FAQs
Question
I only know one of you. Who are you?? How'd you two meet?
Answer
Liz is originally from Rhode Island and moved to Lakeland in 2015 to work at Florida Southern College (go Mocs!). Ted is originally from Michigan, Texas, and Florida. He attended Florida Southern and began working at GEICO in Lakeland after graduating in 2012. After working out of GEICO’s Houston office from 2014-2018, he moved back to Lakeland. We met in October of 2021 on Bumble. Our first date was at Cob and Pen, a local gastro pub and bar. We initially connected over our shared love of Stephen King, specifically the novel 11/22/1963 (read it). We talked for hours on that first date and have been inseparable ever since. We live together in Lakeland now with our 3 dogs: Dean, Raylan, and Orla. Liz works in talent acquisition at Lakeland Regional Health and Ted is a claims supervisor at GEICO. Our favorite hobbies together include reading (Liz physical books, Ted audiobooks), playing Magic the Gathering (nerd alert!), and traveling (especially cruises). We are the gold standard of an introvert couple: most of our nights are spent on the couch together with our pups gaming (Ted) and reading (Liz). We value above all our time with our friends and family. You all mean the world to us and we are so happy to be sharing our special day with you.
Question
When do I need to RSVP by?
Answer
Please RSVP by no later than February 1st. After that time, we will be sending a final count to our caterer and will no longer be able to make changes to our list of attendees. We will include an RSVP link on this site once invitations are sent out.
Question
Where is the wedding?
Answer
Our ceremony and reception are both at The Garden Villa in Winter Park, FL, located about 30 minutes from the Orlando airport and approximately a 1.5-2 hour drive from Lakeland. Please note: Orlando has 2 commercial airports. It is most likely you will be flying into Orlando International Airport (MCO). Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) is smaller and is about 35 minutes away. Amtrak and Brightline also service the Orlando area. Our venue is about 5 minutes away by car from downtown Winter Park. The town is a great place to explore for dining and shopping. Should you wish to take full advantage of downtown, we recommend booking at The Alfond Inn (see info on accommodations below). The Alfond is within easy walking distance of all downtown attractions. If you will not have access to your own car, an Uber to our venue costs about $10-$15 from The Alfond.
Question
What are the driving directions to the venue?
Answer
The address for our venue is: The Garden Villa at Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, 1400 South Denning Drive, Winter Park, FL 32789. There is ample parking available at no cost to you. Much of the venue is on one level with the exception of one small set of stairs. We will have an ADA ramp in place.
Question
Is the wedding indoors or outdoors?
Answer
We are hoping to have an outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour (weather permitting), with an indoor reception. We are hopeful that temperatures will be in the 70s or low 80s, so please dress accordingly!
Question
What should I wear?
Answer
We ask that you dress in cocktail attire (see reference here: https://www.theknot.com/content/wedding-guest-attire-cheat-sheet#cocktail-attire). We know many of you will be traveling from colder climes, so we encourage you to plan to dress as you would for a summer wedding up north.
Question
Can I bring a guest? Are children invited?
Answer
Although we wish we could include everyone, we have a very limited max capacity available to us at our venue. As a result, we ask that you only plan to bring a guest or little ones if that has been noted for you on your wedding invitation.
Question
Tell me about the food!
Answer
Our cocktail hour will include hors d'oeuvres, followed by a sit-down dinner. You will be able to select your dinner choice on your RSVP.
Question
Will there be an open bar?
Answer
Um, yes. We hope you’ll try our specialty cocktails: the Orla, the Dean, and the Raylan. We love to indulge, but we would hate for tragedy to follow from this special evening. If you do plan to have a few, we encourage you to take advantage of the hotel options below and the ready availability of rideshares. Make a weekend of it with us!
Question
Where should I stay?
Answer
There are a variety of hotel options in the immediate vicinity of our venue. We do not have set hotel blocks, but have included some recommendations below. Please plan to book as soon as you finalize your travel plans, as it will be a busy time of year in the Orlando area. The Alfond Inn - 5 minutes by car from The Garden Villa, close to downtown amenities. Booking link: https://thealfondinn.com/the-hotel/rooms-suites Cost: $349.65/night for 1 king, $375.09 for 2 queen room Crowne Plaza Orlando-Downtown - 8 minutes by car from The Garden Villa, complimentary shuttle to locations within 3 miles of hotel (our venue is 3.3 miles away and we have been told guests should be able to use it to get to the wedding—please request at front desk). Booking link: https://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/orlando/mcooa/hoteldetail Cost: $232/night for 1 king or 2 queen room Comfort Suites Downtown - 4 minutes by car from The Garden Villa. Booking link: https://www.choicehotels.com/en-uk/florida/orlando/comfort-suites-hotels/fl094 Cost: $193/night if booking 2 nights
Question
When should I arrive?
Answer
Our ceremony will begin promptly at 4 PM on Saturday. We ask that you arrive by 3:30 PM so you can take your seats before the wedding begins. Our cocktail hour will follow immediately after the ceremony concludes and will be in the same general outdoor space. At 5:30 PM, our DJ will direct you inside for the reception, which will conclude at 9 PM. We are still working to finalize events outside of the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. More details will follow as we get closer to March!
Question
Can I take pictures?
Answer
We ask that you refrain from taking pictures during the ceremony so that we can all be present in the moment together. Our photographer will get some wonderful shots! However, please fire away with photos and videos during the reception. We want to capture as much of the night as possible!
Question
Can I post on social media?
Answer
Absolutely. We just ask that you don’t share pictures of us until Liz changes her last name on the platforms. 😉 Consider that move your all-clear!
Question
So, you two won't be hyphenating to become the Green-McLeans?
Answer
The only member of our household who will be is Dean, who has fully committed to the rhyming name game. Everyone else will be a McLean (except Orla legally…she has several aliases and we aren’t actually sure what her “real” name is).