Our ceremony and reception will take place at Needles Lodge, on the grounds of Camp Kiwanee in Hanson, MA. Here's a bit more information, especially for those for those of you who are curious about a "campground wedding"!
About the Campground:
Weekend Overview:
Out-of-town guests may choose to arrive at the Boston airport on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. You will probably be happiest with a rental car, but we will be helping arrange carpools to and from Boston (Friday to Monday), as well as to the wedding site (Hanson, MA) on Sunday from New Bedford and from Boston.
Out-of-town guests may choose to arrive at the Boston airport on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. You will probably be happiest with a rental car, but we will be helping arrange carpools to and from Boston (Friday to Monday), as well as to the wedding site (Hanson, MA) on Sunday from New Bedford and from Boston.
- Friday, May 23 - Bachelor party. Guests may choose to stay at New Bedford hotel.
- Saturday, May 24 - Morning bachelorette party. Guests may choose to stay at New Bedford hotel and explore downtown New Bedford. Cocktail hour for our out-of-town guests in the evening (8pm) with bride and groom at Cork in New Bedford.
- Sunday, May 25 - Wedding in Hanson, MA (5:00pm - 10:00pm). Camping overnight for anyone who'd like to join.
- Monday, May 26 - Memorial Day (Federal holiday). Transit back to Boston around 11am for out-of-town guests.
Camp Kiwanee is an old campground formerly owned by the Campfire Girls of Boston, and now owned by the town of Hanson. It is located approximately 40 minutes south of Boston, and about one hour north of New Bedford. It is just east of Brockton and Bridgewater. For exact directions, search for 1 Camp Kiwanee Road, Hanson, MA 02341 (map). Scroll to the bottom of this page for more information about lodging and transit options from Boston (for our out-of-town guests).
Ceremony:
The ceremony will begin at 5 o'clock in the evening, and will take place on the porch at Needles Lodge, which is located right on the campground. As you can see from the photo, there is plenty of overhead coverage in case of rain :)
Ceremony:
The ceremony will begin at 5 o'clock in the evening, and will take place on the porch at Needles Lodge, which is located right on the campground. As you can see from the photo, there is plenty of overhead coverage in case of rain :)
Our officiant will be Jonathan Rogers, a Unitarian minister and our good friend who worked with us in Ankara, Turkey.
The reception:
Following the ceremony, we will have our cocktail hour and reception, including a full dinner and dancing, within Needles Lodge. The reception will last until 10pm. As you can see from the photo below, this is a completely indoor reception, so you don't need to worry about inclement weather. Most guests will be wearing cocktail attire for the reception, and bringing casual clothes to change into later for camping.
Late night camping:
Following the reception, which ends at 10pm, anyone who would like to camp overnight with the bride and groom is welcome! We will have a firepit, music, s'mores, and general merriment. Camp Kiwanee has 64 acres of hiking trails, as well as horseshoe pits, a softball field, and volleyball courts.
Packing for the weather:
Guests who are camping with us overnight will want to pack casual clothes (jeans, sweatshirts, etc.) in layers. You'll be able to leave your fancy cocktail attire safely indoors overnight. Memorial Day weekend in Massachusetts can range in temperature. The record high for May 25th in Hanson, MA was 91 degrees in 1991! However, the record low was 31 degrees in 1956. Ha! So, you probably want to dress for the average, which is a high of 67 and an overnight low of 48. In other words, just bring warm clothes but dress in layers, and find a buddy to snuggle with if you get cold. Let's also be honest: You'll probably have a few drinks (or at least the firepit) to warm you up!
Other things you could pack:
Suggested pack list:
- sleeping bag and pillow
- towel
- flashlight
- mosquito spray
- your toiletries and sunscreen
- sneakers and socks
- hat/gloves/hoodie/sweatshirt
- flip-flops, if you intend to shower
- your musical instruments
The cabins:
There are about 17 very simple cabins on the campground for guests to use, with 6-8 beds per cabin. Remember these were once girl scout cabins! These beds are really just cots, because this is rather rustic wedding camping, guys. There'll be sheets on the cots, so you just need to bring a sleeping bag and pillow. Since there are cabins, you don't need to bring tents (though you are welcome to if you are dying to use your own tent).
If you have questions about camping, or you've never camped before, then (1) yay! this is going to be fun for you!, and (2) ask James or Mel or anyone else going to the wedding what you can do to make your night more comfortable. This is actually a great way to spend your first camping experience because it's in a very easy campground, not in the middle of a national forest. You don't need to worry about bears here! There's no better way to enjoy the company of good friends than under the beauty of lots of green trees. And there's no better place to hear a friend's story or song than by a roaring fire. We can't wait to share this night with y'all! Here's a photo of the cabins:
What if it rains?
Well, that'll be fun, too! The entire ceremony and reception is safe from rain, because they are indoors. However, we can still camp afterwards if it's raining, because there are not only lots of little cabins, but there is a large pavilion as well. The pavilion is a large screened structure (basically like a huge cabin) that will keep all the campers warm and in each other's company and free from the rain late at night. There's a fireplace inside, as well as a stage in case anyone wants to give us a show. Here's a photo of the pavilion:
Hotel accommodations and transit for guests from out of town:
For those of you who will be coming from out of town, we have arranged some transit and hotel options for you during this holiday weekend. The wedding is on Sunday of the long weekend, so if you are arriving on Friday or Saturday, we have reserved a block of rooms at the Fairfield Inn & Suites (Marriott) in downtown New Bedford, our hometown. You can make reservations through this site. We will have some recommended things for you to do in New Bedford, as well as a cocktail hour Saturday night at or near the hotel.
Since both New Bedford and Hanson are located south of Boston, we know you will need help getting to the hotel and the campground. More transit details to be posted here on this website shortly. Stay tuned! In the meantime, it would help if you could complete this online RSVP which lets you tell us what your specific travel/transit needs are. Thanks!
Let us know if you have any questions! Love you guys.
