Three days of love and celebration
Friday 25th July
7pm Lasagna party
Live music, cocktails, lasagna, old friends, new friends. Food will be till 9, the bar will be open until 11.30.
Saturday 26th July
11am - swim
We'd love you to join us for a wedding morning swim in the sea!
4.30pm onwards - Guest arrival
Grab a drink and take a seat.
5pm - The main event
Celebrate our love and our marriage.
After that - Drinks!
Music, fizz, photos.
6pm - Let's eat
A starter buffet. Delicious.
7pm - More food
Take your alloted seat for pasta and joy.
Followed by speeches, you may want to bring a book.
9ish- The party
Puddings, drinks, music, sunset.
Sunday 27th July
Daytime - chill
Recover from the night before with us on our little beach, eat some salad, share stories of the night before.
From 7pm, please join us at Isonzo Cinque on the main square of Scopello for pizza and farewells.
Travel
Getting There
(and back again!)
The Tonnara is a 40 min drive / taxi journey from Palermo airport.
There are lots of flights both direct and indirect.
If you're prepared to spend a little time in Milan or Rome airports, timings are a lot more flexible.
It's a popular time to visit the island so the airport will be quite busy. Be sure to book your transport before you arrive!
Accommodation
Whilst we would love for everyone to stay with us at the Tonnara, the accommodation at the venue is limited. Please see below for information and advice on where to stay.
The Tonnara is right on the coast of the small village of Scopello with the nearest large town, Castellammare del Golfo, a 15-minute drive away. Castellammare has lots of bars, restaurants, holiday apartments and hotels and may be a better bet if you are planning on staying in Sicily longer - or just prefer a little more hustle and bustle!
Our recommendation, however, is to try to stay in the village of Scopello itself, just 15 minutes walk from the Tonnara. Scopello village is centred around an 18th Century baglio (farmstead), which now has a smattering of seasonal hotels, holiday apartments and restaurants among cobbled courtyards and lanes. Five minutes up the road in either direction there is a selection of villas if you are coming as a family or staying as a group. We found a huge amount of accommodation for all budgets on Booking.com, Airbnb and Vrbo.
Our Stories
The Wonderful Katie
There was a time, many moons ago, when things were a little sub-optimal. I was floundering. On a particularly bad day, having walked out of a meeting in London, I asked a friend to go to the pub.
He agreed, but just for one. Once there, I met this beautiful, funny, compassionate, interesting and, well, wonderful woman.
That was it. For that night. For the following six years. For the future.
Katie is the most amazing woman. She makes life better, not just for me but for everyone.
I'm very, very lucky to be marrying her.
My Tatty
June 15 th 2018. I’d been single for a while. The Dating Game had been grand, but I
was done. Where were the nice (and preferably handsome and funny) guys? It was Friday after school and I’d convinced my friend, Nadine, to join me for a couple of drinks at the Twelve Taps before heading back to King Edward Street for a child-free weekend.
Sat outside in the mid-June sunshine I’d noticed Tatton sitting with a couple of friends just inside the open doors (the courtyard garden was full at 5pm on a Friday). I recognised him as a customer from my days serving coffee and frittata to Whitstable People at Windy Corner Stores during my teacher training days (I also had a vague memory of swiping left on him a couple of months back as I thought he was an Endowed parent – a fact which I didn’t disclose to Tatton for some time).
At some point, Tatton came outside for a cigarette and, as Nadine and I were taking up an entire table just the two of us, I asked if he’d like to perch, which he did. When his friends left soon after, he gestured a “can I join?” to us and we whole-heartedly consented.
A chat between the three of us resulted in exchanging of names (yes he had siblings, no they did not have unusual names), professions (oh Christ, he’s into politics) and a realisation that we were drinking the same beer (I’m big on fate).
Nadine left soon after and left Tatton and I getting to know each other. We talked Big Stuff immediately – my dad, my relationships, his mental health, his marriage… We drank beer and got drunk and I kissed him (he was never going to do it) on a wobbly stool in the Duke of Cumberland.
I told my mum and sister that weekend that I’d met someone, that it wasn’t going to be plain sailing, but he was The One.
And he was.
FAQs
What about wedding presents?
People always say that your presence is enough. The best ability is availablity. We really mean it, though! We have faaaaar too much stuff already. Katie has filled our home with toot. Also, we're off on honeymoon straight after so can't carry anything.
I don't eat meat or purple food or whatever!
Fear not, we've got all those details and food is there for everyone
Can I park at the Tonnara?
They are very specific that only people staying there can park there. I have no idea how strictly that's enforced. They suggest you park up in Scopello and wander down from there.
Are you really, really going to let Tatton give a speech?
You try to stop him. We've given up.
What are we eating?
Too many beautiful things to list here. The day itself will see a lot of fresh and delicious fish.
What should I wear?
This question it here twice. Many would delete the error. We think it's important to embrace failure.
Do I need to bring cash (or card) for drinks?
Beer, wine and Coca-Cola will be covered on all three evenings. Some more exciting soft drinks on the Saturday, too.
It might be prudent to bring a card if you might fancy something a little more risqué.
What should I wear?
It's going to be warm, so perhaps the tail suit might stay home. Tatton will be in a suit. Katie will be resplendant in white. We're happy for you to be comfortable, but we'd like some level of smartness. Shorts are OK if they're smart.
Away from The Main Event, feel free to wear whatever.
Can ladies wear white?
Absolutely not.
Can I take photos at the ceremony etc?
Sure. We have the world's best photographer in attendance who will be snapping away, but we totally understand that you might want your own memories, too. That said, we'd like to see your faces rather than your phones when we look out into the crowd...
What can I do over the weekend?
The whole place is so very beautiful. We'd love it if you came to our sea swim at the Tonnara at 11am on the Saturday, apart from that we've nothing booked in for you daytime Saturday or Sunday, but you're always welcome with us for food or drinks or swims or chills.
There are boat trips etc available from Castellammare del Golfo.
I have some other questions - who should I ask?
If Google cannot answer these, both our numbers are at the bottom of this website. If you message Katie you will, presumably, get a much better answer.
What about children?
Alas, we have Elliot, Caitlin, Alfred and Felix joining us. We're also fortunate to be welcoming a few other children.If that's you, they're welcome to come to anything and everything. Katie is a teacher and as such has some bits and bobs for them at The Main Event.
Please be aware that there are rocks and sea and probable sharks or something, so keeping a vague eye on your offspring is recommended.
Are you still sure you want to go through with this?
Yes.
