Joe Benson
LOah Oates
Joe Benson
LOah Oates
We look forward to celebrating with you
We would be honoured if you could join us on our special day to celebrate what we feel is our blessing from up above. We are so grateful and feel so fortunate to have found so great a love and a strong sense of peace in each other’s presence. The timing, the circumstances, the feeling of having known each other for so long made it so easy for us to joyfully choose to spend the rest of our lives together. To us, our wedding day is about celebrating God’s gift to us, with all who are dear to our hearts. So, pull out your fancy winter coat and polish up your finest shoes because our joy would only be complete in celebrating with you!
Schedule
Saturday, November 5, 2022
Ceremony
11:45 am - 2:00 pm
Rickman Hill, England CR5 3DS, United Kingdom
Cant wait to see you!
Travel
Hotel
Click here for discounted rates
Hotel
Jurys Inn Croydon
Hotel
Travelodge Croydon Central
Hotel
Premier Inn London Croydon Town Centre hotel
Train
To get around London
There are huge number of options for travelling: - National rail - a great way to get from the suburbs of London, into central London. From Gatwick or East Croydon to Central London you can pay for your fare by tapping in and tapping out your credit/debit card at the station. You would not need to pre-purchase paper tickets. - London Buses – the quintessentially British red double decker buses. - London Underground, – see here for the map: https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/track/tube These usually run every 2-3 minutes and so very easy to use to mobilise around London. Easy to pay for with your debit/credit card, just tap in and out between stations (at the end of the day, it caps at the price of a ‘day travelcard’ price if you use the same debit/credit card for all your journeys. - Boat – Uber boat is very easy to catch on the River Thames - Taxi - Hail a quintessentially British ‘London cab’ or use ‘Uber’ (which usually is cheaper than the ‘London cab’ except at surge times) - Santander bicycles – easy to hire but only available in central London. These are located at numerous docks around central London.
Gallery
Things To Do
The British museum
Amazing collection of artefacts from around the world.
Natural History museum
A great museum for wildlife, outer space and geology.
Victoria and Albert museum
A great collection of many materials, from around the world.
Tate Modern
Tate holds the national collection of British art from 1500 to the present day and international modern and contemporary art.
For other ideas for things to do in London, or some pre-planned itineraries:
We have a few favourite sites in London that we have enjoyed visiting and would highly recommend:
- Tower bridge (the one that some mistake as being London Bridge) - Borough Market - The “West End” - Primrose Hill - Greenwich - Big Ben - Westminster Cathedral - Buckingham Palace - Trafalgar square - The London Eye - The Royal Albert memorial - The Shard - St Paul’s Cathedral - Tower Bridge - Baker Street – famous for Sherlock Holmes - Madame Tussaud’s wax museum
Hop-on, hop-off bus
If you have very little time in London then a ‘hop-on, hop-off bus’ may be an option to tick many of these sites off your list, or if you like walking then purchasing a day travelcard on the London Underground and travelling to the above sites one by one, is another option. You can plan your journeys around the capital, please use google maps or the TFL journey planner.
FAQs
Question
What should I wear? Is there a dress code?
Answer
Usual wedding attire is just fine.
Question
What time should I arrive at the church?
Answer
We know it can take a while to find parking, pick your spot in the church and say hi to other guests so please aim to be at the church between 11:45-12pm. Unless there’s unforeseen circumstances the bride won’t be late, so please aim to arrive on time.
Question
Where should guests park? Is parking free?
Answer
There is limited parking in the church car park and there is also street parking on the road leading to the church (on Rickman Hill). At the wedding reception there is also limited free parking on the grounds. If the area is too full then there are playing fields that are a short walk away if needed but we hope we won’t need to utilise those. If you have extra places in your car and know of others that need a ride then please try to pool together. This will help the parking situation at both the church and the reception and you’ll be doing a great favour to us too! Thank you!!
Question
How far are the ceremony and the reception from each other?
Answer
It is approximately 45-60minutes drive between the two.
Question
Will transportation be provided between to/from the hotel?
Answer
We are so excited for you to come join us on our special day and we’d love to make the travel between Landsdowne Road, East Croydon (what3words: ///hoot.voters.admit) and the Church / reception as easy for you as possible. Please let us know when you RSVP whether you need transport from Landsdowne Road, to the church and to the wedding reception and whether you would like to return back to the church or Landsdowne Road at 9:30pm or at the later time at midnight. If you would like transport then please contact Donna Winning Events on 07715 570967.
Question
What will the weather be like this time of year?
Answer
November in London isn’t always the brightest. Of course we’re hoping for the best but please prepare yourself and bring an umbrella and a warm coat.
Question
Are the ceremony and reception location wheelchair accessible?
Answer
Yes
Question
I still have questions, what is the best way to contact you?
Answer
Please feel free to contact us if you need to ask about anything that we haven’t covered in these FAQs: rsvp@donnawinningevents.com
Question
What to expect during the wedding ceremony
Answer
Both of us have been brought up in the Coptic Church and our wedding ceremony will be a typical Coptic ceremony. It is a mixture of chanting of prayers and readings from bible that are relevant to the responsibilities that the bride and groom are agreeing to undertake in their unity. There are a number of things you might notice during the wedding ceremony. • The bride and groom are anointed with oil – in this sacrament of holy matrimony, we believe the holy spirit descends on the couple and sanctifies this marriage. • The bride and groom are crowned – these symbolise many things including the symbol of glory as they become the king and queen of their new home but they also symbolise the sacrifice that they now make as they now place the well-being of the other person before their own. • The bride and groom are given gowns – again symbolising the glory bestowed on the bride and groom as they become king and queen of their new home. You may also hear some guests ululate – don’t panic! These are cries of jubilation which are very common in Coptic weddings but are traditionally done at set times in the wedding ceremony. We just thought we’d let you know from now so that you don’t get a fright!
Question
What is a Ceilidh?
Answer
We don’t want to give away too much about the fun activities we’ve organised for the wedding day but just so you know, you’ll probably be pulled up to join in a Ceilidh (pronounced ‘Kay-lee’). A Ceilidh is traditional Scottish (Gaelic) dancing. The word comes from the Gaelic word for ‘gathering’ or ‘party’ and so what better way to celebrate!! If you’ve never been to ceilidh before, you need not worry, its very easy to pick up and there is a ‘caller’ who walks you through the steps and before each dance there is a practice run so that everyone has an idea of what to expect. Whether you have ‘2 left feet’ or you are an expert dancer, its an opportunity for everyone to get involved and have a great time!
RSVP
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