What To Know Before You Go

Generally, before any work event, I draft up a quick “What to know before you go” document so that those who are attending the function know what to expect. Considering that the first of our wedding guests are already in town it seems I may have been a little late in doing this for my own wedding. But with one week to go (EEK!) I thought I should provide the rest of you – the ones who haven’t hopped on a plane, train or automobile yet – with some basic info.

Attire
This has been the main question I’ve been asked. Apparently GAR’s post on this topic was less than illuminating to many of you. So I’ll break it down for you – the suggested attire for guys is a suit with a concert/band t-shirt underneath (or slacks/jeans with a t-shirt and sports jacket). Sneakers (the more fly the better) are also encouraged. Gals – you should wear whatever you would normally wear to a wedding … but feel free to be as funky as you’d like. Leopard print, wild shoes – whatever you would normally consider too over-the-top for another wedding – is totally okay by us. Basically – have fun with it and don’t fret about your choices.

Arrival
Our wedding venue is in downtown Orlando. Like most downtown locations, that means you’ll have to find a public lot with meters or a paid garage. If choosing a meter, we expect everything to be wrapped up by 10:30 or 11 p.m., so judge your pre-paid amount off of that time. We suggest the lot underneath the interstate – it’s about a 3 minute walk from the wedding. And you’ll want to leave yourself enough time to park and get to the ceremony early because …

Ceremony
Our ceremony is in a bar … and there will be drink service for the ceremony. The bar opens 30 minutes before the ceremony, but shuts down when we walk down the aisle. If you want some pre-party sangria be sure to get to the bar before the show starts.

Dinner
There is food and you will love it. GAR and I are also big fans of food (and not being hungry) so we would like a chance to enjoy it as well. That’s why we’ve instituted a strict “Do Not Disturb” policy during dinner. Don’t worry – we love you all and still want to see you all. We just want to be sure we eat a little of our yummy food first.

Reception
After all that – it’s party time! There will lots of rock music (and absolutely no country music – don’t even try to request it) and, of course, karaoke. Don’t say we didn’t warn you … so warm up your vocal chords now.

Well that’s pretty much it … other than the obvious “don’t drink and drive” closing statement. We look forward to rocking out with you all!