three days to go...

With three days to go  I wanted to take a moment away from table plans, the bunting, and all the bustle that goes along with a wedding, to say how much we are looking forward to seeing you all, celebrating, and just being with you. 

please bring the sunshine with you on saturday

 much love, matt and ali x

an invitation to celebrate

We are getting married, 

august the sixth

at three o'clock 

at St. Marys church, Liss, Hampshire

and we will then celebrate further at Cumbers Farm, Liss.

We are so excited about you being a part of our day, and we want you to enjoy every aspect of the celebration with us. We have designed this blog to give you all the information you may need, and the answers to some questions you may have. 

 Please scroll through the various posts to find out more.

As it is a blog, we will add more information as time goes by. We hope it will give you a taste of the wedding celebrations we are planning, and our thoughts and dreams leading up to our marriage, and beyond.

Thank you for being a special part of our lives so far. We hope you enjoy the journey as it continues...

getting to the church on time

  

St Mary's Church, Station Road, Liss, Hampshire, GU33 7AQ

It is easily found. If you are coming by train it's a short walk from Liss rail station. Come out of the station, onto the main road, and turn right. You will see it, after a few minutes, set back a bit from the road, on your left.

The wedding service will begin at three o'clock.

St Marys Church have requested that "plastic or metallic confetti must not be used, and that confetti should be not be used at the main church door" and also that "family and friends may take photographs before and after the service, but not during it". 

There will be tea, cakes and something sparkly to drink directly after the marriage in the church. Then you may drive, or it is possible to walk (about twenty minutes on foot), to the 
reception party. 

Cumbers Farm, Andlers Ash Road, Liss, GU33 7LL. 


Come out of the church, and then turn right. Cross over the train crossing and into the village of Liss. At the mini roundabout in front of the "Whistle Stop" pub, turn right (Tescos will then be on your right) into Hill Brow Road, and then, after about 200 metres, turn right again into Andlers Ash Road, and the drive into Cumbers Farm is the first on your left.


Parking: You will find a small free car park opposite the church hall, which is next to the church. There are also plenty of residential roads near St Mary's Church, where you can park your car without charge. There are two other free car parks in the village, a third of a mile from the church on Station Road and Hill Brow Road. 


At the reception at Cumbers Farm, you will be directed into the first field on the right to park your car.


Local Taxis 
Forest Cars - 01730 894658
Liss Cars - 01730 892051
Petersfield Taxi - 01730 303030
Gravers Taxis - 01730 269047
Paddys Cars - 01730 262279
AKS Taxis - 07970 803276
(AKS Taxis have a 7 seater if you wanted to travel with friends)

lunch before the wedding

As we are getting married at three o'clock we thought maybe you should all treat yourselves to a good lunch before you arrive at the church! There are places to buy food in the village of Liss, but if you have a car, and are able to travel a little further afield, we recommend you enjoy a hearty Hampshire pub lunch!

The following are great nearby places to eat, and also to meet other guests perhaps, before the wedding:

The Pub with No Name (Aka The White Horse!)

(so, it has a name it seems?!)

Priors Dean, Hampshire, GU32 1DA

Telephone 01420 588387

The Three Horse Shoes

Elsted, Midhurst, West Sussex, GU29 OJX

Telephone 01730 825746

(this is a treat, and has beautiful views over the south downs, but allow a good half an hour to get back to the church in time!)

As it is the height of summer (hopefully!) we recommend that you call in advance and book a table as these places can get busy. 

Enjoy your lunch...

the party in the garden

After the wedding ceremony at St Marys Church, we will celebrate further at a reception at Cumbers Farm 

(please see "getting to the church on time" for directions).

Please come to our wedding wearing what you feel most comfortable and celebratory in. As a guide for men, please wear lounge suits, or morning suits if you would prefer.

We plan to feast, hear some good stories, enjoy fun music with you all, and dance... 

There will also be a chance to walk through some special fields, around the reception venue, so we do advise bringing an umbrella and the most fun wellies you own if the weather looks even vaguely unpredictable. Your favourite heels might not be entirely sufficient!

children at our wedding

We want to warmly welcome your children to our wedding.

 We have thought a lot about how to make our wedding a great day for them, as well as for you as parents. We are expecting quite a few small children.

There will be a play area at the back of the church,
as we know the wedding ceremony can sometimes be a challenge to very young ones. If you would like to use this area, please feel free to do so. We hope this will allow you to still be very much part of the service without worrying about your childrens' distraction or potential noise.

 At the reception there will be a garden treasure hunt and a childrens area full of games, toys, and things to make.
There will also be a prize for the tallest sunflower, so please encourage your children to plant their sunflower seeds (sent with the childrens' invitations) soon, and to bring their grown sunflowers with them to the wedding. 


We will provide a quieter sleeping area in the house, for those young ones who like to take a nap from time to time.

We hope they can feel a real part of the day, and that you can relax knowing they are having fun too! 

Having said all of this, if you choose to not bring your children to the wedding, we totally understand that too.

the giving of gifts

If you would like to give us a wedding gift, we have set up a gift list at John Lewis. It feels slightly uncomfortable to be writing this, but if it stops us getting 14 toasters, then that is no bad thing. We are setting up a new home together, after we marry so we are so grateful for any gifts, but please in no way feel obliged! We really are much more excited by your presence than your gifts.

This gift list opens on June 25th and closes August 19th 2011. 


It can be accessed online at http://johnlewis.com,
 by calling 08456002202, or by visiting any John Lewis shop. 

The list is registered under Matthew Kendall and Alison Rayner

and the gift list number is 464256


the alternative gift list... for all you alternative ones! Roo, Matt's younger brother, is buying us a beautiful and fun canvas bell tent as a wedding gift. We have chosen some accessories/camping goodies to go with it, and so if you would like to contribute to the beauty of the bell tent experience, Roo is the holder of this alternative, and quite fun gift list. Please call him on: 07876132848 if you would like to give in this way!

special requirements

Please let us know if you have any special requirements, or anything else that might be useful for us to know, to ensure you are as comfortable as you can be.

It would be useful to know any specific dietary requirements you may have, so please include this in the reply to your invitation. We will be providing a significant meat free feast for vegetarians. 

staying the night

We do not know the local Bed and Breakfasts or Hotels in the area so well, but wanted to recommend this website that may revolutionise your B & B experiences from now on. They are so good at sourcing really lovely places to stay, to fit all budgets.... from tree houses and yurts to country pads and castles! 

http://www.sawdays.co.uk

They know of those really special, well kept secrets, that ensure you should find somewhere really lovely close by, with a little bit of character and love. 

The alternative is sleeping over night in the marquee for the more hardy ones, who like to watch the stars late at night, and wake up early to a rising sun... and perhaps some bacon butties!


 We will try to keep you warm! 

thank you

We so look forward to seeing you, celebrating with you, and journeying beyond our big day with you. Thank you so much for all your encouragement and support and love so far. 

We will add to this blog, with a few more thoughts and reflections, as the wedding approaches, so do come and visit this site again.

See you on august 6th

or hopefully before

with love,

Matt and Ali.

Please contact 

alison1rayner@gmail.com and matthewsdkendall@hotmail.com

if you have any more questions 

RSVP by June 10th, 

Alison Rayner

c/o Cumbers Farm, Liss, Hampshire, GU33 7LL

alison1rayner@gmail.com