How do I get to the venue?
Map and Directions here, for your convenience!
What time should I arrive?
The ceremony will begin promptly at 5:30 PM, so please arrive no later than 5:15 PM so that you can snag a seat. If you are bringing something for the optional potluck, please arrive at least 5-10 minutes earlier than that, so that you have time to put down your food or drink item before finding a seat.
Where should I park?
Parking is plentifully available right outside the door of the venue. There is more parking further back and to the right if the spots closest to the door fill up. This Google Maps satellite view shows the parking situation pretty clearly. Parking is all free of charge!
What should I wear? Is there a dress code?
Dress code is “semi-formal” (but fun!) and in the British tradition, ladies are encouraged to wear fancy hats or fascinators. You can get more details about these things (and find some fun picture guide) on the What to Wear page.
Are there any colors that guests should avoid wearing?
Nope! Any colors you like are fine, including white or black, which we hear are sometimes “wedding no-no”s… but we won’t be offended if you chose to wear either of those colors – promise!
Are kids welcome?
A handful of kids will be invited, but a) there is no babysitter on site, so keep on eye on your children and b) there will be self-serve alcohol on site. If you think this might be too much of a hassle for you to enjoy the night, please consider finding a loving friend or family member to leave your children with so that you can enjoy the celebration as much as possible.
Does your wedding have a theme?
“Fun & games, and all the geeky things” is the closest thing we have to a theme. This doesn’t require anything special of you – except that you show up and have fun! (And excuse any super-geeky references that might be made.)
I am coming from out of town. Where should I stay?
We’ve reserved a block in a nearby hotel (it’s quite nice!) just for guests like you. Find out more on the Accommodations page.
When is the RSVP deadline?
Please RSVP as soon as you know what your plans are – but no later than August 2nd.
Are the ceremony and reception location wheelchair accessible?
Yes! The venue is on the ground floor with no stairs at the entrance, and handicapped parking spaces right near the door. There may be some outdoor activities that are inaccessible via wheelchair (sorry!) but this will not include any of the major parts of the ceremony or reception.
What should/could I do between the ceremony and the reception?
The reception will immediately follow the ceremony in the same space, so don’t worry about occupying yourself for any length of time at all! There may be some chairs that need to be moved before dinner, though, if you would like to help out.
Will food be served? What kind of food will be served?
Yes! We are having an optional potluck with a variety of foods made by our talented foodie family and friends. There will be additional food provided to round it up to a full meal. On the Potluck page you can view the spreadsheet to see what everyone is bringing, so you can have an idea of what will be available!
What if I have a dietary restriction?
Since the groom and several members of the wedding party have food allergies, as well as some of our friends and family members, you are in good company! We have made a point to ask all potluck participants to mark which of the following allergens will be in their dishes: nuts, eggs, gluten, or corn. We will be labeling all food items for these allergens, to help all of our guests make informed decisions about what they can eat. We will also be asking that people do not use serving utensils for more than one dish, to avoid cross-contamination. If you have a dietary restriction that falls outside these allergens, you can let us know by email at wedding AT stephonee DOT com, and we can help to make sure that you will have plenty to eat and that everything is properly labeled for your situation.
Will there be alcohol served? Can I bring alcohol?
Yes and yes! The potluck is open for drinks as well as food items, and alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) beverages will be available throughout the night. One important thing to note is that due to the potluck/community/DIY vibe of the wedding, all drinks will be self-serve. Please be mindful to not overindulge in alcohol, as there will be children present, and we want this to be a pleasant experience for all guests. Also, please do not drink and drive! A shuttle will be available to take you to the hotel at the end of the night, or any member of the wedding party will be happy to call a cab for you. At the risk of sounding like a commercial: please be prepared to drink responsibly.
Will there be dancing?
Yes! When you RSVP, you will have the chance to list up to three songs that make you want to boogie, so that we can look into adding them to the night’s playlist. Not the dancing type? Don’t worry – there will be no compulsory dancing of any kind. There will also be lawn games such as ladderball, badminton, etc. (weather permitting) and other fun non-dancing activities during the reception.
What time will the reception end?
Dancing and games will end by 11pm, at which point the shuttle will arrive to escort you to the hotel (if you wish). The hotel has a bar where most guests will be meeting for an after-party of sorts, and you are welcome to attend! Other guests will be staying behind to help with clean-up from 11pm till midnight and then proceeding to the after-party via their own transportation from there. Everyone must be off the wedding venue premises (car out of the parking lot, gone gone gone) by midnight. Please note: the after-party is not an “official” part of the wedding, just a chance to continue talking and drinking with your fellow guests, and as such it is pay-your-own-way.
Can I take pictures?
The answer requires a little story: a few years ago (in July of 2011, to be specific), Stephanie lucked out and was invited to witness the very last NASA space shuttle launch from the VIP press area of Kennedy Space Center (the closest humans could get to the shuttle launch). She received about a million different pieces of advice from people who had seen a shuttle launch before her, but one piece stuck with her more than anything: “Watch the shuttle launch with your own eyes – not through a viewfinder or a smartphone screen or – for goodness sake – an iPad. There will be professional photographers there getting pictures 5000 times better than anything you could take anyway, so just watch it with your own eyes, because you may never get that chance again.” And so, she did (and thus has zero pictures of her own taking of the STS-135 launch).
Just like the STS-135 space shuttle launch, the wedding ceremony of Grant and Stephanie will be short, sweet, bright, and have at least one professional photographer there. So we offer the same advice to you: for the ceremony itself, put the phone and the camera down and just experience the event with your own eyes. If Stephanie could do it for a shuttle launch, and can do it again herself for the wedding ceremony (and we really hope she can and will), then so too, can you.
For the wedding reception after the ceremony? Break out those cameras and take all the pictures you like. In fact, we hope to have a setup at the wedding for uploading the reception pictures you’ve taken from your phone or SD card, and also a hashtag for Twitter/Facebooking/Instagraming pictures as you like!
Your photographer did something I’m not accustomed to wedding photographers doing.
We love our wedding photographer (fella by the name of Chris Graham)’s work. However, while he has oodles of photography experience, this is one of his first wedding shoots. He may not do things the way you are used to if you’ve been to a lot of weddings with seasoned photographers. He also doesn’t have a full catalog of different lenses to use yet, so he may need to get a lot closer to photography subjects than you are used to, due to the lack of a “zoom” (telephoto) lens. We ask that you please give him your patience and understanding, and trust that he will deliver some really different and wonderful photos in return!
If you have any major issues with the photographer (or anything else) during the wedding, please just let a member of the Adventuring Party (wedding party) know. They will best be able to handle any situation that comes up.
Is there a gifts registry?
Yes, but we ask that you read this very important information regarding the registry, first. TL;DR? You, in person, at our wedding, is the only gift we require.
What if I want to donate my services to the cause instead of give a gift?
That would be lovely! Ours is a “community-style” wedding and we really could use a few hands to pitch in and make it work. There’s a whole list of things we could use some help with (beforehand or on the day of), or you can just get in touch with one of us and let us know what sort of help you’d be up for. Thank you!
Is there transportation being provided between reception and hotel?
Yes! There will be a shuttle bus available, so please feel free to use it! There’s even a place on your RSVP to indicate whether or not you plan to use the shuttle, so please make sure to fill that out correctly for yourself (and for anyone else you RSVP for). If you’re not sure, just say you’ll be using it – this will put you on the email list for shuttle information, so it can’t hurt. Also, you can change this info on your RSVP if your mind changes! Just make sure that it’s accurate by the RSVP deadline (August 2nd) and we’ll email you (or not) as your RSVP indicates with shuttle info.
Will last names be changing after the wedding?
Get used to the idea of “Stephanie Kibler” because yes, that is the plan! However, if you happen to be writing any checks to Stephanie (as a wedding gift or otherwise!) please refrain from writing “Kibler” as her last name for the time being (or she may not be able to cash it!). To be safe, please write any checks to either Grant Kibler or Stephanie Collins, and please do not write them to both of us together.
I have a question not answered here; how do I contact you?
Best way would be to send an email with your question to wedding AT stephonee DOT com. There’s also a comments section at the bottom of this post, if you don’t mind asking “publicly” where other guests can see your question (and our answer!). Or, you can use whatever contact method you usually use to reach one of us – text message, phone call, Facebook message, our personal emails, whatever.