Saturday, June 12, 2027

The practical bits

Where it is, how to get there, where to sleep, and what to do with your hands. Everything below is on one page on purpose, so you can send it to whoever is driving.

A stone country house with lawns and clipped hedges in front of it

The venue

Hollybrook Garden

A walled garden with a glasshouse at one end and a rose walk at the other. The ceremony is at the top of the rose walk, dinner is in the long room, and if the weather turns, everything moves fifty feet into the glasshouse and nobody has to do anything about it.

123 Main Street, Cedar Hollow, WA 12345The gate is the second on the left after the bridge. It is not signposted, which is part of its charm and all of its problem.
(555) 555-0123The garden office, for anything on the day itself. Please do not call us, we will be busy.

Saturday

The day in three parts

The ceremony

Four o'clock, outside, under the pergola at the top of the rose walk. Twelve minutes start to finish, and we mean it.

Seats are in the shade, and the last row has the best view of the hills.
The path from the parking field is gravel, so flat shoes win.
Sam's uncle will be reading a poem. It is short. He has been told twice.

Cocktails and dinner

Drinks on the lawn while the chairs get moved, then one long table under the lights for everybody at once.

Lemonade, local cider, and something with elderflower in it.
Dinner is family style, passed down the table, so make friends with your neighbors.
Three speeches, all under four minutes. We timed them.

Dancing

The band plays two sets, then the playlist takes over. Pie comes out around nine, when nobody is expecting it.

Yes, there will be pie instead of cake. Cherry, peach and one lonely pecan.
The lights go out at 11:30 sharp, because the garden has neighbors.
There is a bowl of flip-flops by the dance floor. Use them.

Getting there

Roads, planes, parking

Cedar Hollow is two hours from the airport on a good day and two hours and forty minutes on a Saturday in June. Plan for the Saturday.

Driving: Follow the river road out of town and take the second gate on the left after the bridge. Your map app will try to send you up the farm track. Do not let it.
Parking: A free grass field just inside the gate, with somebody waving a flag at you. It is a three minute walk to the ceremony on gravel, so flat shoes win.
Staying over: Cars can be left in the field overnight and collected before noon on Sunday. Cabs back into town need booking ahead. There are four of them, and it is a small town.

Where to stay

Three beds in town

These three are placeholders. Replace them with the real hotels and your room block details.

Placeholder Inn

Ten minutes from the garden. We are holding a block of rooms under our names until May 1.

123 Main Street, Cedar Hollow

Placeholder Lodge

The quieter option, out past the orchard. Good breakfast, thin walls.

123 Main Street, Larkspur

Placeholder Guest House

Six rooms and a porch. Book early or not at all.

123 Main Street, Fox Run

What to wear

Garden formal. Suits and summer dresses, linen encouraged, ties entirely optional. The ceremony and the drinks are both on grass, so stilettos will lose. Evenings here drop about fifteen degrees once the sun goes behind the hill, so bring a layer you do not mind dancing in.

Kids and plus ones

We love your children and we have kept the guest list to adults, with the exception of the four small people already in the wedding party. Plus ones are named on your invitation. If we have got yours wrong, or you have acquired somebody since we posted it, just tell us on the RSVP form.

Gifts

Your company is the gift. Getting most of you into one garden on the same Saturday is already more than we expected.

If you would like to give something anyway, we keep a short list of things we still do not own.

Your registry link goes here

Questions

The ones everybody asks

Anything we have missed goes to hello@example.com. We read them all, eventually.

Where do we park?: There is a grass field just past the gate, free and unmarked, with someone waving a flag at you. It is a three minute walk to the ceremony on a gravel path.
What happens if it rains?: Everything moves fifty feet into the glasshouse, which is honestly just as pretty and considerably warmer. You will not need to do anything, we will point.
I have a dietary restriction. Now what?: Tell us on the RSVP form and we will pass it straight to the kitchen. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free plates are already on the menu, no heroics required.
Can I take photos?: During the ceremony, please keep phones in pockets. We hired someone for that, and she is very good. After the ceremony, take all the photos you like.
Can I request a song?: Yes, and there is a box for it on the RSVP form. One request per person. We reserve the right to quietly lose yours.
What time should we actually arrive?: Between 3:30 and 3:50. The ceremony starts at 4:00 and the gate to the rose walk closes at 3:58, which sounds dramatic but saves everybody the awkward late entrance.

RSVP

Please reply by April 12, 2027. Still curious about us? Read the long version

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