What/When/
Where

2020 marriage weekend

when you really just want to get married... during a global pandemic. 

Steph and Zach are (still!) getting married on our original date, September 12, 2020. We hope you'll give yourself a little weekend get away and join us for a welcome gathering on Friday evening, September 11. All events will be in and around Shenandoah National Park, in the towns of Sperryville and Etlan, Virginia. 

Whew! What a year. Not exactly how we'd envisioned this engagement thing going eleven months ago, but by our estimations, tis better to have loved during a global pandemic than never to have loved at all.

Here's the deal: we still really want to get married on our original date, and we've figured out a way to make that happen in one of our favorite places in the world: Shenandoah National Park! Honestly, as Plan B's go, we're feeling pretty good about this one. And while we know now is not the time to gather with all of our friends and family like we originally planned, we sat down and asked ourselves: who would we be absolutely heartbroken to start our marriage without? And, well, we figured it was you, our closest friends and family.

We hope you can still join us for what we've dubbed our "Little Marriage Weekend" this year, September 11 and 12, 2020, while we've put our "Big Wedding Weekend" on hold for next year. All the details we have are below, and we'll be updating them as we get closer to the big day and things come even more into focus. The name of the game is to go with the flow, so we've been practicing our best imitations of our favorite liquids—Zach is whiskey and Steph is strong (spiked) coffee, of course—and we hope you can join us in this exercise of flexibility!

Welcome Gathering

On Friday evening, from 5-8pm, we've reserved a patio at Shotwell Run Brewing Company (2585 S F T Valley Rd, Etlan, VA 22719) for anyone who would like to join us for a socially distanced gathering. There will be beer, wine, and BBQ available for purchase as well as live local music for your listening pleasure. (Outside food is also permitted.) We'd love to relax and catch up with you before the big day. We'll have enough tables that family units can sit separately! Dress is classy casual.

Marriage Ceremony

5:00pm at Franklin Cliffs Overlook, milepost 49.0 on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.
Please plan to arrive to the overlook by 4:40pm! Keep in mind that park entrance fees are $30 per vehicle, and there is often a bottleneck at the entrance station to the park on Saturdays that can add ~15 minutes to your drive. Skip the line by purchasing your private vehicle pass here! Carpooling with others in your family is also recommended!
After the ceremony, there will be a tailgate cocktail hour at the overlook while Steph and Zach sneak away for some photos on our favorite mountaintops. 

Celebratory Dinner

After the hoopla, we invite you back to our Lodge (3294 Whippoorwill Road, Madison, VA 22727) for the weekend to join in a celebratory dinner at 8:00pm. Weather permitting, we'll have tables spaced outside for socially distanced dining and delicious food to replenish you after a day in the park. We'll have soft drinks and a signature cocktail available for imbibing, but ask that you bring some adult beverages of your own, "potluck style," to enjoy and share!

COVID-19 Concerns

We wouldn't be having this weekend if we didn't think it were possible to keep us all safe during the festivities, but we definitely need your help in order to do so. With just under 30 people joining us throughout the weekend, we know that for some of you, attending will mean a significant widening of your quarantine social interactions. For this reason, we hope that all of our guests will honor others in higher-risk categories by practicing the following precautions before and during the weekend:
 - If possible, minimize risky social interactions 14 days before arriving
 - If possible, get tested before arriving
 - Stay home if you feel ill!
 - Respect other guests' personal boundary decisions, and be aware of social distancing
    with guests outside of your household
 - Wear a mask, especially indoors when social distancing isn't possible
 - Wash/sanitize your hands often

Other Things to Know

 - The drive from the ceremony overlook to the Lodge is ~1 hour. Things in rural Virginia aren't
    close but they are incredibly beautiful, so we hope you'll enjoy the scenic views!
 - Cell service in Etlan/Sperryville/Shenandoah is virtually non-existent. Download any 
    directions or information you may need while you have wifi access, and consider printing a
    map of your routes beforehand.
 - What should you wear? Whatever you want! Truly, we want you to be comfortable during the
    weekend, though if you must have some direction, we'll say "casual cocktail." There is no
    hiking required to get to our ceremony site, but you are still in a national park with rocks and
    trails, so keep this in mind when choosing your footwear.
 - We highly suggest you spend the day exploring Shenandoah either Friday or Saturday before
    the ceremony! There are so many beautiful trails, from very easy to very rigorous (but very
    worth it!) and absolutely endless views at overlooks. Check back here soon for our personal
    recommendations of Shenandoah faves!
 - For meals, Sperryville has some excellent dining options. Just be aware of earlier-than-
    normal closing times and changes in service due to COVID.
 - Sperryville also has some great little shops and wonderful roadside stands with just-picked
    fruits and veggies from nearby farms.
 - There are TONS of wineries in the area. The perfect places to take in all the relaxing views.

marriage weekend information:

(updated august 31, 2020)

We wouldn't be having this weekend if we didn't think it were possible to keep us all safe during the festivities, but we definitely need your help in order to do so. With just under 30 people joining us throughout the weekend, we know that for some of you, attending will mean a significant widening of your quarantine social interactions. For this reason, we hope that all of our guests will honor others in higher-risk categories by practicing the following precautions before and during the weekend:

- If possible, minimize risky     
   social interactions 14 days
   before arriving
- If possible, get tested before
   arriving
- Stay home if you feel ill!
- Respect other guests' personal
   boundary decisions, and be
   aware of social distancing with
   guests outside of your
   household
- Wear a mask, especially indoors
   when social distancing isn't
   possible
- Wash/sanitize your hands often

The drive from the ceremony overlook to the Lodge is ~1 hour. Things in rural Virginia aren't close but they are incredibly beautiful, so we hope you'll enjoy the scenic views!

Cell service in Etlan/Sperryville/ Shenandoah is virtually non-existent. Download any directions or information you may need while you have wifi access, and consider printing a map of your routes beforehand.

What should you wear? Whatever you want! Truly, we want you to be comfortable during the weekend, though if you must have some direction, we'll say "casual cocktail." There is no hiking required to get to our ceremony site, but you are still in a national park with rocks and trails, so keep this in mind when choosing your footwear.

We highly suggest you spend the day exploring Shenandoah either Friday or Saturday before the ceremony! There are so many beautiful trails, from very easy to very rigorous (but very worth it!) and absolutely endless views at overlooks. Check back here soon for our personal recommendations of Shenandoah faves!

For meals, Sperryville has some excellent dining options. Just be aware of earlier-than-normal closing times and changes in service due to COVID.

Sperryville also has some great little shops and wonderful roadside stands with just-picked fruits and veggies from nearby farms.

There are TONS of wineries in the area. The perfect places to take in all the relaxing views.