Happily married

Phew. It all went well, we've been off on honeymoon which was great, got back to work last week and have been running around lots getting back to normal.

Anyway, hi-res photos are at . Enjoy. And please feel free to send us digital copies of any good photos at matthewharrup@hotmail.com

Matt and Lizzie are getting married

For those of you who don't know by now, we're getting married. Rather than take 100's of phonecalls of "where's the venue?" we thought we'd put it all on the web (see the travel photos at http://mattandlizzie.blogspot.com).

If you have any comments, questions, requests for lifts, anything that you'd like to know about the wedding - please, post them here. Alternatively, our contact details are on the right hand side.

Dress code

I've had a number of queries regarding the dress code, so here it goes:

Men -wear your suit. If you don't have a suit, wear trousers and shirts. I'd rather everyone was comfortable and smart and relaxed than primly dressed up and on ceremony.

Women -I really don't mind. If you need an excuse to buy a dress, use this as an excuse to buy a dress. If you'd like to wear a hat, wear a hat, if you don't, don't.

Kids -I really don't mind. As smart as you like. Really no need to force them into once-off suits that they'll grow out of in a year.

Wedding is iminent...

Well, we're nearly there. One stag night this weekend, then next weekend is the big event. No hen night for Liz, she's off to a luxury hotel in italy with her mum Jill.

There will be a BBQ the friday 9th (day before the wedding), mainly for anyone in the area- if you're around, please contact us and we'll fit you in (Adam-from-the-coppleridge would like to know numbers), if not, don't worry. Its an informal friendly thing.

Apart from that, the only thing that's going on is organising lifts. There are seats available to london and bristol, and I imagine we'll have enough drivers to do gillingham train station runs - please get in touch if you need anything, we might be able to organise it. Actually, no, we'll likely just put you in touch with someone going in the right direction, we have far too much to organise as it is.

Taxi numbers

We've been advised that taxis need to be booked in advance in the area. Here are some taxi phone numbers:
Hilltop Taxis
9c, Wincombe Business Park, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 9QJ
Tel: 01747 855555

Country Cars
2, St. Lawrence Crescent, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 8EG
Tel: 01747 850950

Jim's Taxis
Unit 25f, Longmead, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 8PL
Tel: 01747 858584

Nearby Hotels

The 10 rooms at the Coppleridge are pretty much booked up by now, as is the next-door Red Lion. Alternate hotels: (I've been informed the Pair Tree in Motcombe is shut that weekend)

1 or 2 or 3 Ivy cross,
Shaftesbury
Dorset
SP7 8DW
tel 01747 853837 (3 Ivy Cross) email stiktone@aol.com
tel 01747 853430 (2 Ivy Cross) email wendy@baggaley.f2s.com
tel 01747 850005 (1 Ivy Cross) email jenny@ivycrosshouse.com
These are all next to each other and on the Motcombe side of Shaftesbury, so you should be able to share taxis there and back (maybe 10 mins in a taxi to the Coppleridge). They all quote the price as "from £24" a night, which I guess is for a single and £50ish for a double/twin.

The Chalet
Christy's Lane, Shaftesbury
Dorset SP7 8DL
tel 01747 853945 email enquiries@thechalet.biz http://www.thechalet.biz

Wedding list

We've had a few questions about what we'd like as wedding gifts, and its a bit tricky. Please, no toasters. We've been living in a house for the last few years and we have all the basics, and we're not particularly interested in matching crockery. When we do buy a house we'll want a few items, but we have no way of knowing e.g. how big the place will be.

The best idea we've come up with is in the form of a contribution to the honeymoon - after travelling the world, we're going for quality in France next door. (Besides, Thailand is absolutely stonkingly hot that time of year).

UPDATE: We've decided that a contribution to the honeymoon it is, please donate any Euros (well, ok, we'll accept pounds sterling as well) to our parents, I'm sure they'll pass them on. Any amount will be appreciated.

The day itself

We would like a relaxed, reasonably informal occasion, no one's going to be standing on ceremony. Suits or even trousers and shirt- we don't mind. Personally I think penguin suits and tails (or whatever they're called) are a bit silly, and certainly not worth hiring.

People will be turning up throughout the day itself, there's an informal gathering of people on the friday night before- just in the coppleridge's restaurant/bar (possibly a bbq if the weather's nice). I'm sure the pub down the road will be showing the England game, the coppleridge itself has a tv - I don't know if they're really the type of place to show England -Paraquay but maybe. The ceremony is at 5.00pm so don't miss that.

Wedding Venue

The wedding will be held at the Coppleridge, Motcombe, Dorset, on Saturday 10th June 2006. See www.coppleridge.com for more details. That's about 3 miles west of Shaftesbury.

The ceremony will be at 5.00pm, then photos, then a sit down meal around 7.30, and a party afterwards. The Coppleridge has a bar with real ales, kid's playground, lots of parking, and lots of open areas. The actual ceremony is in the converted barn around the coutyard with fountains.

Invites are being sent out right now (3rd March) - sorry about the delay, its been busy.

For accomodation, there are 10 rooms at the Coppleridge itself, which we've block booked. If you're interested, contact Lizzie on lizzieroe@hotmail.co.uk or 07899 797 206. They charge £80 for one night or £100 for 2 nights, and can do a third bed/cot in the room. Just up the road is the Royal Oak (01747 854 888 *not* 8529222 as on their website - I've provisionally booked all their 3 rooms) which has 3 rooms for £50 a double or £35 a single, and Alan and Jacqueline have found a guest house at £25pppn nearby. There are other B&B's nearby, we have a list and I'll put it up here soon.



The Coppleridge is marked in the red circle, below:



Large scale:

(Gillingham/Coppleridge is about 30% along and 20% up from the bottom left). So that's straight down the A303 past Stonehenge and off at Shaftesbury. By train its London Waterloo to Gillingham and then a taxi for the last 2 miles. People will be coming down from Leicester, Bristol and London so you may be able to get a lift.