Gina and Shariz’s Memorable Day at Bowcliffe Hall

THE BEGINNING

Why Bowcliffe Hall?

We first heard about Bowcliffe Hall at a gay wedding fair in Manchester. A photographer mentioned Bowcliffe Hall and how beautiful it was with a specific mention of the Blackburn Wing. We soon went to look around and we immediately fell in love with the venue.

THE BRIDES

Our wedding was a same sex marriage, so we were both brides on our big day. We met at work and were friends for a year and a half before we finally admitted that we had fallen for each other. Gina worked as a nurse and I as a scientist at a hospital in Leeds. Gina wore an ivory dress and I opted for a summer blue colour. Our dresses were not formal wedding attire, and we were so pleased with our choices. No secrets here, Gina’s dress was from Coast and I picked my dress from Ralph Lauren.

ARRIVAL

Gina arrived with her Mum, sister (bridesmaid) and best woman in a Rolls Royce. She was the first to arrive at Bowcliffe, meet with Becky and the Registrar. I arrived around 15 minutes prior to the ceremony in a Ferrari with a close family friend. My Mum, Dad, and sister (other bridesmaid) arrived in the same Rolls Royce that brought Gina and her family to Bowcliffe Hall.

THE VENUE

We wanted a relaxed environment that was exclusively ours for the whole day. We loved everything about Bowcliffe Hall, and the spectacular views and grounds were absolutely stunning which made our chosen wedding venue even more special. We wanted high quality food, drink, and service for a small-medium sized wedding, and we were both keen to have a bespoke service and have flexibility around our day.

How did you choose your venue?

In total we visited three venues when planning our wedding. We visited Bowcliffe first, and there was absolutely no contest. The hardest part was picking a day.

THE DÉCOR/THEME

We felt the venue itself was so beautiful and needed very little adjustments and decorations. We had some petals on the floor and staircase (provided by Bowcliffe). The chairs, furniture, and grand rooms at Bowcliffe were so beautiful that no further décor was needed.  The candelabras were just so elegant, and we opted to have these on our tables for the wedding breakfast. One of my sisters’ left personalized favours on each table along with some disposable cameras.

We asked for the multi-coloured lights in the Blackburn wing at night. These were perfect for the non-stop dancing.

THE FLOWERS

We didn’t have a theme as such for the flowers but opted for a small blue flower in one of the bouquets to match the summer blue colour of my dress. We chose white/ ivory roses for our wedding bouquets.

The Best Woman and mothers of the brides all wore a beautiful wrist corsage and a bouquet for our bridesmaids.  We also had buttonhole flower for the male family members.

THE BRIDESMAIDS

We had two bridesmaids. A sister from each side of the family. We wanted them to feel comfortable on the day and gave them the opportunity to pick their own dresses and colours. One of the bridesmaids wore pink and the other green.

THE CEREMONY

We walked down the aisle to Amy Wadge – Moon and back. Some nerves, but honestly, we were so ready. Becky and the team at Bowcliffe immediately put us at ease when arriving on the day. The most memorable part was seeing all our wonderful friends and family watch us walk down the aisle.

THE FOOD AND DRINK

We had the opportunity to try a personalized tasting menu prior to making the decision about food for the day. We carefully chose our wines, and food for our big day. On the day, the service was faultless, red wine served at the perfect temperature and our guests thoroughly enjoyed the whole meal. The wedding breakfast was outstanding. We had number of vegans, vegetarians and gluten free guests and the team made sure each member of our party was given the highest quality service and food.

We chose to have canapes during the drink’s reception, and they were beautiful. Perfect timing to have a small bite and our guests simply loved them. For the drinks, we had Aperol Spritz, cosmopolitan cocktails, prosecco, and beer. As soon as we left the ceremony room, Gina and I were immediately handed an Aperol Spritz. Simply perfect.

Throughout the whole drink’s reception and wedding breakfast the staff could not do enough to make our day perfect. Such a lovely atmosphere and the quality of service was outstanding. Becky and her team made sure Gina and I were looked after every second of our day.

TELL US ABOUT THE CAKE…

Our bridesmaids made the cake and cupcakes, and the team at Bowcliffe expertly moved the cakes between rooms and were ready and waiting to collect the cakes in the morning. This meant our guests were given time to look at the cakes before the evening reception.

For the evening reception we had Duke’s pizza, and this was one of the many brilliant things about Bowcliffe. They were flexible around the food vendors we wanted and were happy to accommodate our chosen vendor. Our guests enjoyed the romantic walk out of the wing to collect their pizza.

THE ENTERTAINMENT

Our first dance was to Blinkie – Don’t Give Up On Love. So much energy and love in the room. I think we shocked everyone with our first dance choice. The acoustics of the Blackburn wing were incredible. We then had a collection of traditional Armenian songs to celebrate and acknowledge my part Armenian heritage. We both danced all night, and the Blackburn wing was just the perfect location for our evening reception.  Even the sheep below came to say hello. It was a beautiful summer’s evening; the views were spectacular the doors were open, with a gorgeous summer breeze. We felt so lucky to have had this space.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The venue was truly magical and we both knew from the minute we walked through the doors at Bowcliffe Hall, that this would be the perfect wedding venue for us. Our guests were blown away by the venue and service on the day. We feel incredibly lucky to have celebrated our wedding day at Bowcliffe Hall.

Like many couples, we had to re-schedule our wedding due to the pandemic, but the whole process was handled with such professionalism, flexibility, and compassion. Becky effortlessly alleviated our worries and helped us to continue to plan our wedding during uncertain times.

Our big day was truly amazing. There was not one moment of our day that could not have been more perfect. Bowcliffe Hall will forever be in our hearts and we can’t wait to return.

THE PHOTOGRAPHY

Your choice photography

Nisha Keaton

www.yourchoicephotography.com

@yourchoicephotography