A Brubenackel
Wedding
A Brubenackel
Wedding
We’re excited to share and celebrate our wedding with you in Seattle! Both the ceremony and reception will take place at WithinSodo (map and directions below). Please note that there is a Mariners baseball game that same evening and it happens to be Pride weekend, so traffic could be tricky. Do allow yourself enough time to get to the venue, as the ceremony will begin promptly 5:30pm.
Parking: That being said, there should be plenty of street parking and lot parking available. We also recommend using rideshare (Uber or Lyft).
Entrance: Although the address to WithinSodo leads you to Utah Ave S., that is actually the alley entrance. The main entrance to the venue is off of 1st Ave S. (closest to 2917 1st Ave S., Seattle).
Ceremony: There will be some seating for the ceremony, which will likely be a half hour. However, some may need to stand.
Dinner: We will be serving “contemporary Filipino cuisine” for dinner with vegan/vegetarian and gluten free options. Please let us know when you RSVP if you have any other dietary restrictions
Reception: Bring your dancing shoes! We’re gonna have a good time!
Attire: “Dressy Casual” (whatever that means), but really, wear whatever makes you comfortable!
5:00pmArrival
5:30pmCeremony
6:00pmCocktail Hour
7:00pmDinner
8:30pmCelebrate
The very best present we can receive is your presence at our wedding. For many of you, simply attending our wedding will already entail travel expenses and hotel accommodations.
For those who have expressed an interest in offering a gift to mark the occasion, in lieu of a traditional registry, we’d appreciate donations to any of the following charities/organizations we feel passionate about supporting. And don’t worry, we’re in our thirties (some of us, not for long). Our house is already filled with all the things we could ever need to make it a home, that is, we’re not in dire need of anything from Crate and Barrel.
Oh boy, do civil liberties need help right now. The ACLU is doing a ton of great work to help fight to preserve civil liberties for everybody regardless of political affiliation.
90% of what this organization does is far from controversial. It might be known for the “A” word, but they’re mostly about building strong, healthy families.
With the threat of cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts, it’s important more than ever to support organizations dedicated to investing in future Jessicas and Chrises.
We like breathing clean air and hiking, and want to continue breathing clean air and hiking, and want the next generation to breathe clean air and be able to hike.
We hope you can celebrate with us in Seattle. Please respond by May 22, 2017.
We know that a lot of folks are traveling from out of town. Hotel options are a bit limited in Seattle due to a Mariner’s game and Pride weekend, but we have blocked some rooms in Bellevue (a 15-20 min drive from the venue).
Please note: in order to receive the block rate, you must book before May 26 (Seattle Marriott Bellevue) and May 23 (Hyatt Regency Bellevue).
We personally recommend using vacation rentals like AirBnB and VRBO. It might not have continental breakfasts in the morning, but it’s our preferred method of travel — you often get a cheaper rate for a larger, more private lodging (with wifi that actually works).
If it’s a nice day, pack a picnic (or a bag of Dick’s or a sandwich from Paseo) and fly a kite at Gas Works Park for a beautiful view of the city. You could also rent a canoe or a kayak and eat Mexican food at Agua Verde , then explore Lake Union.
Ballard and Fremont are quirkly little neighborhoods with lots of character. Visit the Troll in Fremont (totally in 10 Things I Hate About You!). If you’re looking for some night life for Friday June 23rd, the Nectar is hosting the Easy Star All-Stars, who do great reagge renditions of your favorite rock albums like Dark Side of the Moon and Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. If you want an urban hike, check out Discovery Park in Magnolia, which has beautiful views of the Puget Sound. You could also check out the Ballard Locks or tour Theo Chocolate.
One of Jessica’s favorite restaurants in Seattle is in Ballard – Walrus & the Carpenter (but get there early if you want a table, otherwise you’ll wait… they don’t take reservations unfortunately. But! It’s a wonderful experience if you love oysters.)
Go see the 33rd wonder of the world at Pike Place Market. It might be the most standard touristy activity in Seattle, but it’s a goodie. It’s one of the oldest continually operating farmer’s markets in the country, it’s going to be busy anytime you go and open 7 days a week (but they generally start packing up a little before 5). Try out Jack’s Fish Spot for some great fish and chips, Jessica’s fav scallops and chips, and their NW style clam chowder. If great piroshy pirosky is your thing, walk over to Piroshky Piroshky. Get some orange cinnamon tea to go along with your maple bacon mini-doughnut. After you finish your snacks and the anarchist rage fills within you and you’re looking for a window to smash, the “original” Starbucks is just down the road. This is actually the second Starbucks since the first Starbucks burnt down… but it did all start in the Market! Also, it’s the only chain in the Market, since it’s all local farmers and artists, but since Starbucks began in the Market, they’ve let it stay. There is more to do at Pike Place than we can list.
Outside of Pike Place Market, the Seattle Central Library is an architectural marvel. And the walk along the waterfront at the Olympic Sculpture Park (free) is one of our favorite spots. You could even pack a picnic after hitting up Pike Place and bring it there (a bit of a hike though). There is plenty to do at the Seattle Center. If you don’t have time to check out the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, check out the Chihuly Garden & Glass at the Seattle Center. The Museum of Pop Culture is the perfect place if you thought that Star Trek didn’t talk enough about American Rock 'n Roll. And lastly, the Space Needle if you must ;)
There’s a cool bar atop Seattle’s first skyscraper, the Smith Tower. Great views. The Mariners are playing the Astros on Friday June 23rd. For an entertaining Seattle history lesson, check out the Underground Tour (try out the “adult” tour for a seedier version of Seattle’s past and get an alcoholic drink at the end).
Head over to Chinatown / International District for some of the best food in Seattle, and while you’re there, check out one of the best museums in Seattle, and Jessica’s first big-girl job, at the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. There’s even a pinball museum. Some of our favorite restaurants include Szechuan Noodle Bowl, GoPoke (they have a version of Dole Whip too!), Phnom Penh Noodle House (great Cambodian food), Tamarind Tree (great Vietnamese – meat eaters, get the 7 courses of beef! You won’t be disappointed!)
Ahh, the land of 20-somethings and 20-something wannabes… Want to see the fanciest Starbucks in the world? (I bet the coffee tastes the same, but haven’t tried it). Cal-Anderson Park pairs quite well with Molly Moon’s Ice Cream, or even better with Frankie & Jo’s Ice Cream. Kedai Makan is the first resturant that was a Chris & Jess staple. On the north side of Capitol Hill is Volunteer Park, which has a few options. Within the park is the Seattle Asain Art Musuem and the Volunteer Park Conservatory. Beside that is Jessica’s favorite view in Seattle atop the Water Tower. If you’re looking for more art on the cheap (aka FREE), but good, head to the Frye. Great contemporary exhibits and a German Expressionist permanent collection.
Some other local coffee favorites (of Jessica’s. Chris doesn’t believe in caffeine. Shocking!) - Analog, Vivace, Elm Coffee Roasters, Zeitgeist, and Stumptown (they even do cuppings!).
Finally, we get to the one area where many of you are staying! Why’d it end up near the bottom of the list then?! Because! I don’t know! Get off my back! The Bellevue Arts Museum is better than a city of its size typically gets. That said, they don’t tend to have as much kid-friendly art compared to the KidsQuest Children’s Museum for some reason.
Take advantage of the Bellevue Botanical Gardens, roll a ball at the Lucky Strike Bowling Alley, or play a round of 18 holes at the Golf Club at Newcastle.
If you want to head over to Redmond where Jessica works, check out a tour of the Microsoft or Nintendo of America campuses (Just a drive-by for Nintendo. They got rid of their tours). And while you’re out there, check out the City of Redmond public art collection, which Jessica manages.
If you’re looking for a place to eat, people love John Howie Steak House, Monsoon, and Dough Zone.
One of our favorite things to do is take a ferry ride over to Bainbridge Island. You can walk on as a passenger (maybe $7 round trip?) and then explore. Enjoy wine tasting, a nice art museum that just opened and bunch of cute little shops and restaurants (Hitchcock is supposed to be a really nice restaurant with a good happy hour). Explore the Bloedel Reserve and learn some of the island’s lesser known history at the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial
For those of you sticking around a little longer and looking to take in the greatest place on earth, try out some of our favorite hikes. On the lighter side and near Seattle, there is Little Si and Rattlesnake Ledge. On the medium side, try out Blanca Lake and Mt. Pilchuck (there’s a great firewatch at the top with incredible views).
You could also make it over to the Olympics for some rafting or hike Mt. Townsend. If you’d like to head south and see Mt. St. Helens, don’t forget to see the Ape Caves and Lower Lewis Falls.
Okay, here’s how we met…
We met the good old fashioned way. Online. On OKCupid (because it’s free).
Chris messaged me “Hey.” And the rest is history.
Actually, that’s not true. I noted Jessica’s appreciation of puns in her profile and love of Christopher Guest films, so I mentioned my buddies made a documentary about the O’Henry Pun Off in Austin and asked her who her favorite Christopher Guest character was (Parker Posey). And the rest is history.
Well, kind of. I had to cancel our first date because I started seeing someone else more seriously (the nature of online dating). Chris was super nice about it and wished me well, mentioning that if things shouldn’t work out with other guy and Chris’ profile was still active, to hit him up.
Things didn’t work out with other guy, as it turned out.
Jessica messaged me a few months later but the tables had turned. Now I was dating someone else more seriously. Jessica said the same thing, that should things not work out, to hit her up.
Well, things didn’t work out with other gal. Not but a week later, I was back on OKCupid only to find that Jessica had given up on online love and decided to deactivate her profile. I checked every week to see if her profile would pop back up. And a few months later, it finally did.
I was in the middle of a big transition, starting a new job in Redmond, helping my mom get ready to move to Turkey and was traveling for work. I told Chris that we would have to wait a month for our first date and he was patient.
Our first date was over drinks at a bar on Capitol Hill (Smith), followed by a show at the Sea Monster in Wallingford. We realized that night that our fathers are both pharmacists (although we wouldn’t realize until a few months later that our dads are also mustachioed-lefties named Ron). I also confronted Jessica about her profile stating she “hates cats”.
He told me that I needed to meet his cat Itsy because he’s a pretty cool cat. (It’s true, and now I like cats okay!)
And so, we met six months after our originally scheduled date. And the rest is history.
Later I kissed her!!