Hello Friends and Family,
We are very excited and looking forward to celebrating with you on May 16th! Here is a list of information on the Mobile/Eastern Shore area, the event location, and other helpful tips. IF YOU ARE FROM THE MOBILE AREA: please help us by adding comments here with your tips on places to stay, things to do in and around Fairhope, Gulf Shores, etc.
If you are not from the area and you have questions – post questions as comments here (make sure you sign up to receive replies when you post) and we’ll get them all answered. You are all welcome to contact me or Ryan directly, of course.
TRAVEL:
There are two airports of approximately equal travel time to Fairhope, AL. They are: Mobile Regional Airport (MOB) and Pensacola Regional Airport (PNS). PNS is a far easier drive and will almost always have much better airfare rates than MOB. Feel free to check both for comparison, in case Mobile surprises me. You’ll need to rent a car, as taxi fare is likely to run $150, but you’ll want it to be able to explore the area at will.
EVENT LOCATION:
The beautiful Dorgan Inn is located at 16801 Scenic Hwy 98 in Fairhope, AL. Check this MAP for location detail. You can Google Map for directions, and there are listed directions from both airports below. We will be staying at the Dorgan Inn in the Bay House. There is also a 3BR Guest Cottage on the grounds which is available for rent. This is truly a breathtaking place. It has never been available for rent before. The first wedding taking place there is the first weekend of April, and is that of my friend and photographer Wendy Wilson.
The Inn belongs to Mr. Billy and Mrs. Patty Dorgan, of the local Krispy Kreme family. Yes, this amazing place was all built from sugar (figuratively of course). The two main homes are over 150 years old, a lot of the wood used inside came from a 200 year old cotton gin. Mr. Billy has stories about every aspect of how the place was restored and they are all interesting. The Inn overlooks Mobile Bay and has an air of tranquility I’ve rarely experienced in my life. A quick Google search and Ryan turned up this bit about one of the companies that did some of the redesign at the Dorgan property.
DIRECTIONS:
If you ask Google Maps for directions from PNS to Dorgan’s it will not send you via I-10. I don’t recommend following this. Leaving PNS get over to I-110 N, to I-10 W, to Exit 35A for Hwy 98 Daphne/Fairhope/Spanish Fort. South on 98 ~7 miles to slight right at “Welcome to Fairhope” sign on right, onto Scenic 98/North Section. Right on Fels Avenue, then Left back onto Scenic 98/S Mobile St for 3.2 miles and Dorgan Inn is on your Right.
From MOB, head Left on Airport Blvd upon leaving the airport, to I-65 S, to I-10 E, to Exit 35A for Hwy 98 Daphne/Fairhope/Spanish Fort. South on 98 ~7 miles to slight right at “Welcome to Fairhope” sign on right onto Scenic 98/North Section. Right on Fels Avenue, then Left back onto Scenic 98/S Mobile St for 3.2 miles and Dorgan Inn is on your Right.
OTHER AREA INFORMATION:
Fairhope, AL is a neat town on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. The small town is lined with lots of neat shopping options, great for finding some obscure antique or collectible or just window shopping on a warm summer night.
One of the most beloved places to stay in Fairhope is the Grand Hotel in Point Clear. Without doubt this is a magnificent hotel, the very definition of upscale southern charm. The Grand offers the Lakewood Golf Course, which is on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and the largest salon and spa of any Marriott property in the world. One of my favorite things to do when home is to spend an evening sitting outside Bucky’s Birdcage Lounge, around the fire pits, watching the sun set over the water.
The Fairhope Inn is a great option for a place to stay and dine while in Fairhope. Like many of the local B&B’s it is walking distance to the heart of town, or down to the Fairhope Pier on the bay. If you’d like a more traditional hotel, you won’t find one in Fairhope – yet. But you can check out the Hampton Inn Daphne, a quick 7 miles down Hwy 98. As of this posting, the brand new Hampton Inn Fairhope is scheduled to open May 2, 2009. If that holds it could be an option as well.
BEACHES:
If you aren’t from the area, especially if you’ve never been, you should schedule some extra days to check out our sugar-white sand beaches. Just south of Fairhope are Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, located on the Gulf of Mexico. If you scoot a little further east you’ll hit Pensacola Beach, which in my opinion, is one of the prettiest I’ve seen in my life.
Again – really excited to see everyone soon. Please let me or Ryan know if we can help with any travel plans!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Just wanted to add Mobile weather can be crazy. Normally the day time is very warm, humid, shorts and sleeveless for sure…with maybe a light coat/sweater. The evening might be a little cool, especially if the wind is coming off the Bay. So be sure to pack for mostly warm/hot weather with a light coat/sweater in case you get chilled. And pack your bathing suit if you will be here in the day because we have been in bathing suits on and off since Jan 13th!
One more note here – I was at Wendy’s wedding at Dorgan’s last weekend and want to pass this along: recommend you not wear heels. Most of the area is covered in thick grass unsuitable for heels. Also most people will want to wander down the pier to spend some time on the wharf and you don’t want to make that trek in heels either. Just a head’s up – you can always remove your shoes if you want though, I guess.
Hi Jen, I saw that you recently had your wedding at Dorgan’s Inn. I am considering renting it for my wedding reception next year. Do you have any pics from the event?
Thanks, Taylor
Taylor,
If you will check out my Facebook profile you can see where many friends have posted photos from our event there. Regardless, you won’t find a more perfect place than this one. We had the ceremony, reception and all there on the grounds.
Try going to wedding catering
Try going to Naplesweddingcatering.com