Location
The ceremony will take place in the Convocation House, a 17th-century extension to the Divinity Schools in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, which acted as the Royalist parliament during the reign of Charles II. It is attached to the Chancellor’s Court, where Oscar Wilde was tried for not paying his college battels.
The reception will be 5 miles north-west of central Oxford in Wytham Village Hall, a 1920s theatre built as a 21st birthday present for the daughter of the manor. Its walls are lined with black and white photos of her amateur dramatic productions.
Timings
Please arrive at the Bodleian from 11:30 for the ceremony at 12:00. The reception will start at 13:30 in Wytham Village Hall, and is unlikely to go on much later than 22:00, which is already way past the bride’s bedtime.
What to expect
The ceremony at the Bodleian will last around 45 minutes. There will be lots of music and plenty of opportunities for you to join in, so warm up your pipes!
Saturday is treat day, and our number one priority is to feed you. The wedding breakfast will be served at 14:30. Cheese and biscuits (and cake!) will be available later in the evening. For entertainment, there will be a roda de samba and some special musical guests, with optional dancing. And there will, of course, be a quiz.
Getting there
By train or bus
Oxford has two railway stations: Oxford (trains from Paddington, Marylebone, Reading, Didcot and Birmingham) and Oxford Parkway (trains from Marylebone only). The Bodleian is 20 minutes’ walk from Oxford station. Wytham is 10 minutes by taxi from both stations.
The Oxford Tube and X90 buses get you from Victoria in central London to central Oxford in under two hours. Get off at The Queen’s College on High Street for the Bodleian (5 minutes on foot). Gloucester Green Bus Station is 15 minutes’ walk from the Bodleian and 15 minutes by taxi from Wytham Village Hall.
By car
The best on-street parking is on St Giles’, which costs £5 for two hours. Broad Street is closer but you can only park for one hour, which won’t be enough. The Westgate and Oxpens car parks on Oxpens Road are 15 minutes’ walk and cost £4 for two hours or £5 for three.
Alternatively, use the park and rides at Pear Tree, Oxford Parkway (AKA Water Eaton) or Seacourt and get the bus into the city centre. Allow half an hour for the journey. After the ceremony, get the bus back to the park and ride and move your car to Wytham Village Hall. There is plenty of parking space along the road and (weather permitting) on the cricket ground, but please bring sensible shoes for the walk across the grass.
By taxi
Uber hasn’t arrived in Oxford, but there are numerous taxis. We will have phone numbers available at the reception. If you want to book in advance, the following firms have decent Google reviews:
001 Taxis: 01865 240 000
Eagle Taxis: 07958 437 250
Go Green Taxis: 01865 922 222
Royal Cars: 01865 777 333
Also, the mytaxi app has recently launched in Oxford and claims to send out a cab within a few minutes. Use the promo code christophe.wha1 for a discount on your first trip.
Where to stay
The nearest hotels to Wytham Village Hall are all 10-15 minutes by car:
Jurys Inn
Holiday Inn
Travelodge
Premier Inn
There are also lots of Airbnbs, although they tend to be more towards the centre of town.
What to wear
The dress code is smart and warm. If you’re driving, we suggest you bring sturdy shoes to walk across the grass from the car park on the cricket ground. On the subject of shoes, please feel free to bring comfy footwear for the evening, or even a pair of slippers. The bride and groom will be wearing theirs!
Gifts
We want your presence, not your presents, so please don’t feel that you have to buy us a gift. But if you would like to, we have gift lists at John Lewis (gift list number 751077, available from 5 January 2019) and Amazon. These allow us to decide where and when the presents will be delivered. It’s best not to bring presents to the venue. Or you can donate to our favourite charities: the Disasters Emergency Committee, Mind and Bloody Good Period.
Contact us
[email protected]Fran: 07813 307489
Chris: 07817 536583