We are getting married in one of our favorite places, looking out over the Salish Sea.

Then we are going to throw a good party with some good food and good music.

Where: Fort Worden State Park

Ceremony: The Bluff (see map)

Party: JFK Hall (see map)

When: September 5th, 2026. Ceremony at 2pm, party to follow.

For those who stick around into the following day, we invite you to join us for a ferry ride over to Whidbey and back. We’ll just walk on the boat, take in the beauty of the Salish Sea, and catch up with those of you we haven’t seen in a while!

9/5/2026

PORT TOWNSEND, WA

Important Details:

Collective Care and Accessibility:

There will be people in attendance at this wedding with a variety of health vulnerabilities (the bride included), some more serious than others. We ask that each of you test for COVID the day before and/or morning of the wedding. We will happily mail tests to you if you request, and we will have a bunch with us in Port Townsend.

If you discover, on the day of the wedding, that you (or someone you traveled with) feel under the weather, we ask that, if you attend any part of the wedding, it only be the outside part, and that you wear a mask (which we can provide).

This means a lot to us, so we ask that everyone please honor this request.

The outdoor part of the wedding will take place on a flat grassy bluff about 50 ft from ADA parking. The indoor part of the wedding will take place in an ADA accessible hall, with an ADA bathroom, windows open, and air purifiers throughout the space.

Weather and Clothing:

Bring layers. Be prepared for 75 degrees and sunny or 45 degrees and windy. We could easily get both kinds of weather in the same day.

If the weather is terrible, we’ll move the ceremony up to the building where we’re having the party, so no one will be standing around in an atmospheric river.

Wear whatever you feel moved to wear. We love a fancy party with flamboyant hats and polka dots. We love when our friends’ outfits look like works of art. And, we also want people to be warm and comfortable. Dress yourself up or down, just get dressed.

GETTING THERE

It’s a 30-60 minute ferry ride, followed by a 60-90 minute drive, to get to Port Townsend from Seattle. Drive time from either ferry (Bainbridge or Bremerton) is about the same. Wait times to drive onto either ferry can range from 30-90 minutes. You can also skip the ferry and drive around via Tacoma, which can take anywhere from 2 - 4 hours, one way, depending on traffic.

Question!

If we provided a shuttle bus from the ferry that would bring you to the wedding and then drive you back to the ferry when the party was wrapping up, is that something you’d make use of?

Benefits of Shuttle Bus

  • Guests can walk onto the ferry in downtown Seattle (cheaper and no waiting)

  • Out of town guests wouldn’t have to rent a car

  • Guests would save on ferry fares and gas

  • Anyone can indulge at the party without worrying about driving

  • Guests would avoid the the impacts of Labor Day on the ferries (long wait times, late ferries)

  • Guests wouldn’t have to purchase a State Park Discover Pass

***Even if you want to stay over in Port Townsend after the wedding,
you could still arrive on the shuttle bus and then get back to Seattle the following day via Dungeness Lines shuttle, public bus, or carpooling with other guests.

Please respond to our Shuttle Bus question in the RSVP, so we know how big of a bus to reserve.

  • Ferry + Car:

    Take the Bainbridge or Bremerton ferry from Colman Dock, in downtown Seattle. The Bainbridge ferry is a 30-minute ride. The Bremerton ferry is a 60-minute ride (but very pretty) and the drive to Port Townsend from either ferry takes about the same amount of time.

    On Labor Day weekend, the lines to drive onto the ferries will be long, and the ferries might be running late. Plan accordingly.

    Car Only

    You can drive south to Tacoma, cross the Tacoma Narrows bridge, and then drive up to Port Townsend via HYW 16 and HWY 3. This is not as scenic as taking the ferry, and traffic between Seattle and Tacoma can be pretty crappy, but it does avoid ferry lines.

    Water Taxi + Bus

    You can walk onto the Kitsap County Water Taxi from downtown Seattle to Kingston, where you can catch the Jefferson Transit #14 Express to Port Townsend. No car needed.

    Shuttle:

    If you go to Port Townsend the day before the wedding, you can take the Dungeness Line shuttle either from SeaTac airport, or from downtown Seattle, right to downtown Port Townsend. Two buses per day. Neither would arrive in time for the wedding but are a great option if you come a day early and could also take you home the day after the wedding.

  • Ferry + Car:

    You can drive to Edmonds, WA, and take the ferry to Kingston. The drive to Port Townsend from Kingston is about 60 minutes. This ferry will also have long wait times on Labor Day weekend and may be running late. Plan accordingly.

    Ferry + Car + Ferry:

    You can drive to Everett (Mukilteo) and take the Clinton ferry to Whidbey Island. Once on Whidbey, you drive to the Coupeville Ferry which goes to downtown Port Townsend. The Coupeville ferry requires reservations for cars, but you could also ditch your car on Whidbey and walk onto this ferry, because it goes to downtown Port Townsend. This option is for those with lots of time because it requires two ferries. But if you’re exploring, it’s a beautiful way to go.

    You can also get to the Coupeville Ferry, on Whidbey island, by driving down over the Deception Pass Bridge (stunning views) from Bellingham or Anacortes.

  • If you are driving up from Portland or points farther south, you can skip the ferries altogether by getting onto HWY 101 at Olympia. HWY 101 to HWY 20 takes you right to Port Townsend.

Travel Options:

For your consideration:

If you drive to Port Townsend and park at Fort Worden, you have to purchase a Discover Pass (or the day pass equivalent), or park outside the fort. If you park inside the state park without a pass, you will get a ticket.

Port Townsend cops are bored. The speed limit in the entire town is 20 mph. They will pull you over for going 22 mph. Probably a good idea to go that slow anyway, because Port Townsend is crawling with deer who will throw themselves in front of your car anywhere, at any time.

Where to Stay

While one could certainly attend the wedding and go home the same day, Port Townsend is a lovely place, and Seattle -> Port Townsend -> Seattle is 5-6 hours round trip including ferries and ferry wait times (if you’re driving your own car). That’s a lot of travel on either end of a wedding.

Port Townsend lodging does fill up pretty fast for summer and fall. The housing at Fort Worden (details below), in particular, wilI get booked very quickly. It’s where the wedding is happening so you’d be staying steps away from the celebration. Do not wait to book your place (select Vacation Houses). There are some big houses where you could stay with other friends and/or family attending the wedding.

Lodging:

  • The place where we are getting married is an old army fort, and there are lots of different sizes and shapes of housing in the old fort buildings. There are big old Admiral’s houses for large groups and smaller apartments for a few friends. These are state park buildings so this is not luxury lodging, but it’s also not rustic summer camp cabins. These are houses with new beds, kitchens, etc. They will get scooped up fast. Go here and make sure you’ve selected Fort Worden State Park (Campus Operation) and Vacation Houses.

    The park has a cafe that serves breakfast and lunch. There are trails, beaches, incredible views, a Marine Science center, and old WWII bunkers to explore. It’s a cool place to stay! And you’d be steps away from the wedding celebration.

  • We have reserved three campsites in the Upper Forest Campground at Fort Worden. Each site can accommodate one RV / Camper Van and one car, as well as a handful of tents. The sites are all in a row, so there can be some overflow between sites if needed. The sites are reserved from Sept 4 - Sept 6.

    If you are interested in pitching a tent or bringing a camper, you can add that to your RSVP. If several folks are interested in camping, these sites will have to be shared.

    Judging by the RSVPs that have come in so far, a lot of folks want to camp. The three sites we have reserved can only accommodate a handful of you. This is first come first served in terms of who RSVPs first. Once it looks like our sites have filled up, we’ll provide that info here.

    If our sites are full, you might try Fort Townsend State Park, which is about a 20 minute drive from Fort Worden, or the County Fairgrounds, which are just down the road from Fort Worden (walking distance).

  • Palace Hotel (fancy Victorian vibe, no elevator, steep stairs)

    Manresa Castle (fancy Victorian vibe, haunted, also maybe no elevator)

    Bishop Hotel(cute bar, lovely patio, steep stairs and no elevator, rooms are ordinary but clean)

    Swan Hotel (hotel as well as dog friendly cottages, some rooms are somewhat accessible but not truly ADA)

  • Water Front Inn (water views, free parking, elevator, ADA rooms)

    Port Townsend Inn (maybe not so modern (?) budget motel)

    Tides Inn and Suites(water views, elevator and some ADA rooms)

  • Port Townsend has quite a few actual bed and breakfasts. These are gorgeous old houses that actually serve you breakfast. A few suggestions (but there are others):

    Ravenscroft Inn

    Adams Pragge House

    The Commanders Beach House

    Old Consulate Inn

RSVP

GIFTS

Just come to our wedding. Honestly, that’s the gift we want. We are of the opinion that gift registries are for people in their 20s who need flannel sheets and toasters. We do not need a toaster.

If you feel compelled to gift something, in addition to just attending the wedding, here are some options:

  1. Donate to one of these orgs. That would mean a lot to us.

  2. Sign up to help with the wedding - set up, decoration, clean up, etc. This will be a DIY affair, and we’d love it if you could join us in making it happen.

  3. If you still feel the need to give us a thing, we would love to gift ourselves a couple of folding kayaks and welcome contributions towards that goal.
    But really, no need.