We're getting married August 24!
We're hoping you'll join us for a weekend of rustic fun at Fort Worden, a couple hours outside of Seattle on the Olympic Peninsula. RSVP below!
Where?
We're getting married in Port Townsend at Fort Worden, an old decommissioned military base — now managed as a state park. The fort has lots of grassy fields, some short wooded hikes, and a beach on the Salish Sea. It's our hope that our friends and family will spend Friday night through Sunday morning at the fort with us and each other. Some big old officer's housing has been set aside for us to rent (more details below).
Getting there
Port Townsend is on the Olympic Peninsula, across the Puget Sound from Seattle. If you aren't living in the area, most likely you will fly into SEATAC (south of Seattle), drive south on I-5 through Tacoma and Olympia, then back north up the west side of the Sound. A few different highways are involved, but thank goodness there's google maps.
If you're driving from the Seattle area, there is an option to drive onto the car ferry rather than drive the entire way. The ferries are great, but wait times are really unpredictable in the summer. It's common to have to wait one or two hours for a spot due to long car lines. We recommend driving the long way around the Sound on the way out so you won't miss anything, and then consider taking the ferry on your return trip.
Itinerary
Friday, August 23rd
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4:00–7:30 pm: Dinner at the Beach Shelter4:00–7:30 pm: Dinner at the Commons Room A/B
Due to weather, we’ll be eating dinner Friday night in the Commons, room A/B. The Commons is at the center of the Fort Worden campus, the same place as reception. There is parking, but it’s also a pretty quick walk for on site housing.
The front doors lock at 6pm, but we will be there until 7:30, so come around the side, or holler real loud and we’ll let you in.
Address: Nora Porter Commons, 210 Battery Way, Port Townsend, WA 98368
Saturday, August 24th
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9:00–10:00 am: Breakfast at the Commons
After breakfast, enjoy your morning, there is plenty to do at Fort Worden!
Hiking: 12 miles of trails - check out the defense batteries!
Museums: There are three museums on site - the Coast Artillery Museum, the Commanding Officer's Quarter Museum, and the Marine Science Center.
Yoga: Madrona Mind Body Institute is on campus and posts their schedule online.
Hit the town: Port Townsend's historic downtown is a five minute drive from Fort Worden. -
Lunch on your own
Fort Worden: Reveille Cafe or Batch Brothers
Port Townsend: La Cocina, Tommyknockers, and more! -
3:20–4:00 pm: Ceremony at the Madrona Tree?
🌧️ There is a good chance of rain this weekend. We are playing it by ear at this point, but in case of rain, our ceremony will be at The Chapel.
We’ll send out an email once we know, and post a sign at whatever venue we’re not at, so arrive early to be sure!
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4:00–5:00 pm: Cocktail hour at the Madrona Tree
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5:00–10:00 pm: Reception at the USO Hall
We'll walk over together after Cocktail hour. There will be food and dancing.
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10:00–???: Late night hang at Alexander's Castle
It's a tiny castle. There will be snacks!
Sunday, August 25th
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9:00–10:00 am: Farewell breakfast at the Mess Hall
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11:00 am: Check out
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Staying later on Sunday?
Luggage Storage: We rented House 5W for an extra day, so you can stash your bags there after checkout if you want to linger. (Please linger!)
Kayak: Rentals are available on site through Olympic Kayak Tours.
See some theater: There is a production of The Sneeze! (Anton Checkhov short stories) by Saltfire Theatre at 5:30pm. You can buy tickets online.
Housing
We'd love for you to stay with us at Fort Worden Friday and Saturday night. The housing units there are pretty large (most are 3+ bedrooms). The houses have a furnished kitchen and a common area, spacious private rooms, and a shared bathroom or two. We stayed in some of the housing and can attest to their rustic charm and sound construction.
Book a room at Fort Worden here. If you use that link, you'll be put into our housing block and get a small discount. Eventually this set-aside housing will be forfitted to other park guests, so the sooner you can book, the better.
If you're feeling rugged, we also have one campsite available.
Because the houses are large, and we don't all have the giant 1940's military families to fill them, we recommend people share housing when feasible. It'll be more affordable and more fun that way, and we can assure more housing remains available for our other guests.
If you are interested in carpooling or co-housing, feel free to self-organize, or email us at hi@michaelandrachel.us and we'll do our best to connect you with each other.
Dress Code: "dressy casual"
The ceremony will be outside on grass, so wear comfortable shoes. It rarely gets proper hot in Port Townsend — typically a 70°F day and a 55°F night, but you never know. Be aware that it can be a bit blustery by the sea.
Outside of those practical considerations, help us celebrate by dressing fun and nice — whatever that means to you.
Don't worry about buying us stuff
Gifts can make sense when people are starting a new home together, but we've been living together for almost a decade, and we already have a decent collection of pots and pans and tupperware. So please don't fret about getting us anything. It's a big trip, and traveling out is already a huge gift for us.
If you insist on a gift, but aren't sure what to get, consider getting something from this registry.
Questions? Contact hi@michaelandrachel.us and our customer service agents (we) will respond promptly.
