Chris and Charlotte's Wedding at Hornington Manor

17th March 2017

This wedding from the start was full of laughter, love and joy.

My first duty was to find the groom and to introduce him to the ladies conducting the civil ceremony. I approached a group of guests to ask if they knew where he was – one of his friends who thought I’d said “Where is the broom”, replied “Well there is one in the cupboard in the main kitchen, and he will probably be in there”. Only my goodness he’s getting cold feet was my initial thought, and then of course he appeared with all smiles. Chris was watching the football, a match between Middlesbrough, which is his team, and Manchester City which his bride to be and family’s team. Lots of very friendly rivalry, but the couple were most definitely ‘Match of the Day’.

The Civil Ceremony took place in the reception room which was decorated beautifully with fresh flowers from florist Catkin Flowers, matching the delicate rose coloured bridesmaid dresses. Five gorgeous little flower girls and three treasured friends preceded Charlotte as she took to the front of the room. Charlotte looked ever so radiant on the arm of her so very proud father.

After the Civil Ceremony everyone made their way to the infamous rustic wedding barn. The barn had also been decorated beautifully to match the rest of wedding. Ivory was hanging from the barn’s chandeliers and beautiful flowers took centre stage on the guest’s tables. The head table was adorned with an array of flowers – it looked simply wonderful. Not only did it look stunning, the smell was divine!

Once the drinks and canapés were served, everyone took their places at the tables which were all named with one thing in common – celebrity footballers. You could tell football played a strong part in this couple and their family’s lives!

During the speeches, Charlotte’s dad John spoke of how she had been planning her wedding along with her best friend Ellie since the age of 4 years old. Her poor brother was often being bullied into taking a prominent part in the make-believe ceremony too.

John told of how Charlotte had previously been proposed to by a taxi driver in Johannesburg, who had plans to sell her on for a substantial amount of the local currency and a few goats. You can imagine how pleased Sue and John were when she met her beloved Chris (even though he was a Middlesbrough supporter!)

Chris spoke of how impressed he was when first shown around Charlotte’s flat – so tidy and a place for everything. John allowed the romance to blossom and let Chris to move in with his daughter purely because he knew how to change the dishwasher filter. He had passed the test! Chris’s Nana was a very prominent figure of importance and friendship in his life. Nana Pat, Grandma and Aunty Liz were all missed on this their special day.

Twin sister Caroline was asked if she would like to be his best woman – she answered with such enthusiasm and exclaimed she ‘couldn’t wait’. Chris was slightly worried at this point as she recalled little tales from their childhood together. Chris had no need to worry though, as Caroline made clear to all how close they have been since birth and indeed “two peas in a pod”. She spoke of how much she loved Charlotte, and she was happy to move over for the “third pea in the pod”.

Football was very much the focus of the speeches and a surprise letter was proudly read out to his bride by Chris from Manchester City defender and team captain Vincent Kompony, sending all his best wishes to them both for their future happiness together.

A feast was served by Homegrown Hospitality and Hog Roast, who provided the Chris and Charlotte with delicious food throughout their wedding weekend. The desert board of Rhubarb and strawberry tart or chocolate and caramel profiteroles looked absolutely divine

Tummies full, and speeches said – it was time to dance the night away to the sounds of DJ Andy Murphy. The beautiful ‘Mr’ and ‘Mrs’ lights by Wedding Venue Lighting provided a dreamy backdrop for the all the dancing. The perfect ending to a fantastic day and night of celebrations!