Northern California in August tends to be hot during the day and cool at night with low humidity. Daytime temperatures average in the high 80s and nights cool down to the mid 50s soon after the sun sets.
The wedding weekend is mostly outdoors so we’d like our guests to be comfortable and casual. Weekend activities include swimming & playing in the river, hiking, and lawn games. The ceremony will take place outside on a meadow.
For the ceremony, attire ranges from casual to slightly formal. Suits are fine but not required. If you are wearing shoes to the ceremony, make sure they’re suitable for uneven meadow.
Essential Items
- Layers to keep you comfortable during hot days and cool evenings (including a sweater or light jacket)
- Comfortable shoes for the weekend. Ceremony shoes need to be suitable for walking on grass and small slopes.
- Refillable water bottles
- Sun hat or scarf
- Sunscreen
Optional Items
- Flashlight
- Swimsuit
- Beach towel (River’s Bend lodging towels are for showers only)
- Water shoes
- River/beach toys and gear
- Bug spray (There are very few mosquitos at River’s Bend and they are more prevalent in the campground area. Ticks are also present in the woods. Light colored clothing, hats, and long sleeves are helpful to avoid being bitten.)
- Scarf, handkerchief, or other fabric for second line
- Small daypack
- Containers for bringing lunch offsite on Saturday
- Camping chair
- Fans (small or large) — There will be at least one fan in each lodge at River’s Bend
- Songs, stories, poems, or other acts to share at the Open Mic around the fire [Saturday night]
- Props for Photo Booth
For River’s Bend Lodging
- Please bring your own body soap and shampoo; River’s Bend does not provide these
- Guests staying in Rustic Cabins, Tent Cabins, or the Campground have a short walk to restrooms and may want to bring easy on–off shoes
- If you are staying in a Tent Cabin, please bring your own towel and bedding (sheets & blankets or sleeping bag & pillowcase). Or, you may rent linens for $15 (let us know by Friday, August 4).
- If you are staying in Sunset lodge, River’s Bend requests that guests remove their shoes inside. Please bring slippers or socks, if you would like.
Learn more about River’s Bend lodging amenities on the Lodging Signup.
Ritual Items
Water
We invite you to bring a small vessel of water from your home area or a place you have traveled. This could be from a natural source (river, lake, ocean, etc.) or from the tap.
As Ben & Kimberley have done throughout their relationship, we will combine all our waters in a ritual on Saturday evening. We honor water as it gives us life, sustains us, has enabled us to reach this milestone, and connects us all together. Late Monday morning, we will walk to the river and release these waters as a way of sharing our love with the world.
Altar Item
We will build a communal altar during the opening circle on Friday. We encourage you to bring a meaningful and/or beautiful object from home or collect something from the land to add to the altar. Later arrivals are welcome to add to the altar as well. You’ll take your item home when you leave or may offer natural items to the land.
Second Line
A second line is a traditional New Orleans wedding parade where the wedding party, friends, and family form a procession behind a brass band and wave handkerchiefs and parasols. This unique and lively tradition originated in African American communities and is now popular among other cultures in New Orleans.
The second line parade is a way to celebrate and honor the newly married couple, as well as bring the community together in joy and celebration. Please bring a scarf, handkerchief, or other fabric to wave during our second line near the end of the reception.