Ain't No Party Like a Seattle Wedding Party

Full Disclosure: This is a backdated post. I wrote it after the blog was created, but have written it in the style of an in-progress blog so that anyone reading from the beginning will get a more sensible narrative than time-jumping like Ash Williams through our wedding planning.

Over the past few weeks, we've been talking a lot about our ideas for how we want our Disney wedding to go, and one thing that Girl Scout Fiancée keeps coming back to is the idea of having a party for all of our friends in Seattle. Over the past six years, we've really earned a reputation as good hosts, and the fact of the matter is that we've made lots of good friends out here who we would love to involve in our marriage, but won't be able to invite to an Escape wedding. Similarly, there are extended family members and friends from back home that we'd like to involve, though it's trickier for them because we're separated by so many miles.

Because I can't say no to anything that GSF has her heart set on (and, honestly, because I think a party here in Seattle could be a lot of fun), it looks like we're going to try to do a big party here in Seattle about a month after we return from our honeymoon. Obviously it's quite far out to have nailed down a lot of details, but we do know a few things.

First, we want to have it catered by a food truck. Food trucks are super trendy in the Pacific Northwest, and though Portland is definitely the food truck capitol, Seattle is no slouch. There are a few that have made our short list, but the danger we run into is that they can be pretty pricey, even more than simply going with catering. There are several that are on our short list, including Skillet, Cheese Wizards, and Xplosive, all of which are delicious and unique options that reflect something about us.

Portland: where it's hip to dress like you're homeless.

Second, GSF really wants to have a "garden party" theme, with lots of yard games (like bocce ball, croquet, etc.) available for the guests to play. That could be tough given the fickle nature of Seattle weather in April, but I'm on board with the idea. For me, I'm just more concerned about people having fun. I hate going to other peoples' weddings that are nothing but several hours of stuffy awkwardness, meals (shocking as it may be when factoring in my weight, but food is not a great draw at weddings for me), and social hobknobbing. I'm a gamer through and through, so the idea of people being able to come to our party and play games the whole time is very appealing. We've even talked about having some tables indoors or under shade with board games on them, ranging from party games like Telestrations and Wits & Wagers to some more serious gamer fare, like Lords of Waterdeep (the board game I designed).

Third, we want to be able to invite all of our local friends, plus all of our friends and family from Pennsylvania and Tennessee. It's a long, long way to travel, and most of them probably won't be able to make it, but we'd still like to extend the invitation. I know that some of my high school and college buddies might make the trip out, and maybe some of the younger members of my family, and I'm sure GSF has many folks who are the same way.

Other than that, we have a few minor details in mind. I really, really want to serve Elysian Brewery's Men's Room Red beer, as it's my favorite beer in Seattle. I love malty beers like reds and ambers, but, unfortunately, the great trend in craft beers and microbrews is to pour hops into the drink until there are no other flavors. Discovering the malty Men's Room Red was a great step forward for my life in Seattle, as it gives me a local beer to drink while the rest of my friends drown themselves in hops. It's still a little hoppy for an amber, but it finishes smooth and has a great flavor. As a backup (since Men's Room Red doesn't come in kegs) is the Boundary Bay Scotch Ale from Boundary Bay Brewery in Bellingham, WA.

Drink this Beer: THIS I COMMAND!

Girl Scout Fiancée really wants us to wear our wedding attire at the party (or, as she refers to it, our "wedding costumes") and I'm fine with that, but I have some concerns that it will make things too formal and people won't feel relaxed enough. Still, all of our early discussions about attire have been trending toward more fun and hip wedding attire anyways, so maybe that won't be an issue.

We have a lot of planning to do, and I'm already starting to get concerned about how we're going to pay for a Disney Wedding, a Disney World honeymoon, and then a party the size of a wedding reception back in Seattle.