Lorelei & Mark's Wedding Registry
Lorelei Ghanizadeh & Mark Voorsanger
September 10, 2016
Hi everybody! When the first question came in, "What would you like for your wedding?" Our immediate thought was that everyone who comes to our wedding should be required to TAKE some random item from our garage. More stuff? Who needs it!!?? We are bustin' at the seams with stuff. But experiences? Handmade things? Chances to give back to causes we like? Now THAT sounds awesome!!
So our first wish is for you to come and play with us at our wedding reception on Sept. 10, 2016 (we're exchanging vows the night before, but we can do a speedy reenactment if you so request) and don't bring a darn thing. We're so down with that. Buuuuutttt, if you'd like to launch us off into married life with a little something special, g'head and choose from this list.
It works like this: to "claim" a gift, just click the 'Give this gift' button, then follow our instructions in the gift description. When in doubt, a paper check sent to our house with a note about what it should be used for will do the trick!
Love you guys.
As the old saying goes, "Half a goat is better than no goat at all." Wait. What? Is that right?
Animal donations can provide families a hand up, increasing access to medicine, school, food and a sustainable livelihood. Please help us sponsor a goat for a struggling family through heifer.org
A $60 donation funds the purchase of half a goat. To purchase this directly, use the donation link provided or send a paper check to us and we'll go goat shopping.
www.heifer.org/gift-catalog/animals-nutrition/gift-of-a-goat-donation.html
School sucks!!! Or at least that's what most of our kids will tell you. But what if they were denied school? Then they'd want to go, of course!
You read about all the horrific conditions in Afghanistan, particularly for women and girls, and with an estrogen-centric household (4 girls, 3 guys... gotcha outnumbered, boys) the topic of women's rights comes up at the dinner table a LOT. We'd be honored if you would fund the salary of a teacher of a girls' school in Afghanistan so that girls may be empowered to change their future. $60 funds a full month's salary.
To purchase this gift for us, please donate using PayPal or send a paper check to us (which is nice because you get to practice your penmanship) at our home address.
Parenting is so hard!!! Even with all the support we can imagine, we still screw it up. Just ask our kids. They'll tell you. In gory detail.
We'd love to pay it forward and make a donation to Mercy Housing. This will enable a low-income resident to participate in a six-week life skills course for single parents.
Clearly the child in this photo needs to learn how to eat correctly. Where was his mother? Why didn't she teach him anything?
You can either donate directly to Mercy Housing or use PayPal or paper check to get the funds to us and we will gratefully donate.
We replaced our light bulbs, we turn our thermostat down or off, we use our washing machine for full loads only (which isn't a problem. With 5 kids, the washing machine is ALWAYS full), we recycle and compost, we take shorter showers and use the grey water for the plants, we telecommute, and we're always looking for more ways to contribute in good ways to the earth.
Your donations will support the ongoing mission to reduce the negative impacts of climate change and hasten a transition to a cleaner energy future by supporting third party verified and validated carbon emissions reduction projects. $11 purchases one carbon offset credit.
Carbonfund.org Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
To donate, you can go to their website directly, send us a check, or put your donation into our PayPal account so that we can arrange the donation.
Either way, the polar bears thank you.
When we go on our honeymoon, we would LOVE to be able to indulge in a couples massage. Maybe on the beach somewhere (sigh....)? That would be a phenomenal gift to us. A gift of $200 would probably be just right to allow us this chance to rest and relax as a couple.
The crazy people in this photo are having a spa day. Or at least that's our story for their bizarre outfits and facial masks. From left, Holly, Melanie, and Mark on a "get our kids together" playdate in 2009.
To purchase this gift for us, please donate using PayPal or send an old fashioned paper check to us (but you have to type it on a manual typewriter, sign it with a quill pen and ink pot, and send it via pony express) at our home address.
Wherever we go on our honeymoon, chances are we're going to eat food. Yep. We're like that. Instead of us finding the closest McDonald's while we're on our honeymoon, will you treat us to a romantic dinner out? We don't drink alcohol, so we're cheap dates! A little candlelight, some local delicacies, and we'll gaze into each other's eyes and lovingly say your name. You can't pass that up!
To purchase this for us, either donate on PayPal or send a check to our home address. That way, when we plan our honeymoon, we'll have set aside a little bit extra for a splurge. Or if you have a local spot that we just have to try, you could get a gift certificate for us.
Oh great. Now I'm hungry.
Upgrade us! When we're on our honeymoon, help us switch from the room that overlooks the trash cans to the one with the ocean view.
To help us out with this, please donate to our PayPal account or send along a paper check to our place of residence. This photo was taken from the West Point Inn on Mt. Tamalpais. We live in the most glorious place in the world. Why go anywhere?
(but we will...)
When we go on our honeymoon, we get to go 'sploring in a new location. Will you give us a city tour or bike rental so we can wander with wheels?
To fund our mobility, please donate using our PayPal account or slip a handy dandy paper check into the mail to us and we'll see if the place has a bicycle built for two!
We won't be going on our INCREDIBLE honeymoon (just joking... we haven't planned it yet) until 2017, so it'd be REALLY appreciated if you'd give us the gift of alone time together!! It's rejuvenating and romantic to go on a getaway weekend - either at a vacation home that you own or some little coastal cottage. We're not that picky! Just get us outta here!!
Fund our weekend escape and we'll toast you with bubbly (water).
To get this gift for us, you can either donate using PayPal or give us a card or email that tells us about the vacation spot we can use. We can work out the rest with you over the usual channels. And by the usual channels, we mean SnapChat.
5 kids plus 2 busy parents equals a house that is perpetually in need of a good dusting and scrubbing. Currently we splurge once a year on a "real" housecleaning, but it'd be SO great to get some more help than that. A gift of $80 would allow us to have Gladys and her team come in to help us out and have a fresh start. Plus, when you come over, you'll be able to find the couch!
To purchase this for us, either donate on PayPal or send a check to our home address!
Movie night!!! Help us have a fun night out, just the two of us plus whichever kid is our favorite on that particular day. We will be thinking of you as we're laughing at the latest rom-com and stuffing our faces with movie theater popcorn.
To purchase this for us, either donate on PayPal or send a check to our home address! Oh, and, can you tell from this photo which of these scoundrels was our favorite on THAT day? Yep, you guessed it.... not Emma.
Want to make us something? We LOVE berries and we LOVE chocolate. How about making us some chocolate covered strawberries for a scrumptious dessert? We'll eat 'em right up! Or if you have a chocolate fountain, invite us over and we'll make our own. We're handy like that. You're welcome.
To do this for us, just select this gift and shoot us a note and we'll happily arrange it with you.
One of our favorite dinners (well, Mark & Lorelei's favorite, that is. The kids can speak for themselves) is soup or stew! And we'd love to taste your best recipe. Make us a batch and freeze it for a night when we don't have to cook. Or even better, come over and eat with us!
To give us this gift, just select it and shoot us a note. We'll figure the rest out. I mean, how hard can it be?
Do you make soaps? Greeting cards? Jam? Spice mix? Quilted blankets? What kind of homemade craft item can you make for us? I promise that we'll treasure it more than another toaster or blender (no offense to our toaster who we love very much).
The blender? Not so much.
Behold: one of the "ugly dolls" made in one of our impromptu sewing sessions.
To "get" us this gift, you can make it and bring it to the wedding reception, send it to us through the mail, or we can come and pick it up. Watch out, though. We will probably want to stay and chat for a while, so have a plate of veggies and hummus ready.
Do you have photos of our family... or of yours? We love photo books and we delight in going through them again and again. Why not make us one with some of your favorite pics? We would treasure it. Unless we look really bad. If we look really bad, don't do it.
To be clear, this is a request for a photo book. Not for cheese. The title of this gift request is "say cheese", but Mark doesn't eat cheese. Lorelei on the other hand? Brie-slut. Yeah, not joking. Don't leave that girl alone near the brie at a party because she'll eat the whole thing. Heed my warning.
You think I'm joking, don't you? Yeah, REALLY not.
If you make us a photo book (HEY. What if you took photos at the reception and then made THOSE into a photo book. Oh my god, I think we just invented something), you can just drop it by our house or mail it to us. We love getting stuff through the mail...
The Sleepy Hollow Neighborhood pool is right down the street from our house, but the only way you can swim in it is to have a membership. Currently, we can only stand at the gate and whimper, looking longingly at the pretty pretty water. This is a big ticket item, but if you will help us, we can splurge and get a family membership. Who knows, maybe we'll even bring you with us as a guest!!
As for the photo - don't try this at home. As a matter of fact, if you're two years old, don't try this unless you have a mom with nerves of steel, some highly inflated floaty wings, and a very big and trustworthy brother who will always, always, always catch you in every situation. In the pool and in life.
I believe I can fly....
To purchase this for us, either donate on PayPal or send a check to our home address. We'll polish up our bikinis and get the spray tanner out.
We, literally, know NOTHING.
Will you give us the gift of your talent? Maybe you can give us ukulele lessons (we have 2) or a cooking class at our place or teach us to knit or something we haven't even thought to learn. We're ready!
In this photo, a big kid teaches two little kids to read. Or tries to. In the bathroom, of all places. Kids are weird.
To give this gift to us, just click the Give this Gift button and shoot us a card or email and we will set it up!
Okay, so you probably wouldn't be able to get us tickets to Hamilton the musical, but we really like going to live theater, so we'd love to splurge on a musical that comes through San Francisco or Marin Theater Company tickets. If you have a season subscription and don't want to go to all the shows, consider donating the tickets to us!
To purchase this gift for us, please donate using PayPal or send an old fashioned paper check to us (but you have to cut down the trees and make the paper yourself) at our home address.
TEDx, a fabulous lecture series, is coming to Marin County this fall and we'd love to attend! The event will be at the College of Marin and features a bunch of different speakers on a large variety of topics. We've seen some very moving and educational online videos, but it'd be fun to experience something in person! Two tickets are $150.
We promise to wear these outfits (as shown in photo).
We love our tree. It's where we had our first date on May 3, 2008. It's where Mark proposed to Lorelei on Christmas Day, 2014. It's where we took our engagement photos. It's the tree depicted on the front of our wedding invitations. And now we will exchange vows under the boughs of our tree. And we will be married.
When all the hubbub and festivities die down, it'd be sweet to go up to our tree one night and have a picnic dinner to reflect on all that has passed and enjoy some quiet time at our tree. Will you pack us a picnic dinner? Or if you're far away, will you give us the gift of a shopping trip so we can have some delicious yummies for our picnic?
We try to get out for short & easy rides on our bikes and sometimes those bikes are not in the best shape. Will you help us get our bikes in gear (I had to say it) so that we can ride off into the sunset together?
We're CRAZY about fruit. All kinds. If you have a fruit tree in your yard, will you pick us some and bring it over? Even if the apples are bruised or a little wormie, we can use them! Our horse, Shaylie the Flying Squirrel will thank you a bunch. Or veggies from your garden! Or herbs! We'll take 'em!
We keep meaning to create an earthquake kit and YEARS go by without us doing this very important task. We've got some sort of mental block against it. Would you assemble a nice Earthquake Preparedness kit for us? Or purchase one? We'll rest easier at night knowing we're ready for "the big one".
You could snag this one off Amazon.com or build us one yourself.
If you build it yourself, please make sure there's enough chocolate in it to get us through 20 years of nuclear holocaust.
Y'know. Just in case.