Sarah & Ian
Info for guests
Guests who are staying at the hotel
We are excited that so many of you will be able to stay at Seaham Hall with us on the Friday and Saturday night. You can find out more information about the hotel here (https://www.seaham-hall.co.uk/) but the essential info is as follows: Checking in: Check-in is from 3pm. Most guests will be checking in on Friday. There are no plans for the Friday night other than for you to arrive, relax and enjoy the hotel. If you are checking in on Saturday please be aware that the wedding starts at 1pm so please leave your bags with reception and check-in later in the day.
Guests who are not staying at the hotel
Unfortunately Seaham Hall is a relatively small hotel so not everyone is able to stay at the venue with us. While we do not have any plans for the Friday night (leaving time for any last minute panics!), many of the guests will be staying at the hotel and you are welcome to hang out in the bar / restaurant at Seaham Hall if you wish. On Sunday after the wedding you are also welcome to join us at the hotel for breakfast but again there are no set plans. We are not planning a particular time to have breakfast and all of the guests staying at the hotel will be doing their own thing - we'll see how we all feel in the morning!
Older Children (2+ ish)
We are aware that some of you are bringing your children to the wedding. This is good, we like your children. We are also aware that sometimes children do unpredictable things and that you, and we, cannot plan for every eventuality where children are concerned. We want your children to enjoy the day as much as you do and therefore they are very welcome to join in any of the activities. However, as speeches and three course meals are often not much fun for younger ones, we have arranged a separate room filled with child friendly activites (pool table, board games, PS5 console etc) where children can hang out together during the wedding breakfast. A professional child care team will be with us from 12:00 - late on Saturday so that you can relax knowing that your children are in safe hands. The child care provider will also oversee a buffet meal (fruit, pasta, brownie) for the children which will be served in the children-friendly room while we enjoy the wedding breakfast.
Younger children (0-2ish)
Younger children (typically those 2 and under) will have a high chair at the wedding breakfast tables. Due to kitchen logistics we ask that if your child will be joining the wedding breakfast (and thus not eating from the kids buffet for the over 2's) you bring a small meal for them to enjoy. However don't worry if this will be difficult with travel etc as we will make sure no one goes hungry! While we are not specifically catering for infants, we will have a range of baby / infant friendly snacks / pouches etc available throughout the day should you need anything. (And please don't worry if your baby cries or "causes a scene". That's what babies - and possibly grooms - do!).
Food
On Friday evening, for guests staying at Seaham Hall the hotel has 3 food options for you to choose from. The Dining Room is available from 18:30 - 21:00 and provides " the best of modern British fare in a fabulous setting". The Lounge is a more relaxed offering, serving sandwiches, fish and chips, burgers etc from 12noon until 22:00. Located in the spa area is an Asian fusion restaurant, Ozone, serving from 17:00 to 22:00 (last table at 21:00). Alternatively, there are a number of local cafes / shops in nearby Seaham. On Saturday, breakfast for hotel guests will be available in the Dining Room. Wedding food: Canapes will be served from 13:30 and the Wedding Breakfast will be served at 15:30. The evening food will be available after the cake cutting / first dance around 19:30 / 20:00ish. We know that food timings can be a little odd at weddings and snacks will be available throughout the day, so no need to keep a sausage roll in your pocket...
Order of the Day
To help you plan your day, here's our plan for the day! 12:00 - 12:45 Guests arrive 13:00 - 13:30 Wedding Ceremony 13:30 - 15:00 Drinks reception and canapes 15:00 - 15:30 Speeches 15:30 - 18:00 Wedding Breakfast 18:00 - 19:30 Lawn games 19:30 - 23:30 Cake cutting, first dance, evening reception Inevitably things will change but that's our best guess at the moment. Hopefully it helps you enjoy the day!
Spa / Pool
For those guests staying at Seaham Hall, the hotel has a great pool (jacuzzi's etc) that you are welcome to use throughout your stay. Children are allowed to use the pool 8:30 - 10:00 and 16:30 - 18:00.
Dress code
Please wear whatever you will be most comfortable in. We hope to be outside for as much of the day as possible and some of this time may be spent on grass. Please plan your footwear accordingly.
Gifts
A polite reminder that after 18 years together we have everything we need to start our married life, however if you insist on getting us a gift we would very much appreciate any donations to the Tommy's charity in memory of our son Jack. Sarah is running the Great North Run in September 2022 and her fundraising page can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sarah-johnson191