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 (see map)

Ceremony: The Bluff (see map)

Party: JFK Hall (see map)

When: Saturday, 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

We STRONGLY recommend using one of the alternatives to driving that we provide below. Getting to Port Townsend on Labor Day weekend can take hours if you are navigating holiday ferry delays and traffic. There are airport shuttles, free public transit, or a shuttle bus we’re providing for those who don’t want to sit in ferry lines and traffic.

From downtown Seattle, on a normal day, it’s a 30 minute ferry ride to Bainbridge Island, followed by a 60-90 minute drive, to get to Port Townsend. Wait times to drive onto the ferry can range from 30 minutes to 2 hours. You should anticipate longer wait times to drive onto the ferry during Labor Day weekend as well as ferry delays!

You can also skip the ferry and drive around via Tacoma, which can take anywhere from 2 - 4 hours, one way, depending on traffic.

Shuttle Bus!

We are providing a shuttle bus from the Bainbridge ferry that can bring you to the wedding on Saturday morning and then drive you back to the ferry, when the party is wrapping up, on Saturday night. You can walk onto the Bainbridge ferry in downtown Seattle, without a car, on Saturday morning, get the shuttle that will be waiting at the ferry terminal on the other side, and then walk back onto the ferry when the shuttle bus drops you off at the end of the day. (see diagram)

Benefits of Shuttle Bus

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

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

  • Guests save on ferry fares and gas

  • Anyone can indulge at the party without worrying about driving

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

**The shuttle is only running once on Saturday morning, arriving about an hour before the ceremony and then returning to the ferry on Saturday evening, after the party. If you want to come to Port Townsend before Saturday, see options below for getting there with or without a vehicle!

***If enough people want to arrive on the Saturday morning shuttle but also want to spend the night in Port Townsend on Saturday night, we will look into having a second shuttle bus returning to the Bainbridge ferry on Sunday.

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

  • No Car!
    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 downtown Port Townsend. In the same place where you get off the #14, you can get on the #2 bus to Fort Worden. It drops you off about 100 feet from the ceremony. These buses are FREE. No car needed.

    No car!
    Dungeness Line Shuttle or Rocket Shuttle:

    If you go to Port Townsend the day before the wedding, you can take the Dungeness Line shuttle or the Rocket Shuttle either from SeaTac airport, or from downtown Seattle, to Port Townsend. These will not arrive in time for the wedding if you are traveling on Saturday, but it’s a great option if you come a day or two early and could also take you home the day after the wedding, if you stay over Saturday night. Reservations required.

    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 very long, and the ferries might be running late. Like, you would probably need to get in line for the ferry at least two hours before the boat you want to get on is scheduled to depart. If you don’t want to miss the wedding, allow lots of extra time for late ferries, long lines, and slow traffic.

    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.

  • If you fly into SeaTac Airport, you can:

    • Get the Dungeness Line Airport Shuttle, or the Rocket Shuttle, to Port Townsend. This will only work if you are arriving before Saturday. Neither shuttle will get you to Port Townsend in time for the wedding on Saturday. Reservations required.

    • Take the light rail into Seattle. Spend Friday night in Seattle and walk onto the Bainbridge ferry to get on the shuttle bus we’re providing, Saturday morning.

    • Rent a car from the airport. Drive around via Tacoma (see diagram)

  • 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 want to come to Port Townsend before the day of the wedding, we strongly recommend traveling on Wednesday or Thursday if you can. Friday traffic (ferry and freeway) will be a drag because of Labor Day. Port Townsend (and the Olympic Peninsula) are gorgeous and full of things to do. You would not be bored if you came early.

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

If you don’t live in Seattle, you will probably do one of two things. 1) Come to Port Townsend and spend a night or two there. 2) Get a place to stay in Seattle, walk onto the Bainbridge ferry, and take our same day wedding shuttle to Port Townsend on Saturday morning and back to Seattle on Saturday night.

If you are driving yourself from Seattle to Port Townsend, on the day of the wedding, you should know that the Seattle -> Port Townsend -> Seattle round trip is 5-6 hours, including ferries and ferry wait times. That’s a lot of travel on either end of a wedding. Besides, Port Townsend is a lovely place.

Port Townsend lodging does fill up pretty fast for summer and fall. Links below to various lodging options. Do not dilly dally. If you are on the fence, book a room now at a place with a flexible cancellation policy and cancel if you can’t attend.

There are also two housing options at Fort Worden, where the wedding is taking place. One option is to rent a house or apartment, in the state park, for the weekend. The other is to stay in the dorm we have reserved (first come first serve). Details below.

If you want to stay in Seattle and just take the shuttle to the wedding Saturday morning and back to the Seattle ferry Saturday night, there are hotels listed below that are super close to the ferry terminal.

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. Two night stay minimum. They will get scooped up fast. Go here and make sure you’ve selected Fort Worden State Park (Campus Operation) and Vacation Houses.

    We have also booked a small dorm building at Fort Worden. 14 bedrooms, each room with a queen bed. 4 bathrooms. Large kitchen. That will cost, at most, $150 per night, per room. We booked it for Friday and Saturday night, but you can elect to stay there only Saturday night if need be. First come first served in terms of who RSVPs first.

    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. This is first come first served in terms of who RSVPs first.

    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

    Of course there are also vacation rentals in town through AirBnB and VRBO.

  • If you want to stay in Seattle instead of Port Townsend, (in which case you would take the Saturday morning shuttle to the wedding and return that same night to Seattle, on the shuttle), here are some lodging suggestions that are close to the ferry!

    Citizen M Pioneer Square. We don’t know anything about this hotel except that it is new and it is directly across the street from the ferry.

    Best Western Pioneer Square This one is also across the street from the ferry.

    Hilton Embassy Suites This is next door to the Amtrak station. Ground floor has a fancy-ish 24 hour restaurant and bar. This is about 6 blocks from the ferry.

    Populus Seattle. Looks hipster. Don’t know anything about it. Only a couple of blocks from the ferry.

    Courtyard by Marriott Pioneer Square. Only a couple of blocks from the ferry.

    There are lots of hotels throughout downtown, some old and cute, some new and shiny. The links above are just the hotels closest to the ferry. They are also all walking distance from the light rail that you can take from the airport.

RSVP

DIY Affair!

Some folks have asked about 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, we could use your help the day before, and the day after the wedding, getting the hall decorated and then cleaned up. Both activities will be accompanied by good music and good snacks. Sign up form below

  1. Another way to do the gift thing would be to 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.

  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.