Friends and family, near and far; No better company can be found in which two can revel in the binding of their lives. Take stock of what festivities are to come, or make haste to pronounce your attendance.

Location

The Silver Forest can be found on no mere mortal map. Such places remain hidden for good reason, for to find it is a boon bestowed only upon those that are looking for adventure.

What Lies Ahead

The Silver Forest is a beautiful venue that we feel blessed to be allowed use of for the weekend. It boasts:

• Space for camping under the birch trees
• A Viking mead hall where we'll be feasting, entertaining and raising tankards
• A number of outdoor fire pits where we hope to join you for swapping stories late into the night
• An outdoor and indoor bar where we're looking forward to share some homemade wines and meads
• A ceremonial circle where we'll be joined (physically at the wrist, and less literally in other ways)
• A breakfast kitchen equipped to undo whatever damage the night before brings
• A beautiful lake backdrop for pictures
• Portaloo and hand washing facilities
• Free-roaming chickens

We humbly ask that you help us treat this place with respect. The keepers of this forest have something truly special on their hands, and it is by their trust that we are allowed to share this magical occasion with you there.

Coming Prepared

While you might expect it to be warm, know that Tom angered a weather god many years ago that has been waiting for retribution ever since. We recommend keeping an eye on the expected weather on the week of the event, and then bringing galoshes and a diving-bell suit anyway.

While there's plenty of indoor seating, you'll likely spend a good amount of time sat outside. Camping/Folding chairs are an invaluable resource and bringing a spare or two will immediately earn you friends.

Finding The Path

The Silver Forest is a roughly 40 minute drive from Lincoln and just outside the town of Caistor. We recommend driving towards Caistor, East on Station Road and looking for the turning on the right. Something or someone will be there to mark where to turn (we'll update this nearer the day).

If you use What3Words, you will find the turning at alas.discount.joints.

Prod the map for greater wisdom.

Accomodation

A night under the stars awaits you. One by one the campfires will dwindle as tales are wrapped up and revelers retire, happy and weary.

The camping area is largely among the trees (please don't bring a circus tent). There are no fixed pitches and we ask that you have some awareness regarding where you pitch your tent so as not to block access or infringe heavily on anyone else's privacy.

While there'll be a cut-off time for music and loud noises, we anticipate that some people (us included) will likely be watching the fires die down into the small hours. We ask that everyone is respectful of one another, but please understand blind 3am shuffles to the toilet are an inevitability.

• There is no onsite power available
• Cost - £15 pound per person, per night
• Camping guests may arrive from 11am on Saturday
• Camping is available for Saturday night (some guests have been invited to stay Friday night too)

An English breakfast (including vegan option) will be available on Sunday morning (open to none-camping guests too). The breakfast is £8.95. subject to us having enough interested guests. Please let us know how many breakfasts you would be interested in purchasing in the RSVP return at the bottom.

All payments (camping and breakfast) be taken in cash on the day.

Finer Inns

If camping isn't your style then there are other nearby options that might be a better fit:

• Caistor - The nearby town of Caistor has a number of affordable hotels, bed & breakfast and airbnbs. We can't personally recommend any but we can say with reasonable certainty that bandit activity in the area has never been lower.
• Scunthorpe - The substantially larger town of Scunthorpe is about 30 minutes drive away. The main reason to stay here is to visit the nearby fossilized remains of a dragon in Dragonby.
• Lincoln - Our home city is 40 minutes drive, or roughly 9 hours by horse. Like most cities it boasts a wide range of places to stay, and an underground fighting pit if you know where to look.

Theme

The borders of some worlds are thin, crafted from notion and desire alone. But step into those worlds and suddenly the edges are no longer visible at all.

Above everything else we want people to feel comfortable, both in a physical sense and in how you feel about yourself. We welcome the outlandish, but please bear in mind that this is a largely outdoors event with spillages, fires, and late-night stumbling.

That said, we have a particular vibe we want to go for:

Confused? Excellent, you're half-way there already! Luckily the more sensible half of us (you can work out for yourself which one that is) prepared a list of examples for you to peruse for inspiration (we don't expect anyone to buy these).

Remember, it's YOU we want to be part of this day. Don't make yourself uncomfortable in any way.

Defensive Attire

While you may feel naked without a sword at your belt, we can say with some certainty that we're not planning on being attacked during the festivities. If you do plan on bringing weaponry, please note that there will likely be young people in attendance - no fighting, ranged armanents or sharp edges please!

Ceremony

Of all the inexplicable things, love is the one we most understand. We know it when we feel it. Treasure it when we have it. Marvel it when we behold it.

You've likely already worked out that we're not planning on a traditional wedding. At the time of the wedding we will already be married in the eyes of the law, but it is far more important to us that we are joined in the eyes of our friends and family in a manner more befitting our personal beliefs and desires.

We expect the ceremony to start at roughly 1pm, and ask that guests arrive by midday to allow for plenty of time for organisation. Camping guests can arrive from 11am.

The exact details of the ceremony will be explained on the day (in truth, we're still working out what we'd like ourselves) but you can expect the following:

• Handfasting - The symbolic binding of two lives. This is a pagan ritual that best fits our mutual beliefs.
• No Rings - Bethan's scared of wearing rings and Tom lost his engagement ring on an archery field - we're opting for finger tattoos instead.
• New Name - Rather than each of us take the others name, we've opted to write our own story. Our new name isn't a departure from our respective families, but a new chapter in the adventure we're on. We're keeping it a secret until the day, but the clues are out there if you know where to look…
• Sharing Mead - We will be offering you mead (or non-alcoholic alternative) to share in our blessings.
• The Seasoning - Guests will be provided with dried rosemary and petals to pelt us with as we finish the ceremony.

Photographs

The most important memories we forge are those that leave an indelible mark on us. We'd much prefer it If people joined us in this special moment, and refrained from viewing it through a lens or phone. We have a professional photographer that will capture events throughout the day and these photos will be shared after the event.

Please feel free to (respectfully) photograph events outside of the ceremony though.

Post ceremony we'll be inviting you to join us at the bar to start the celebrations. Please pay no attention to the fact that some of you will be abducted and whisked away for group photographs during this time.

Groomsguard

In lieu of Groomsmen and Bridesmaids, we have opted to form The Groomsguard. Sworn companions that will unthinkingly lay down their lives for us should the occasion call for it.

If no attempts on our lives are made, they'll instead be rendering us aid over the weekend. The Groomsguard will be identifiable by their forest-green cloaks bearing a peculiar sigil. Should you have any questions or need any assistance then they'll likely be able to help or point to someone who can.

We'll be honoured to have the Groomsguard flanking us as we both enter and depart the ceremonial circle.

Feast

A meal is a means of sustenance, but a feast? A feast is a magical occassion in which all should find themselves equally able to relish in merriment.

We're going to ask a favour of you all. We'd very much like to lay on an incredible feast for you all, but this has proven quite the challenge in terms of both available facilities and budget. We'll be providing some pork buns and trimmings (plus a vegan option), along with some drinks, but we think the best way to make this a feast to remember is to make it a communal offering - a rich variety of offerings for the senses.

We would like it if you could bring something to the table - sweet or savoury. Homemade if you can. Something you love and would like to share with everyone. The dish should be edible cold (we can't provide heating facilities) and we'd appreciate it if you provide appropriate serving utensils if needed (e.g. ladles for soup, tongs for tongues etc.)

If you're travelling from far afield, please don't worry about the logistics of getting food here, your presence is more important!

Instead of a regular wedding cake, we have opted to instead have a concentric tower of cheese wheels. We may be willing to share.

You can pledge an offering, or see what others are thinking of bringing here.

Drinks

We'll endeavor to provide plenty of drink, but much like the food we'd appreciate further offerings to put behind the bar, or for you to bring for yourself (you don't need to share the good stuff!).

Dietary Requirements

One or more of our Groomsguard will be on hand as guests arrive to organise any food/drink you bring. Food will be taken and arranged in such a way that guests with dietary requirements can eat safely. Please bear this in mind if you're moving dishes at any point.

Colour-coded stickers will mark:

• Food that is vegetarian friendly
• Food that is vegan friendly
• Food that contains nuts

If you have dietary requirements that this does not cater for, we recommend bringing your own food to ensure there is something you can definitely eat, but we expect there will still be plenty to choose from regardless.

Gifts

There is no finer gift than the gift of time, for it is the one thing we all never have enough of, and therin make the greatest sacrifice of to share with another.

We're incredibly honoured that you might wish to buy us a gift, but we're honestly telling the truth when we say that your presence is all we're asking for. Many of you have offered to help in various ways and we couldn't be more thankful for all you're doing.

We want this event to be as memorable for you as it will undoubtedly be for us. Joining in with the spirit of the weekend, bringing a dish or bottle, sharing a tale, or simply being present with a smile are enough to make this a truly special occasion.

However we understand some of you aren't so easily dissuaded, and we'll very much appreciate anything you wish to send our way. Please don't provide us with gifts for our home (we're already full up), but any money towards a honeymoon is greatly appreciated.

The following will be available at the event:

• A Wishing Well - Gifts and well wishes can be deposited here.
• A Storybook - You're all very much main parts of our story. Help us write our next chapter!

The Game

You'll be hard-pressed to finder a test of guile and ingenuity than a game without rules, for rules give expectation to how the game should be played. Imagination is boundless and win or lose the best players are those that defy even that which hasn't been set.

Upon arrival you will be provided with a set of Golden Goose tokens. These can be traded, stolen, bet or used in acts of (harmless) bribery. At the end of the event we'll be collecting the tokens back in, and the person with the most will be invited to join us on our honeymoon.

Or maybe given a prize. Yeah, we'll probably go with a prize.

RSVP

The greatest of joy can be found in surrounding yourself with people you love and seeing them happy.

We've prepared a letter for you to send back to let us know if you'll be able to attend. Just fill out the details below and press the magic seal to send.