- What should I wear?
- Dress is casual. Something appropriate for a tapas bar.
(Note: dress for Hawai'ians is very, very formal.) - Topless bar?!? You can't get married in a topless bar!
- We said “tapas bar”. Totally different.
- OK, then. What's a tapas bar?
- Tapas is a Spanish style of dining where you share lots of little dishes around the table. It's a little bit like dim-sum. Or mezze. Clear now?
- Hey, that sounds neat! What are we having?
- If we told you that, half of you would freak out and wouldn't eat. Just trust us. We've picked a bunch of our favorites. You're really going to like it. C'mon, how weird could it be?
- So I should wear a shirt?
- Yes, that would be preferable.
- Are you changing your name?
- Yes! It should be obvious to you by now that "Jen and Jon" is just a bit too precious. As a result, once we're married, Jen will be known as "Hildegaard" and Jon will be going by "Bert".
- Do I need to rent a car?
- Nope. Not necessary. The reception site, hotel, and our house are all within a few blocks of the Metro. In addition to all of the usual shuttles and cabs, all three of the DC area airports are also Metro-accessible. For Baltimore-Washington International, the new B30 bus is generally more convenient than the MARC train (the hours of the MARC Penn Line are rather limited and this train doesn't run on the weekends at all; the only alternative train is Amtrak, which is much more expensive).
- Where can I park?
- The hotel has parking for $15
per night. On the day of the event, you can also park in the public
lot about a half-block from the reception site. Parking there is free
on weekends. (Street parking is not free and Bethesda meter-maids are
ruthless. You don't want to mess with them.) Parts of the closest,
biggest parking
garage between Elm St. and Bethesda Ave. may be under construction,
but the remainder is still open and there are several other public
lots in the immediate vicinity.
Note: It has come to our attention that the Bethesda Row Merchants Association has decided to throw a street festival in our honor. As a result, the largest parking garage in the area, between Elm & Bethesda, will only be accessible from Arlington Rd. via Bethesda Ave. Other parking will likely be harder to come by than on a normal Saturday morning. Please plan accordingly - The hotel seems a bit pricey. Isn't there anything more reasonable?
- We picked the hotel because it's really close to the reception site and the Metro. Everything else in the immediate area is comparable (or more expensive). This hotel is really not bad for Washington, the rooms are all suites, and breakfast is included. There are some cheaper hotels, but they're much further away (and so you will need to rent a car). One option is to look for B&B's in downtown DC (the DuPont Circle area has several).
- Seriously. Why are you being so secretive about the wedding site?
- There just isn't any parking. It's a cool place and it's close to the reception site and hotel, there's just no parking. Did we mention that there isn't any parking? We have arranged for transportation from the reception site.
- What's the deal with the Latin?
- Lipsum dates back to the very earliest days of printing as standard filler text.
- Why should I come?
- The following reasons were given by one of our guests
to persuade another of our guests to attend:
- We can trade stories about our latest running/biking adventures
- Mike may get #@%*!faced and make a scene
- Likewise for me
- It's about time we got together on this coast for a change
- What else are you going to do that weekend?
- I am going on a big sailing race the following week and I might get lost at sea or otherwise refuse to come home
- You get to meet my girlfriend and you can make up embarrassing stories about me [editor's note: nobody would have to make up any stories]
- If you don't go we will all think you're a weenie
- It's a very emotional, important, day for Jon and the love of his life, blah blah blah
and the most important reason…
- If you go, and mention PZT once during the evening, I can call it a business trip and expense the whole thing!!!!
Of course, after making this very effective set of arguments, the weasel's not coming after all. We're not going to mention any names, but Frank really needs to keep better track of his sailing schedule (after lying to Gilbert and blowing off our wedding, you'd better win, Frank!).
No, we don't actually think most of you will find any of these reasons very persuasive, but they're all we've got…
