Carrie and Hilary Tie the Knot

Can't wait to see you!

2009-03-26T17:11:00.001-04:00

pray for sun!

love, c & h

spring is springing!

2009-03-09T13:55:00.002-04:00

after getting 6 inches of snow last week, we had tee-shirt weather this weekend! march is fickle. i would add 'what will the weather be like' or 'what to wear' to the FAQ but your guess is as good as mine. we're checking weatherunderground but it's too soon to tell much. the average high is 59F with records from 18 to 86! we're prepared to be indoors, but are hoping for a garden wedding.

most of the RSVPs are in, and we're so very thrilled that nearly everyone we love will be able to celebrate with us! and the few that will be missing just give us excuses to keep on celebrating in other ways at other times. the many many offers of help are also very much appreciated.

and in non-wedding news

2009-02-25T12:58:00.003-05:00

I (Carrie) got into grad school today! UMD's school librarian program to be exact. because i have the glasses, the books, the love of kids and tolerance for school bureaucracy . . . all i needs is the paperwork.

Frequently Asked Questions

2009-02-20T14:51:00.003-05:00

Q: who's in the wedding party?
A: you are! didn't you get the invitation? oh, you meant that kind of wedding party. . . we're not having bridesmaids and such. we're trying to coax carrie's sweet neices to participate, but it's a little like working with disobedient puppets, so we shall see.

Q: will the wedding be legal?
A: nope. it won't be illegal in the sense of cops raiding the place, but it won't be legally recognised. write your congressman if this bothers you.

Q: will it be religious?
A: nope.

Q: then who's officiating?
A: really, there's no official officiating to do. our MC, of sorts, will be Mandy Copeland Swann. her credentials include intelligence, humor, sisterhood, friendship, graduate study, globe trotting, really good dancing, and general fabulousness. she's not ordained (see question 3) or licensed (see question 2) but she asked ever so cutely if she could do it, so we said sure.

Q: what will the ceremony be like?
A: short. sweet. we plan to declare ourselves married among our closest family and friends (you) in something akin to the quaker tradition, but without, you know, the religious stuff. in case anyone needs proof it happened, we're asking everyone present to sign a marriage certificate. but don't worry, you can have a cocktail first.

Q: cocktails? really?
A: yes, it's primarily a party (see question 1). there will be food, drink, music, merriment, and most importantly, dancing. wear comfortable shoes.

location & directions

2009-02-18T16:37:00.005-05:00

details details. . .

in case you've mislaid your invitation (ahem) the party, aka wedding, will be at carrie's mom & stepdad's house, sometimes known as the Oakton Home for Wayward Girls (you know who you are). click here for a map to the house, hotel, etc.

Debi & Greg Dicks
10310 Conejo Lane
Oakton, Va. 22124

directions from the beltway or DC:
rt 66 west to rt 123 north.
turn left on Hunter Mill Road.
turn right on Conejo Lane (easy to miss, just before the light at Vale)
first house on the left.

the closest Metro station is the Vienna station at the end of the Orange line. There's a reliable taxi stand (about $15 fare) but no bus service. :(

hotel & travel information

2009-02-10T11:50:00.003-05:00

If you're flying in and staying in Oakton, Washington Dulles International and Reagan National Airports are the closest, but you may also find flights into Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI). If you plan to stay in Bethesda or Rockville, BWI is less of a schlep.

The closest hotel to Debi's house (the wedding location) is the Comfort Inn University Center. They've given us a group rate of $69/night including breakfast. It's a non-smoking hotel and has a fitness center and indoor pool! We may stay there just to swim. Let them know you're with the Swann-Gutman wedding (or Swannguts as I like to call it) and book by March 14.

Comfort Inn University Center
11180 Fairfax Blvd,
Fairfax, VA, 22030
Phone: (703) 591-5900
Fax: (703) 591-3507

If you'd prefer to stay closer to Bethesda (Lance & Elaine's) or Rockville (the Gutman homestead) and need some help finding a hotel, just let us know.

cupcakes!

2009-02-01T09:58:00.003-05:00

we had an informal cupcake tasting yesterday at our favorite vegan bakery, stickyfingers. it was delicious, if little too much sugar for one afternoon, and we have hatched a (cup)cake plan. mmmmm. we hope you like strawberry shortcake and peanutbutter chocolate. we did.

in other news, we've booked our honeymoon! i've never seen the southwest (unless you count ski resorts) and with temperatures in the teens and 20s lately, the desert sounded really good. we're starting with a few nights in sedona, arizona at a hotel with amazing views just down the street from a vegan cafe. then we'll head out on a road trip to the petrified forest and canyon de chelly in the navajo reservation, and finish up with a few nights at a unique inn outside albuquerque, new mexico that has peacocks and an organic farm on the property. we cannot wait!

plans are coming along nicely

2009-01-25T15:41:00.003-05:00

if we were counting down, we might have noted that we're getting married 9 weeks from yesterday, a mere 62 days! thank god we're not counting. but the plans really are coming along nicely. we started in the fall by planting a lot of early blooming flowers in debi's garden -- we're counting on everyone to pray for an early spring or we'll be out in the garden with blowdriers trying to get the flowers to bloom.

if you've been in dc in spring, you know it's really our prettiest time of year and march 28th happens to be the first day of the national cherry blossom festival, as well as the day of the smithsonian kite festival at the washington monument. so if you find yourself wondering what you might do to fill a weekend in your nation's capital, you should check those out, as well as the many many exhibits at the smithsonian museums and the state and national parks in northern virginia from mount vernon to the shenandoah valley.

Save the Date: March 28, 2009

2009-01-12T11:20:00.000-05:00

We hope you'll be able to join us!

This is the spot where we'll be posting all the details you might need: invitation details, address and directions, hotel info, secret handshake, etc.