far – the scherzo – as he couldn’t bear to wait any longer. I knew that Nathan’s eventual proposal would incorporate musical composition somehow, but nothing could have prepared me for the sheer size and depth of the piece – I was mesmerized by every detail from start to finish. I don’t really understand how someone like me could in part inspire music like that, but the notion filled my heart with an overwhelming warmth. And my breath was completely taken away when he included a variation on one of my own melodies in the piece – talk about turning trash into treasure!Ten minutes later, the long-anticipated moment arrived: he got down on one knee and asked if I would marry him. I had so graciously been given several hours advance notice to prepare my words, thanks to Nathan’s thunderous voice and the house’s paper-thin walls; however, since I spent that time exhausting myself with my own thoughts instead, all I could muster was “…duh!” And so, with that magic word, we were engaged.

_5.18.2023
THE WEDDING

To be continued!

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WEDDING PARTY

UPDATE 5.3.2024:
We regret to inform you all that our dog, Toby, won't be able to perform as the ring bearer for our wedding ceremony due to his old age and declining health. Though he is currently quite happy and full of spunk, our vet estimated that he has very little time left. We sincerely hope he will live to see our wedding day - rest assured, he will likely spend the day lounging peacefully on the couch (with his legs in the air and his tongue sticking out, most likely) instead of working. Please keep Toby in your thoughts and prayers! ♥

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EVENTS

_5.17.24
The Night Before

A rehearsal of the wedding so no one is hopelessly confused (especially the bride, prone to hopeless confusion) during the actual wedding! Followed by a casual dinner among members of the wedding party; a precious opportunity to take a breather and catch up before tomorrow's hustle and bustle.✦ Casual attire recommended. Dress comfortably for warm weather and walking around!
✦ Dinner plans subject to change depending on weather, restaurant capacity, etc. The bride and groom will be sure to keep everyone attending updated!

_REHEARSAL

CHAPEL ON THE GREEN
107 W. Center St.
Yorkville, IL. 60560
^{CLICK HERE to view on Google Maps}5:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.

_{REHEARSAL DINNER}

SMOKEY'S WOODPIT BBQ
1002 S. Main St.
Yorkville, IL. 60560
^{CLICK HERE to view on Google Maps}(immediately follows rehearsal)

_5.18.24
WEDDING DAY

The big day!✦ Semi-formal/dressy casual attire advised.
✦ Confetti/glitter is not permitted at the chapel or reception venue.
✦ Alcohol is not permitted at the chapel. BYOB to the reception!
✦ Adults only (21+) at the reception, please.

_CEREMONY

CHAPEL ON THE GREEN
107 W. Center St.
Yorkville, IL. 60560
^{CLICK HERE to view on Google Maps}2:00 P.M.

_RECEPTION

FILAMENT 1860 EVENTS
803 Stagecoach Trl.
Yorkville, IL. 60560
^{CLICK HERE to view on Google Maps}3:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M.

_SCHEDULE

Coming soon!

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TRAVEL

For the convenience of our out-of-state guests, we have reserved a block of rooms for Friday, May 17th and Saturday, May 18th at

HAMPTON INN YORKVILLE
310 East Countryside Pkwy.
Yorkville, IL. 60560
^{CLICK HERE to view on Google Maps}

CLICK HERE to reserve your room online or call the hotel directly at (630) 553-9805 and mention the Alvarez-Middleton wedding.
Please be sure to secure your room by Friday, April 26th to receive the discounted rate!

_{MORE OPTIONS}

_YORKVILLE

~3-minute drive from Chapel on the Green
~7-minute drive from Filament 1860 Events

HOLIDAY INN & SUITES YORKVILLE
577 East Kendall Dr.
Yorkville, IL. 60560
^{(across the street from Hampton Inn Yorkville)
CLICK HERE to view on Google Maps}

Important: We and our wedding coordinator strongly advise against making reservations at the Super-8 Motel in Yorkville.

THINGS TO DO

We hope to gradually update and add to this list as we become better acquainted with the Yorkville area; in the meantime, please click here for more suggestions.

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CONTACT

Any questions or concerns?
Feel free to send a text to the mother of the bride, Melanie, at 815-545-6624 and she will get back to you as soon as she can.A list of emergency contacts will be provided closer to the wedding date.