We've gotten a lot of questions from people as we've been planning our wedding, and although some of them have been very original, we've found that there are several questions that just about everyone seems to have. Rather than repeat ourselves over and over again, we decided to answer these questions here, on our website, instead. 1. Gay marriage isn't legal. Why are you doing this? Ah, the eternal question. To us, the answer is simple -- we're doing this for the same reasons that any other couple would get married. We love each other, and we have every intention of spending our lives together. In our society, when people feel this way, they have a celebration with their family and friends to mark this commitment. That's why we're doing it. If that doesn't satisfy your question about legality... Well, we did think about waiting until it was legal to get married, but we're not quite that patient. We see this as an opportunity to share with our community the commitment we're making. We'll do whatever we can to merge our lives legally, and until it's legal, we'll know that we got married when we wanted to, not when the government said it was ok. 2. So... Why now? Non-cheesy answer: We're very ready for this more official form of commitment, and it's a really good time in our lives to do this. Cheesy answer: Back in high school, Rebecca read something that says that all the cells in the human body regenerate every seven years. It's now been seven years since we first met, which means that we're totally different people in the biological sense. Who we are now, as individuals, has been influenced by each other. That seems like something to celebrate. In Judaism, seven is a holy number. We're taking this as a sign that we're on the right track, and we've decided to run with it, even deciding on seven flowers in each centerpiece. 3. So, what are you calling this whole celebration? We're calling the event a wedding and our relationship thereafter a marriage. We see no difference between what we are entering into and what those who are legally married have entered into. If you want to go into the politics of it, we believe that by acknowleding that this is a real marriage, we are doing our part to advocate for equality and freedom for all people. If you prefer to call it a commitment ceremony, a civil union, a domestic partnership, or any other term of your choosing, feel free. We won't be offended. 4. Are you guys going to change your names? Honestly, we don't know. We've been through about 1000 scenarios, and we're just not sure what the right fit for us is at this time. You can check back here as it gets closer to the wedding, and the answer might change. Or it might not. Who knows? 5. How formal is the celebration going to be? Well, we'll be wearing wedding dresses, but we don't expect you to wear them. Seriously, Lauren says you shouldn't wear jeans, but other than that, just about anything (legal) goes. This is far from a black tie affair, but it is a celebration. Dress for fun, and don't worry about it! 6. What's the weather going to be like? According to the records over at weather.com, the average high on October 9th in the Twin Cities is 62º and the average low is 42º. Our wedding is right on the Mississippi River, so temperatures may be a bit cooler than they are in the city. We'll be sure to update this section of the website in early October with the forecast for the weekend of October 9th, but if you'd like to check for yourself, weather.com and Weather Underground are our favorite resources. You might want to consider that our ceremony will be outdoors after dark unless it rains, so dress warmly enough that you'll be comfortable outside for about a half hour. Also, October 10th is considered peak color-change day for the fall, so hopefully the trees will be bright and colorful! 7. Why is the celebration going to start so late? You should look at the section on Havdalah on the Jewish ceremony page for an answer to this one. 8. Are you going on a honeymoon after the big day? This is also up for debate. We'd absolutely love to, but money is a little tight right now and we do have other things that demand our attention. If we can't go on a little vacation immediately following, we'll work on planning something for next year. And where do we want to go? Right now, New Orleans is at the top of our list. 9. Are you registered for gifts anywhere? Your presence at our celebration is gift enough for us. We have registered at Bed, Bath, & Beyond and at Target, but most of all, we hope that you can join us for our special day. If you still have questions after reading these, go ahead and give us a holler!