Gina & Shariz's Wedding Story
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
