Details of the Great Marriage Getaway
Weʻre gearing up for an amazing weekend!!
Do you know that we are praying for you? Our leadership team is praying for each of the 300 registered couples by name so that includes you! We are praying that God does something amazing in your lives and marriage this coming weekend!
Here are a bunch of things you need to know:
LODGING:
We hate to sound like a broken record here, but we want to make sure you know this: your lodging is NOT included in your registration fee. You should have made arrangements at Ridgecrest for their hotel/meal plan OR booked a local hotel. Please make sure you have your hotel arrangements buttoned up as our room block at Ridgecrest is full.
DIRECTIONS:
The Ridgecrest Conference Center is just east of Black Mountain, North Carolina. Use your GPS to get close, then take exit 66 off of Interstate 40. Turn to the north and take an immediate right (east) on Old U.S. 70. Ridgecrest will be about a mile down on your left. (If you get lost, just stick your head out of the window and follow your nose...Ridgecrest will likely smell like fall leaves, toasted marshmallows and romance, whatever that smells like.)
FRIDAY'S SCHEDULE:
The event officially gets started on Friday afternoon with breakout options at 2:30 and 4:00 P.M. Dinner is at 5:30 P.M. in the Dining Hall (ooh, la la) and our first big general session is in the Spilman Auditorium at 7:00 P.M. Most people take the day off of work on Friday in time to get to Ridgecrest in the early afternoon. (If you have to roll in late, just remember that you will miss out on half of the breakout options. The other half happen Saturday morning. If you do get in later on Friday, you can grab your stuff -- nametags and notebooks -- in the back of Spilman before or after our general session Friday evening.)
HOW TO CHECK IN:
When you pull into Ridgecrest, follow the signs to the Pritchell building, immediately on your left. Starting at 1:00 PM Friday, you can pick up your name tags and your official event notebook from our table in the lobby. There are no guarantees, but it’s possible that your room will be ready starting then, as well. The check-in desk for that is there, as well. (If your room isn’t quite ready, you can check in between breakouts or just before dinner.)
WHAT TO BRING:
Dress is casual, so watch the weather and wear whatever you’ll feel most comfortable in. If you didn't get the memo, this is a faith-based event and we will likely refer to the Bible a few times, so bring one of those if you like. A pen will come in handy, too.
PLANNING FOR SATURDAY:
On Saturday afternoon, you are free to do whatever you want starting with lunch on your own, so we encourage you to do some research and make a plan for something fun and romantic with your sweetheart. (If you want to stay in your room all day and put that swanky "Do Not Disturb" sign to use, that's fine. Just don't talk about it....or make eye contact with me for the duration of the weekend.)
FOR YOUR ROAD TRIP:
It’s likely that you’re driving a few hours to get to the event, so we are putting together some “drive time questions” for you to discuss on the road. Look for those early next week. We also strongly encourage you to create your own "mix tape" or Spotify playlist of songs to enjoy. Pick some that connect with some of your best memories in your relationship. This will take some work but it will totally be worth it. (We recommend anything by Barry White or Marvin Gaye.)
IS IT TOO LATE TO INVITE SOMEONE?
A few people have asked what that deadline is if someone wants to register at the last minute. The answer is exactly that….the last minute. If you know someone who wants to show up on Friday afternoon, we can make room for them. The unfortunate thing is that our room block has filled up so housing is the only challenge. There are local hotels (expensive) you can explore and Ridgecrest may have some (economical, but less desirable) rooms available. Anyone can register for the event HERE and they can contact Ridgecrest at 828-669-8022 to ask about housing options. (It might be wise to nail down a room before registering for the event.)
FOR ALL YOU SOCIAL MEDIA JUNKIES:
We would love to see the photos of your road trip and your weekend. If and when you post something about the weekend on social media (and as long as the pictures are PG) we would love it if you would tag them using our official 2023 Great Marriage Getaway hashtag:
#2023GMG
*If you're not sure what a hashtag is, move along.
There's nothing to see here. ;-)
We are praying for a life-changing weekend for everyone who is able to come to this, our sixth Great Marriage Getaway. Be sure to come with an attitude of expectation that God is doing to do something amazing in each of our marriages!
May He draw us closer to Himself and to each other. Know that we can't wait to see you!
-Barrett and Jenifer Johnson
Great Marriage Getaway Hosts