Wednesday July 28, 2021
Oxnead, Norwich, UK
1459 days 16 hrs 5 mins ago
Schedule
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Night Before Grub
6:30 PM to 11:30 PM
We have hired the venue the night before the wedding, Dave will be staying along with some family and friends (Poppy is staying in a different location). Anyone else who is staying locally and would like to come to Oxnead on the Tuesday night is more than welcome to do so. We will be putting some food on to cater for whoever would like to join us, so please let us know on the RSVP if you will be coming, all you need to bring is whatever you would like to drink as the bar will not be open.
Casual
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Evening Celebrations
7:30 PM to 11:59 PM
If you are joining us for the evening, please arrive for 7:30pm.
Cake Cutting
7:50 PM to 8:05 PM
Once we have cut into our cake pick your favourite of the 3 flavours on offer. We might disappear for a moment with the photographer before returning for the first dance.
Fill the dance floor
8:45 PM to 11:59 PM
We are planning to have our first dance at about 8:45 - Dave would very much like you to join us as quickly as possible. But feel free to fill the dance floor for as long as our DJ is playing your requests.
Evening Food
9:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Time to soak up all the alcohol that has been consumed and indulge in some stodgy evening grub.
Time to Go Home
11:59 PM to 12:00 AM
Unfortunately our day of celebrating with you all will have to come to an end eventually, and that time is midnight, so please book taxis if needed for this time.
Registry
We’ve been asked what we’d like for a gift and the answer is simple: you, at our wedding, having a great time. However, we know that you may insist on gifting something.
Some of you were incredibly kind and helped us have the most amazing 'Earlymoon' in the Maldives over Christmas and New Year - it was a once in a lifetime trip that we loved every moment of and are incredibly grateful for.
If you didn't gift us a contribution or experience on our honeymoon and would still like to get us something then anything from the ideas below would be very gratefully appreciated.
1. We have just moved into a new house and over the coming year will no doubt make many visits to B&Q so vouchers will always come in useful in helping us redesign and decorate our new shared home. I'm sure we will also hit up places like Ikea, Next and for furniture if you prefer those options.
2. We were going to travel to Mykonos for a greedy second short honeymoon, but with all the uncertainty have cancelled this and will go to North Norfolk for a couple of days instead - if you wanted to gift cash to go towards accommodation and a couple of nice meals out that would also be very gratefully received.
3. If you are not so comfortable with gifting money/vouchers or would like to be more traditional and gift an item then we have put a very small list together on John Lewis the link for which should be below www.johnlewis.com/wish-list/MVRWMJF
Q & A
For all our friends and family who have lots of questions, please check out our Q & A first!
When is the RSVP deadline?
Saturday May 22nd please, although the earlier you can confirm or re-confirm the better - even if it is a conditional answer as we can progress with our plans. 22nd May would allow us to see that the 17th May step takes place and whether things all still look good for final step in the relaxation of restrictions in June.
Is the wedding still going ahead in the current Covid-19 situation.
We very much hope so this time. Under the current road map our wedding should be able to go ahead as originally planned as it comes after the June removal of legal restrictions. After discussions with the venue we have decided to proceed and plan as though it will be happening and it is our intention to get married this summer. We will of course keep an eye on any changes to easing of restrictions and update if anything changes. We also fully respect individual's feelings towards social gatherings such as this, and if you don't feel comfortable with attending a wedding then we won't be offended.
Can I bring a date?
We have a strict guest list to stay on budget. Unfortunately, this means our wedding is strictly RSVP only. We will only be able to accommodate those listed on your invitation for the ceremony and breakfast, but might be able to accommodate additional guests in the evening, please do get in touch to confirm this though.
Are kids welcome?
We know that for some of our friends and family, especially those travelling further distances, that childcare for a few days might be difficult, so are fine with children joining us if it is the only way for you to come and celebrate with us. Whatever happens, there will be a few children there, including our two wonderful flower girls Mia and Matilda.
What time should I arrive?
Our ceremony is due to start at 2pm, so please arrive in plenty of time for this, we would suggest 1:30pm at the latest. If you are just coming for the evening celebrations then please arrive by 7:30pm.
Where should I park?
The East Gate car park is where guests should be directed to park. From here it is a short walk to either the ceremony or breakfast/evening celebrations.
What kind of shoes should/shouldn't I wear?
We are getting married outside, meaning you will be walking on grass, and many of the paths at the venue are gravel paths, so high heels might be a challenge without high heel protectors or something similar.
Will food be served?
Yes, there will be canapes at the drinks reception in the Orangery. We will then do the speeches before sitting down for a 3 course meal. You have a choice of meals to pick from, please do this on the RSVP. Please note if you would like the vegetarian menu then you need to select all 3 of the vegetarian courses. There is a separate children's menu. Then in the evening there will be some effective alcohol soaking bites and of course the cake!
Is it okay to take pictures with our phones and cameras during the wedding?
Of course, only condition is you share them with us. We have signed up for an app called SamSaidYes. It allows guests to share photos in real-time and we would love it if guests used this on the day. We're hoping to use some of them as part of the DJ Set Up. You can download SamSaidYes app here When you download the app, to add our event you just need to use the id 0buexy4.
Will there be dancing?
Hope so! In the RSVP please give us a song request that would get you up dancing. If you really aren't a dancing fan (like Dave), we do have something else planned to entertain guests in the evening! If you want to suggest more songs to set the vibe for the evening, please go to our DJ's site and request as many as you like
Where are the ceremony and the reception taking place?
The ceremony is taking place outside down by the water, this will be on grass. The drinks reception after this is at the Orangery which has a cashless bar if you need your thirst-quenching by more than the initial welcome drink! The Orangery provides some inside space and shade if it is a hot day, but also some lovely garden space next to it, there will be tables and parasols in the garden area along with a few lawn games. The speeches, wedding breakfast and evening celebrations are all taking place in the main barn, there is a courtyard adjacent if you want to take a break and enjoy a bit of the warm summer evening (hopefully) or have a rematch in the lawn games from earlier.
Should I bring confetti?
Confetti will be provided on the day - it has to be a certain, biodegradable type so we will make sure there is plenty of this avaliable for you to throw in our faces!
I have a question not answered here; how do I contact you?
Feel free to drop us an email at richards.d85@me.com if you have any questions.
Does the bar take cash or card?
Both of the bars, the one at the Orangery and the one in the main barn are both cashless. There will be some drinks provided (welcome drink, toast and wine with dinner).
Story
We first met at work - back when Ormiston Venture Academy, where we both still work, didn't yet exist. For those of you who know it was a fairly long winding road to this point, and although we have known each other since 2008, it was really 2016 where things took off. We will leave it there as wouldn't want to starve people of precious materials for their speeches!
Tidbits
Where are you going for your honeymoon?
We have been - we were very lucky and grateful to make it to the Maldives at Christmas and New year and for those of you who contributed should know it helped us have the best 'earlymoon' we could have had so thank you!
What's your favorite activity together?
We love to visit new places and enjoy little breaks away, when that isn't possible a nice meal out or binging on a good TV series. Our guilty pleasure is definitely a trip down to Spoons on Gorleston High Street!
Who's going to take out the trash?
Dave - usually when told to by Poppy!
What's the best meal you have eaten together?
We were lucky enough to be treated to a meal at Casa Mia in Bristol as an engagement gift and it was on a different level to anything we'd experienced before. We have some favourite courses (Dog bowl of Chocolate Mousse in Paris) and memorable food (Philly Cheesesteak) eaten elsewhere but as a whole meal and experience, it will be tough to beat! Would highly recommend a visit if you ever get the chance. The 9 course taster meal we had on the honeymoon was pretty incredible too.
What's the most memorable trip you have taken together?
Aside from the honeymoon taking that top spot. Dubai holds an important place in our heart as it was our first trip away together, but our Summer 2018 road trip around the states, visiting Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Niagara, Toronto and Chicago before finishing up in Cancun where we got engaged was incredible and formed so many memories that will last a lifetime. We are very lucky to have visited so many lovely places over the past 3 or 4 years and look forward to visiting more new places.
How did you propose?
On the last night of our stay in Mexico we had a private beach meal, which Poppy thought was an included perk in the level of room we had booked. At each place we visited on our road trip, I gave her an El-Camino bead with the name of the place on it (Poppy has one for every place we have been on a bracelet), so when I gave her the Mexico one on the last night it didn't feel out of the ordinary, except the Mexico one had the words - "Will you marry me" engraved on it, all very romantic apart from not considering the lack of light on the beach to be able to read it! A bit of a squint, holding close the light and the fairly obvious signal of getting down on one knee later, luckily the answer was yes!
Travel
Please use the link below to open up a spreadsheet with links to hotels, B&B's and self catering options within about 10 miles of the Venue by Car. There may be others Dave has missed, and can't speak on the quality of many of them (Sprowston Manor being the only one we have visited) but hope this will help with any accommodation search.
Booking Assistant - Find Hotels Near Our Venue
ABC Taxis Norwich, Paddock Street, Norwich, UK
There are a couple of taxi companies you can use, most within Norwich, Coltishall and Wroxham should serve the area but this is one of the numbers Oxnead provided
Enterprise Taxis, Taverham Road, Drayton, Norwich, UK
There are a couple of taxi companies you can use, most within Norwich, Coltishall and Wroxham should serve the area but this is one of the numbers Oxnead provided
Wedding Party
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Wedding Is On
The Wedding is on - see you all on July 28th. The venue have removed all restrictions and made it a case of personal choice as to whether you choose to wear masks or not. All we would ask is that everyone joining us is respectful of others choices on the day.
