Hello and welcome to Conjugal 21! This page has all the details you need for attending our wedding reception in Leicester, UK on Friday 6 May 2016, leading up to the start of our first wedding anniversary at midnight.
This page contains information on the hotels you might want to stay in; how to travel to Leicester; information on what else you can do while you’re in the city, and finally information for anyone who’s flying to the wedding. Prices, times and train routes listed below were all accurate in late November 2015, but may change in the run-up to the event according to the vagaries of fate and the whimsy of National Rail.
Event
Conjugal 2 will be held at the Belmont Hotel in Leicester, with the event starting at 7pm on Friday 6 May 2016 with a (belated) exchange of rings and running till late. When it comes to dress code, cocktail dresses and lounge suits are probably the best choice, but are not a requirement.
Dinner will not be provided so the hotel has asked we make sure people eat prior to arrival. The Belmont Hotel is situated right beside London Road (which has plenty of restaurants) and is about a ten minute walk from Leicester train station.
Registry
Thank you so much to those who have already given us such wonderful gifts! We have a registry over on Prezola.
Hotels
The Belmont Hotel is located just off London Road, and you can find it on Google Maps. The full address of the hotel is 20 De Montfort Square, Leicester, LE1 7GR. You can book on their website or by phone, on (0116) 254 4773. The group discount code is GA000040 and the rates are £62.10/80.10/89.10 for a single/double/executive room.
Alternatively, if the hotel is full or you’re on a budget, the Premier Inn is a solid alternative. Located approximately 10 minutes from the Belmont Hotel and just around the corner from Leicester railway station, a double room at this hotel is £352. If you’d like to call them, their official number is 0871 527 8596 (13p/minute) but their geographical number appears to be (0116) 242 1780.
Travelling
Cars
If you’re going to drive, then we assume we don’t need to do our best impression of The Californians, but you might find a car park useful. We’ve looked it up and we think your cheapest option is probably £3.80 for twenty-four hours at the NCP Lee Circle car park.
Trains
If you’re travelling by train, then you want to aim for Leicester railway station. Upon leaving the station, turn left and walk up a slight hill; turn right onto De Montfort Street approximately halfway to the top, and the hotel is on your left before the church and park. If there’s a statue on your right, you’ve gone too far.
For non-British attendees, the best websites to use for train travel are either National Rail or the Trainline. Be careful not to book a ticket to Leicester Square, which is located approximately 100 miles south-east of the venue.
Planes
This is quite a large section that won’t be relevant to most of the people reading this page, so scroll down to the bottom of the page if you need advice on flights.
Breakfast
There are two good breakfast places for the morning after; Mrs Bridges Tea Rooms and Bar Dos Hermanos. Both are excellent. If you go to Mrs Bridges, we’d recommend either the Eggs Royale or the Hunters Breakfast. If you go to Bar Dos Hermanos, it is clear in our minds that the Full Monty is the only realistic option.
The bits of Leicester that aren’t breakfast
If you’ve got time to do more than breakfast, Leicester has some sights to see for tourists. Visit Leicester has a good overview, for those who are interested. In terms of museums, the National Space Centre is a worthwhile destination for those of our guests interested in space exploration. The King Richard III Visitor Centre (officially called ‘Richard III: Dynasty, Death and Discovery) is worth a look for any of our guests interested in archaeology or mediaeval history. The Jewry Wall is good if you want to see some Roman ruins, but honestly the wall itself is way better than the museum that accompanies it. Leicester Cathedral is where Richard III’s tomb is located, if you’re a bit morbid.
If you just http://laparkan.com/buy-accutane/ want to shop and eat, then Leicester has you covered! There’s obviously a big shopping centre and a smaller older shopping centre. Additionally, there’s St Martin’s Square and The Lanes which play host to smaller, more independent shops. In terms of the more nerdy shopping experiences on offer, there’s a wargame and board game shop called Tabletop Tyrant or Gifts for Geeks, depending who you ask. If you’re an aficionado of trading card games, then perhaps Golden SUN TCG is more your speed. If you’re interested in general nerdery, there’s also a branch of Forbidden Planet.
When it comes to dinner time, you’ve got options. If you’re after Chinese food and you don’t mind being a bit adventurous, then the Red Lantern, just off London Road, does what we think is pretty authentic Chinese food. The Han Dynasty, which is near the Lee Circle car park, is a Chinese buffet where you cook the food in a bowl of boiling broth on your table. For Italian food, Casa Romana is really good. If you want Indian food, check out the Golden Mile. Bobby’s is a good example of a more authentic Indian experience. Alternatively, the Curry House is near the hotel and we’ve always enjoyed eating there.
If you’re looking for places to drink, then there are many options for you. 33 Cank Street is a cocktail bar that we really like, and Hakamou is also well worth a look. There’s also The Orange Tree and the Lansdowne, which are part of the same family of bars.
Coming from abroad
Roaming
If you’re in the UK and your mobile plan is not great when you’re roaming, consider buying a Pay As You Go SIM card from Three. You can buy these from Three shops (in most city centres) or from small supermarkets such as Tesco Express. It appears that these are also available through eBay and other less reputable websites – caveat emptor.
Planes
If you’re on a budget, we recommend Norwegian for cheap flights to and from the UK. They’re often not featured on the price comparison websites, so it’s worth going there specifically to look for flights. Alternatively, Kayak
If you’re flying into the UK before attending, you have a choice: you can fly into East Midlands Airport (EMA); Birmingham International (BHX); or any of the London airports. The first option is probably the best, but it’s the least well-served so may not be an option. If you end up getting a bit confused, email either John or España and we can give you a hand with travel arrangements, but here are some tips for each of the options.
East Midlands
This is the closest airport to the venue. Upon arrival, catch the Skylink bus to Leicester. It’s not immediately clear to us how much money a single return ticket costs, but to give an indication of the cost, a family return ticket (for 2 adults and 3 children) costs £16 and is valid for 28 days. Buses run every 20 minutes during the day and hourly at night, and there’s loads of room for luggage as well as free Wi-Fi.
Birmingham
The easiest route to Leicester is to catch the train to Birmingham New Street and then change onto a train to Stansted Airport, which goes through Leicester. The total journey time is approximately 80 minutes, and an off-peak return is £17.90 at the time of writing.
London
This depends on the airport, but generally speaking you want to get the Tube to King’s Cross/St Pancras3 and then get the train to Leicester from St Pancras International (takes 1-2 hours depending on how many stops there are).
- Heathrow: Catch the Piccadilly line to St Pancras.
- Gatwick: Catch a Thameslink train to St Pancras.
- City: Catch the DLR to Bank, and then catch the Northern line to St Pancras.
- Stansted/Luton: There is a direct train to Leicester.
- Conjugal was held at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco on 7 May 2015. Our wedding was earlier that day at San Francisco City Hall, and our wedding breakfast was at the Tennessee Grill in the Sunset. ↩
- This rate is for a non-refundable, non-amendable booking. For a double room that can be cancelled until 1pm on the day of check-in, rates start at £54. ↩
- We’re ignoring the Heathrow Express et al; if you’re interested in avoiding the Tube as much as possible, it’s worth looking at the express trains to and from each airport. ↩