FAQ's

We have been getting a lot of questions about the wedding and weekend that I thought might be useful to post in case there are some of you out there wondering but unwilling to ask. :-)

What do I wear for the different "events" during the weekend?
On the itinerary we sent you will see Dress listed under the event and time. We put it there to help people when packing, but for all of you over-achievers out there, that still wasn't enough information. I was getting a lot of texts about what "cocktail" attire was or how "casual" was acceptable. Here's the shortest, easiest way I can describe the event wear...

The Welcome Reception- Cocktail Dress
Cocktail dress for women is usually thought of as a short black dress, but really it can be any color. Cocktail dress is similar to semi-formal. For men, dress slacks and a button shirt (tie and coat optional).
 **I will be wearing a short black dress and Richard will be wearing a suit with no tie.

The Rehearsal Dinner- Casual
Please be as casual as you want here. It is in a brewery and there is absolutely no dress code. Shorts, a polo, flip flops, t shirts... all acceptable.
**I will be wearing jeans and a blouse and Richard will be wearing Khaki shorts and a button up.

The Wedding- Garden Party
There was no really good way in one word to describe the dress for the wedding, but I thought Garden Party best summed it up. Basically it's similar to something you'd wear to church- but without worrying about being conservative. Florals, pastels, dressy summer dresses, etc. For men, dress slacks or khaki pants, a button up (tie and coat optional).
** I will be wearing a wedding dress ;-) bu the bridesmaids have on short, flow-y pink dresses with ballet flats. Richard will be wearing a suit (no tuxes) with a tie, but the groomsmen are wearing gray slacks and a button up, no tie or coat.

As for the other events (the Saturday activities, the Bride and Groom's Lunch, etc.) you can wear whatever you like. We want everyone to be as comfortable as possible. :-)

What are your "colors"? Do I need to match them?
The colors for the wedding are pale pink, pale yellow, and ivory. No, you do not need to match us. We are encouraging everyone to wear (like I said above) pastels, light colors, florals, etc. because it will look better in the photos if we are all wearing a similar color scheme. With only 65 of us there, one of two people in bright red or black would really stand out... lol.

What will the weather be like?
Typically in June the weather is sunny in the high 70's to mid 80's.

However, because of it's elevation and proximity to the beach, the temperature can drop 20-30 degrees from its afternoon high once the sun goes down. It is also historically breezy most afternoon/early evenings.

For packing, shorts and "summer clothes" are appropriate, but I would bring a sweater or light jacket to wear at night.

How do I know if I need to take the shuttle to/from the ceremony?
A lot of people seemed unclear about taking the shuttle to the wedding itself. We know a lot of you are renting cars, however, where the wedding is A) is a little hard to get to B) pitch black at night and C) there isn't a lot of parking. Plus, we didn't want people drinking at the wedding and then getting in their car and trying to find their way back to the hotel late at night in the California mountains...

The shuttle is free and it will pick everyone up at the Marriott at 545pm and have everyone back to the Marriott by midnight.

**If you are in the wedding party, you will ride over (in the shuttle) earlier in the afternoon and be brought back with everyone else around midnight.

When do I need to be arrive in California and when should I leave?
We found that a few people were under the impression that even though the wedding was on Sunday, they could leave afterward to drive back.  Please know that the wedding is from 6pm-midnight. I highly recommend waiting until Monday morning to head back home.

We would like everyone to arrive on Friday (anytime is fine) to be there for the welcome reception that night. It is the first weekend wedding event and a great way to kick off everything and to meet everyone. Everyone who reserved a room under our block at the Marriott is booked through Monday morning (checkout is at 11am).

We will be arriving Thursday and leaving Monday as everyone checks out.

Breakfast at the Marriott is listed on the Itinerary. Is it an event? Do I need to be there at a certain time? How much does it cost?
Breakfast is not an event and there is no specific time you need to show up or leave. The times listed on the itinerary (6-930am) are the times the Marriott offers the breakfast buffet (which, by the way, is incredible!). 

Breakfast is included with the price of the room for every morning.

If you are staying at a nearby hotel and want to come by and have breakfast with the rest of us, it is $10.

What events do I have to drive to?
There are NO events the weekend of the wedding that you will be asked to drive to, aside from actually making it to the hotel for the weekend.

The Friday night welcome reception is at the Marriott, so unless you are staying at another hotel, you will be able to simply walk downstairs from your room.

The Saturday activities will be driven by my mom and grandma (the shopping excursion), Ron and Richard (the golf outing) and a shuttle for the wine tour.

The rehearsal dinner is right across the street from the Marriott and we encourage everyone to walk (parking is limited in front of the brewery and why drink and drive?)

The wedding and reception will be shuttled there and back (from the Marriott).

** There is a rental car office at the Marriott if you want to a rent a car for the day to go exploring, go tot the beach, etc.


How far away is the beach?
The closest beach (El Capitan State Beach) is about half an hour away, just outside of Santa Barbara.

30 days!!!!!

R + S