Well what a year it’s been. I just thought I do a little round up some of the 2024 weddings that I’ve been privileged to have been involved with.
It all started at the end of March when Poppy and Callum celebrated their marriage at the beautiful Rogerthorpe Manor, near my hometown of Pontefract. The groom is Scottish and him and Poppy had already done their legal marriage north of the border but wanted a celebration for Poppy’s Yorkshire family. And with baby Reya as guest of honour what a celebration it was. Congratulations Mr and Mrs Strachan.
Next up was the wedding of Ben and Emily at another stunning Yorkshire venue, Bagden Hall near Huddersfield. They bravely chose an outdoor ceremony, and we just about got away with it, those late May rainclouds behaved themselves. An outdoor wedding can be magical if you have nerves of steel, but these two were so chilled they probably wouldn’t have minded. A lovely wedding, full of love and laughter. The photo credit goes to Peter Rollings
A tipi wedding was the venue of choice for the delightful Ellis and Karen, in the middle of June. The ceremony itself was supposed to be outside, and there were hay bales and games for the kids set up, but this time the weather beat us. They had done their legal marriage in Gretna Green and Ellis had bought an anvil to surprise Karen, but as the rain started to pour down the decision was taken to move everything, including the super heavy anvil into the tipi. First rule of wedding planning – always have a plan B! There was a fire pit in the tipi, it was gorgeous, it was magical, and the rain couldn’t dampen the love in the room.
The drive from my home in the Dales up to the delightful Eden Barn wedding venue in Cumbria is one of the most scenic journeys one could ever make, and this set the mood for the wedding of Abi and Adam in early July. These two have been together since they were kids, are super relaxed around each other and such good fun. Do have a look at Eden Barn, it truly is splendid.
Hazlewood Castle is hidden away in a forest, just off the A64 York Road near Leeds. It is yet another stunning wedding venue with multiple options including a woodland ceremony space, which I will come to later in the year. When London lawyer Chris celebrated his marriage to biochemist Helen in July, they chose the “Old Dining Room” for their ceremony and “The Great Hall” for their intimate wedding breakfast. Chris’ Dad read a poem in Chinese, and their young, vibrant London friends made for colourful and exciting wedding photos, taken by Gary Gough.
In early August we celebrated the gorgeous Hally and Jack at the Queen’s Hotel in the centre of Leeds. This wedding was style personified, with a theme of black and white both for the ceremony space and guest dressing. As you can imagine the wedding photos by Rebecca Parsons looked like something out of Vogue magazine. Just amazing.
Rudding Park, near Harrogate, was the venue of choice for PR exec Terenia and airline pilot Paul in mid August. There is actually a 17th century chapel in the grounds which is delightful, and the acoustics were so clear I didn’t even need my voice speaker. Our couple had guest readers and chose to have a hand tying ceremony, which is a lovely addition to a wedding ceremony and one which is becoming increasingly popular. I hope you like the photo, by Charlotte Hedgecock.
Molly and Stan had the use of private land for their late August wedding near Thirsk, North Yorkshire. They set up a ceremony space outdoors ( nerves of steel, again!!) and the work and detail that they put into their big day was off the scale. The festival wedding theme was fun, organic, and quite simply, wonderful.
In early September I was back at Hazlewood Castle where Emma and Mark had chosen the woodland ceremony space for their celebration. As I was driving to the venue in the pouring rain I must admit I had my reservations – however, I had no need to worry. We held the ceremony under a pagola, and the guests sat beneath the trees which formed the perfect shelter. Literally no one got wet at all! The wedding breakfast was held in a tipi which had been styled to perfection. Hazlewood Castle sure does tick plenty of boxes for couples looking for their ideal venue.
We had a lot of fun at Kath and Rob’s wedding in late September, held at the wonderful Barmbyfields Barn near York. I was badly held up in traffic, with just about all of my “wriggle room” minutes used up, but were my couple stressed? Not a jot!! They had a ceremony full of love and laughter and it was an absolute pleasure to work with these two. I hope you like the photo, by Alice Lodge, which pretty much sums up the mood of the day.
In mid October I made the short journey to Aysgarth Falls for a small intimate ceremony in the hotel to celebrate the marriage of Karen and Andy. Afterwards we all walked down to the falls for a handtying ceremony by the water’s edge. This was just magical and certainly a highlight of my year.
My last wedding was at the end of October in a venue where I have multiple 2025 weddings booked already – the magnificent Falcon Manor in Settle. American Jew Phill wedded his Yorkshire girl Janet in great style, with every detail taken of. There were Jewish elements to the ceremony, and yes, there was the breaking of the glass with all the guests shouting “Mazel Tov” to wish the couple well. Phill and Jan only live down the road from me so I hope to keep in touch with them, they are so lovely, and so in love!! The photo was taken by Bentham Imaging.
Well, I hope you have enjoyed my little round up of 2024 weddings. Every ceremony is different and this is what a celebrant brings to the table. A registrar led ceremony cannot, and will not do this as they are restricted by current UK marriage law, which as we know, (and hope), is due to change. When celebrants are finally doing the “legals” it really will be a level playing field but for now, my couples need to do a simple statutory marriage at the town hall so they are on the right side of the law. And then, as you have just read, the possibilities really are endless. For more information please reach out to me. http://www.celebrantsuzi.co.uk/contact
Happiest of New Years to you all, and thank you for reading.
