Preston and Sepideh’s Real Life 17th Century Stately Home Wedding

Preston and Sepideh

March 1999

How did you meet?
At a close friend’s fancy dress birthday party

Describe the marriage proposal.
It was quite casual – on his return from a business trip, Preston surprised me with a ring he had made specially by hand (very romantic).

How long did you spend preparing for the day and how was it?
6 months. It was quite stressful near the end, finalising everything.

What type of wedding ceremony did you have and where?
A civil at a Seventeenth Century stately home.

Where did you hold your reception and what was it like?
Our reception was in a Gothic-style public house – a bit small but a brilliant setting which complemented the ceremony. We organised it all ourselves and had a sit-down meal in the afternoon and buffet in the evening with a live singer.

Thinking back to the ‘big day’ what things did you especially enjoy?
That it was our day and that all the friends and family we really wanted to see, were there.

Is there anything you’d change, with hindsight?
We’d choose a bigger venue – but only slightly. More people turned up than we really expected.

What advice would you give to couples currently planning their wedding?
Lots!

Don’t worry about trying to please anyone else (even close members of your family). At the end of the day it is YOUR DAY and hopefully the only one you’ll ever have. If you’re not happy with certain things that you’ve been bullied into having e.g. certain flowers (that you may not like), you can’t do it again either. You’re the one that has to live with it and look back on the memories and pictures/video etc.

If you haven’t much money – don’t try and pretend that you do. At the end of the day the people coming to your day love you for who you are not for what you can give them and if they don’t, well they shouldn’t be coming to the wedding at all! All the genuine people are happy to be invited to see the joining of the two people they love.

Don’t be tempted to go for a big venue if you don’t have enough people. No one will dance and the place will look empty.

Make sure your bar is in the same room as your dance floor, or you’ll find your party splits into two.