These are the questions I’m receiving most frequently, so I will address them now for everyone’s information.
Q: Your wedding is outside. What if it rains?
A: We get wet. Haha. There is no ‘back up plan’, or secondary indoor location. If it is lightly raining, I would highly recommend bringing an umbrella. We can still BBQ, bounce in the bounce houses, and hang out, even if it’s a bit wet outside. We did not rent tents, because it was WAYYYYY to expensive.
If it is pouring, or thunder and lightning, then unfortunately, the block party probably won’t happen. The actually wedding ceremony would then be performed inside my church’s office, and because it is very small, it would be for family and the wedding party only. But that is only if it is absolutely horrible weather outside.
Q: When is your reception? It wasn’t listed on the invitation.
A: Read my lips: OUR WEDDING IS NOT TRADITIONAL, and therefore we are not having a ‘ceremony’ followed by a ‘reception’. We are having a BLOCK PARTY. That means we will be BBQing food, having games and entertainment for kids and adults, etc. All of the festivities will run from 12 noon – 4pm.
This is the general timeline:
12:00-2:00—Food is served. Hula hoops, games, face painting, and bounce houses.
2:00-2:30—People are seated for the ceremony.
2:30-2:45—Wedding Ceremony. (yes, it will be that short.) No food is served and bounce houses are closed during the ceremony.
2:45-4:00—Bounce houses re-open. Hula hoops, face painting, and games recommence. Any leftover food from the potluck food table and food that has already been grilled will be served, but the grills will be turned off and put away. DJ starts music and we all dance!
Q: How should I dress for your wedding?
A: Casual. Very casual. Come in shorts and tank tops. I’m telling ya, the only people even remotely getting dressed up will be the wedding party and maybe the bride and groom’s parents. But that’s it. A very important point to remember: we’re not having our wedding as a block party just for the heck of it, we’re doing it to be able to open up our celebration to our community and invite them to celebrate with us. Our surrounding community is not affluent, and so any neighbors who come to the block party and the wedding will probably not be dressed up. I don’t want to make them feel out of place or uncomfortable, so please, don’t get all dressed up.
Another important reason why the ladies specifically shouldn’t get dressed up (in other words, wear a dress or skirt): there will be a BOUNCE HOUSE and a VELCRO WALL. And these are not just reserved for the kids; it will be for the adults too. When’s the last time you got to jump in a bounce house, huh? You’re gonna kick yourself if you wear a dress and then can’t bounce. Just saying.
Q: I’m reading these FAQ’s on here, and I wasn’t invited to the wedding. Can I still come?
A: Yes. Please. And bring a friend or 6. I’m not kidding. This is another reason why we made our wedding a block party—we wouldn’t have to restrict the guest list. We did send out invitations, but that does not make it exclusive to just those who received them. We did the invitations for the sake of those who needed the memorabilia or for those with bad memories that needed a paper reminder. Lol.
I know that I’ve probably forgotten a few friends, and I didn’t want to send out a billion paper invites, so please don’t feel as if you’re not invited.
Q: No, really—Are you sure its ok if I come and didn’t get an invitation?
A: Yes.
Q: Really, really?
A: Yes.
Q: Your invitation said that you don’t want wedding gifts. What if I still want to bring one?
A: Then bring one. I’m not going to stop you. Haha. However, we would still prefer that you donate to our Block Party Wedding Fund instead of bringing a wedding gift. We set up the Block Party Wedding Fund so that we would be able to open our wedding to the community (i.e. purchase enough food for 300+ people, rent the bounce houses, buy face paint, rent hula hoops, etc.) You can donate to the Fund via PayPal right from this blog. To donate by check, please email me at MattRochelleWedding@gmail.com and I will give you more information.
Hope that helps everyone!!! See you on September 4th!!!
