Dates and Venues

Rachel and Dean will unite in marriage
August 7, 2010 at 11am
at Fiore Winery, 3026 Whiteford Road, Pylesville, Maryland

Receptions including lunch, contradancing, and shape-note singing will be held immediately following the ceremony at Fiore, and the following weekend,

August 14, 2010 at 11 am
at Simpson Barn, 6169 Northglenn Drive, Johnston, Iowa

An informal reception with cake and punch will be held in the New York City area the weekend of September 18-19, coincident with the annual NYC All-Day Sacred Harp Singing. Location and time to be determined.

FAQ

About the wedding venue, Fiore Winery: The ceremony will be held outdoors, weather permitting, and the reception will be held indoors (with A/C). There is plenty of space for car parking. Most areas are wheelchair accessible. The tasting room will be open to the public all day. You're welcome to visit the tasting room and to explore the vineyard grounds during the reception.

Vegetarian food will be available at the reception lunch. If you have any particular dietary needs or serious allergies, please let us know.

Please make your own arrangements for childcare if needed.

Consider wearing shoes practical for contradancing and walking on grass. The floor in one of the two reception hall rooms is grooved in a way that might present problems for very narrow heels.

Please return your RSVP cards, or email us with your reply, by July 1st.

See other posts for directions, hotel information, a discussion board for arranging carpooling, etc. Leave a comment here if you have any other questions!

August 14 Reception in Iowa

The reception in Iowa will be held at the Simpson Barn in Johnston, Iowa; the main space is not air conditioned, though we will have large fans, and there is an air conditioned space downstairs.

Song and Dance

Both the reception immediately following the wedding ceremony and the reception in Johnston, Iowa the following week will include Sacred Harp singing and contradancing.

These are two activities that we each enjoyed before we met and that we continue to enjoy together. They are participatory activities around which strong communities have formed, and through which we've met many of our closest friends and most interesting acquaintances. Many of our guests are people we think of as singers and/or dancers, and we're sure they'll understand that singing and dancing are the most natural forms of celebration for us. For those friends and family members who aren't yet familiar with these activities, we hope that you'll enjoy the introduction to these activities and communities that are so important to us. Even more, we hope you'll give them a try!

If you'd like to explore -- or even "practice," if you will -- before celebrating with us in August, you can almost certainly find events near you listed on these directories:
Sacred Harp Singings
Contradances

Discussion Board

If you're interested in coordinating with other guests for lodging or travel, feel free to do so by leaving comments on this post.

Transportation

Pylesville, MD

Air: The closest airport is Baltimore-Washington International, which is served by rental car companies and by MARC commuter rail, providing rail service to Edgewood and Aberdeen.

Train: Amtrak trains from NYC and DC also stop at Aberdeen.

Bus: Megabus from New York stops at the White Marsh Park-n-Ride north of Baltimore, 13 miles south of the Candlewood Suites.

Car: Consider checking driving directions using our google map.
From Candlewood Suites, 4216 Philadelphia Rd, Bel Air, MD
to Fiore Winery, 3026 Whiteford Road, Pylesville, MD‎:
Turn right out of the hotel driveway on Philadelphia Rd. After 0.7 mi, take the first right onto Rt 136. After 22.4 miles, Fiore Winery will be on your left.

Johnston, Iowa

Air: By far the closest commercial airport is Des Moines.

Car: Google Maps will provide directions; if you're coming on the interstate, take exit 131 from I-80/35, head north just over 2 miles on Merle Hay Road, and turn left on Northglenn Drive, which is the first stoplight after it starts to get rural. You're likely to see the barn before you have to make that turn; park in the parking lot on the right hand side of Northglenn.

Lodging information

We have reserved a block of rooms at the Candlewood Suites located at 4216 Philadelphia Rd, Bel Air MD 21025, just off I-95 exit 80 for Rt 543-- Riverside/Churchville, about 20 miles/40 minutes from Fiore Winery. To reserve a room at the group rate ($75 + 6% tax) call (410) 914-3060 and use the group code RSW. ‎

About the Candlewood Suites:
We visited and found the staff friendly and the facilities clean and comfortable. This hotel opened summer 2009. Rooms are fairly spacious, and have either one queen bed or two double beds (same rate). All rooms have a full kitchen with refrigerator, 2-burner stove-top, microwave, and dishwasher. Fitness center, laundry machines, internet access in business center, hot coffee, and a selection of movies are all free and available 24-hours. Breakfast is not included, but there’s a canteen in the lobby that sells some food & travel items. There’s a patio/gazebo with seating and two large grills available for guest use, and the front desk supplies some grilling equipment free of charge.

Other accommodations in the area include:
- a number of hotels in Aberdeen/Edgewood near I-95 exits 77, 80 and 85
- charming B&Bs in Havre de Grace, near I-95 exit 89
- campsites at Susquehanna State park

**please be aware that summer baseball camps & tournaments at Ripken stadium in Aberdeen often cause local hotels to fill up, so consider booking sooner rather than later.

Maps

After playing with googlemaps for a while, I think I've come up with something useful:

Click here for a google map of the wedding venue, hotel, air/train/bus terminals, restaurants, and local attractions.

A google map showing only the location of the wedding (Fiore Winery in Pylesville, MD) can be found here, for easy access to driving directions.

Local Attractions

Some local attractions you might consider making part of your trip include:

Sacred Harp Singing in Baltimore Thursday, Aug 5, 7-10pm.

Contradancing at Glen Echo Park on Friday, Aug 6 7:30-11:30pm or Sunday, Aug 8, 7:30-10:30pm.

A baseball game at Camden Yards. The Baltimore Orioles play home games against the LA Angels Tues-Thurs Aug 3-5, and the Chicago White Sox on Friday, Aug 6. All games begin at 7pm.

A visit to the Baltimore Inner Harbor. The aquarium, science center, and cruises are popular attractions. Many of these items are accessible by water taxi, which costs $10 for a day pass, and would also take you to Ft. McHenry.

A visit to Philadelphia. The Liberty Bell, historic district, and South Street area are popular.

A visit to the beaches on the eastern shore of Maryland/Delaware/Virginia.

A visit to Hershey Park in Hershey, PA. An amusement park with roller coasters and water rides, as well as musical entertainment on several stages throughout the park. Zoo America wildlife preserve and free tours of the chocolate factory. Nearby, in York, PA, the Snyder’s pretzel factory also offers free tours.

A cruise of the Susquehanna on the Lantern Queen, departing from Havre de Grace. (We can charter a cruise if 30 people are interested.)

Walking or camping in Susquehanna State Park, or rock-climbing, hiking, or tubing/kayaking in Rocks State Park.



Some restaurants in the area that we like include:

The Tidewater Grille, Havre de Grace
The Lost NY Deli, Main St, Bel Air
Italian Sensation, Churchville Road, Bel Air
My Three Sons, Churchville

We're engaged!

Let the wedding planning begin...