26
Aug 2023
Wedding Ceremony
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12:15
We absolutely can't wait to celebrate our wedding with all of our friends and family, over the long weekend in August.
Our ceremony will be on Saturday at Canterbury Cathedral and our reception will be on both Saturday and Sunday at Leeds Castle, which is definitely not in Leeds.
We really hope you can join us to make the weekend extremely special.
The ceremony will be in the Crypt of Canterbury Cathedral, followed by drinks and (substantial) canapés in the Chapter House. Guests will then be transported to Leeds Castle for the rest of the weekend. There will be a Chinese tea ceremony at the castle, followed by drinks, dinner, and dancing. Sunday will be the most epic of game days, with a BBQ, formal dinner, and diversions in the castle. Rooms are booked through to Monday morning. We know some of you are coming from far away, so to make a full event of it we are also organising a day of punting in Cambridge on Tuesday Aug 29th; we'd love for you to stay and hang out.
A simple itinerary can be downloaded here, or a more detailed schedule here.
*Leeds Castle is NOT in Leeds!* The Postcode is ME17 1PL, it is here near Broomfield in Kent.
Download WhatsApp on your phone to receive important messages about the wedding, and to text internationally.
If you are not driving, please bring your luggage to the cathedral before the ceremony, tag it, and put it in the luggage van. It will be taken to the castle and put into your room in advance of your arrival. If you need access to something (e.g. medication, baby formula) between the ceremony and the castle, please keep it with you.
No stiletto heels are allowed at any of the venues due to the very old floors.
There is no phone signal in Canterbury. Like, at all. So please download any information you need (tickets, directions, maps, this website) before you get to Canterbury.
There is no parking at the cathedral, so plan to park nearby and walk a short distance. There is parking at the castle.
We are taking a group photo with all of the guests in front of the Castle at 4pm on Saturday, please go straight to the castle door after you get your room key.
Check out is 9:45am sharp on Monday (£1,000 fine per late room).
BY PLANE
Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted airports all have easy and direct trains into London. Luton airport sucks; don't do it. Download the Citymapper app to get accurate train times. You can use contactless payment (i.e. Apple pay, Google wallet, contactless cards) to get Heathrow and Gatwick-London airport trains, so you don't need to buy a ticket. Stansted airport train requires purchasing a ticket. Tickets can be purchased at all airport train stations if needed. There are no direct trains from airports to Canterbury, you need to go via London. Let us know if you get to town a few days early!
Here are more detailed instructions for getting into London from the airport.
BY TRAIN
Trains to Canterbury West leave from St. Pancras station (connected to Heathrow airport), and Stratford International.
Trains to Canterbury East leave from London Victoria station (connected to Gatwick airport).
Both Canterbury stations are a 10 minute walk to the cathedral. Or, you can book a taxi for a 3-5 minute drive, they accept card payment. https://canterburytaxis.co.uk/, https://cabcocanterbury.co.uk/
BY CAR
Put CT1 2PY into your GPS and drive there. You will lose signal when you get close. Download your map.
You can't park at the cathedral. The nearest parking structure is the Castle Street lot, which is a 7 minute walk to the cathedral.
Castle Street Car Park, 40A Castle St, Canterbury CT1 2PY
BY BOAT
Attach your boat to a trailer. See 'by car'.
WE WILL TAKE YOU BY BUS
We will provide transportation for you and your luggage (unless you're driving) from the cathedral to the castle. PLEASE DROP YOUR LUGGAGE OFF AT THE LUGGAGE VAN INSIDE THE CATHEDRAL GATES BEFORE THE CEREMONY. Your luggage will be driven to the castle and put into your rooms. If you need access to anything before 5pm (like medication) please keep it with you.
You will be ferried from reception to reception in a red, double-decker, vintage Routemaster bus.
BY CAR
After the cathedral reception, drive to Leeds Castle using post code ME17 1PD. Here's a good route. . Leave the reception early if you want to go to your room before the 4pm photo. There is parking at the castle; drive through the main entrance and follow signs to the 'Castle Car Park' (about 2 mins drive beyond the main car park). A check-in table will be set up in the Castle Car Park. Directions can also be found on the Leeds Castle website.
If you're driving to Leeds Castle on Sunday, please use the Broomfield Rd Entrance and park at reception. You will need to check in at reception to get your room keys and/or entry wristband. Ignore the 'road closed' signs on Broomfield Road, the Leeds Castle entrance is still open and accessible.
After checking out promptly at 9:45am, you are welcome to stay in the grounds at Leeds Castle at your leisure. There are cafes, gardens, playgrounds, wildlife, and a golf course to enjoy. When you're ready to leave, Maidstone train station is a short taxi ride from Leeds Castle. There are direct trains to Charing Cross and London Victoria stations. Perhaps you've made friends during the weekend and you can share a lift :)
If you drove there, drive home (safely).
Check out this guide to car-free travel to/from Leeds Castle.
If you're booking a taxi from Leeds Castle to an airport please consider sharing with other guests (text Madeleine to find out who's going when, or check whatsapp groups you've been added to). We highly advise that you book these long journeys in advance. Google 'Kent airport transfer' or 'Maidstone taxi hire' for good results.
Trains to Cambridge leave from King's Cross and Liverpool St. stations. If you want to see platform 9 ¾ go to King's Cross early. There's a long line. You can buy tickets at the station or online at https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
If you would like to stay in Canterbury on Friday night, we have a hold on all rooms (and 10% off) at the Sun Hotel across the street from the cathedral. Please contact the hotel to book directly; tell them you are booking Friday Aug 25th for Madeleine's wedding.
If the Sun fills up, you can try booking at Abode, Greyfriars Lodge or the Cathedral Gate hotel; all under a 5 minute walk to the cathedral.
If you are family or in the bridal party, Friday accommodation has been booked for you already.
On Saturday and Sunday nights we have reserved all the rooms at Leeds Castle. There are rooms in the castle, in the stable courtyard, and at River Lodge. If you need access to a kitchen, fridge, microwave, or washer during your stay, please let us know in your RSVP.
We are asking guests to please pay for their rooms. Rooms at the castle and stable courtyard are £300 per night, and can be shared between 2 (£150 per person per night). We will allocate guests to River Lodge based on specific accommodation needs. Breakfast is included with all accommodation. Payment details can be found on our payments page.
Visit the FAQ page to see things to do at Leeds Castle. Guests are welcome to stay through the day on Monday and have access to the grounds.
If you are joining us for punting in Cambridge on Tuesday, we are staying at the Fellows House Cambridge, Curio Collection. Madeleine can book you a room here (at Hilton Honours rates), or feel free to book anywhere yourself.
Please bring a postcard from home or your travels for our guestbook! You can write a message to the bride and groom and 'deliver' it on Sunday.
Shortly after the wedding we will be moving abroad; as such, we really really don't want any 'stuff'. Your presence at our wedding is most certainly enough. In lieu of gifts, we are accepting contributions to our future home and activities fund. We hope to welcome you to our next home soon! #Bali
Because no one wants to crash a moped
£10Something fun for when you come visit
£20So you don't need to update your contacts
£20For all the good TV
£20For a proper welcome drink
£40When in Bali...
£50#We'llBeBack
£75For whatever size the beds are in Bali
£100To look at and sit on during your visit!
£200For a good night's rest on the way to our new home.
£1000A honeymoon stop off on the way to our new abode.
£5000A gift as unique as you are ;)
£???
Your Leeds Castle accommodation has already been booked. Please send payment using the details below. Rooms at Leeds Castle are £150 per person per night (i.e. £600 for a couple for the weekend).
If you're family or the bridal party staying with us in Canterbury, please contact us for prices.
Paypal: m.kasson@cantab.net
Monzo: Madeleine Claire Kasson, 04-00-04, 03450639
Paypal US: mkasson@gmail.com
US Bank transfer: using Zelle or USAA checking, Account Number 0110385705, Routing Number 314074269
USDC ERC20 deposit address 0x748e187b4fad4af0210196022e32a952b91c8092
USDC Solana deposit address 97CqLg83KudxJMCgifqZetAPnjQsSjnsWK9yvFXAkAvM