Sorry Father, You'll Have to Hurry It Up!

I freaked out about this before, but I'm freaking out (slightly again). Our wedding is during a very busy weekend in Seattle, Seafair. I have NO IDEA why I didn't check the date of Seafair when we booked the Lake Union Cafe. It's probably the reason our date was the last available date this summer when we were looking 14 months ago.

So the big deal about Seafair is the whole bridge closure thing. Our ceremony is on the east side of Lake Washington (20-25 minutes from the actual bridge) and our reception is on the west side of the bridge.

Months ago and I asked Mr. Joey if we should consider getting married somewhere else. Yes, the invitations had been sent out, and yes, it was pretty unlikely we'd find a church at the last minute, but I was willing to try. He said we'd be fine. I had emailed the Washington State Department of Transportation (WDOT) 11 months ago to find out what time the bridge closed on wedding Saturday and they said 12:45pm. We're getting married at 10am and hoping everyone will be on the road by 11:10am. Mr. Joey talked me off the ceremony edge and I all seemed well.

Then this week a friend sent me a note saying the bridge was going to close at 11am. WHAT!!!!!!!!! I frantically emailed the guy at WDOT again to confirm the time of the bridge closure and he said 12:45pm and sent me a link to the event's website. That should have satisfied me but it only made me more confused. See Below

"The listed times are for mainline I-90 closures. Drivers are reminded that the Center Roadway will close up to two hours before the times indicated. The following ramps can be expected to close 30 minutes prior to posted closures depending on congestion: East Mercer Way to West I-90, 76th Ave. SE to West I-90, West Mercer Way to West I-90 and East I-90 to West Mercer Way.

Thursday, July 30, 2009(Two separate bridge closures, during which pilots will practice maneuvers and become familiar with area geography)First Closure: 9:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m.Second Closure: 1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Friday, July 31- 12:45 p.m. – 2:40 p.m. (practice show)Saturday, August 1- 12:45 p.m. – 2:40 p.m. (full show)Sunday, August 2- 12:45 p.m. – 2:40 p.m. (full show)
Drivers who want to ensure they can cross the lake using I-90 should drive across Lake Washington at least one hour before the announced closure times. No stopping or parking is allowed on the floating bridges."

I first read this and thought, 'OK, was long as everyone is over the bridge by 11:45 am, we'll be fine.' But then I read it closer and freaked out. It was this line that got me, "The listed times are for mainline I-90 closures. Drivers are reminded that the Center Roadway will close up to two hours before the times indicated. " Hello? Does that mean the bridges close at 10:45am? If so, we have a MAJOR problem! I was told the Center Roadway means the actual bridge. I've sent WDOT another email to hopefully get all my facts straight.

I have no idea what we're going to do if the bridge closes at 10:45am. The ceremony starts at 10am and we'd all have to be on the road by 10:20 to be safe. Our ceremony is short, but it isn't that short. I'm crossing my fingers that the WDOT site isn't clear and that the bridge really does close at 11:45am. If it doesn't, we may have a HUGE situation on our hands.

Anyone else have a big problem like this come up too close to the wedding day?