Wedding Information Pack

Welcome to out wedding!

This information is provided to help you actually get to the wedding and reception, and also provide information about places to stay near the event. We have tried to include as much information as possible, but we are bound to have left something out. If you need help in any part of your planning for the trip (especially those of you traveling from the USA or Mauritius), please don't hesitate to contact either of us at:

or at our home number: +1 (425) 746 5983

We'll be placing any late breaking information on the website.

A final note. We really need everyone to RSVP (i.e. tell us that you are actually going to come, and how many people). Either email us at wedding@steve-lacey.com, or use the enclosed RSVP card. Also, if you have one, please send us your email address. We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Maps and Directions

Directions to the church in Keymer Keymer is a tiny village next to Hassocks (about 0.5 miles from Hassocks Station. On the map below the difference between the little villages are about a 10 min cab ride. Cabs are relatively cheap around here (unlike London). Trains leave from Victoria Station in London. Take a train to Haywards Heath Station and a cab from there to either your hotel or if you are going directly to the church, take a cab to Keymer. There are 3 times as many trains going to Haywards Heath than to Hassocks from Victoria Station (London).

Directions to Ardingly College for the Reception Ardingly College's website Directions from the M23 - at Junction 10 take the A264 heading east towards East Grinstead for 2.2 miles. Turn right onto the B2028 and follow south until you reach Ardingly. Turn right into College Road. This is signposted to Borde Hill and Ardingly College. The College entrance is 0.8 miles along this road on the right. See detailed map to the left...

Where To Stay

All prices in UK pounds.

If you're traveling from the USA

You must get a passport to travel... And bring it with you... Remember to check the expiry date. Did we say remember to bring it with you?

Seattle IRS office:

Flight information

If you are flying from Seattle, the following are a possible sources for cheap flights. We've used expedia before, but some British people out here recommended trying the others as expedia can be expensive sometimes. Also checkout British Airways for special offers, Expedia, CheapTickets, AirNet, Major Travel.

Getting to London from the airport

Brighton (which is basically where the wedding is taking place) is on the south coast of England - due south from London.

There are two airports into which most international visitors to London fly to.

The major airport is Heathrow (LHR), which is due west of London. From there, get the Heathrow Express, which takes 15 minutes and terminates at Paddington Station. You would then take the tube to Victoria station and travel south towards Brighton, stopping off at (probably) Haywards Heath, depending on where you were staying.

If flying into Gatwick, then it is really easy. Just get on a train going south and get off at (probably) Haywards Heath. The journey is about 10 minutes.

Of course, you could always just take a taxi. Be prepared to pay about 50-80 UK pounds for the privilege.

Hotels in London

We can't really recommend a hotel in London, mainly because we lived there and didn't have to stay in one. One thing is for sure though, as in any big city you'll probably have to choose between the outrageously expensive to very cheap and not so nice. You can find lodging using www.expedia.com.

Suggested reading (Expedia's web site recommends these)

Frommer's Irreverent Guide to London by Kate Sekules, 1998. Lonely Planet Longon by Pat Yale, 1998. Rick Steves' London by Rick Steves and Gene Openshaw, 1999.

Tipping. You only tip cab drivers and waiting staff in the UK. (about 10%), and you don't really tip anyone else. Try tipping a barman and you might get punched ;-)

Gifts

Please do not bring back any gifts to the wedding as we won't be in the UK for long enough to ship it back to the US and pay duty, etc... etc...

We have registered with Wedding Channel. Purchase online or call 1-888-989-WEDD (there should be a card enclosed).

If you do plan on shipping to the US, our current address is:

If you do plan on shipping gifts please remember that we will have to pay tax at this end. I'm not sure what the cost is but as my sister can tell you, when I've mailed her gifts she's has had to pay tax, Writing `gift' on the package didn't make any difference. Going through a registry saves all of this hassle. If you don't have access to a computer you can phone them up instead.

Other Information About Our Wedding

The most noticeable difference between an English wedding and many other weddings is numbers. We have only invited 130 guests. We've accommodated 30 family members each.

The invitation

The invitation is exclusively by name only, and not per family. In some instances we've excluded children, mainly to keep down numbers.

The wedding

The wedding is going to be a Church of England Wedding. The service starts at 1pm and lasts for about 45 minutes. When you arrive at the church (after having a few beers at the pub opposite ;-) an usher will show you where to sit (that is where to sit in the Church, not the pub...) The tradition is that the guests of the bride sit on one side and the guests of the groom sit on the other side. After the service the wedding party will go and have their photos taken while guests make their way to the reception.

The reception

The reception is timed to start between one and two hours after the wedding ceremony. Don't worry; aperitifs and nibbles will be available during this time.

The food

Don't panic, there's no pork on the menu, and there should be a vegetarian dish. There will be a three-course sit down meal.

The booze

Wine is provided with the meal, and we will have a fully licensed bar.

What to wear

A few people have asked me what they should wear. Well, we simply don't care. Wear a sari, jeans, a mini skirt or nothing at all. Wear whatever you like. Nabila's dad is going to be wearing a hat and tails. Giggle.

What's with this registry business?

With Mauritian weddings, I (Nabila) always remember a big table covered with presents that guests bring to the wedding. A registry means that a shop holds an account where the bride and groom choose gifts that they need. The idea behind it is that you don't get 20 toasters. The most important part is you don't have to buy a whole, very expensive, but something the bride really wants, gift, but can make a contribution to one. That way a few people can help buy something jointly.

Tourist Information

We've included some tourist information incase you want to have a look around the area or are interested in the local history.

A lot of the information is culled from here.

Mid Sussex

A region, as the name suggests - in the middle of East and West Sussex. The area includes Horsham, Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and the surrounding smaller towns and villages. This part of the south east has much to offer, rolling unspoilt countryside, The Sussex Downs, nearby coastal towns and resorts.

Communications

Communications are excellent. Horsham, Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath are all easily accessible by road, rail, sea and air. The A/M23 joins the M25 to allow fast and easy access to London and all major cities. Gatwick Airport is around 20 minutes by road. Heathrow is about 11/2 hours by road. Train services to London and the rest of the UK are operated by Connex South Central with direct services as far as Edinburgh. Several bus companies and reputable taxi services operate within the towns and the surrounding area.

Villages around Haywards Heath & Burgess Hill

Ardingly

With a population of just 1594, Ardingly is best known for the South of England Showground, the home of one of the best agricultural shows in the country. The village is also famed for it's reservoir which offers canoeing, sailing, trout fishing and bird watching, as well as the famous public school, Ardingly College. Just north of the village is Wakehurst Place, a beautiful mansion and gardens built in 1590 by Sir Edward Culpeper, with an important collection of exotic trees and shrubs.

Bolney

A small pretty village of just 1180 people, Bolney lies just beside the A23. Bolney is noted historically for its iron smelting in Medieval times and a splendid lych gate and lych tower at the parish church. Housing is mainly cottages with a few barn conversions and modern homes.

Chailey

Traditionally known as the centre of Sussex, Chailey is in two parts; North and South Chailey. Both villages have a mixture of cottages and larger modern homes, and a thriving village community with numerous clubs and traditional associations.

Clayton

A very small village of 1671 occupants with several attractions such as the famous Jack & Jill windmills and an exceptionally ornate Victorian entrance to the railway tunnel, which also has a cottage built between its battlemented turrets.

Cuckfield

A very attractive village with a small museum, a 15th century church and some pretty shops and houses. Housing is relatively expensive with an even mix of old and new homes. There is also a popular state secondary school in Cuckfield and a beautiful old country house hotel.

Ditchling

A village of antiquity with spectacular houses particularly famed for their mathematical tiles, a peculiarly local product. Very popular for those seeking a quaint olde english village, prices are high and new development is strictly limited by residents' choice and by its location, between the Downs - the village leads to Ditchling Beacon- and Ditchling Common which is protected.

Hassocks & Keymer

(Where Steve grew up) Adjacent villages with a population of just over 5000. Hassocks has a main line railway station and both villages have a fair amount of new development while retaining the village atmosphere with local shops and schools, clubs and sports facilities.

Hurstpierpoint

Near to Hassocks and Keymer, Hurstpierpoint is a larger village of some 5500 residents. Home to the famous Hurstpierpoint College and also known for its Iron Age Fort above the village at Woolstonbury Hill. The centre of the village is designated a conservation area and the attractive high street provides good local shopping facilities.

Lindfield

A picturesque village with many beautiful buildings, a lovely village pond and common and a history which dates to medieval times. Lindfield is a frequent winner of Best Kept Village Competitions. Its beauty and convenience for the Haywards Heath mainline service keeps house prices fairly high and its popularity is further enhanced by good village shops and pubs.

Newick

Easy to miss as you drive through on the A272, Newick is very popular and thriving small village. With playschools, village school,shops, a bank and post office, more than 100 clubs and associations and four pubs to serve a population of less than 2500, Newick has a lot to offer. Behind the pretty village green and historic pump, new development provides houses of all sizes to complement the quaint cottages, farmhouses and large country homes.

Plumpton

A smaller rural community set in beautiful countryside and maintaining rural traditions with a flourishing agricultural college. Plumpton does not have very many houses but has a school, church and a selection of good public houses clustered near the famous racecourse.

Scaynes Hill

The Bluebell steam engines are a familiar sight along the track behind Scaynes Hill Village, although there is now no train service to the village. Some new development has ensured the survival of this village and its school but they are served by just one shop.

Warninglid

Once home to Lord Tennyson, Warninglid remains a traditional and very quiet Sussex village despite its closeness to the M23. One big house dominates the village with large gates and a pretty pond, most of the other homes are little cottages or individual detached homes.

Wivelsfield & Wivelsfield Green

Midway between Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill, Wivelsfield has a station which is nearer Burgess Hill than the village itself and Wivelsfield Green has no station but a thriving, if small, village community. A selection of good housing and a traditional village school retain Wivelsfield's popularity. [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]