When Alyssa & Leah arrived at Thicket Priory and started to talk about fantasy worlds, dragons and Terry Pratchett, we just knew we were going to be the perfect home for their Discworld inspired wedding celebrations. The talk of escaped dragons for the children to hunt down whilst completing the Thicket Priory quest was so exciting.
“We could not have dreamed of a better venue than Thicket Priory. As soon as we took the tour, we struggled to imagine getting married anywhere else. The building and the grounds are so stunning – they strike the perfect balance between grandiose beauty and home comforts. However, we have to say that it was all the little magical details that really made it for us. We were already thinking about theming the wedding around the fantasy books that we both love but seeing what Thicket had to offer really solidified this idea. We drove home from that viewing buzzing with excitement.”
As avid readers, we weren’t at all surprised to see beautifully curated invites, designed to be like a book, and upon arrival to Thicket Priory guest newspapers to read during their stay. Illustrated beer matts, themed pin badges for guests as favours, and individual table centre pieces hand crafted by Leah & Aylssa. The detail added to each table, and the well thought through drinks tokens for guests, just showed how much time, love and effort was put into their theme very much coming alive on the day! The guests even got to ‘pimp’ their prosecco with various lotions and potions, all an intricate part of the table challenges set by Leah & Aylssa. This was a lot of fun to watch guests trying to figure out their clues…we were even joined by a famous face, where Leah had a personal message sent for Alyssa from THE Task Master himself, Alex Horne. Check it out…
“From the moment we committed, we were never disappointed. Many other reviews have pointed out that what really makes the difference at this venue is the way you are treated throughout the process and how helpful and organised all the staff are. This was definitely our experience as well. Anna was superb throughout and made us feel like we were in safe hands at all times. Planning a wedding can be very stressful so it was wonderful to have someone so calming on hand and to be reassured that all the ‘boring’ details were being dealt with and that we could concentrate on whatever elements we were most enthusiastic about. She also gave us quite a few ideas that we incorporated into the weekend, such as the wedding newspaper which we really enjoyed writing and went down a treat with guests.”
When I think back to the wedding day itself I remember so clearly the comparison in styles from our two gorgeous brides. Aylssa opted for a more traditional white wedding gown, whilst Leah’s personality came alive with a stunning pink dress, like she’d walked straight off a page from one of their most loved story books. The weather was glorious, and the photographs captured by the willow tree standing by the lake are picture perfect!
“The weekend itself went totally smoothly. We picked several vendors from the friends of Thicket Priory list and they all did a great job. A lot of guests commented on the venue staff in particular and how it really did feel like fairies were magically sorting everything around us without ever being seen. Everyone felt relaxed and well-cared for. Last minute requests like swapping of rooms or getting an extra glass of alcohol-free prosecco for a bridesmaid were dealt with easily and with minimal fuss. Many people told us it was the best wedding they had ever been to and that they wanted to steal the venue for themselves!”
As found collectors of Jellycat’s, myself and Lil adored seeing the characters of a few favourites joining in the celebrations. We even gained our very first Thicket Priory Jellycat; a cleverly chosen gold dragon, the perfect friend for our resident Gryffin! Ensuring the children had the best time, capturing the dragons who had escaped, and discovering the magic of the Thicker Priory fairies was so key to the weekend, and not only did this entertain the little ones, the grown up guests were also captivated!
“We are very grateful to Anna, Lil and the rest of the team for the care and effort they put into our big day. We’d like to thank Anna most of all for her kindness and compassion. It felt like talking to an old friend in the planning meetings. We really appreciated that she was totally unphased by organising a wedding for two brides or by Alyssa’s transition, which had barely started before we took our tour of the venue. From the moment we introduced ourselves, Anna confidently walked us through everything without any awkwardness or struggling to adapt the tour to the needs of two brides, which was not the case at other venues we visited. It really was a dream to find a venue where we could focus on making our wedding all about joy and happiness without feeling like we were a problem to work around.
If you are considering choosing Thicket Priory for your venue, all we can say is that it is absolutely worth it.”
Safe to say this was an incredible wedding with some amazing memories made, fairytale memories that can live on in the fantasy books forever!
Love
Anna xXx
Supplier Shout-out:
Caterer: Purple Chilli Events Catering
Ceremony Lead by: Penny Jayne Celebrant
Styling: Leah & Alyssa
Photographer: Jane Beadnell
Hair: Sonia Schofield
Make-Up: Sonia Schofield
Cake: The Little Cake Cottage
Evening Musician: Folksmiths (Band/Dj)
Photobooth: Boothomatic
