![[U.S. Capitol Building, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC ]](https://theparkerfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/687954010_6dbcc7f47b.jpg)
HAAAA! I kill me. No, seriously folks … thank YOU. I’m here all week. Try the pork loin.
The only thing we have been enjoying nearly as much as finding a rehearsal dinner venue (which we are still using as an excuse for eating out MONTHS after we have actually found the place we are going to use) is cake tastings.
I feel like we have done 237, but it may only actually be 236. However, we finally appear to have settled on our champion this afternoon.
We went out to Lille in Herndon, Virginia, and had an appointment the owner (Moustafa?). A one-on-one sitdown with an actual craftsman was a welcome respite to the god-awful “open houses” we have frequented with 50 people packed into a small room in an industrial park on the outskirts of town.
He walked us through some options, and gave us a sampling board of cakes, frostings, fillings, etc. We have gone through this whole process under the assumption that we would end up with a chocolate cake, just based on personal preference. Lille, however, had this great white cake, with white chocolate mousse and a raspberry jam filling. I have never had cake so good.
AND, on top of it all, he suggested a cake design with cala lilies (which just happen to be the leading contender for the flowers in The Lady Sparkler’s bouquet).
We still have one last place to look at, but we took down Lille’s information, and will likely call back in a week to reserve the cake. We’d order it now, but there is this one place near Topeka that we haven’t tried yet …
As one would expect, there was a big to-do, with Queen Elizabeth II over from England, and President Bush II down from D.C. It was a three day affair, with a reenactment of the landing, concerts and all sorts of educational stuff at the State & National Parks that surround the landing site.
My parents still live those 2 miles away, and we all spent the weekend taking in the festivities.
![[Flowers]](/images/tashaandevan/crest.jpg)
Well, there are certainly a lot of details left to finalized but — because we know you are waiting with baited breath — here are the broad brushstrokes of the wedding weekend.
The wedding ceremony is scheduled for 11:00 am 10:30 am on Saturday, October 6th at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, DC. Foundry is located at 1500 16th Street NW, which is just north of Scott Circle at the corner of 16th and P Streets. We haven’t met with the Rev. Snyder to plan out the service yet — that starts in May — but we are very comfortable saying it will clock in well below an hour.
The reception to follow will be held at 15 RIA, located in the Doubletree Hotel at 1515 Rhode Island Avenue NW. Take a look at our location, location, location (part 2) post, but the reception site is just two blocks south of the church. The reception will feature a mostly traditional brunch spread — eggs / bacon type breakfast — with a smattering of lunch items. They kick us out at 4pm.
We have a block of hotel rooms at the Doubletree Hotel — see the hotel block details here — but there are also plenty of other hotels in the area if you prefer (see the original location, location, location post). For anyone who is thinking of driving to the wedding and / or the reception, there is plenty of parking available at the Doubletree Hotel for the whole day.
Speaking of transportation, the closest metro stop is Dupont Circle, which is located at (essentially) 19th and P Streets … about three blocks west of the church. It’s a nice walk if it is sunny and you don’t have luggage. 16th Street is also a major thoroughfare for taxis, so it’s never hard finding one … coming or going.
The final nugget of information for the day is about airports. Dulles Internation (IAD) and Baltimore-Washington Airport (BWI) are the farthest away — 30 miles — but will also be the cheapest. National Airport (DCA, or “Reagan” if you are Republican) is the closest — 5 miles — and is naturally a little more expensive. If you can find a good fare to National, absolutely take it. Otherwise, just make sure you factor ground transportation when you see that really great fare on sidestep.com (our favorite travel site).
(Oh, the airports, metro stations and all other points of wedding interest are on our interactive google map of wedding weekend event locations if you haven’t made it there by now already…)
We’ll give some more logistics suggestions as we get a little closer. Meanwhile, if you have any questions post us a comment or email us at ![[email address]](/images/tashaandevan/email.gif)
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Something to add to the 1001 reasons I love my bride to be: she can negotiate anything out of anyone, and this time she has out done herself.
The Lady Sparkler has negotiated quite a deal with the hotel (Doubletree) that houses the restaurant (15 RIA) that is hosting our reception.
With only a little arm twisting, the Doubletree agreed to give us as many rooms as we need for just $129 a night. It’s hard to find a hotel in Washington, DC for under $200, so this is a pretty spectacular feat. And remember, the hotel is just two blocks from the church.
Couple of things to know: (1) our wedding is apparently on Columbus Day weekend and they expect the hotel to fill-up, so you may want to book early; (2) there is no deposit required and you can cancel up to 24 hours before the event, so there is no reason not to book early even if you aren’t sure you can make it yet.
(Notice a book early theme? They say you have to repeat a message three times in order for it to stick with even the most sophisticated consumer.)
If you would like to make a reservation, just call 1-866-984-6835 and ask for the Spindler – Parker Wedding Block. We have already reserved rooms for the bridal party (let us know if you have questions).
Two more quick notes: (1) the $129 is only for Friday, Saturday and / or Sunday nights; it’s more a little more on Thursday — $159; (2) they have a conference in the hotel starting on Monday so, if you are turning this into a longer vacation, just make sure that you book early. (That’s the last one, I promise.)
Finally, while this is the only hotel where we have arranged a discount, there are other hotels nearby so feel free to check them out if you have points you are trying to use. Be warned: nobody else we talked to was willing to give us a rate anywhere near as good.
That’s it! If you have any questions about any of this, please post us a comment or email us at . More details coming. Promise.
![[Map]](/images/tashaandevan/wedding_map.gif)
Click around our google map of the wedding weekend event locations and you will see what I mean. Hopefully, once you get here, you’ll be able to park the car (or taxi, or airplane, or train) and walk to just about everything.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.
