Happy Anniversary to all our July Couples!
We have completed our very first full 12-month stint of wedding celebrations at Thicket Priory, and wow what a year it has been. After opening in July 2019, hosting only 9 weddings before the world went crazy; plus 2, small but special celebrations during the restrictions, we could not be happier to be busier than ever!
Firstly, a huge thank you to all the wonderful couples and guests who have visited Thicket Priory in the last year and enjoyed the exclusivity of our wonderful venue. All but one of our July 2021 couples had their weddings postponed due to the pandemic and they worked together with us to make it a stress free given the circumstances; ensuring that excitement levels remained high and that when it came to finally celebrating with their friends and family they had the wedding they dreamed of.
Until Monday 19th July 2021 we were still restricted by table service at weddings which was a very strange time to go through, one which we will be happy never to go through again. Our Gryffin Bar, staffed by a team of skilled bartenders and bar backs is a part of Thicket Priory which adds character to the venue and ensure your guests get to explore everything from local gins, spirits from all over the world, to draft beers and delish soft drinks for guests who are not drinking. As I write this blog, we have just hosted a wedding party of cocktail drinkers enjoying our Signature cocktail, the ‘Gryffin Collins’, and copious amounts of well shaken espresso martini’s! Our in-house cocktail competition was fierce amongst the team; in third-place was the lovely Maggie, followed by Max in a close second, with the overall winner being Verity! Well done team, all supported by our entire team of super staff!!
Kind words about Thicket Priory
Married on 3rd July 2021 was the gorgeous Charlotte & Nick, after being postponed from September 2020 it was wonderful to finally see Charlotte walk down the grand staircase to marry Nick. Charlotte & Nick joined us on BBC Radio York and on BBC Look North, who were both following the journey of couples who had been postponed during the pandemic. We learnt how Nick was most likely to be the one who would cry at the wedding and have a memory box filled with trinkets from the wedding! Charlotte was cool, calm and collected; the morning of the wedding was such a joy seeing her pampered like a princess in our stunning bridal suite, entertaining the bridesmaids, make-up and hair artists and myself with her incredible Australian accent; which we later found out was the first accent she spoke to her husband to be, and he genuinely thought she was an Ozzy!
Getting to know couples on such a personal level is what we here at Thicket Priory love about weddings, we become additional guests at the best day of their lives!
Pre-wedding photoshoot: Photography by Your Story Films
Words from the couple:
“A magical, private dream venue…
Such an amazing venue! We were looking for something spectacular for our wedding, a private venue with room for all our guests and Thicket Priory ticked all our boxes!
From the moment you drive down the long, magical driveway, you will fall in love with this place! The stunning, brand new interiors are jaw droppingly beautiful and the views in the grounds, including all the bridges around the lake make for some incredible wedding photos. Inside is light and airy, great for photos. Perhaps the best thing though is that the whole place is yours, you can make it your own home for a day, with no intrusions from other guests and decorate it in your own style!
The bridal suite and grooms suite (yes he gets one too!) are the most gorgeous, spacious rooms I’ve seen! The lighting was brill for makeup and photos!
The team at the venue were so helpful throughout our Covid- delayed wedding, from start to finish, they were friendly, engaged, enthusiastic and nothing was too much trouble. I couldn’t thank them enough for bringing our perfect day to life, after waiting so long!
Such a super venue and lovely, down to earth team who really care!
Charlotte & Nick x”
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Our July Couples:
Daria & Dougie – 6th July 2019 (Our very first wedding) – Photography by Pink Lily Photography
Nick & Charlotte – 3rd July 2021 – Photography by Your Story Films
You’ve seen them in their pre-wedding shoot, but here’s the real deal shot…how beautiful is this photograph!
Jo & Pete – 10th July 2021 – Photography by Dominic Wright Photography
Pete ready for a fist bump after finally tying the knot with the lovely Jo! Jo’s sister lives very local to Thicket Priory and on a return visit up North from London, she made sure I had a few glasses on wine to celebrate with her after an amazing wedding day which ended with a silent disco! A great idea when you have exclusive use of Thicket Priory!
Caroline & Ian – 17th July 2021
Wedding preparations, getting ready for another wonderful bandstand ceremony.
Leonie & Alan – 20th July 2021
Leonie and Alan looked incredible on their wedding day and an amazing day was had by all. As I’m sure you’ll appreciate that not all couples choose to share their wedding photographs and we fully respect their privacy when this is the case. We wish them the happiest one year anniversary and do hope they are looking back on the fond memories of their celebrations all under one roof with their nearest and dearest.
Emily & Zain – 31st July 2021 – Photography by Victoria Baker Weddings
Our favourite confetti shot by a country mile! Look at all the colour! Thicket Priory is a confetti friendly wedding venue, of course, we do insist that it is biodegradable! #green
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The perfect sign-off for this blog is a FANTASTIC testimonial we received from a July 2022 wedding, let’s just say it brought tears to our eyes. It was an incredible wedding celebrated with the most amazing couple and guests! Here are a few word’s from the Mother & Father of the Bride:
“Perfection!
Where do we start to describe this perfect wedding venue for our only daughter’s wedding? With a huge thank you! Especially to Becca and of course Anna and Jess who were with us throughout from the initial enquiry to the arrival of the guests right up to the time we left on Sunday after breakfast. A special mention has to go to Becca who was by our side whatever was required whether it was a safety pin for holding up a gents trousers or a hug for an emotional brides mum and of course making sure the whole event ran like clockwork. The private chapel was romantic and intimate and we loved the truly personal ceremony and of course the beautiful stained glass window backdrop.
As hoteliers and restaurant owners ourselves for many years we were probably more anxious about making sure everything was done to the highest standard…..I can tell you it was! All the staff were so professional, the service was slick but personal and the food was the best anyone has ever tasted at any other wedding. Thank you to all the chefs involved. It was all truly excellent and we cannot praise the catering staff enough. The ballroom looked magnificent and we loved the surprise element with the ‘no peeking’ sign- genius!
Arranging the Tepee as an extra addition on the lawn outside was another feature we loved as it served as a lounge and the firepit made the perfect setting for groups to congregate. It also made a fabulous first night quiz event venue, where the guests mingled and met family and friends they hadn’t seen for years due to the recent pandemic.
The bedrooms are so gorgeous especially the Bridal Suite and the little pantries are a delight. The guests loved exploring the quirky corridors and secret passageways and the whole atmosphere of staying in a priory was such a wonderful experience.
Thicket Priory was ours exclusively for the weekend which is exactly what we wanted, the location spectacular and already our guests are forwarding pictures and sending us their amazing comments about the weekend. You made us feel like royalty. Thicket is a truly special venue but the staff made it perfect.
Alison & Keith Hartwell
Hartwell Mottram Wedding 23rd July 2022”
Photography by Kirsty Mattsson Photography
Here’s to another unforgettable year at Thicket Priory, we cannot wait for more dreams to come true!
Lots of Love
Anna
xXx
Are you looking for your dream wedding venue? Are you unsure of what to ask when you visit a venue? Check out a few tips from us HERE. In the meantime, here’s a little more inspiration from our July couples! Once again Happy Anniversary!
