Topics:
1) Location 2) Schedule 3) Travel 4) Lodging 5) Food 6) What to Bring
7) Photo Sharing 8) Volunteer Sign-up 9) Gift Registry 10) Hospitality, Health, Children, Parking 11) Invitations 12) About Fontainebleau State Park, Maps and Pictures of Site
1)Location
2) Schedule
3) Travel
4) Lodging
Onsite for free (There are showers in both the early bird and night owl dorms. There is a commercial kitchen and dining hall on site. Bathrooms are located in the dorms and in the dining/kitchen building.)
5) Food and Beverages:
6) What to bring for you and yours
7)Sharing Photos
We will have someone taking photos during the wedding ceremony, and we would love it if you helped us crowdsource other photos from the weekend :)
8) Volunteer Sign-up
Helping Hands, coup de main
Thank you to everyone who has asked how they can help with the gathering and the wedding ceremony.
To make the wedding and "ustopia fest" happen...
9) Gift Registry
Thank you to everyone who has asked how they can support us as we start this next chapter in our life together.
10) Hospitality, Health, Children, and Parking
11) Invitations
12) Fontainebleau State Park
Fontainebleau has been the site of both beauty and tragedy. You can read more about the park and it's past here. We thank you for joining us in leaving no trace of trash and for making new, joyful, and loving memories at the state park. Photos and maps of the Group Camp 1 site are below.
1) Location 2) Schedule 3) Travel 4) Lodging 5) Food 6) What to Bring
7) Photo Sharing 8) Volunteer Sign-up 9) Gift Registry 10) Hospitality, Health, Children, Parking 11) Invitations 12) About Fontainebleau State Park, Maps and Pictures of Site
1)Location
- Fontainebleau State Park , Mandeville, LA
- Please click on this link for more info about the venue we have rented: Group Camp 1, Site, Loop:GC001, Group Camp - Area 1 .
- Click on this link to see the site on Google Maps
- At the entrance to the Fontainebleau state park, tell them you are visiting the wedding group at Group Camp 1 to enter for free. (Fontainebleau State Park usually has an $3 entrance fee per person.)
- If you have questions about the venue, scroll down to the bottom of the page to see photos of the venue.
2) Schedule
- ustopia fest : The nuptial campout and festival will be Friday May 20, 3p.m. to Sunday May 22, 7 p.m. (The camp must be empty and cleaned by Monday May 23, 11a.m.)
- The wedding ceremony will be Saturday May 21 at 2 p.m. Reception to follow. (Please note the time of the ceremony has been changed from 3 p.m. to 2 p.m.)
- Click here for the Schedule for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
3) Travel
- The closest airport is New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, LA.
- New Orleans/ Kenner is 50 minutes, 40 miles away.
- Lafayette, LA is 2.5 hours, 132 miles away.
- If you would like to offer a ride or carpool, or if you need a ride, please sign-up on this rideboard google doc. Please contact Marie-Isabelle or Jarred if you have difficulty accessing the rideboard.
- Parking- Please see map at the bottom of this webpage
4) Lodging
Onsite for free (There are showers in both the early bird and night owl dorms. There is a commercial kitchen and dining hall on site. Bathrooms are located in the dorms and in the dining/kitchen building.)
- Unlimited Camping Spots for tents
- 88 bunkbeds are available (Please contact Jarred or Marie-Isabelle to reserve. One bunk bed building will be reserved for night owls, and the other bunk bed building will be reserved for early birds.)
- Please contact us if you are thinking of bringing an RV. We have gotten mixed messages from the state park about RVs. Camper vans should be fine in the parking lot.
- Fontainebleau State Park has Cabins for Rent (walking distance from the Group Camp). (Update: the cabins have been damaged by Hurricane Ida, and will not be repaired by May.)
- Short-term rentals are available in Mandeville ( 3 miles ) and hotels are available in Covington (10 miles) (Homewood Suites, Comfort Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn).
5) Food and Beverages:
- Reception after the wedding on Saturday:
- We and our friends (Thanks T Greg and Brandon!!) will provide the wedding feast (jambalaya, cochon de lait (pig roast), and cupcakes). RaeRae is cooking lentil soup and wheatberry salad for vegans.
- Please bring potluck sides you would like to show off for the feast (cornbread, grilled or roasted veggies, casseroles, fruit, potato salad, etc.).
- Please bring your own food for the Friday, Saturday day, and Sunday campout. We will have limited sandwich supplies for folks that are traveling from out of state.
- Please bring your own beverages. There will be water stations to refill water bottles.
- The group camp is 3-5 miles away from PoBoy shops and Rouses Market, Whole Foods, and Neighborhood Groceries.
- There is a commercial kitchen on site with a walk-in freezer and a regular sized fridge. There is no dishwasher on site. There will also be electrical outlets and tables for instapots, etc.
6) What to bring for you and yours
- Climate: Plan for 30-40% chance of rain. Mosquito hour will last for an hour around sunset at 7:30 p.m. (7:00-8:00 p.m.). During the month of May, the average temperature is in the 70s . During May, temperatures can range from a high of 85 degrees F and low of 67 degrees F in Mandeville. Climate Data for Mandeville, La
- Activities: Swimming (beach on site at the group camp), fishing, foraging, pilates, soccer, softball, hiking, exploring, camping, visiting, biking (31 mile trail), cook-out, music jam, fires, dance party.... oh and a wedding too!
- There are bathrooms, showers, and a small commercial kitchen on site.
- The park does NOT provide towels, linens, pots, pans, or dishes.
- Bring your own sheets, blankets, pillows, towels, hygiene items if you are staying in the bunk beds.
- Bring your own food and gear whenever possible.
- Here's a packing list of supplies to bring for you and supplies you can volunteer to bring
7)Sharing Photos
We will have someone taking photos during the wedding ceremony, and we would love it if you helped us crowdsource other photos from the weekend :)
- Please use this hashtag to share photos on social media with others who came to the event : #ustopiafest
- Another way to share photos will be this facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1126958841483464
- Please upload photos you take of the event to this google photos folder so that people with or without social media can access the pictures https://photos.app.goo.gl/2QPPUGjBGdpaXydUA
8) Volunteer Sign-up
Helping Hands, coup de main
Thank you to everyone who has asked how they can help with the gathering and the wedding ceremony.
To make the wedding and "ustopia fest" happen...
- Some helping hands are needed for a variety of projects like driving people to/ from the airport, setting up for the ceremony and meals, and clean-up. We are also welcoming people to bring and share supplies like firewood, food and beverages, and lighting. We love how camp-out festival magic happens in surprising and spontaneous ways. We also want to plan in advance so that it is easier to coordinate everyone's needs.
- If you would like to lend a helping hand, please fill out this form and let us know what you will be bringing and what part of the event you will help with.
9) Gift Registry
Thank you to everyone who has asked how they can support us as we start this next chapter in our life together.
- We are registered at Thankful, which is a site that helps couples to receive gifts, receive support for their honeymoon and wedding, and to also support charities. http://thkfl.com/pautzwashington
- Your presence at our wedding is your present! Really, your presence is our present!
10) Hospitality, Health, Children, and Parking
- Ability Mindfulness and Access
- If you are able to walk, please drop your things off at Group Camp 1 and then turn back and park at the Meeting Room (50 parking spots, located a couple blocks away from the campsite) or along the road approaching the Group Camp . (See map in the photos below.)
- If you are an elder, have young children, or are unable to walk, please contact Jarred or Marie-Isabelle to reserve parking on site.
- The buildings are ADA accessible. There is an elevator to the second floor. (See photo of the elevator below.)
- Allergy and Pet Mindfulness:
- Please label shared foods that have tree nuts or other allergens (one of our little ones has a tree nut and sesame seed allergy).
- Please contact us first if you are thinking of bringing your pet to the campout.
- Swimming and Fishing in Lake Pontchartrain
- Infectious Diseases
- The wedding ceremony and festivities will be outdoors . https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/outdoor-activities.html
- Registration for space in the dorms/bunkbeds will require either a negative covid test the week of the wedding or vaccination
- Children and Youth
- This is a kid friendly wedding and camp-out.
- There is a small private room in one of the dorms reserved for nursing and naps (see photo below).
- The wedding mass will include a children's activity. Families are welcome to attend the wedding ceremony sitting on picnic blankets.
- There is a path that goes from the Group Camp to Lake Pontchartrain. If your children would like to go swimming, please ensure that either you or a life guard are with them.
- Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to create a welcoming space!
11) Invitations
- Please RSVP for the ceremony and/ or ustopia fest through the eventbrite invite. We are mailing out "Save The Date" postcards once we get everyone's updated mailing addresses through the EventBrite invitation linked here. https://marieisabellejarredwedding.eventbrite.com
- As we get closer to the ceremony, information will be updated at this website www.marieisabelle.org/ustopiafest
- We are doing our best to go paperless, so all information will be centralized in the Eventbrite invitation and on the website.
12) Fontainebleau State Park
Fontainebleau has been the site of both beauty and tragedy. You can read more about the park and it's past here. We thank you for joining us in leaving no trace of trash and for making new, joyful, and loving memories at the state park. Photos and maps of the Group Camp 1 site are below.
