Just the Facts, Ma'am...or Sir

Just a week to go? How did that happen?! (rhetorical question, though I'm curious what answers y'all have to that one...) Since attention spans are short, here's the quick & dirty:

• We have a registry! 
• We have instructions to the venue! Show up at around 11 so we can start by 11:30. If you're like us, you'll be hungry for lunch (or second breakfast) by then. It's the woods, so dress casually. Jeans or shorts are fine. Stilettos probably are not, unless you want to aerate the campground. Check the weather. There will be indoor areas we can use if it rains, but you'll probably still want a jacket of some sort. 
• We have entertainment...you!
• We have food and fun on Saturday too! If you want to attend the "rehearsal dinner" (actually a lunch with no rehearsing) on Saturday in DC, be sure to RSVP ASAP so we have enough food and kayaks. 

Pro tip: Look in the upper right corner of any of these blog posts and you'll see a way to subscribe via email. This is the easiest way to receive the latest information without having to remember to check a website. Even our parents and friends with liberal arts degrees have figured it out! 

Now You Have a Reason to Rock Out in the Car

Quick update so you have plenty of time to prepare... the headliner entertainment for the reception will be... you! We will give people (individuals or groups) the opportunity to compete in the ultimate "Mouth Off" (phrasing!), a lip-sync battle that will be remembered long after Elliott and I have celebrated our golden anniversary.

The rules are simple: tell us ahead of time what song you'd like to perform (so we can make sure we have it), get up on stage, and go. We'll set aside a block of time for this during the reception (once everyone is good and snookered, don't worry) and you'll have your turn at fame and glory.

For inspiration, here are a few examples. And since ridiculousness loves company, Elliott and I will participate as well. Just shoot us an email, facebook message, text, or comment below and let us know how you'll wow us!

More details...about everything except the actual wedding

Now that you've all received the invitations and RSVP'd on time (cough), it's time to start nailing down logistics. For many of you, this simply means knowing exactly where and when to show up on Sunday, May 3. Your details will be forthcoming. Promise. But first...

...Saturday, May 2. Traditionally, there is a rehearsal dinner the night before a wedding and the couple invites close family and out of town guests to a sit-down dinner at a fancy restaurant. But seriously, is any part of our shindig "traditional" or "fancy"? Exactly. So we would like to invite all of you to an informal lunch that has nothing to do with rehearsing anything. Please join us at Thompson Boat Center in Georgetown (DC) from 12:00-3:00 PM for a buffet lunch. Depending on the number of people who participate, we will try to get a group discount on kayak, stand up paddleboard, or scull rentals. Because the wedding venue is outside of DC proper, we'd like to give everyone the opportunity to spend some time downtown, and viewing the monuments via kayak is pretty darn awesome. (Please stick to the river, however, or we lose the deposit.)

Cabin Camp! Now that you've had a chance to look for hotels, who is now thinking the cabin camps sound like a great idea after all? They are free, scenic, and quiet, but you will need to bring your own bedding. We'd really like to get a head count of who will be staying out there, so we can give you more detailed instructions. Cabins are available Friday-Sunday nights for free, and you can stay for any or all of those nights.

Extending the fun. There will be a lot of you coming in from far and away, and we'd like to have plenty of opportunities to see you. One idea is to meet on Friday, May 1 or Monday, May 4, for a no-host brunch at an inexpensive but delicious restaurant in Georgetown near Thompson Boat Center. Would anyone be interested or available for this?

As I've been hinting with all the links, there is a form to RSVP for these activities. Please let your voice be heard!

Embedded links not your bag? Here's the URL: http://goo.gl/forms/34PHz4jtf5

If you RSVP, two of these three things could be yours!

All of the THINGS

Over the course of this planning process, I've learned quite a bit. For example, if a website offers 24/7 online customer service, you're probably talking to a robot. Also, there are two types of people: those that have strong feelings about invitation return envelope paper types and those that don't. (Spoiler: I'm a don't.) And finally, snow days are amazing. We had another one yesterday (yes, in March, and yes, in DC), so there are now some updates to share. 

• Invitations are almost done (hallelujah!). Get excited. See if you can spot the "ring bear." 
• If you're super eager to RSVP, you can skip the invitation and do so online.  Regardless of whether you use the interwebs or classic dead tree approach, please RSVP by April 11. Otherwise, we may run out of food and things would get awkward.

• Credit card getting dusty? Check out our registry and silently judge our life choices. Though of course, there is no requirement to get anything; in the (paraphrased) wise words of J. Lo, love knows no financial obligations. 

What's hot!

Yes, I realize the irony of this title while it's snowing outside. I mean "hot" as in "trending topics," or "questions we have received often enough to become blog-worthy." So here we go.

• When should you be here? 
• Well, the main event is midday Sunday, but there will also be a "rehearsal lunch" on Saturday in downtown DC. Everyone is invited to both of these events, and we'll set up an RSVP link at some point. We might do a small family-only event on Friday evening; details to follow. So in a nutshell, Friday night-Monday morning is ideal, but Saturday morning-Sunday evening would also work. 
• Where should you stay?
• If cabin camping is your thing, you're good to go. (We'll collect RSVPs later; there's enough room for everyone.) If not, you have a few options. The area with hotels closest to the venue is Potomac Mills (city of Woodbridge), which is an enormous outlet mall development. You can get a cheap hotel and maybe a new outfit to wear, but it will not be scenic or cultural. For that, you should head to DC or nearby environs. (Potomac Mills is around 30 min from DC without traffic, 60+ in rush hour.) Alexandria (e.g. King Street/Old Town) is in between DC and Prince William Forest, historically charming, and on the metro line to DC. For DC proper, there are a lot of good options. If you want to be able to walk to the downtown attractions, some good neighborhoods to search for are Penn Quarter, Chinatown, or Foggy Bottom. (Try roomkey.com to book hotels at a good price *and* still earn points.) The only area with lots of hotels that I don't recommend is Rt. 50/New York Avenue northeast of town. It's far from anything you want to see (except the HQ of a newspaper run by the Moonies). If you want to co-locate with others, or have specific questions, feel free to use this blog's comments section. 
• Do you need a car?
• No...except for getting to the actual wedding. How's that for a caveat? Getting around DC without a car is pretty easy and all the airports are accessible via public transportation. However, Prince William Forest Park is south of the city and while the park has a high population density of deer, birds, bears, and other delightful wildlife, it's not enough to warrant a bus line. Again, feel free to use the comment section of this blog to arrange for carpools. 
• What should you wear?
• DC weather in May is usually pretty nice -- 70s and not humid. Or 90s and humid. Or 50s and raining. In other words, don't pack yet. Our event will be pretty casual (it's the woods, after all) so don't worry about special-ordering a some Gore-Tex Manolos. 

Anything else you'd like to know?

The Big Reveal

First of all, thanks to everyone who played the "guess our venue" game. I think we all learned a valuable lesson about OSS history, random Virginia tourist attractions, and firearms. The final answer is... <cue the music> Prince William Forest Park! It's the largest national park in the DC area, former home to both the OSS and the Civilian Conservation Corps (not at the same time; that would be awkward), and just down the road from Quantico, home to the well-armed US Marine Corps and FBI Academy.

We chose this venue for several reasons. For one thing, it's a place where we have been many times to bike, hike, and run, so it's special to us and familiar to many of our friends. But what will make it great for this particular event is that we can rent out a cabin camp area for the entire weekend. That's right, the Tobin-Lane-apalooza will have its own corner of the forest, including cabins that sleep around 150 people, an industrial sized kitchen, and campfire amphitheater. Our reservation lasts from Friday until Monday, so if you prefer trees to traffic, you can stay there the whole weekend for free. Cabins are rustic but have [6-30] beds, mattresses (bring a sleeping bag), indoor toilets and showers.

While we are certainly hoping that our shindig will top your priority list, there are plenty of other things to do in and around PWF. Historic Fredericksburg is a few miles south, Mount Vernon is a few miles north, and oh yeah, that whole Nation's Capital thing too.

The prize for guessing the venue first goes to Lauren Rice, and Cameron's delusion that we are sufficiently muckety muck to take over the Congressional Country Club wins most creative.

Look forward to seeing everyone this May!

It should melt by May.

You can exhale now.

We finally have a wedding venue! Actually, we've had the venue (in our plans and hearts) since this summer, but the location only confirms reservations once a year, so we had to wait until this week. Yes, really.

So, what's all the fuss about? Is it an ultra-exclusive mansion atop a mountain? A private island that requires a fleet of trained dolphins to access? A certain white house in the center of DC whose famous owner is sometimes out of town for the weekend?

Let's play a little game. I'll give some clues and see if anyone can guess the venue via the comments section. (If you already know, ahem, Mom, please don't spoil it.) There will be two prizes: one for the first person to guess correctly, and one for the most creative guess. Ready?

Clue 1: It's a location where Elliott and I have biked many times in the springs and summers of 2012, 2013, and 2014. (Hint: you can stalk most triathletes find cool routes via strava.com)

Clue 2: During World War II, this location served as training grounds for the Office of Strategic Services, precursor to the CIA. People learned how to sabotage enemy equipment, communicate clandestinely, and use parachutes here. (These activities may or may not be on our agenda as well.)

Clue 3: Before being acquired by the government, this area was used for farming. You can still see small cemeteries containing the farmers' families. (According to our research, their ghosts are friendly.)

Clue 4: This area used to support a gold mine. (No, it will not be the source of our wedding bands.)

Clue 5: It is located near one of Virginia's top tourist destinations, one of the first Ikeas in North America, and a town with tens of thousands of guns but an official population of under 500.

See you there!