Lisa Peterson & Ely Mercil

Our Story

Her Story:
Ely and I met in January 2008 thanks to Match.com. Ely had tried to get my attention on the site at least one other time in December of 2007, but a few things in his profile didn't really match what I was looking for, so I kind of blew him off--even though, by looking at his pictures, I thought he was super cute! Mainly, he just lived too far away. I wasn't really interested in a long distance relationship. Not to mention, he was a little bit younger than I normally would have looked for. Well, being the persistent guy that he is, he contacted me again in January. I was having a glass of wine on a Sunday afternoon and was feeling a little carefree, so I thought "what the heck, it doesn't hurt to chat with this guy". Well, Ely is pretty good at chatting and about 6 hours later, he was on the road to Fargo for our first date. I had to get ready since I'd been lounging around all day and hadn't even changed out of my sweats! We texted back and forth while he was on his way to Fargo (we now know how bad texting and driving is, so don't worry--we don't do that much anymore) and it seemed that we had more and more in common. We met at TGIFridays for dinner and seemed to hit it off right away. He seemed so familiar to me, but I knew I'd never met him before. I felt comfortable with Ely right off the bat. After dinner, neither of us was ready to call it a night. He'd driven 2 1/2 hours and I wasn't ready to send him back home yet. He'd told me earlier that day that he didn't know when he'd be able to see me again since they were getting very busy at work. They had some big project in another country they were going to be working on. So, we went to Cashwise and rented a couple of movies. We came back to my place and watched our movies and talked until all hours of the night. I think he finally left between 3 and 4 that morning! We both had to work the next day, but I know that I had enough adrenaline to get me through the day! I think I had a smile permanently pasted on my face for the whole day. The rest, as they say, is history!
His Story:
What she said. ;-)

Our Wedding

Our wedding is going to be held on April 18, 2011 at Couples Swept Away in Negril, Jamaica. We had a fun time choosing our destination, but learned that there are a lot of gorgeous places in this world. It was a tough decision! We chose Jamaica based on many, many great reviews from friends and family and from some information that we received from different travel agents. We learned that it is relatively easy to get married in Jamaica and from what we've found, it is BEAUTIFUL! I've always wanted to get married on a beach or a cruise ship, and after doing some research, the beach won out! Our wedding will be at Sunset on a Monday night. We have not picked out our wedding attire yet, but I would be willing to guess we may be barefoot! Does it get much better than that? :-)

Our Reception

Currently our reception is a work in progress. We do know that it will be on April 30, 2011 at the EverGreen Events Center in Fargo. This is also sometimes referred to as the Tupperware Warehouse. I'm hoping to do some sort of "Beach" themed party and keep it very casual and laid back! No other details have been decided at this point. Keep watching for more, but you can Save the Date. It is booked!

A Special Message From Us

We are super excited to have our wedding in Jamaica! Neither of us loves to be in the spotlight, so the small, intimate setting of a Sunset Beach Wedding is perfect for us! We are, however, excited to share our pictures and celebrate with all of you when we get back -- April 30, 2011! Thank you for your love and support throughout the years! We look forward to many, many years of wedded bliss and happiness!

With All Our Love,
Ely and Lisa