Wedding Events: Where to Be & What to Wear

Friday, July 10
Any time from 5:30 until the sun sets and darkness begins to settle on the central coast, please join us for wine, cheese and other most delicious things at the Wedding Weekend Welcome Gathering hosted by the parents of the groom, Michael and Sharon Kelley, in Godric Grove at Elings Park (1298 Las Positas Rd.). This will be a very special event in a truly breathtaking location, but the location is both outdoors and close to the ocean, and there will be some walking involved--this is something to take into consideration when considering what to wear. Sharon has suggested that women bring a light wrap in case it gets chilly, to think twice about wearing shorts--even dressy ones--and to avoid high heels. Other than that, the attire is California casual--no fancy dress, no t-shirts, no ties. Anything from jeans to a sundress would be considered appropriate.

As for transportation, Godric Grove has twenty reserved parking spots, and if you wish to drive there (it's about 3.3 miles from the Canary Hotel), you can access driving directions from Carrillo by clicking here. For those who do not wish to drive (and if you plan to partake of the fruits of the grape and/or grain, we strongly encourage you not to), the Kelleys have arranged for transportation departing from the Canary Hotel between 5 and 9, so you can come and go as you please! We'll be posting more information about this cab and/or van service as we receive it--we're still working through some of the details!

Also, while many of the "grownups" among us either will have made dinner reservations following the Welcome Party or, after gorging themselves on cheese and fancy cured meats, will be heading off to Snoozeville shortly after they return from Godric Grove, we know there might be some people who are not willing to hang up their boogie shoes at 9. We're currently scouting locations for an afterparty so that all you "party animals" out there (you know who you are!) will have a chace to meet up, hang out, and have a beer or two before hitting the sheets. This information will be posted as soon as we have it worked out, and should you miss it, it will also be included in the events booklet in your rooms, so you'll have no excuse, save an overdose on good times, for missing out on the action. Wherever we decide to have it, all will be welcome!

Saturday, July 11
On Saturday evening, we would be honored to see you (and frankly, at this point, a bit puzzled not to see you) at our wedding ceremony on the rooftop of the Canary Hotel (31 W. Carrillo St.) in downtown Santa Barbara. Mary-Rush will be walking down the aisle at 6:00 PM; guest seating will begin around 5:30. A rooftop cocktail hour will immediately follow, and from there, you'll hop in the elevator and head down to the Canary's Riviera Ballroom for dinner and dancing to the musical stylings of Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys. This should be "big" fun (ahem).

As for the attire, we've asked the father of the bride to channel Emily Post on your behalf. So, without further ado, here's the last word on how to array yourself "for a destination wedding of this nature," according to Dr. Bob: "[F]or the guys a suit with tie is appropriate. A sport coat with tie is OK as well. For the young ladies, a dressy sun dress is appropriate; for older women, a toned down cocktail dress, nothing longer than tea length." There you have it! Now go on and get decked out!

As for an afterparty, we'd like to think that you, like the princesses in the red shoes of fairy tale lore, will have danced until your feet have turned to mere nubs, and now can barely hold yourself up because you are so sated with delight and in such dire need of a podiatrist, but we know some of you too well to believe this. So stay tuned--when we have a place in mind, we'll post it here.