FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
BUS TIMES:
NEW BUFFALO BUS PICKUP: 4:00pm at The Holiday Inn, departs at 4:15pm
UNION PIER BUS PICKUP: 4:00pm at The Firefly Resort, departs at 4:20pm
Return for hotels at 9, 10 and 11:15pm. 2 buses will also go to Caseys at 11:15pm
Caseys to hotels at 12:45am and last bus at 1:30am
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Also heads up that New Buffalo and all of Michigan is on EST – if you’re coming from Illinois just remember you’ll lose an hour crossing timezones – but fortunately you gain an hour on the way back!
Also, this isn’t anything fun to think about but PSA for those new to the Lake Michigan area: if you go swimming just be mindful that there can be rip currents in the lake that can be stronger than ocean rips. Usually happens in colder weather or on windier days which aren’t in our forecast, but Midwest weather is crazy and rips can happen anytime (generally happen closer to piers etc.). Just something to be aware of – if you get caught in one, swim horizontally (parallel to the beach) to get out of it rather than trying to swim straight back to the beach against the rip. More on that here.
Okay onto fun party things:
Chris’s last name is Ernest, which at some point earned him the nickname Ernie. Chris or Ernie, he’ll respond to either. He’s thinking of changing his name to Ernie Griffith, but we’ll see.
We were actually ~models~ for a photographer retreat in San Diego, where the photographers were practicing coaching an “elopement couple” photoshoot. So we showed up, modeled, and as an exchange got these beautiful photos for free! So no, we did not elope but can’t resist sharing these pictures!
You will have to show up to find out.
For the wedding on June 24th, 2022 (from 5pm – 11pm), we have a bus organized to and from the venue. The bus will pick up attendees in New Buffalo (4pm @ The Holiday Inn) and Union Pier (4:20pm at the Firefly Resort) to take them to and from Journeyman.
The busses will start transport on the way back from the wedding to the two dropoff locations in New Buffalo and Union Pier starting around 9pm. We have two busses at 11pm to get everyone back pretty quickly. It’s just a ten minute ride so it’s pretty quick!
For the other days (the welcome drinks and Saturday brunch) we do not have bus transportation organized. These events are in the heart of Union Pier so many may be staying nearby, or within a 10 minute drive. If possible, having access to a car for the weekend would be a great option for you. See Travel & Accommodations for more information.
Obviously this is a wild unpredictable pandemic so we’ll keep all guests posted with any adjustments or requirements as we get closer to the weekend and can assess the covid situation. We do want to be transparent that this will be a large wedding, 300 people, mostly indoors. After getting engaged in March 2020, we originally booked for August 2021 hoping that would be safe, but ultimately moved the date back because we know we have a large group of loved ones we want to celebrate with safely as possible.
As of now (Jan 2022) we’re asking all guests to get a negative test before attending the events, even if you’re vaccinated (although we’re big fans of getting vaccinated). The safest bet is probably to do a rapid test the morning before you attend events, but we realize there’s varying availability of such tests, so we trust you will do what you can to ensure yours and everyone’s safety. Of course, if you’re not feeling well, it is probably best you stay behind even though we’ll miss you. June 2021 was a good month for low covid cases, so fingers crossed and prayers it’s a similar situation for June 2022!
We love your kiddos, but for the Friday wedding and reception, we’d like to get their parents to ourselves for the night without you having to worry about looking after them (we knew you before they did anyway 😉). Having said that, the New Buffalo area is a great summer weekend destination, so if you’re planning to stay through Sunday and you want to bring other family or friends who won’t be attending the wedding to look after the kids on Friday, we’d encourage you to make a full weekend of it and enjoy the lake, the dunes, etc. with them on Saturday and Sunday.
Summer Semi-Formal – Cocktail attire for the ladies, suit or sport jacket for the men (ties optional). Here’s a more descriptive reference: https://www.thespruce.com/semi-formal-attire-guidelines-1216504
The wedding is 100% indoors so no worries on getting your shoes stuck in the grass 🙂