Wedding Evening Reception

Wedding Day

Ceremony - Square Tower, Old Portsmouth

Reception - The Canteen

Saturday 4th October

Our Wedding

Emma and Sam met whilst studying at Swansea University in 2016. Their first meeting was at an all-you-can-eat-buffet organised by their mutual friend, Lizzie. Over the following year, Emma and Sam started hanging out with their friendship group (mostly going on nights out!), but didn’t really talk to one another that much. That was until… Eventually, in 2017, Emma found out that her and Sam had another mutual friend, Sam. He suggested to invite Sam over for pre-drinks one evening where, quite drunk on vodka and Buckfast, Emma asked Sam on a date. He said yes. And they haven’t looked back since. After months of dating and four graduations between them, both moved back to the South of England (Emma to Portsmouth, Sam back home to Angmering) with plans to move in together. Unfortunately, this was in late 2019/early 2020, and so their plans were temporarily thwarted by the pandemic (yippee…). Finally, in 2021, Emma and Sam moved in together in Portsmouth, both working as government statisticians. Their dream of being a data scientist power couple was becoming a reality. Not too long after, on a weekend away on the Isle of Wight, Sam popped the question to Emma (through a game of Eye Spy), to which Emma said yes. Emma and Sam can’t wait to celebrate the next step of their story with their friends and family!

Made by the Sea…

Our Story

Ceremony details

Address

Square TowerBroad StreetOld PortsmouthPO1 2ND

Timings

Doors from 1:30pm, please be seated by 1:45pm latest. Ceremony will begin promptly at 2:00pm. Latecomers unfortunately may not be permitted entry until after the ceremony. After the ceremony, there will be welcome drinks, nibbles and photos at Square Tower until 3:30pm. Then day guests will move across to the reception venue, The Canteen! It’s just a short 2 minute walk along the seawall between the venues.

We kindly ask guests to please refrain from taking photos during the ceremony, thank you.

Reception Details

The CanteenPoint Battery &amp; BarracksBroad StreetOld PortsmouthPO1 2FS

After finishing up at Square Tower at 3:30pm, guests will move across to the reception venue, The Canteen. Welcome drinks will be provided before the wedding breakfast and speeches. Evening guests will join us from 7:30pm for the boogying to begin! Cakes and nibbles will be served. Carriages at 11:00pm.

Wedding Breakfast Menu

Please select one option per person for each course.

Starters

Chicken Caesar salad, garlic croutons, bacon and anchovies or Thai spiced cauliflower soup, served with sourdough toast (VG)

Mains

Beef and ale pie, creamy mash, tenderstem brocolli or Lentil and squash pie, olive oil mash, greens and gravy (VG)

DESSERT

Sticky toffee pudding with custard (vegan option available)

Have any questions for us? Please give us an email at wedding@emmaandsam.co.uk and we’ll be in touch!

Details for Day Guests

Evening reception details

Please can evening guests arrive from 7:30pm. Cake and nibbles will be served. Carriages at 11pm.

I got your note about the ceremony!

Glad to hear! First of all, we’re incredibly sorry that we are unable to invite you to our full wedding day. We changed our reception venue last minute and, as a result, we have new capacity limits in place. We really appreciate you travelling to join us and are looking forward to getting to celebrate with you. But because we originally planned to have all guests attend the full day, we have a “weird” shape to our capacity limits, kind of like an hourglass. In short, our wedding breakfast has a lower limit than our wedding ceremony and our evening wedding reception: Ceremony: up to 80 peopleWedding Breakfast: up to 48 peopleEvening Boogie: up to 80 people As a result, we are inviting all evening guests to the wedding ceremony if they wish. But we appreciate that this means that there’s an awkward 3/4 hour gap for these guests. There are plenty of pubs and places to eat for any guests that wish to do this to have a chill meal and a catch-up with other guests in that same boat, and we’ve listed some of our local favourites below. If guests wish to go as a group, then we can help arrange that! For those wishing to attend the ceremony, please find the details below. For any evening guest that are unable or do not wish to attend the ceremony, that is absolutely no problem at all. We’ll see you in the evening for some drinks and cake, and a good ol’ boogie!

Ceremony Details

Doors from 1:30pm, please be seated by 1:45pm latest. Ceremony will begin promptly at 2:00pm. Latecomers unfortunately may not be permitted entry until after the ceremony. After the ceremony, there will be welcome drinks, nibbles and photos at Square Tower until 3:30pm. Then evening guests will be welcome to explore Old Portsmouth until the evening reception!

Old Portsmouth Pubs and Resturants

Spice Island Inn

A really lovely pub with even lovelier views. We like the nachos here! <a href="https://www.greeneking.co.uk/pubs/hampshire/spice-island" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>

Still and West Pub

Another lovely pub really close to the venues! Views are great and, if the weather is nice, the outdoor seating is amazing. <a href="https://www.stillandwest.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>

Bridge Tavern

Tucked away in the quieter bit of Old Portsmouth, it’s a great old fashioned pub with a great selection of fish dishes! <a href="https://www.bridge-tavern-portsmouth.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Website</a>

Gunwharf Quays

A nice thing about the wedding location is that we’re pretty close to Gunwharf Quays, featuring loads of different chain restaurants. We’d suggest getting a taxi to and from. There’s also a cinema and bowling alley for those feeling more adventurous!

Any other questions about the day? Please drop us a line at wedding@emmaandsam.co.uk and we’ll get back to you!

Details for Evening Reception Guests

Photos

How do you know the bride?:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Favourite dance move:

Bessie

Siobhan 

How do you know the groom?:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Favourite dance move:

Mark

Jack

Rory

Wedding Party

Arriving to Portsmouth

We appreciate that some guests will be travelling from afar to celebrate our day with us! Below are some details to help you navigate your way to and around Portsmouth.

Portsmouth Harbour station is about a 20 minute walk or 5 minute taxi away from the ceremony and reception venues. Its also right by Gunwharf Quay, a hub of outlet shops and restaurants.

Train 🚂 

Aquacars is the local Portsmouth taxi company, with their phone number above. Remember you can always pre-book! Both Uber and Bolt operate and are popular in Portsmouth, so you shouldn’t have any problems getting around!

Taxi 🚖 

There are a few car parks in Old Portsmouth near the ceremony and reception venues if you’re planning on driving. Please be aware of pay and display charges, and resident parking restrictions. The following information has been taken directly from the Square Tower website:​BROAD STREET/HIGH STREET (RIGHT OUTSIDE THE TOWER)&nbsp;There is on-road pay and display parking right outside the Tower, this currently becomes free of charge after 6.00pm. There are also resident's parking areas where you can currently park for two hours (this is due to reduce to one hour later this year).&nbsp; CLARENCE PIER, PO5 3AP&nbsp;Long Curtain Road, Southsea, just off of Southsea seafront, behind the fun fair. From here it is just a short walk along the seafront promenade to the Square Tower.&nbsp; GRAND PARADE, PO1 2NF&nbsp;Literally just around the corner from the Square Tower in Grand Parade there is limited parking for approximately 50 cars.&nbsp;

Car Parking 🅿️ 

As well as any of the above, Portsmouth is also very walking-friendly. Old Portsmouth is beautiful (why we picked it for our venues!) so it’s definitely worth a walk around if you have the time. And the best thing, Portsmouth is almost completely flat! There’s also loads of buses in Portsmouth to get in and around. Or, if you’re feeling daring, there’s also electric scooters available to hire!

Misc 🚶 🚌 🛴 

Travel

Planning on staying in Portsmouth?

There’s plenty of hotels available within Portsmouth. As well as the classic chain hotels, there’s plenty of independent B&amp;Bs, pubs and hotels available. And some are right by the seafront! Feel free to check out <a href="https://www.booking.com/index.en-gb.html?label=gen173nr-1BCAEoggI46AdIM1gEaFCIAQGYAQm4AQfIAQ3YAQHoAQGIAgGoAgO4Au23tLwGwAIB0gIkMjUxZWU1YzgtNzAwMi00Mjg3LTg2YTItNWUwYzEzMDI1OGFk2AIF4AIB&amp;sid=5c06d76c999c3690aedc489a112367df&amp;aid=304142" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Booking.com</a> (or other such websites) for local hotels and places to stay. There’s also <a href="https://www.airbnb.co.uk/?c=.pi0.pk179260836_12837552276&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds&amp;&amp;c=.pi0.pk179260836_12837552276&amp;ghost=true&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADz55LnBl3_NeMSIQ1dV7cMw68SWV&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA4rK8BhD7ARIsAFe5LXKQh4YQYW0NYERVep6kaHOK-yTO7ulFEXjvCp2M96aEq0t3wLf3VTkaAu8cEALw_wcB" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Air BnB</a>. Below are a list of chain hotels that are right nearby: <a href="https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/hampshire/southsea/southsea.html?cid=KNC_Brn%7C_G_UK_UK_Eng_Enc_Brand-Destinations_LO_Hampshire_EX&amp;mckv=sY5bDBHPO_dc%7Cpcrid%7C691624347357%7Ckword%7Cpremier%2520inn%2520southsea%7Cmatch%7Ce%7Cplid%7C%7Cpgrid%7C45371040619%7Cptaid%7Ckwd-302033150341%7C&amp;s_kwcid=AL!9693!3!691624347357!e!!g!!premier%2520inn%2520southsea!902402588!45371040619&amp;ef_id=Cj0KCQiA4rK8BhD7ARIsAFe5LXJc3lVzkrC4m2z4VkzpXf6o1cMe5CvuLxmFFXW93hSpxghRQybr_a8aArqfEALw_wcB:G:s&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA4rK8BhD7ARIsAFe5LXJc3lVzkrC4m2z4VkzpXf6o1cMe5CvuLxmFFXW93hSpxghRQybr_a8aArqfEALw_wcB&amp;BRAND=PI" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Premier Inn, Southsea</a>Long Curtain Road, PO5 3XXRight on the seafront by the arcades! <a href="https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/hampshire/portsmouth/portsmouth-dockyard.html?cid=KNC_Brn%7C_G_UK_UK_Eng_Enc_Brand-Destinations_LO_Hampshire_EX&amp;mckv=sY5bDBHPO_dc%7Cpcrid%7C691624347357%7Ckword%7Cpremier%2520inn%2520southsea%7Cmatch%7Ce%7Cplid%7C%7Cpgrid%7C45371040619%7Cptaid%7Ckwd-302033150341%7C&amp;s_kwcid=AL!9693!3!691624347357!e!!g!!premier%2520inn%2520southsea!902402588!45371040619&amp;ef_id=Cj0KCQiA4rK8BhD7ARIsAFe5LXJc3lVzkrC4m2z4VkzpXf6o1cMe5CvuLxmFFXW93hSpxghRQybr_a8aArqfEALw_wcB:G:s&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA4rK8BhD7ARIsAFe5LXJc3lVzkrC4m2z4VkzpXf6o1cMe5CvuLxmFFXW93hSpxghRQybr_a8aArqfEALw_wcB&amp;BRAND=PI" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Premier Inn, Portsmouth Dockyard</a>Queen Street, PO1 3EEClose to Portsmouth Harbour station and Gunwharf Quays. <a href="https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/gb/en/portsmouth/pmehp/hoteldetail" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Holiday Inn, Prembroke Road</a>Pembroke Road, PO1 2TAClose to the venues and has a pool!

Hotels

We love living in Portsmouth as there’s so many places to go and things to do. Below are some suggestions if you have time to do some exploring or if you visit again in the future!

Restaurants

Here’s a list of some of our favourite places to eat in and around Portsmouth!

An amazing pub in the heart of Portsmouth that serves authentic BBQ smokehouse classics. Our personal fav and almost-wedding reception.

King Street Tavern

Located about 5 minutes from Portsmouth and Southsea Station. Delicious burgers, great vegetarian and vegan options, and a poutine that has changed our life.

7Bone Burger Co.

A lovely food court with a wide variety of different cuisines. Try the teapot cocktails!

Outside-In Food Court

Quite new to us, but an instant favourite. The pizzas are huge, so be warned - you’ll want to save room for their tiramisu!

The Panormus Pizzeria

Our favourite tapas restaurant in Portsmouth (of which there are so many good ones to choose from!). Perfect for a more refined dining experience, and close to the bars of Palmerston Road if you want to extend your night further.

Sant Yago

Honestly, we could go on! There’s some more great spots to eat on Palmerston Road and Osborne Road in the heart of Southsea, as well as some amazing pubs in Old Portsmouth. If you want any more suggestions then give us a shout!

Activities 

If you have some spare time, why not see the sights and have some fun?

A fab spot to chill out, play some games, and have a few drinks. We often come here when we have friends visiting for a fun evening out!

Dice Board Game Lounge

For those unafraid of heights, you can go to the top of the Portsmouth landmark and see the views of Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight.

Spinnaker Tower

Have some extra time and fancy exploring further afield? Why not hop on the hovercraft and pop over to the Isle of Wight. Ryde is a lovely town, and you can easily get to some lovely seaside spots on the train. Or you could just take a stroll on Appley Beach where we got engaged.

Isle of Wight

A lovely spot with swans and pedalos, as well as some great cafes and activities to do around there. It’s a nice quiet spot to have a stroll.

Canoe Lake

Home to many outlet shops and restaurants, it’s a good place to spend a few hours (or rush to when you realise you’ve forgotten something on the morning of the wedding!).

Things to Do

Registry old

Well, if you insist…

We’re so excited to have you on our wedding day and that is the biggest gift that we could ask for. If you would like to give us a wedding gift, a contribution towards our Honeymoon would be very much appreciated. By all means, if you would like to instead give us a physical gift then that’d be gratefully received too.

Registry and Gifts

FAQs

Need to ask us a question?

To contact us, please send us an email to <a href="mailto:wedding@emmaandsam.co.uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">wedding@emmaandsam.co.uk</a>. We’ll try and help us much as we can!