Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Wedding FAQs (or everything you ever wanted to know about Gretchen and Jeff's wedding)

Yay! You are thinking about coming to our wedding on August 17th! But maybe you have some questions before you say yes?

Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about our nuptials.

1. Brockton? Who decides to get married in Brockton?
2. How do I get to the ceremony?
3. How long should I plan to actually get to the Fuller Craft Museum?
4. What's the dress code?
5. What time does the ceremony start?
6. Will the ceremony be long?
7. Are kids allowed?
8. Who can I bring with me?
9. What if I don't want to cart your gift all the way to Brockton?
10. What's on the menu?
11. Will the reception be open bar?
12. What time does the wedding end?
13. Where is the afterparty?
14. What is the social media plan for the wedding?
15. What's the hashtag for the wedding?

1. Brockton? Who decides to get married in Brockton?
The Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, near the Stoughton line, offered everything we were looking for in a venue - interesting environment, easy to get to, plenty of parking (and bathrooms) on site, and the option for an indoor event JUST IN CASE the weather (knock on wood) is bad.

As a bonus our guests get to explore the museum during the event, and we get the privilege of having their facility event planner help with the wedding.

2. How do I get to the ceremony?
The Fuller Craft Museum is located at 455 Oak Street in Brockton, MA.

Type this into your GPS to get directions from your home/hotel. For our part, we'll be heading to the fiesta from our home by way of Rte 93 S to Rte 24 S. We'll get off at exit 18B, and take a right after the shopping plaza to get onto Oak Street. If you pass the the Panera you've missed the turn.

If traffic is horrible, then we'll likely go back roads (e.g. Rte 37 or 123).

If you are staying at the wedding hotel, the concierge can give you directions. We're good like that.

3. How long should I plan to get actually get to the Fuller Craft Museum?
That depends entirely on where you are coming from! We are budgeting 45 minutes each way from Hingham.

4. What is the dress code?
Gretchen is wearing a formalish dress, Jeff is not wearing a tie or jacket. That's code for nearly everything goes.

Need more direction? Our theme is vintage family picnic. Imagine a family reunion at Gramma's house (and Gramma lives in a craft museum) in 1959 or 1966. Way more family members have shown up than we expected, so we've had to comb through the cupboards to make it work. That's the energy we're going for - fun, casual, family-oriented, innocent.

Do you prefer instructions in the negative? Please don't dress like you are going out for wings and beer, and black tie will be excessive (unless you are George Cutler, and then black tie is 100% appropriate.)

5. What time does the ceremony start?
Promptly at 4:00 PM. We're both sticklers for things starting on time.

6. Will the ceremony be long?
We're planning a 30-minute ceremony. Does that feel too long for you? No worries, we'll have activities to keep you entertained during the ceremony.

7. Are kids allowed?
Nope. Gretchen is devoted to her nieces and nephews, and wouldn't dream of having a wedding without them. As a result, we've invited our twelve nieces and nephews. But that's where it ends.

8. Who can I bring with me?
We researched invite etiquette extensively to make sure we were being clear in our invites. The people specifically named on your invite can come. That's it. Sorry, but space is tight. We look forward to meeting your sweetheart/best friend/favorite son at another event.

9. What if I don't want to cart your gift all the way to Brockton?
Awww...thanks for thinking of us! We will have a gift table at the wedding, along with a card baskety thing. And Gretchen's family is on deck to cart gifts back to the house on Sunday morning. With that said, if YOU don't want to bother carting a gift to Brockton, feel free to drop it off at the house ahead of time, or ship it to us and the return address on your RSVP card.

10. What's on the menu?
We'll host a cocktail hour and then a buffet-style dinner. That's all we're saying.

11. Will the reception be open bar?
Yup. That's how we roll.

But open bar is not an excuse for bad behavior or poor choices. If you are driving, please be sure to eat enough, drink plenty of water, and try not to overindulge. If you DO overindulge, we will make sure the facility is prepared to call a cab to get you safely to your bed.

12. What time does the wedding end?
Promptly at 9:00. Seriously.

13. Where's the after party?
Uhm....there is no after party. At least not one that we're organizing. That's NOT how we roll. We plan to be in bed by 9:45 PM. Seriously.

14. What's the social media plan for the wedding?
We're social people. But space and money make it impossible for us to invite everyone we know through our social networks. So, we are happy for you to post pictures, videos, and commentary on the Interwebs so more people can feel like they are there. We aren't concerned with our "privacy."

If you do, please follow these rules:
  1. We don't want pictures of the kids posted on any social media sites. That's just good common sense. 
  2. A handful of guests have expressed concerns about online privacy. So, if you plan to tag a photo, please make sure you have the person's permission before naming them online. 

15. What's the hashtag for the wedding?
#wwjcm