Gift List

Hello all,

Yes, we have finally made some decisions and have come up with a small list of gifts (as we both pretty much have everything 2 people need between Alan's house and my flat, really).
The link below will let you view the gift list - all the additional details will be sent via email

http://www.re-inspire.co.uk/natasha/

(thanks to Tony for putting this together for us - very much appreciated)

19 days to Go

Hello all,
I know, we've not done a good job at keeping the blog up to date, but will try and change that now. 19 days to go now - WOW!!!! I am trying to stay calm and collected, but am finding it a little hard, not sure if it's nerves or excitement or a bit of both. Alan is trying to keep a front, but I know he feels the same. It is definitely all real now!!!

I hope by now you've sorted out your flights, hotel stay, what to wear, etc and so on.

So, here is a quick recap of what to expect:

• Regardless when you arrive, you will be collected from the airport by pre-arranged transport, so just look out for a man (or woman) holding a sign with your name
• Those of you who opted into a quick tour of Riga on Saturday morning - this will be arranged for you
• Those of you arriving before Friday - get in touch with us (if you've not already) for individual sightseeing arrangements
• On Friday night, we will have a get together for drinks around 8:30/9pm - meet in the lobby of the Jurmala Spa hotel
• On Saturday, be ready for pick up at 4pm in the lobby of the Jurmala Spa hotel to go to the venue for the Big Event
• Enjoy, relax and have fun but get in touch if you need anything

Details, details, details - Links, contact info, etc

Hello again!
To help everyone with orientation, here are some useful links:

Jurmala Spa Hotel:
http://www.hoteljurmala.com/en/
(ladies - check out the Spa facilities)

Jurmala City Info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C5%ABrmala

Jurmala City Guide:
http://www.jurmala.lv/en/turistiem/Citi/Default.aspx

Riga City info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riga

Riga Airport
http://www.riga-airport.com/

Additionally, I will be sending each of you confirmation of your hotel bookings (via email).

Plan for the BIG weekend - revised

The official invitations (with some additional info) have now been sent. As you can see, we've modified some of the plans, etc. In summary:

• On Friday, we all meet at the Jurmala Spa hotel, where all will be staying for the weekend (typically, Friday and Sat nights)
• On Friday night we will have welcome drinks somewhere in Jurmala city centre
• Saturday morning if "free" time, but do let us know if you want a quick Riga city tour in the morning (by 1 August, please) and we can help arrange that
• Saturday at 16:00 coaches will pick everyone up from hotel and take you to the wedding venue
• Needless to say - it is party time on Saturday night!!!

Looking forward to having you all in Riga celebrating with us!

Plan for the BIG weekend

Hello all!
As many of you have been asking about this, we thought we'd publish a tentative plan for the weekend of the wedding:

• Friday, 28 August - arrivals into Riga (some of you are travelling earlier, which is fine)
• Friday night - we will have a "welcome" get together, some drinks and nibbles in Riga Centre - place tbc
• Saturday, 29 August - everyone staying in Riga will be collected (transport arranged by Natasha's family) sometime around noon and transported to the hotel in Jurmala
• (to make logistics simpler everyone will be staying in the same hotel in Jurmala)
• Upon arrival into Jurmala, you will check into the hotel, sleep, change, walk around, etc
• Around 16:00 everyone will be collected from the hotel (transport arranged by Natasha's family) and taken to the venue
• The ceremony will start around 17:00
• The rest you'll find out on the day!!!! :))

Sunday, 30 August - we are planning to have a party on the beach sometime in the afternoon. This is tbc.

Monday, 31 August - for those who are staying thru Monday, we can arrange for tour of Riga, tour of Jurmala, etc

It's all about the Venue!!!

Well, we finally booked the venue! The big day will be celebrated at Orizzonte, a really nice restaurant on the beach in Jurmala. Here is the link http://orizzonte.lv/index.php/ru/main. The only thing we have to do now is .... pray for good weather! :)

Kids and Weddings

Hello all!

As many of you have families with children (and so do we!), our wedding is children-friendly. It is, of course, not obligatory to bring your children with you (smile!), but if you do, please let us know and we will assist with the items like child-minding services during the evening / night, etc and will also make sure that hotel rooms are adequate for people with kids. Additionally, we will be able to suggest kids activities during your stay.

Again, send me an email and I'll see what can be done! natasha7_98@yahoo.com

Planes, trains and automobiles, oh, and Hotels

Hello All,

Yes, these are the boring, but very important bits...

Planes:
There are 2 options for flights to Riga: Ryan Air and/or Air Baltic (subsidiary of SAS)
Ryan Air:
http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN

Air Baltic:
http://www.airbaltic.com/public/index.html

We suggest booking soon, to avoid disappointment!

Hotels:
We have negotiated hotel rooms in Riga for Thu and Fri nights - a centrally-located, largest hotel in Riga (with a great cocktail bar on top!). Here is the link: http://www.revalhotels.com/en/Hotels/Latvia-Riga/Reval-Hotel-Latvija
All of the rooms we've reserved have a city view, and are standard double rooms at 84Euros per night, including breakfast.

On Sat morning, there will be transportation arranged to get everyone from Riga to Jurmala, so you don't need to worry about that.

In Jurmala, we have reserved some rooms at this hotel:
http://www.balticbeach.lv/eng/guestrooms/
However, as it's on the beach, it is a bit more expensive and all the rooms negotiated have a sea-view. (note: prices in Lats, not in Euros)
127,50 Ls for Apartment with kitchen (great for families with kids, 2 adults + 2 kids)
195,00 Ls for Suite with terrace
101,25 Ls for Standard Queen

This hotel does have other room types (which are cheaper) and if needed (for people who don't care about having a sea-view) we can negotiate the rates for those.

However, we are also going to negotiate some rooms in another hotel near-by and will post that information soon.

So, what we do need to know from everyone is:
1. When you are coming?
2. Do you need a room in Riga? If so, how many of you/how many rooms?
3. Do you need a room in Jurmala? If so, how many of you? And what type of room?

So, please send me an email, so that this can be sorted: natasha7_98@yahoo.com

Please do not worry about transportation - this will be taken care of.
But for those who want to experience public transport (which is pretty good when you know what you are doing) there are trains that run between Riga and Jurmala and cost about 1 Ls return for a 30 min journey.

And here is the link on Jurmala - to give you general information:
http://eng.meeting.lv/regions/jurmala.php

More to come...

Places, venues, menus

We are still undecided on the venue although we have seen 2 and have 1 more to check, but we know for sure that it will be on or near a beach in the wonderful coastal town of Jurmala, in Latvia.

Here are some fotos to give you an idea...