Who
about us
We’re Nicholas Johnson and Sarah Alward, but if you’re reading this page, you probably already know that. We were actually married almost five years ago, but we’re just now getting around to putting on the party.
We met eight years ago while we were both dorky students at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. We married right after Sarah graduated in 2003 in a small ceremony in Iowa City. Then we packed off to Japan for three years and moved to North Carolina for two more. After four years of being married, Nicholas officially proposed to Sarah in the cliffs of North Carolina in October 2007.
If you’re still confused, here are some photos of us to help refresh your memory.
You can always contact Nicholas () or Sarah () if you have any questions.
What
about the ding
We’re calling this whole event the “ding,” as in “we’ve already had the ‘wed’ and now we need the ‘ding.’” It’s basically going to be a big, fun party.
As for attire, we’ll be wearing shockingly traditional wedding garb, but as a guest you are welcome to dress any way that you are comfortable. Iowa in the summer is hot and humid, so keep that in mind.
When
dates and times
Here’s the planned schedule of events for the Ding weekend.
Friday, 6 to 10 p.m.: Picnic dinner/pizza party in East Merrill Park (on 11th Ave. between West and Park Streets). All are invited to attend!
Saturday, 4:30 p.m.: Ceremony at Herrick Chapel (1128 Park St.) on the campus of Grinnell College
Saturday, right after the ceremony: Hors d’oeuvres at the Joe Rosenfield Center (1115 8th Ave., a short walk across campus from the chapel; if you are in need of transportation, please let us know!)
Saturday, after hors d’oeuvres: Dinner and dancing at the Joe Rosenfield Center
Sunday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Buffet brunch at the Grinnell House (1011 Park St.), just adjacent to campus. Stop by anytime! Everyone’s invited!
Where
ceremony, hotels, travel
Grinnell?
Grinnell is a quaint little town of 9000 folks just off I-80 in the middle of Iowa (for your travel convenience). Despite its small size, Grinnell offers some great eating and has an adorable old timey downtown area (read: block). Downtown to campus is a minute’s walk. It’s about four miles from the hotels to campus.
Getting to Grinnell
Flying into either Des Moines (DSM) or Cedar Rapids (CID) is your best bet. Grinnell is just about equidistant between the two, though Des Moines is a larger airport and probably a bit closer. If you’ll be visiting the Alwards in Iowa City at any point, though, Cedar Rapids would be the better choice.
Getting from either airport to Grinnell will require renting a car and driving about an hour on I-80. If you’re interested in carpooling, please email us and we can try to arrange that with other travelers.
Staying in Grinnell
There are several lodging options for you in Grinnell. Normally in the middle of the summer it would be no problem to stay in town, however, there is a race at the Iowa Speedway in nearby Newton that weekend and rooms are filling up fast. So book early! We’ve reserved a block of rooms in three different hotels. I would try them in the order listed. Comfort Inn & Suites is new and very nice. Country Inn is right next door. Best Western is the most economical option, though not adjacent to the other two. All three hotels are between I-80 and campus, no more than a 10-minute drive from the festivities.
There are also apartment-style dorms available if you’re willing to (a) live in a dorm with roommates and (b) share a bathroom. This is by far the cheapest option—if you’re interested please email Sarah. (This is the newly-renovated Cowles Hall for you Grinnellians. They tell me it’s air-conditioned!)
All block reservations are under our last names, either as “Alward/Johnson Wedding” or vice versa.
- Comfort Inn & Suites
1630 West Street South
Grinnell, IA 50112
641-236-5236 or 641-236-5858
10% discount to all rooms if at least 15 are booked
Will hold rooms until July 15 - Country Inn
1710 West Street South
Grinnell, IA 50112
641-236-9600
Group discount applies to all rooms automatically
Will hold rooms until August 1 - Best Western
2210 West Street South
Grinnell, IA 50112
641-236-6116
Group discount applies to all rooms automatically
Will hold rooms until July 25
Things to do in Grinnell
It’s a small town, but there are a few ways to amuse yourself.
- The Iowa State Fair. First and foremost, the Iowa State Fair will be running from August 7–17 in Des Moines. This fair is the mother of all fairs, and was mentioned as one of the 1000 places to see before you die. There is fried stuff on sticks, livestock competitions, rides of questionable integrity, and people watching galore. You have not seen a proper mullet until you’e been to the Iowa State Fair. Not to be missed is the life-sized sculpture of a cow made entirely of butter.
- Rock Creek State Park. Nice picnicking, hiking, swimming.
- Iowa Speedway. Don’t know much about car racing, but there are seemingly two events happening at the Iowa Speedway on Sunday, August 10, in Newton (the next town over from Grinnell). The Koni Challenge is racing in normal people cars, and the USAC Silver Crown Series Race includes racing in something called "Midget Cars." Don’t miss out!
- Grinnell College. Convince your children to go to Grinnell!
Eating in Grinnell
We have two restaurants in town that we enjoyed while we were in college (and here’s a list of others if you like to explore).
- Cafe Phoenix
834 Park St, Grinnell
641-236-3657 - Dari Barn (an ice creamy, summer Grinnell tradition)
1810-6th Ave, Grinnell
641-236-7828
Et cetera
everything else
Your presence at the Ding is such a gift to us. If you do wish to purchase a gift, however, we have registered at a variety of places to accommodate all budgets and tastes. If you would like to ship us something, please send it to 2015 Ridgeway Drive, Iowa City, IA 52245. We’re registered at: