Welcome to the Website for Mike and Margaret’s wedding

SATURDAY 16th JULY 2005

PEEBLES, SCOTTISH BORDERS

Stag Night Stuff

Julian Chapman and Paul Browne will be sorting out Mikes Stag Do. Contact either of them on julian.chapman@geeplus.biz, paul.browne@telindus.co.uk. They are thinking of arranging a "Hunting, Shooting, Fishing" weekend. Dates to hold in your diary are weekends of the 11th or 18th June.

Hen Night Stuff

Carolyn Keenan is Mags’ Chief bridesmaid based in Oxford and she is co-ordinating her pre-nuptial festivities! Carolyn can be contacted on Carolyn_Keenan@Chrion.com and will be happy to take any advice and help offered. It looks like we will be doing something on the 1st or 2nd weekend in June, plus a night in Oxford on Saturday 2nd July – watch this space for updates!

Principal Characters

Here are some photos of the key people involved in the day (so you know who they are when you see them!)

The Happy Couple!
Margaret’s Parents David & Evelyn Baird they are looking forward to welcoming guests to their home town.	Mike’s Parents Jill and Cliff Hardcastle http://www.cliffhardcastle.com
Carolyn Chief Bridesmaid	Julian Chapman Mike's best man - the one on the right! My father was Julian's fathers best man!
Roy – Margaret’s best friend from school (Usher)	Some of Mike’s best friends (Ushers) From left to right: Eugene, Aaron, Julian (Best man) and Paul
Margaret’s Sisters (Alison & Caroline) also bridesmaids	Paul & Sharon Browne Paul is an Usher Mike is godfather to Paul and Sharon's son Zachary

David and Evelyn Baird invites any guests in the town on the evening of Thursday 14th July to the house for a buffet supper party. Please contact them on daveve@onetel.com for further details.

The Engagement

Mike got lots of boyfriend points by taking Margaret to Paris on St. Valentine’s Day 2004, popping the question in front of the Eiffel tower.

Margaret accepted (insisting Mike still phone her father for permission – a stickler for tradition!), and so began the plans for the wedding.

We were going to use the OBE chapel at St Pauls Cathederal, which is available to families that hold public honours. But it was decided that a more relevant and picturesque setting was the borders of Scotland.

Mike and Mags are pleased to report that 1 year of engagement has only strengthened their desire to marry!

Useful Information about the day

• The wedding ceremony will start at 3pm – parking may be difficult, so plan to park in the Kingsmeadows Car park (see map), which is about 5 minutes walk over Tweed Bridge to the church.
• After the ceremony there will be a few photos (weather permitting) on the steps of the church, before everyone leaves for the reception.
• A drinks reception is planned for arrival at The Hydro – hopefully in the gardens in front of the hotel if the weather is kind. Photos will be taking place at this time. If an Usher asks you to join us for a photo, your co-operation will be welcomed so we can get this part of the day over with quickly!
• We plan to have a Ceilidh Band for the 1st half of the reception – they will have a "caller" guiding those unfamiliar with the Scottish Country Dances (like The Gay Gordon’s (nothing to do with Margaret's brother), The Dashing White Sergeant, Strip The Willow and The Drops of Brandy etc), so hopefully everyone will join in!
• The rest of the evening still needs to be planned, however we will probably have some Disco music and hopefully some Fireworks at some point!

Gift List

We do not expect anyone to give a gift, but to assist those insistent on doing so we have set up a Gift List with John Lewis. Our number is 144170, and you can shop online at https://www.johnlewisgiftlist.com/giftint/JSPs/guestinfo.jsp

The Ceremony

Peebles Old Parish Church is very easy to find, at the end of The High Street, adjacent to the bridge over The River Tweed. The ceremony is scheduled to commence at 3pm.

The Reception

Peebles Hydro Hotel, Innerleithen Road, Peebles, EH45 8LX, (insert photo) http://www.peebleshotelhydro.co.uk/ is approximately 1 mile from the church beyond the opposite end of The High Street. Park either up the entrance drive or down the exit drive, and join us at the entrance for celebratory drinks to commence the festivities!

Places to Stay in Peebles

There are several accommodation options in the town, but as it is a holiday destination, early booking is advised. Please contact the local Tourist Information Office, Peebles High Street, EH45 8AG, or call the Scottish Borders Accommodation Bookings Service on 0845 2255121.

Alternatively the Peebles Info website also lists accommodation – follow this link http://www.peebles.info/index.cfm?page=accommodation

A few options are listed here:

• Peebles Hydro Hotel, Innerleithen Road, Peebles, EH45 8LX, (01721) 720602 http://www.peebleshotelhydro.co.uk/ are offering a special rate of £115 per room for guests attending the wedding. Please advise them of this if you plan to make a booking.
• Castle Venlaw Hotel, Edinburgh Road, Peebles, EH45 8QG, (01721) 720384. http://www.venlaw.co.uk
• The Park Hotel, Innerleithen Road, Peebles, EH45 8BA, (01721) 720451 http://www.parkpeebles.co.uk/ is reasonably close to The Hydro (approximately 5-10 minutes walk).
• The Tontine Hotel, High Street, Peebles, EH45 8AJ, (01721) 720892, http://www.tontinehotel.com/ is nearer the church, but another viable accommodation option.

Bed & Breakfast options in the area include

• Rowanbrae, Northgate, Peebles, EH45 8BU (01721) 721630 - http://www.aboutscotland.com/peebles/rowanbrae.html
• Dilkusha House, Chambers Terrace, Peebles, EH45 9DZ, (01721)72288

Other Useful Information

Peebles is in The Scottish Borders, approximately 25 miles south of Edinburgh. It is accessed from the north (Edinburgh) via the A703, from the East (Galashiels) via the A72 and the west (Lanark & Glasgow) via the A72.

If you plan to fly to Scotland it is probably best to fly to Edinburgh – from the airport it should take about 45 minutes drive to get to Peebles.

The website http://www.visitscottishborders.com/ might give you more information on the area. There are buses from Edinburgh should you wish to use public transport click here for more info

With love – Margaret & Mike