Yes! Guests are welcome and encouraged to walk the gardens before the ceremony. There is no entry fee even if you arrive early. Just tell the ticket desk that you're with the Bowman-Hergott wedding. Plan for two hours or more if you want to see everything. You may also explore the gardens during the transition between ceremony and reception, but it will be a short transition, so if you want to see everything, you should get your touring in beforehand.
We're hosting a get-together for out-of-town guests at our house the night before - Saturday, September 27 around dinner time. It's limited to people who are traveling, because we want to make sure we get to spend time with those we love who we don't get to see as often. (And alas, our house is not big enough to host everyone). Parking can be rough outside our house on Saturday nights due to all the restaurants nearby, so you may have to walk a block or two. Ride shares might be easiest.
We've had people ask us if they have to dress up, and we've had other people ask if they're allowed to dress up. The answer is yes, you're allowed to - and no, you don't have to. Seriously, all we care about is seeing you and celebrating with you. If dressing up is fun, do it. If it's not fun, don't. We want everyone to feel comfortable. The brides will be in full bridal glam. The wedding party (our children) will be in bright, colorful formal outfits. Most guests have told us they want to wear something nice, so the majority of people will be in semi-formal or cocktail attire.
We are requesting no gifts. We're well-established and don't need anything. Truly, your presence at our special day is the best gift you can bring. At the same time, we recognize the custom exists and understand that many people express love through gift-giving, and for that reason we decided to accept gifts in the form of donations to our favorite charities. A donation is not required or expected, and we will not be tracking who gives or doesn't. It's entirely optional.
We've hired a photographer, but the only formal pictures will happen before most people arrive. She may snap a few casual photos of guests during the welcome gathering in the garden. The photographer will not be at the reception. For the reception, we're encouraging all of our guests to take pictures and videos with your phones and upload them to a shared folder that we will provide.
We've made every attempt to accommodate all of our guests' food restrictions. There will be 3 dinner stations, and all of them will have labels to help navigate. Cross-contamination may occur in the kitchen, so if that's a concern, please let us know so we can work with the caterer.
The gardens have an underground garage as well as street parking. They're unfortunately not in walking distance of any light rail stops, but there are buses that stop within a few block. For out of town guests, we suggest carpooling and ride shares. More details here: https://www.botanicgardens.org/york-street/parking-transportation-accessibility-york-street