Constant News about the Wedding

Party pants

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 31 May 2010 22:39:00 +0000

I've been asked a few questions about what to wear during the weekend. Here it goes:

Friday night: dress is casual - there will be outdoor games & activities, so think comfortable summer gear: shorts, sandals, sundresses, etc...
Saturday day - parade!: costumes or t-shirts (we'll pass these out for you on Fri night); wear comfortable shoes since you'll be walking a bit (total parade route is about 1.5 miles, but it will be a lot of stop and go)
Saturday evening - wedding ceremony and reception: this is wedding casual; sundresses, khakis, sandals, flip flops

Also, it's always smart in Seattle to bring something warmer to throw on at night - the temp often drops quite a bit.

For the costume-inclined parader marchers...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 May 2010 21:42:00 +0000

Here are a few more costume ideas!

Squid
Mermaid
Jellyfish

Jellyfish!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 02:54:00 +0000

Nels' sister, Elisabeth, has been hard at work making jellyfish for the reception decorations. Smaller jellyfish are being created by his mom for parade-goers...

The costume preparations have begun...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 00:21:00 +0000

Map of events and whatnot

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:28:00 +0000

A map-related disaster occurred. Here's a revised version (click on link to see full map and zoom out to see all locations):

View Wedding events and locations in a larger map

Parade!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 02:01:00 +0000

Seattle biggest neighborhood gathering occurs every June with the Fremont Solstice Parade. The parade is on Saturday morning June 19th. We'll send further details in the invitation & post updates on this website.

Here's the scoop:
Each and every wedding guest is invited to walk with us in the parade if they so desire. Plus we're putting together a marching band for anyone interested (more details soon). We'll provide instruments, food, beverages, and trinkets to throw to the crowd. Considering our sea creature theme, we're encouraging everyone to find or create a fish or sea themed costume/hat/etc and join the fun. This means we're hoping to be surrounded by starfish, lobsters, narwhals, mermaids, sea slugs, oysters - anything goes. Otherwise, we're making themed t-shirts & those can be worn instead. For those marching in the parade, we'll take care of the t-shirts for you (and we'll ask for t-shirt sizes in the invitation). Costume ideas are listed after the jump.

Costume ideas:
Check out Etsy and Ebay for costume ideas. Here's a little something to get you started:

For the Blue Gills (aka adults)

Fish hat
Hermit crab
Sea star
Crab hat
Seal?
Orca

For the guppies (aka kids)

A quick note about wedding gifts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:29:00 +0000

Your continuing friendship and/or presence at our wedding more than suffice as a wedding gift. Really. If you feel some impulse to do something more, please consider a donation on our behalf to one of the charities we suggest below. There is an "internet" related mechanism you can use to expedite the process:
http://www.idofoundation.org/cgi-bin/viewdonations.cgi?OccasionID=39912

Although you'll see there is a small processing fee of 8% through the website, it allows us to track the donations in order to thank you for your generosity. 100% of the donation goes to the charity you choose (so if you want to donate $50, your total charge is $54 - $50 to the charity and $4 to process).

Alternately, feel free to make a donation directly (which bypasses the fees) to one of the following charities (or one of your choosing) -- and please let us know so we can thank you properly for your generosity!

People for Puget Sound (www.pugetsound.org)

Our goals include shoreline habitat protection and restoration, pollution prevention, and putting our region's economy and environment on a sustainable course. We accomplish these goals through public education and involvement programs, policy analysis and advocacy, and partnerships with a wide range of organizations, agencies and businesses.

Anne regularly volunteers for People for Puget Sound and Nels occasionally dresses up like a geoduck clam in support of this important cause.
People for Puget Sound does a huge amount of work to prevent oil spills in Puget Sound. As the Gulf disaster shows, an event like this here in Puget Sound could be devastating. Please support them either now or in the future!

Paws Chicago (www.pawschicago.org)

PAWS Chicago, the largest No Kill humane organization in the Midwest, is leading the way in transforming animal welfare. Since PAWS Chicago''s founding, the number of homeless pets killed in the city has been reduced by more than half, from a staggering 42,561 dogs and cats euthanized in 1997. Much of this reduction is attributed to PAWS Chicago''s solutions-based commitment to solving the pet overpopulation problem in the Chicagoland area.

Beasley, our beloved and high-maintenance cat, met and adopted us at Paws Chicago!

The following organizations are helping fight diseases that profoundly influence all of our lives:

American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org)

Alzheimer's Foundation of America (www.alzfdn.org)

American Heart Association (www.americanheart.org)

American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org)

Thanks for being great friends & family - we look forward to seeing everyone in June!

Guest Post

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 06:29:00 +0000

Great news everybody! I was recently given the opportunity to publish a guest post on my wedding blog and that is what I am doing right now as I write this guest post on my wedding blog. I am excited for this opportunity and also for my wedding to Anne on June 19th. And I really hope you can join us. In the meantime I am posting a picture of a spy mission Anne and I made by canoe to the Lake Union Crew, the location of our wedding, reception, and party. See you there June 19th for my wedding to Anne.

-Nels
Guest Blogger

Is there anything fun to do in Seattle??

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:49:00 +0000

No worries, friends, you can stay constantly busy while here for our wedding. Because I'm lazy & Old Chap Elde is neglecting his blogging duties, I'm stealing a link from my good friend Courtney's wedding blog:
Excursions in/near Seattle

You can't go wrong with any of these ideas. Courtney is one organized lady. And congrats to Courtney & Chris!

Also, here is a link to a brochure developed by some of my fellow Hutch peers for a meeting here in Seattle - it has a great overview of Seattle transportation & activities:
SBM Seattle Information

Airport transportation

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:46:00 +0000

Sea-Tac Airport is south of downtown Seattle and the wedding events.
Map of Airport

Taxis:
Taxis can be taken from Sea-Tac airport to the three wedding hotels for approximately $40.00. The Taxi stand is located in the main parking lot off of the terminal.

Light Rail:
The Link light rail recently opened and can be taken from Sea-Tac airport to downtown Seattle. It takes approximately 40 minutes to get downtown and costs $2.50. The Link light rail service runs from 5am to 1am on Monday through Saturday and 6am to midnight on Sundays. Trains arrive and depart every 7 1/2 to 15 minutes, depending on the time of day. Once you arrive downtown, get off at one of the last tunnel stops and you can either take a taxi the rest of the way to the hotels, or take a bus.
Light Rail Website

Bus (if you have taken the Light Rail to downtown - get off on University or Westlake stops):
Bus fare is between $1.50-$2.00 depending on time/route. For those staying at the Residence Inn, from downtown you can take the #70 bus & get off on the Fairview Ave N & Valley St stop - the hotel is right there (bus should take about 15 minutes). For those staying at the Watertown Hotel or University Inn, take the #71, #72, or #73 bus routes and get off on the NE 42nd St & 8th Ave NE stop & walk 0.1 of a mile East to Roosevelt (bus should take about 20 minutes).
Bus Website

Rental Cars:
Rental cars are available both at the airport and off-site with pick-up/drop-off services:
Car Rental Website

For those of you planning on hanging in the Seattle area for a few extra days (and traveling by bus, ferry, etc), you may want to look into obtaining an Orca card. Until Feb 1, 2010, these can be purchased for free:
Orca Card Website

Hotel Information

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:01:00 +0000

There are several hotel choices near the reception site. Locations include:

Residence Inn by Marriott, Lake Union (reservations need to be made by May 20th to get the wedding rate)

Free Wi-Fi & breakfast
Located across the street from several restaurants & bars (most importantly, Hooters)
On the 70 bus line that goes to the reception site (10 mins), downtown (10 mins) and U-District (15 mins)
On the streetcar line that goes downtown

Wedding rate $159/night
800 Fairview Ave North
Seattle, WA 98019

Reserve one of two ways:
1. Call Marriott Reservations at 800-331-3131, request Residence Inn, Lake Union (Seattle Downtown) and ask for the Kirchhoff/Elde wedding.
2. Use the link: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sealu-residence-inn-seattle-downtown-lake-union/?groupCode=KEWKEWA&app=resvlink
**Promo code is: KEWKEWA

University Inn & Watertown Hotel - these are affiliated & located 1/2 block from each other

These hotels do not block rooms, so please make your reservations ahead of time
Free parking, Wi-Fi, and breakfast
Located near the # 66 bus line that goes to reception site (10 mins) and downtown (15 mins)
Short walking distance to U-District that has lots of restaurants & bars

University Inn
Wedding rate $106-$165/night
4140 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105

Reserve on-line using "BEST" under promo code (if rooms are no longer available under that rate, "WED" also gives a discount).
http://www.universityinnseattle.com/
Or call 800-733-3855 and ask for the wedding rate

Watertown Hotel
Wedding rate is $15 off base price, depends on room but about $160/night
4242 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105

Reserve on-line using "BEST" under promo code (if rooms are no longer available under that rate, "WED" also gives a discount).
http://www.watertownseattle.com/
Or call 866-944-4242 and ask for the wedding rate

Other hotels close to the reception site can be found here: http://www.lakeunioncrew.com/hotels.htm. Please email me if you need ideas for cheaper options - I'm exploring lower-priced options.